A Chico man was convicted Monday of double murder and other charges in connection with the shooting deaths of a couple at a marijuana farm in Southern Humboldt. “Because he committed multiple murders, a ‘special circumstance’ under California homicide law, Mr. Rodriguez faces a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole,” a Humboldt […]
Courts
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‘A Change in Narrative’: Ethnic Studies Program Helps Incarcerated Youth Navigate Identity
When Nate Tan, a professor of ethnic studies at San Francisco State University, logs on to virtually teach his 8 a.m. class, he sees several dozen students sitting at desks with laptops, some framed by towering bookshelves. But these students aren’t Zooming in from campus dorms. Instead, they’re taking classes in three different youth prisons […]
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Is This Another Way to End California’s Death Penalty?
Instead of outright abolition, opponents of the California death penalty are pushing legislation to limit death sentences. But the blowback to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to dismantle Death Row at San Quentin demonstrates the political risk. Unable to persuade California voters to do away with capital punishment altogether, the movement to abolish the death penalty […]
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Robert Durst, Former Trinidad Resident Convicted of Murder, Dies
Robert Durst, the East Coast real estate scion who spent several years living in Trinidad and was convicted in September of killing his friend, supporter and confidante at her Benedict Canyon bungalow back in December of 2000, has died. He was 78. According to the New York Times, Durst went into cardiac arrest at a […]
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DA Fleming Won’t Seek Re-Election
Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming announced in a press release this afternoon that she will not seek a third term in office. “It has been a privilege to serve the people of Humboldt County; I thank the voters for the opportunity,” she said in the release. “I believe that during my tenure as D.A., […]
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Judge Exonerates HumCo Attorneys in Right-to-die Case
A California State Bar judge has exonerated two Humboldt County attorneys of charges that they committed serious ethics violations during their handling of a local right-to-die case that resulted in a $1 million settlement. In a 45-page written ruling filed yesterday, Judge Phong Wang found that Deputy County Counsel Natalie Duke and Blair Angus, who […]
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The Clintons Swing Through Humboldt, Reportedly Filming Docuseries
Former U.S. Secretary of State, Senator, Democratic Presidential Nominee and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton spent some time in Humboldt County over the weekend, and even hit up a local food truck. Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal confirmed that Clinton was in town for a couple of days and left Sunday, saying his department provided […]
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UPDATED: Five Years Later, Charges Brought in Eureka Teen’s Homicide
One day before the fifth anniversary of 18-year-old Jennika Lee Suazo being found dead in a P Street residence where she lived, the Eureka Police Department announced 34-year-old Anthony Lee Hamilton has been charged with her murder. According to a news release, Hamilton has been in custody on unrelated charges since 2017. The Eureka Police […]
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Ex-Rohnert Park Cop Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Extortion
The former head of the Rohnert Park Public Safety Department’s drug interdiction team pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges of conspiracy to commit extortion under “color of law,” falsifying records in a federal investigation and tax evasion. Ex-Sgt. Brendan “Jacy” Tatum and his former partner, Joseph Huffaker, were both indicted by a federal grand jury […]
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Guilty Plea Entered in Bear River Triple Murder Case
The 19-year-old Loleta man who fatally shot three people — including a 16-year-old girl — at a home on the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria Reservation in February pleaded guilty today to three counts of first degree murder in a plea deal. Mauricio Johnson, who was 18 when the crime was committed, will […]
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Newsom is Running Out of Time to Sign Bills
T-minus three days. That’s how much time Gov. Gavin Newsom has left to decide the fate of the remaining bills on his desk — and as the deadline draws nearer, the buildup for big-ticket and contentious proposals is getting more intense. The direct impact of Newsom’s decisions was particularly apparent Wednesday, when he signed a […]
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McKinleyville Man Receives Suspended Sentence in Fatal Stabbing
A Humboldt County judge handed a McKinleyville resident a suspended sentence of seven years today for 2019 fatal stabbing of a Rohnert Park man outside of his home in an altercation that occurred after he’d called 911 to report that someone had cut his power and was trying to break into his house. Brian Jon […]