Thursday, January 5 top stories
It is Thursday, January 5. Here are today’s top stories.
8 members of family found dead in Utah
In tragic news from Utah, police in the city of Enoch said they found eight family members, five of them children, dead from gunshot wounds in a home. All eight were members of one family.
Police said that based on evidence, it appears that the father and husband of the family, 42-year-old Michael Haight, killed his wife and his mother-in-law and five of his children, whose ages ranged from 17 to 4, before turning the gun on himself.
There is an investigation to understand what happened prior to the shootings. Police went to the home after someone called in a request for a welfare check.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said, “our hearts go out to all those affected by this senseless violence.”
“Romeo and Juliet” actors sue over nude scenes
CNN reports that the two lead actors from the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet” have filed a lawsuit against Paramount Studios for allowing the movie to be released with scenes showing them nude when they were minors. The actors are Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting and they were 15 and 16 when the film was shot.
The actors said they were told while shooting that there would be no nudity shown in the film’s final version, but the film did have nudity in it when it was released. The actors said their trust was violated and it affected their future job opportunities. The actors are now in their 70s.
CNN explained that in 2022, California temporarily suspended a law on the statute of limitations for older claims of child sexual abuse. The lawsuit was filed at the end of December. The actors are seeking damages of at least $500 million.
Damar Hamlin awake, holding hands with family
There is great news about the health status of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest during a game on Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game was suspended and then postponed.
Doctors at the University of Cincinnati said Hamlin has been making “substantial progress” and is beginning to awaken as of this morning.
Hamlin’s agent said he was able to hold hands with his family in the hospital.
Doctors said his neurological condition appears to be intact.
Hamlin was able to follow commands and even asked who won the game via writing. He is not able to use his voice because he is still on a breathing tube. Doctors responded that he “won the game of life.”
So this is very positive news about Hamlin and his road to recovery.
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Updates on Idaho quadruple murders
Here are some updates on the quadruple murders of University of Idaho students and the suspect, Bryan Kohberger. He was extradited to Idaho on Wednesday.
Authorities said they found Kohberger’s DNA from a tan leather knife sheath that was left on one of the victims’ beds. During the investigation, when police started focusing on Kohberger, they recovered trash from his parents’ home in Pennsylvania and found a DNA match for a father-and-son relationship.
There were roommates at the house where the four college students were killed — they were unharmed. One of the roommates said she woke up due to various noises and heard crying coming from one of the victims’ room around 4 a.m. When the roommate opened her door, she saw a figure of a person wearing a mask. The masked person left the house and the roommate locked her door shut. The roommates found the bodies later that morning and alerted police. This happened on November 13.
Authorities found surveillance video that showed Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra driving near the victims’ house around the time of the murders. Cell phone data showed that Kohberger’s phone was near the house at least 12 times before the murders.
Kohberger was a Ph.D. student at a nearby university studying criminal justice. His attorney said he is innocent and is eager to be exonerated of these charges of murder. He is now being held with no bail.
McCarthy continues to lose House speakership votes
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) has lost eight rounds of votes to tap him as the Speaker of the House.
It has been three days now that members of the House have been voting. We’ve never seen this in 100 years.
Twenty Republicans in the House have refused to support McCarthy because they do not feel that he would represent their conservative viewpoints.
McCarthy is still popular because he has managed to get at least 200 votes from Republicans every round but he needs 218 to win. There are 222 Republican members so McCarthy can only afford to lose four members because Democrats naturally wouldn’t vote for him. So far McCarthy has not been able to convince the 20 Republicans.
Without a speaker in place, the House cannot swear in its members and it can’t set rules or introduce bills. It is not clear what will happen next.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
[CORRECTION: The headline on the video for the second story is meant to be titled: "Romeo and Juliet" actors sue over nude scenes.]
https://6abc.com/utah-family-shot-of-8-enoch-hutah-shooting-murders/12656808/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/05/us/enoch-city-utah-home-shooting/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/04/entertainment/romeo-and-juliet-lawsuit/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/damar-hamlin-buffalo-bills-update-01-05-23/index.html
https://6abc.com/bryan-kohberger-update-idaho-murders-killer-college/12656918/
https://6abc.com/bryan-kohberger-update-idaho-murders-killer-college/12656918/
https://www.axios.com/2023/01/05/mccarthy-house-speaker-vote-day-3