Daily News & Updates Law Enforcement News Friend, Customer, Victim? L.A. Case Tests Limits Of Murder Charges For Fentanyl Overdoses Mo Ida Solomon’s head rested on a coffee table. Her fingers, dusted with white powder, gripped the edge of it. Her half-opened eyes stared at nothing. She died in July 2023 at her Los Angeles apartment. Eight months later, a homicide detective showed a photograph of Solomon’s body to Casey Linder, who said they had been “good friends for a long time.” “Poor girl was just sitting at her table, crisscross applesauce, slumped over, f—ing dead,” the detective told Linder. “The bottom line, Casey, is whatever you brought her killed her.” Los Angeles County prosecutors played the tape of Linder’s interview at a preliminary hearing this week to support charging the 38-year-old Granada Hills resident with second-degree murder for allegedly supplying Solomon with a deadly cocktail of fentanyl, meth and Xanax. Linder has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Alex Kessel, says the case is among the first attempts by L.A. County prosecutors to charge a defendant with murder for distributing fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller 50 times more potent than heroin. Venusse Dunn, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, said Linder was the second alleged fentanyl dealer whom county prosecutors have charged with murder. A 21-year-old Colton woman was charged in April with distributing the drug to two men who died, and a Canoga Park woman has also been accused of murdering her twin 3-year-old sons by exposing them to fentanyl. Los Angeles Times Man Found Competent To Stand Trial In Fatal Metro Train Stabbing A man accused of fatally stabbing a woman on a Metro train in the Studio City area has been found mentally competent to stand trial. Elliott Tramel Nowden — who appeared Wednesday in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom — is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 17 on one count each of murder and first-degree robbery in connection with the attack that occurred around 5 a.m. April 22 on the train between North Hollywood and Universal City. The murder charge includes a special circumstance allegation of murder during a robbery. Nowden could face a potential life prison sentence without the possibility of parole if he is convicted as charged, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Police said the victim — 66-year-old Mirna Soza Arauz — had boarded a downtown-bound Metro B (Red) Line train at the nearby North Hollywood station and was stabbed in an apparently unprovoked attack. She managed to exit the train when it arrived at the Universal City Station in the 3900 block of Lankershim Boulevard in Studio City, where she was found mortally wounded on the platform. MyNewsLA Man Linked To Killing Of Actor Johnny Wactor Out On Bail After Pleading Guilty To Attempted Robbery, Grand Theft One of four men arrested in connection with the killing of former "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor is out on bail after pleading guilty to charges of attempted robbery and grand theft on Wednesday. Leonel Gutierrez, 18, was one of four people arrested last month in the fatal shooting of Wactor, who played the role of Brando Corbin on the daytime soap opera. On May 25, Wactor and a friend were going home from a bartending shift in downtown Los Angeles around 3:30 a.m. when they saw some men surrounding his car, who police say were trying to steal a catalytic converter off the vehicle. They had the car lifted up with a floor jack, according to police. Wactor walked towards them, police said. Then, he was gunned down. "We were no threat and Johnny kept his cool as he always did, simply stating that it was his car and for them to leave, hands open to his sides in peace," Anita Joy, the friend he was with, later wrote in an Instagram post. "He was killed senselessly by a coward who reacted without care of the gorgeous life he was taking." Last month, police said four people were arrested in connection with Wactor's death. The arrests were announced just two days after the actor's mother traveled from South Carolina to Los Angeles to speak out and call for justice — urging anyone with information to come forward after months of investigation had led to no arrests. CBS 2 Hollywood Man To Plead Guilty To Federal COVID Tax Fraud A Hollywood man is expected to plead guilty Thursday to a federal charge alleging he sought more than $65 million from the IRS by falsely claiming on tax returns that his nonexistent farming business was entitled to COVID-19-related tax credits. Kevin J. Gregory, 57, has agreed to enter his plea in Los Angeles federal court to a single count of making false claims to the IRS. The charge carries a possible sentence of up to five years behind bars, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Gregory was charged last year with 17 counts of making false claims. Federal prosecutors contend he attempted to claim funds under a federal “employee retention credit” offered to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between November 2020 and April 2022, Gregory allegedly submitted bogus claims to the IRS for nearly $65.4 million in refunds under the retention credit, citing a sham Beverly Hills-based farming and transportation company known as Elijah USA Farm Holdings, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. MyNewsLA Baby Allegedly Abducted By Father In Huntington Park Found Safe An Amber Alert issued by the California Highway Patrol on Wednesday morning for a baby who was allegedly abducted by his father in Los Angeles County was deactivated after the child was found safe. According to the CHP, 9-month-old Jaydan Avalos was allegedly taken by his father 18-year-old David Avalos overnight. The two were last seen in Huntington Park, but David Avalos' last known location was in West Carson. Jaydan was found by authorities around 6 a.m. in Los Angeles. His father was arrested a few hours later, City News Service reports. David Avalos was booked on suspicion of kidnapping and on three felony warrants, according to authorities. He was being held on $225,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A motive remains under investigation. FOX 11 Search Continues For Young Southern California Mother Who Disappeared Authorities continue to search for a young mother who disappeared in Los Angeles County in 2015. Monique Figueroa, 27, was last seen leaving her Littlerock home to visit the Florence area on May 19, 2015, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Her father was the last person to see her drive away from their home on the 7200 block of East Avenue U-12 at around 4 a.m. Her disappearance is being investigated as “suspicious” and as a possible kidnapping, said LASD. Investigators also said there is a strong likelihood that foul play was involved. Monique’s daughter was 2 years old at the time and family members said she would never abandon her. “She’s a good mother, she wouldn’t leave,” said Jeff Figueroa, Monique’s father. “She wouldn’t just leave a 2-year-old daughter at home. She’s a really good girl. She always worked and she wouldn’t just disappear like that.” On May 30, 2015, Monique’s 2004 black Mercedes Benz SUV was discovered in the unincorporated area of Juniper Hills, about seven miles from her home, authorities said. Monique, however, was nowhere to be found. KTLA 5 Man Convicted Of Killing Chicago Officer Ella French, Wounding Another Officer Sentenced To Life In Prison A judge sentenced a man convicted of killing a Chicago police officer, wounding her partner and firing at a third officer to life in prison Wednesday. A jury found Emonte Morgan, 24, of Chicago, guilty in March of first-degree murder, attempted murder of a peace officer and possession/use of a firearm as a felon. Prosecutors say he fatally shot 29-year-old Officer Ella French, wounded her partner, Officer Carlos Yanez Jr., and shot at Officer Joshua Blas during a traffic stop in August 2021. Cook County Circuit Judge Ursula Walowski sentenced him to a mandatory life sentence and added 57 years after listening to French and Yanez family members describe their grief, the Chicago Tribune reported. “The memories, they sneak up on me sometimes and I am filled with grief and sadness,” French’s mother, Elizabeth French, told the judge. “I don’t know that closure will ever be possible for me. … Someday my daughter and I will meet again. Until then I will miss Ella every day.” Yanez’s father, Carlos Yanez Sr., a retired Chicago police officer himself, swore at Morgan and said someone should have killed him long ago. As Yanez spoke, Morgan’s mother yelled a profane insult about his son. Deputies quickly removed her from the courtroom as Yanez told Morgan he hopes he rots in jail. Associated Press Philadelphia Officer Dies Months After Being Shot During Traffic Stop The Philadelphia police officer who was shot during a traffic stop in Kensington in June has died from his the injuries, officials announced Tuesday night. Officer Jaime Roman, 31, was a six-year veteran assigned to the 25th District. He had been hospitalized after being shot in the neck on June 22 and had been recovering for months. But Roman “passed away this evening while surrounded by family,” Commissioner Kevin Bethel wrote on X. Mayor Cherelle Parker said Roman died around 8:30 p.m., adding: “A grateful city mourns his loss.” The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 said: “Despite his valiant fight to recover, Officer Roman passed away tonight. This is a heartbreaking loss for the entire FOP family.” Parker and Bethel said they would address the matter at news conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Police have said Roman was shot by Ramon Rodriguez Vazquez, 36, after the officer and his partner pulled Vazquez over on the 3500 block of F Street for lacking proper registration for a Toyota sedan. The officers subsequently discovered that Vazquez did not have a driver’s license, and called for a tow truck to haul his car away. As they were conducting a search of the vehicle, police said, the officers discovered a gun holster, and when they attempted to confront Vazquez about it, he ran away and started shooting back toward them with a gun he had in his waistband. Philadelphia Inquirer Video: Suspected DUI Driver Rams Florida Deputy Head-On While Driving Wrong Way On Highway A man accused of driving the wrong way on U.S. 1 in Florida was intoxicated when he slammed head-on into a deputy’s patrol car, according to investigators. And he did so while driving without a license, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in a video shared Sept. 9 on Facebook. The crash happened around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8, in Palm Shores, about a 60-mile drive southeast from Orlando. Callers reported a motorist headed the wrong way was “running citizens off the road” on U.S. 1 near the Pineda Causeway, Ivey said. Deputy Anthony Nunez was sent to intercept the driver, and dash camera video shows he stopped his patrol car as the suspect’s pickup sped toward him. The suspect did not hit his brakes before slamming into the patrol car, the video shows. The crash happened at a high rate of speed, but Nunez’s injuries were minimized by his seat belt and ballistic vest, Ivey said. The deputy’s injuries were minor and he is expected to make a full recovery. Charlotte Observer Public Safety News Three Major Wildfires Burn Across Southern California Three major wildfires continued to tear across multiple Southern California counties Wednesday, collectively scorching more than 100,000 acres with containment still out of reach for firefighters. The Bridge Fire above Glendora became the largest active wildfire in California at 49,000 acres. The Line Fire is at 18% containment. It has burned nearly 37,000 acres in nearly a week. A 34-year-old Norco man was arrested on suspicion of starting the Line Fire. The Airport Fire began in an Orange County canyon and crossed into Riverside County. Eight firefighters have been injured. A major cool-down is underway in the region after a week of blistering triple-digit heat. But forecasters say the fire danger remains elevated in some areas due to continued dry conditions. Smoke from the Bridge, Line, and Airport fires will continue to affect air quality in parts of the region, including the deserts. NBC 4 Local Government News LA City Council Takes One Step Closer To Right To Counsel Ordinance The city of Los Angeles moved one step closer Wednesday to establishing a right to counsel ordinance, which would codify legal defense for renters facing eviction. City Council members voted 11-0 to direct the city attorney to revise a draft ordinance for clarity purposes, as well as to better define certain provisions within. The city attorney will have 30 days to revise the ordinance and bring it back to the council for consideration. Council members Paul Krekorian and Curren Price recused themselves because they are landlords, while their colleagues Eunisses Hernandez and Imelda Padilla were absent. Under the proposal, the city would fund eviction defense via the annual budget process or using United to House LA funds. MyNewsLA About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. 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