Mistrial declared in case of Indiana man accused of fatally shooting 5, including pregnant woman

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Mistrial declared in case of Indiana man accused of fatally shooting 5, including pregnant woman

2024-07-25 07:07 Last Updated At：07:11

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A judge declared a mistrial in the case of an Indianapolis man accused of fatally shooting five people, including a pregnant woman, after a witness verbally confronted the defendant in front of the jury.

Marion County Superior Judge Chris Miller declared the mistrial Tuesday in the trial of Raymond Ronald Lee Childs III, who faces six counts of murder in the January 2021 slayings in an Indianapolis home.

Childs, 20, was arrested a day after the attack and accused of killing his father, stepmother, two teenage relatives, a woman nearly due to give birth, and her unborn son.

The mistrial came after a key witness in the case, Elanso Valez, testified that in the hours after the killings, he had picked up Childs and drove him around Indianapolis. He said Childs later covered his eyes and wept while laying on a bed at Valez's home in Plainfield, just west of Indianapolis.

“Y’all remember that?” Valez asked Childs from the witness stand, WXIN-TV reported.

The defense and prosecution teams quickly sought to cut Valez off, and the judge tried to intercede from the bench, but Valez continued, asking: “Why did you do it, Raymond?"

The judge admonished Valez for his comments in front of the jurors and sent them from the courtroom so he could speak with attorneys and then each juror individually.

Miller then declared a mistrial, saying he's “firmly convinced that Mr. Childs cannot get a fair trial.” He set a status conference for Monday with the attorneys.

The killings followed an argument over Childs, who was 17 at the time, staying out late, according to court records. Prosecutors said Childs methodically went from room-to-room, shooting the victims.

The attack killed Childs' father, Raymond Childs Jr., 42; his stepmother, Kezzie Childs, 42; the couple's daughter, Rita Childs, 13; son Elijah Childs, 18; and Elijah's 19-year-old girlfriend Kiara Hawkins, who died at a hospital along with her unborn son.

Childs' 15-year-old brother also was shot but survived after fleeing the house to escape the gunfire.

Algeria's 78-year-old president is expected to breeze to a second term in election

2024-09-08 06:19 Last Updated At：06:20

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algerians voted Saturday in an election to decide whether army-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune gets another term in office — five years after pro-democracy protests prompted the military to oust the previous president after two decades in power.

There is little suspense about the result with Tebboune expected to win easily. The question is more about how many voters cast ballots.

Tebboune said after voting that he hoped “whoever wins will continue on the path towards a point of no return in the construction of democracy.”

Polls closed late Saturday and vote counting was underway.

Tebboune's backers and rivals all urged Algerians to come out and vote after boycotts and high abstention rates in previous elections marred the government's ability to claim popular support.

Throughout the day, many polling places were largely empty, apart from scores of police officers manning their posts.

Polling places were kept open until 9 p.m. on Saturday after officials extended the voting period to accommodate concerns that people may not have voted in certain parts of the country due to the extreme heat. As of 5 p.m., voter turnout was 26.5% in Algeria and 18.3% for precincts abroad.

Preliminary results are expected late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

Algeria is Africa's largest country by area and, with almost 45 million people, it's the continent's second most populous after South Africa to hold presidential elections in 2024 — a year in which more than 50 elections are being held worldwide, encompassing more than half the world's population.

The campaign — rescheduled earlier this year to take place during North Africa's hot summer — was characterized by apathy from the population, which continues to be plagued by a high cost of living and drought that brought water shortages to some parts of the country.

“Uncle Tebboune," as his campaign called the 78-year-old, was elected in December 2019 after nearly a year of weekly “Hirak” demonstrations demanding the resignation of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Their demands were met when Bouteflika resigned and was replaced by an interim government of his former allies, which called for elections later in the year.

Protesters opposed holding elections so soon, fearing the candidates running that year were close to the old regime and would derail dreams of a civilian-led, non-military state. Tebboune, a former prime minister seen as close to the military, won. But his victory was stained by boycotts and election day tumult.

Throughout his tenure, Tebboune has used oil and gas revenue to boost some social benefits — including unemployment insurance as well as public wages and pensions — to calm discontent. To cement his legitimacy, Tebboune hopes more of the country's 24 million eligible voters participate in Saturday's election than in his first election when only 39.9% voted.

Many Algerians remain unconvinced that elections will usher in change.

Activists and international organizations, including Amnesty International, have railed against how authorities continue prosecuting those involved in opposition parties, media organizations and civil society groups.

Some have denounced this election as a rubber stamp exercise that can only entrench the status quo.

“Algerians don’t give a damn about this bogus election,” said former Hirak leader Hakim Addad, who was banned from participating in politics three years ago. “The political crisis will persist as long as the regime remains in place. The Hirak has spoken.”

Twenty-six candidates submitted preliminary paperwork to run in the election, although only two were ultimately approved to challenge Tebboune.

Both avoided directly criticizing Tebboune on the campaign trail and, like the incumbent, emphasized election participation.

Abdelali Hassani Cherif, a 57-year-old head of the Islamist party Movement of Society for Peace, made populist appeals to Algerian youth, running on the slogan “Opportunity!” Youcef Aouchiche, a 41-year-old former journalist running with the Socialist Forces Front, or FFS, campaigned on a “vision for tomorrow.”

Both challengers and their parties risked losing backing from supporters who thought they were selling out by giving the impression the election was democratic and contested.

Walking near a vote center in downtown Algiers, longtime FFS supporter Mhand Kasdi said his party had betrayed its ideals by putting forth a candidate for the first time since 1999.

“It is giving its backing to a rigged election,” the 55-year-old gas station manager said, adding that Aouchiche and Hassani “are going to help make the regime's candidate look good."

Voting in his hometown Saturday, Aouchiche called on Algerians to vote for him “to give young people the confidence to put an end to the despair that drives them to take the boats of death in an attempt to reach the other side of the Mediterranean,” referring to those who migrate to Europe.

Andrew Farrand, the Middle East and North Africa director at the geopolitical risk consultancy Horizon Engage, said both challengers were looking more at the 2025 legislative elections than this 2024 presidential contest. Because Algerian law funds political parties based on the number of seats they win in legislative elections, they hope campaigning now positions them for a strong 2025 performance.

“It’s a long game: How can I mobilize my base? How can I build up a campaign machine? And how can I get into the good graces of the authorities so that I can be in a position to increase my seats?” he said. “We’ve seen that in their choice not to overtly criticize president … paired with a very strong message to Algerians to come out and vote.”