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| Lacey, NJ man charged with asking minor for nudes - NewsBreak |
| Posted on Sunday, January 18 @ 00:01:28 PST (8 reads) | |
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By rick rickman ,
4 hours ago seth bowles is charged with exchanging sexual content with a 15-year-old girl (ocean county jail/lacey police department via facebook) lacey — a 20-year-old man from ocean county is charged with asking a teenage girl to send him illicit videos and photos, according to authorities.
seth bowles, of lacey, was arrested on thursday after detectives searched his home and seized his electronics, according to the ocean county prosecutor’s office. He was taken to ocean county jail.
seth bowles in a booking photo after his arrest on thursday, january 15, 2026 (ocean county jail) bowles is charged with sexual assault, distributing obscene materials to a minor, manufacturing child sexual abuse material, possession of child sexual abuse material, and child endangerment.
download the wkxw mobile app now investigators said that bowles and the 15-year-old girl were communicating between september and december 2025. Prosecutors did not say whether the teen girl also lives in lacey.
a lacey police vehicle (lacey police department via facebook) bowles is accused of sending the victim nude photos of himself and asking for similar pics in return. Prosecutors also said that he asked the girl to send him videos and photos of her engaging in “sexual conduct.”
attorney information was not immediately available for bowles as of friday afternoon.
is bowles protected by new jersey’s “romeo and juliet” law? New jersey has a so-called “romeo and juliet” law , but it does not appear to apply in this case, regardless of whether the conduct was consensual or not.
the age of consent for sexual activity in new jersey is 16 years old. However, 15-year-olds can engage in consensual acts with partners no older than 17.
read more: what is nj’s age of consent? Do we have a ‘romeo and juliet’ law? And under new jersey law, a minor cannot legally distribute sexual material of oneself to a romantic partner — it’s still considered child pornography. And it can carry hefty legal penalties.
all 31 convicted killers pardoned by gov. Murphy since december 2024, gov. Phil murphy has granted clemency to 283 individuals convicted of various crimes. Of those, 31 have been pardoned and released early from state prison after they were convicted of murder and aggravated manslaughter. After their release, each killer is subject to five years of parole supervision. Gallery credit: rick rickman (nj department of corrections/canva) sammy moore convicted of felony murder, murder, attempted murder, robbery (two counts), and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, sentenced in march 1995. Moore was sentenced to an aggregate term of imprisonment of life with 40 years of parole ineligibility. (Nj department of corrections/canva) shawn johnson convicted of murder and attempted murder. Sentenced in 2008 to a minimum of 51 years in prison and was eligible for parole in 2057. (Nj department of corrections/canva) tieheen fletcher convicted of murder and weapons offenses. Sentenced in 1998 to a minimum of 30 years in prison and was eligible for parole in 2027. (Nj department of corrections/canva) timothy harris convicted of felony murder, murder, robbery (two counts), conspiracy, aggravated assault, and weapons offenses. Sentenced in 1993 to a term of incarceration of life with 30 years parole ineligibility. (Nj department of corrections/canva) tivon neals convicted of murder, terroristic threats, and weapons offenses. Sentenced in 2005 to a term of incarceration of 4 years consecutive to a term of 50 years with 42.5 years of parole ineligibility. (Nj department of corrections/canva) charles johnson convicted of felony murder, robbery, theft, receiving stolen property, and weapons offenses. Sentenced in 2003 to a term of incarceration of 52 years with over 44 years of parole ineligibility. (Nj department of corrections/canva) dawn jackson arrested in 1999 and convicted of murder. Jackson killed her step-grandfather, who she claimed had sexually abused her for years. Her case was championed by kim kardashian. (Nj department of corrections/canva) anthony leahey convicted of murder (three counts) and weapons offenses. He was involved in the fatal stabbing of a 21-year-old hillsborough man. Sentenced in 2001 to a term of incarceration of 30 years. (Nj department of corrections/canva) denise staples arrested in 2001 and convicted of murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. At trial, staples claimed she stabbed her boyfriend in self-defense while he was drunk, violent, and demanding sex. (Nj department of corrections/canva) franklin prather convicted of felony murder, robbery, and weapons offenses. Sentenced in 2009 to a minimum of 34 years in prison and was eligible for parole in 2042. (Nj department of corrections/canva) jermaine williams convicted of felony murder, conspiracy, robbery, reckless manslaughter, and weapons offenses. Sentenced in 2002 to a minimum of 30 years in prison and was eligible for parole in 2032. (Nj department of corrections/canva) john florence convicted of felony murder, aggravated assault, reckless manslaughter, conspiracy, robbery (four counts), and two counts each of receiving stolen property, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Sentenced in 1994 to a minimum of 30 years in prison and was eligible for parole in 2033. (Nj department of corrections/canva) karla freeman convicted of felony murder and attempted robbery. Sentenced in 2007 to a term of incarceration of 30 years with 30 years parole ineligibility. She admitted to luring a man to rob him, and he was stabbed 24 times. (Nj department of corrections/canva) lamar alford convicted of felony murder, murder, conspiracy, robbery, and weapons charges. Court documents said alford shot a drug dealer who owed him money. Sentenced in 2007 to a minimum of 63 years in prison and was eligible for parole in 2075. (Nj department of corrections/canva) kenneth bacon-vaughters convicted of felony murder, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, aggravated assault, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Sentenced in 2011 to a minimum of 34 years in prison and was eligible for parole in 2042. (Nj department of corrections/canva) laciana sears convicted of aggravated manslaughter after hitting her husband repeatedly in the head with a fire extinguisher. Sentenced in 2019 to a term of incarceration of 22 years with 18.5 years of parole ineligibility. (Nj department of corrections/canva) lashawn fitch convicted of murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Sentenced in 2014 to a minimum of 34 years in prison and was eligible for parole in 2043. (Nj department of corrections/canva) latasha baker convicted of murder, robbery, conspiracy, and hindering. Court documents said baker, holding a baby, was the lookout during a bakery robbery that ended with the bakery owner killed. Sentenced in 2014 to a term of incarceration of 18 months consecutive to a term of 45 years. (Nj department of corrections/canva) malika jones convicted of aggravated manslaughter and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Sentenced in 2024 to a minimum of eight years in prison and was eligible for parole in 2032. Prosecutors said jones, a then-22-year-old bernard college student, stabbed her mother to death at their rahway home in 2020. (Nj department of corrections/canva) morris jackmon convicted of felony murder, murder, attempted murder, robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, and weapons offenses. Sentenced in 1994 to a minimum of 30 years in prison. (Nj department of corrections/canva) myrna diaz arrested in 2006 and convicted of murder, robbery, burglary, credit card theft, and weapons offenses. Diaz was convicted for her role in the horrific beating death of her boyfriend, who had been tied up and left for dead at his mechanic shop. (Nj department of corrections/canva) paige pfefferle in 2013, pfefferle was sentenced to 30 years in prison with no parole eligibility. According to court documents, pfefferle stabbed her boyfriend matthew husto, 21, death in her kitchen. At trial, she said that husto had been physically abusive and that he slipped and fell into her knife while she was defending herself. (Nj department of corrections/canva) rashon barkley convicted of felony murder, aggravated manslaughter, conspiracy, theft, simple assault, six counts of robbery, receiving stolen property, and weapons offenses. In 1994, barkley was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. He was 18 years old at the time. (Nj department of corrections/canva) alberto salazar in 2003, salazar was sentenced to 30 years in prison without any possibility of parole. According to court documents, salazar said to detectives during a polygraph test that he took a coffee to a womans apartment. When he left, salazar tried to take her purse and the 88-year-old victim fell during the scuffle. He was set to be released and deported. (Nj department of corrections/canva) jamal muhammad convicted of murder, felony murder, robbery, conspiracy, and weapons offenses. Court documents said that muhammad and a co-defendant got a gun together and discussed shooting several victims. One of the victims was later shot dead by a man in a mask and they were both convicted. In 2000, muhammad was sentenced to life in prison. (Nj department of corrections/canva) jibreel vaughn convicted of felony murder, robbery, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Court documents said he shot a man in an alley while trying to rob him for money to get into parties. Sentenced in 1999 to a minimum of 30 years in prison. (Nj department of corrections/canva) ronald mcgraw convicted of conspiracy, murder, and weapons offenses. Court documents said he was involved in the killing of a rival gang member. Sentenced in 2006 to a term of incarceration of 50 years. (Nj department of corrections/canva) michelle tierney in 2000, tierney was sentenced to 30 years in prison with no parole eligibility. According to court documents, tierney killed her live-in boyfriend and the father of their 16-month-old child. Tierney said she had been kicked, punched, and choked the night she killed the victim. (Nj department of corrections/canva) omar saunders convicted of murder, terroristic threats, hindering, tampering, and weapons offenses. Court documents said he shot a friend twice in the head at point blank range while drunk. Sentenced in 2004 to a minimum of 30 years in prison. (Nj department of corrections/canva) rasool mccrimmon convicted of murder, aggravated murder, and weapons offenses. Court documents said he shot a man outside a newark salon. Mccrimmon was sentenced to an aggregate term of imprisonment of 50 years. (Nj department of corrections/canva) rashawn carter convicted of felony murder, robbery (five counts), criminal restraint (five counts), and conspiracy. Sentenced in 2015 to a term of incarceration of 107 years. A look inside grocery outlet stores, ‘extreme value’ retailer in nj grocery outlet dubs itself “the nation’s largest extreme value retailer,” since its start in 1946. Founder jim read opened the first store by selling military surplus at deep discount prices.
flash forward to 2025, when the third generation of the read family has over 400 stores across the nation, including at least nine in new jersey. Gallery credit: erin vogt erin vogt, townsquare media what should a shopper expect inside a grocery outlet store? Erin vogt, townsquare media big savings on name brands what should a shopper expect inside a grocery outlet store? Brands that you are likely familiar with, for one. The savings come from “when a brand has excess inventory from packaging changes or manufacturing overruns,” according to the store’s website. “We buy these excess products for pennies on the dollar, passing the savings on to you,” according to grocery outlet reps. Erin vogt, townsquare media attachment-go7 erin vogt, townsquare media locally focused inventory each store owner chooses products from the overall inventory, “personalizing each store’s selection to its local community.” Erin vogt, townsquare media attachment-go8 erin vogt, townsquare media fresh products there is also fresh produce, meat and dairy products, so a shopper could get a full weeks groceries in one trip. Erin vogt, townsquare media attachment-go11 erin vogt, townsquare media attachment-go12 erin vogt, townsquare media household essentials and personal care deals in addition to fresh food and snack items, there are also beauty and personal care products and some housewares. Erin vogt, townsquare media attachment-go15 erin vogt, townsquare media expansion so far, grocery outlet has expanded into south jersey, with hazlet and hamilton stores being their northern most locations in state. Erin vogt, townsquare media attachment-go18 erin vogt, townsquare media locations in new jersey here are the grocery outlet stores already in new jersey: 3057 route 35, hazlet, nj 07730 1075 whitehorse-mercerville rd, hamilton township, nj 08610 200 tuckerton road, medford, nj 08055 401 harmony rd, gibbstown, nj 08027 4004 route 130, suite 9, delran, nj 08075 1120 hurffville road, deptford, nj 08096 677 berlin cross keys road, sicklerville, nj 08081 190 hamilton commons, mays landing, nj 08330 3174 route 9 south, rio grande, nj 08242 erin vogt, townsquare media attachment-go19 erin vogt, townsquare media locations in pa pennsylvania has at least 16 grocery outlet stores, including several in philadelphia. 510 lincoln highway, fairless hills, pa 19030 2395 york road, space 1-a, jamison, pa 18929 561 s broad st, lansdale, pa 19446 1023 w county line rd, warminster, pa 18974 2917 swede rd, east norriton, pa 19401 1130 chester pike, sharon hill, pa 19079 70 n w end blvd, quakertown, pa 18951 2451 nazareth rd, suite 12, easton, pa 18045 4016 woodhaven rd, philadelphia, pa 19154 2524 welsh rd, suite 253, philadelphia, pa 19152 1801 n american st, philadelphia, pa 19122 2077 ridge ave, philadelphia, pa 19121 25 w hortter st, unit b, philadelphia, pa 19119 2017 w oregon ave, philadelphia, pa 19145 4301 chestnut street, philadelphia, pa 19104 799 state street, pottstown, pa 19464 |
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| Loch Fossils Show Life Harnessed Sun and Sex Early on |
| Posted on Sunday, January 18 @ 00:01:28 PST (11 reads) | |
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Loch fossils show life harnessed sun and sex early on
quote sciencedaily (apr. 14, 2011) †remote lochs along the west coast of scotland are turning up new evidence about the origins of life on land.
a team of scientists from the university of sheffield, the university of oxford and boston college, who are exploring rocks around loch torridon, have discovered the remarkably preserved remains of organisms that once lived on the bottom of ancient lake beds as long as a billion (1,000 million) years ago.
these fossils illuminate a key moment in the history of evolution when life made the leap from tiny, simple bacterial (prokaryote) cells towards larger, more complex (eukaryotic) cells which would make photosynthesis and sexual reproduction possible. The findings are reported in the journal nature...
these unique fossils add a very old piece of the jigsaw of life on earth. If religions were tv channels atheism is turning the tv off.
religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt. ? Richard p. Feynman
it is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, its called life. - Terry pratchett
remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it. |
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| Loch Fossils Show Life Harnessed Sun and Sex Early on |
| Posted on Sunday, January 18 @ 00:01:28 PST (10 reads) | |
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Loch fossils show life harnessed sun and sex early on
quote sciencedaily (apr. 14, 2011) †remote lochs along the west coast of scotland are turning up new evidence about the origins of life on land.
a team of scientists from the university of sheffield, the university of oxford and boston college, who are exploring rocks around loch torridon, have discovered the remarkably preserved remains of organisms that once lived on the bottom of ancient lake beds as long as a billion (1,000 million) years ago.
these fossils illuminate a key moment in the history of evolution when life made the leap from tiny, simple bacterial (prokaryote) cells towards larger, more complex (eukaryotic) cells which would make photosynthesis and sexual reproduction possible. The findings are reported in the journal nature...
these unique fossils add a very old piece of the jigsaw of life on earth. If religions were tv channels atheism is turning the tv off.
religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt. ? Richard p. Feynman
it is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, its called life. - Terry pratchett
remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it. |
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| Kristin Stewarts Directorial Debut The Chronology of Water is Unsorted, Wild, an |
| Posted on Sunday, January 18 @ 00:01:28 PST (12 reads) | |
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Kristin stewart’s directorial debut ‘the chronology of water’ is unsorted, wild, and searing
perched on an 8.5 foot bronze statue of buddy holly is a fit blonde broadcasting her fury at the wider world. Her boyfriend is at the foot of the statue, strumming a guitar, but he’s not the problem. The problem is out there, beyond the scrims of a budding twilight, a town, a set of people and habits, a series of repetitions of abuse. But for now, the fit blonde is on top. She’s drunk and high, an adult acting out on behalf of a younger self who never could. Emotions, a voice, a sense of self, these were punishable offenses in her household. And so she acts out when safe to, up there on top of the world. It’s when she masticates a booze-infused salivary bolus and parts her lips for thick drool fall on her boyfriend’s head that we know testing boundaries and self-destruction are one and the same for her.
that scene is one of many dialectical visuals in kristin stewart’s directorial debut, the chronology of water, which is an adaptation of lidia yuknavitch’s 2011 memoir of the same title. It’s an inventive and bold adaptation that paces the original novel with tenacity and insight into the felt world of young girls whose voices are brutally quelled, but emerge whole on their own time. In 1980, when that buddy holly statue was unveiled to the public in lubbock texas, yuknavitch was 17 and attending college on a swimming scholarship, as imogen poots portrays on film. Playing yuknavitch convincingly from 17 to 37 is a magnificent role for poot whose range and nuance are on full display in this film, embodying the fragility of adolescents within abusive homes who grow up grieving the loss of selfhood that humiliation and abuse can temporarily replace.
as a film, the chronology of water showcases two auteurs (yuknavitch, stewart) who each dispense with narrative convention to create forms with their material rather than entrap the story within expectations. The resistance to convention on both sides of this book is what makes this film indelible despite being grounded in harrowing experiences. Neither the book nor the film are chronological and so the film paces the pliability of self and memory through cinematic strategies borrowed directly from experimental cinema. The cutting (by olivia neergaard-holm) assembles flashbacks, flashforwards, and non-sequential vignettes to expand the contours of an inner world that relied on dissociation to survive. The only conventional element i found in this film could also be dispensed with: the sound of pencil scratching on paper could have been removed. For such a strong film, that pencil was too literal. In the book, yuknavitch writes, “i wanted to stay like that, outside of any word,” a sturdy indication that writing is the safest portal through which her self reconstitutes, anew.
the sense of time in the film brilliantly delivers the kind of persistence the novel unravels through, “the way water cut the grand canyon,” as yuknavitch has written. We all live with many kinds of time simultaneously: our circadian time, the clock’s time, geological time, but this film shows the kind of time trauma impresses psychologically. And so it’s one of the few films i’ve seen that show the kind of time post traumatic stress growth can feel like: unsorted, wild, searing, glorious, lonely, beautiful.
when yuknavitch’s character wins first in the nation at a swim competition, three frames are sequenced: the paddle about to wack the swimmer’s ass/the top half of a gold trophy/blue eyes opening. It’s quick, but it efficiently communicates how all the spaces for refuge eventually devolve into spaces for shame created by the paternalistic sadism of abusive men. If not home, or parties, then at the pool. Eleven minutes into the film, she posits: “how many miles does it take to swim into a self?”
it’s not a film that glamourises trauma, violence happens offscreen even though we know exactly what is going on. The resplendent sex scene references the less figurative language in barbara hammer’s multiple orgasms, 1976. Between an ending often looming and delayed, and a beginning that starts in visual flashes, the chronology of water is a riveting experience to watch in a theater because paris hurley’s score and audio design is so engaging. The sound amplifies the visuals sensorially without mirroring and blends synched and unsynced sound bridges to enliven the film’s themes.
what’s so smart about this film is that stuart, who also wrote the screenplay, uses cinematic expressiveness to convey the original text without negating the printed form. For those who will read the book after seeing the film there are still many dimensions to find that are best preserved within the intimacy of text. The chronology of water isn’t about a hero’s journey, or a triumphant victory over vice and villains. It’s just about living. It’s about surviving the big things so you can live small with moments of pure buoyancy to remind a once-lost body that home is where the self can exist on the ambition of one’s own terms.
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preserving b-cinema: disc-junkie illuminates the alleys and backlots of hong kong and l.A.
two collectives are using instagram to diversify the world of film |
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| Vouchers, Patriotism and Prayer: The Trump Administrations Plan to Remake Public |
| Posted on Sunday, January 18 @ 00:01:28 PST (7 reads) | |
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Linda mcmahon, the nation’s secretary of education, says public schools are failing.
in november, she promised a “hard reset” of the system in which more than 80% of u.S. Children learn. But rather than invest in public education, she has been working to dismantle the department of education and enact wholesale changes to how public schools operate.
“our final mission as a department is to fully empower states to carry the torch of our educational renaissance,” she said at a november press conference.
to help her carry out these and other goals, mcmahon has brought at least 20 advisers from ultraconservative think tanks and advocacy groups who share her skepticism of the value of public education and seek deep changes, including instilling christian values into public schools.
propublica reporters jennifer smith richards and megan o’matz spent months reporting and reviewing dozens of hours of video to understand the ideals and ambitions of those pulling the levers of power in federal education policy. They found a concerted push to shrink public school systems by steering taxpayer dollars to private, religious and charter schools, as well as options like homeschooling. The education department did not respond to a detailed list of questions from propublica.
they also found top officials expressing a vision for the remaining public schools that rejects the separation of church and state and promotes a pro-america vision of history, an “uplifting portrayal of the nation’s founding ideals.” Critics argue the “patriotic” curricula downplay the legacy of slavery and paper over episodes of discrimination.
since its establishment in 1979, the department of education’s office for civil rights has served as an enforcer of anti-discrimination laws in schools and colleges around the country. It’s the place parents turn to when they believe their schools failed to protect children from discrimination or to provide access to an equal education under the law.
the trump administration laid off much of the office’s staff in its first months and prioritized investigations into schools that allegedly discriminated against white and jewish students and accommodated transgender students. Mcmahon and the department have framed this as a course correction in line with efforts to be more efficient and curb diversity, equity and inclusion policies from prior administrations. It has left little recourse for those seeking to defend the rights of students with disabilities, students of color and those facing sex discrimination.
in this video, smith richards and o’matz explain how mcmahon and her advisers are reenvisioning the nation’s educational system and what that could mean for the future.
nadia sussman is a video journalist at propublica.
jennifer smith richards and megan o’matz contributed reporting. Gerardo del valle contributed cinematography and production. Mauricio rodríguez pons contributed graphics. Lisa riordan seville was the senior producer. |
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| A Young Practitioner Finds Her Way Back to Dafa | Falun Dafa - Minghui.org |
| Posted on Sunday, January 18 @ 00:01:28 PST (9 reads) | |
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(minghui.Org) i was born into a large family with many falun dafa practitioners. Even though i knew about the practice, i didn’t begin to genuinely cultivate until late 2024. Thanks to [master]’s compassionate salvation and protection, my life has since been completely transformed. I would like to share my story to encourage other practitioners.
lost in the secular world
when i was little, i often dreamed of master, who compassionately smiled at me. In these dreams i played with master and he removed my karma. I saw through my celestial eye rotating falun (law wheels) and many other wonderful things. In one dream, a few deities came and wanted to teach me their cultivation ways. I refused, and told them, “i practice falun dafa.” They smiled and said i was “teachable.”
dafa’s extraordinary powers kept me out of dangerous situations. I was once rushed to the county hospital for acute appendicitis. The doctors told my parents to take me to the city hospital for proper care. The entire way there, i recited “falun dafa is good.” When we arrived, the doctor didn’t do anything. Instead, they had me stay the night to be monitored. By the next morning, i felt fine and was told i could go home. I did not need surgery or medication.
my happy childhood came to an abrupt end when my father became ill and passed away. I left home shortly after and attended college in a different city. I didn’t know any dafa practitioners there so i didn’t have a cultivation environment.
this was the first time i was on my own and away from home. I was swept along by the money-driven culture in china, and i gradually embraced a lifestyle that conformed to the deteriorated morals and values of today’s society. I chased after the things everyone else did, and strayed farther and farther away from falun dafa’s principles: truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. I no longer believed in the goodness of people, and i didn’t trust anyone. I judged a person by how much money they made instead of their character. I wanted to make a fortune without having to put in the hard work.
i was confused, and felt anxious. Why was it that those who lacked moral principles seemed to get whatever they wanted yet good people suffered? What on earth was the right thing to do? I was at a loss and wondered what the true meaning of life was. I decided i wanted to practice falun dafa and return to my true self. I asked master for help and hoped to truly obtain the [fa] and embark on the journey of cultivation and return to my heavenly home.
turning my life around
master never gave up on me. I met a falun dafa practitioner one day on the street, and i started going to group fa study regularly. The practitioners encouraged me to establish a routine for fa study, and they taught me the five exercises. By observing them i saw what it meant to cultivate diligently and how to truly cultivate myself. They also taught me how to log on to the minghui website to download falun dafa books. Thanks to master’s arrangement, i finally started to truly cultivate.
through studying the fa, i slowly came to understand the mistakes i had made in the past. I learned that all suffering in life was caused by my karma. I subsequently no longer judged people or things by their monetary worth, and i started to look within when i encountered conflicts. When my workplace assigned dorm rooms, i took the smallest one so others could have a more comfortable living arrangement. At work, my co-workers left all the tasks for me to handle while they played games or chatted over tea. They then claimed they did the work and badmouthed me in front of the boss.
i held myself to the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, and i tried to do a good job with each task i was assigned. I didn’t fight for personal gain or feel bitter toward others. Even so, my co-workers ganged up to give me the lowest score for the end of year evaluation. After the results were published, the entire company treated me like i was lazy and inferior. Even co-workers from other departments talked about me behind my back. I was not moved, and i continued to work hard.
then one day, i was let go. For the rest of the day, my co-workers bombarded me with questions about the project we were working on. When i didn’t get back to them right away, they criticized and insulted me. I reminded myself that i was a cultivator, and i looked inward to identify my attachments. I worked hard until the very last minute and did my best to bring the person replacing me up to speed, knowing all the while that he got the position because of nepotism.
my long time boyfriend also broke up with me. I had just loaned him my entire savings to help with his business. It was truly like master said:
“a hundred hardships falling all at once”(“tempering one’s heart and will,” hong yin)
i knew it was a test. It took me so long to finally obtain the fa, so however difficult and painful the journey was, i knew i must persevere.
studying and assimilating to the fa
i went back to my hometown and spent more than two months focusing on fa study and cultivating myself. I knew that as a new practitioner, i needed to be diligent and study the fa more. I read one lecture of [zhuan falun] each day, hand-copied the fa, and read master’s new lectures. I read all of master’s teachings and articles in those two months.
having just lost my job, having a long-term relationship end, and losing all my savings, i often found myself in a downward spiral of self-doubt and anxious thoughts. I felt depressed and utterly hopeless about the future. I also suffered from severe joint pain and had difficulty raising my arms and walking. Doing the standing exercises was challenging.
to further assimilate to the fa, i stopped watching tv shows and removed all social media apps from my phone. When i had free time, i listened to dafa music or minghui radio. I reminded myself not to get distracted and lost among ordinary people. I sent righteous thoughts every day to eliminate bad thoughts and dismantle the old forces’ arrangements and interference.
i dreamed one night that i was walking on a tight path. It was so narrow that i had to put one foot in front of the other. But i kept going and eventually reached an area where many practitioners were waiting to get on the fa ship. I knew master was encouraging me.
passing the test of lust
heavily influenced by society’s declined morals and degenerated lifestyle, i used to think premarital sex was normal, thus i made a lot of mistakes in this regard. After i began to genuinely practice falun dafa, i recognized these mistakes and made up my mind to never do it again.
i had a lot of interference at first in the form of lustful thoughts. I tried to suppress, reject, and eliminate them. Later, i was tested repeatedly in my dreams. Sometimes i was able to restrain myself but other times i failed. To address this issue, i started memorizing and reciting the fa. I also listened to stories of traditional and divine culture on minghui radio, and i read many sharing articles written by other practitioners about removing the attachment to lust.
these thoughts began surfacing less frequently, but i experienced some interference in my dreams. I sometimes felt i was being inappropriately touched and groped, and my main consciousness became alert right away. I wanted to wake up but found myself pinned down by a powerful force. I was stuck and couldn’t wake up. I recited the words for righteous thoughts, and asked master for help. In that instant, a ray of golden light appeared and obliterated all the evil elements, and i woke up. Thank you, master, for compassionately watching over me.
letting go of sentiment toward family and clarifying the truth
after i returned to my hometown, i began to [clarify the truth] to my mother. She worked for the government and was heavily indoctrinated with communist and atheist ideology. She didn’t believe me at first and didn’t want to hear any of it.
i talked to her about dafa one time while she was cooking. When i mentioned the persecution and how it had no legal basis, my mother, who was usually a very gentle person, flew into a rage. She screamed at me while waving a big cleaver. It was very intense. But i didn’t get discouraged and i didn’t give up. I knew that i had to let go of sentimentality toward her in order to save her.
i started sending righteous thoughts to specifically target the evil forces behind her that kept her from learning the truth. I looked inward to examine myself and found that i harbored resentment toward the communist regime. I was contentious, didn’t like being criticized, and i always wanted to prove that i was right. I also had fear.
the moment i recognized my fear, i realized that this was what prevented my mother from learning the truth—she was afraid that i would be targeted by the chinese communist party (ccp) and persecuted for practicing falun dafa. The next time i tried to talk to her she listened. After an hour-long conversation, she agreed to quit the ccp and its youth organizations.
compassion dissolved hatred
before our breakup, my ex-boyfriend bao cheated on me and beat me when i confronted him—i was covered in bruises. When he needed help with his business, i loaned him my entire savings, which he never paid back. After i lost my job and my assigned dorm, i left some of my belongings at his place and i temporarily stayed with a practitioner.
after i became serious about cultivation and started to measure everything with the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, i realized i had made many mistakes in my relationship with bao—the biggest was moving in with him. I wanted to clarify the truth to him, but reminded myself that i must conduct myself properly so as to not tarnish dafa’s reputation.
the first time i tried talking to him about dafa and suggesting that he do good deeds, he yelled insults and kicked me out. He said he only believed in money, not karma or the consequences for one’s actions.
i felt wronged. I was kind to him, yet he treated me so badly. I felt he was money-driven, stubborn, lacked integrity, and had tremendous karmic debts. I decided that he was hopeless and not worth saving. But as my understanding of the fa principles deepened, i realized that i had handled some issues poorly in the past and i probably hurt him. I apologized to him for what i did, and i no longer felt wronged or angry when he criticized me.
little by little, i started to see where bao was coming from and the difficulties he faced in life. I believed he was a good person by nature, but he had been conditioned to worship money and place personal gain above all else, as the entire chinese society has been intentionally misguided by the communist regime.
i turned to the [nine commentaries on the communist party] for ideas and facts that could help me clarify the truth. I bypassed the internet firewall and visited websites censored by the ccp. By comparing the information from these websites to the narratives given by the party’s state-run media, i gained a more objective understanding of how the ccp has systemically lied to and brainwashed the chinese people. I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil elements behind bao.
when he was sick, i bought groceries and cooked for him. I took care of him, helped him with chores, and prepared meals for him, while keeping a friendly distance. My goal was to create opportunities to clarify the truth to him. I told him how wonderful dafa is, and showed him truth-clarification videos. I also played master’s fa teachings for him.
i told bao, “i believe that you’re in a difficult situation and that’s why you haven’t paid back the money you borrowed from me. I hope you hold on to the goodness in you, earn money honestly, and be a good person. But there’s no rush. Just take it easy and focus on your health first.” He slowly accepted the truth and quit the ccp’s organizations using his real name.
one time, bao suddenly grabbed and hugged me forcefully, trying to kiss me. I pushed him away and told him i was a cultivator and would not do such a thing. I told him i needed to be responsible for both myself and him. I asked master to strengthen me, and the next moment bao was completely calm—as if he was a different person. I shared my understanding of the fa principles with him and convinced him to help a deceased immediate family member quit the ccp. Since then, he’s never said or done anything inappropriate.
forming one body
in the months following my breakup and losing my job, i faced a lot of scrutiny and criticisms from family, friends, and acquaintances. I was often stuck in negative thinking, which led to self-doubt, depression, and despair. But i knew practitioners were sentient beings’ only hope of being saved, therefore i needed to pull myself out of it. I knew that only by studying the fa well could i help master save people.
whenever i caught myself thinking negative thoughts, i wrote them down and went over them one by one. I changed my perspective and looked at them as good things. Pain and suffering were opportunities to eliminate karma and improve myself. Whenever i felt sad and hopeless, i listened to dafa music or i meditated. I looked at all external interference as illusions, and detached myself from them.
whenever i was able to calm my mind, i studied the fa. I slowly rediscovered a deep sense of inner peace and joy. I was no longer anxious or afraid, and was no longer so susceptible to external interference and influence. I no longer fell into depression that i couldn’t pull out of. I knew that each time i went through such tribulations, master was enduring even more for me. Master cherishes me more than i could ever imagine and he looks forward to me getting back on my feet and cultivating diligently.
the local practitioners also helped me tremendously. A practitioner offered for me to stay with her family when i didn’t have a place to go. We got up at 3 a.M. Each morning to do the exercises, study the fa, and send righteous thoughts. Other practitioners shared their experiences of getting through tribulations, and encouraged me. Their selflessness deeply touched me.
these practitioners looked inward to examine and cultivate themselves regardless of what they encountered in life. They were always kind and considerate. They were unwavering in the face of adversity and stayed resolute in their faith despite the persecution. They placed complete faith in master and the fa. They selflessly helped and encouraged new practitioners and those that had just returned to the practice. They unconditionally cooperated with one another and improved as one body. They had great compassion for people when they clarified the truth. I was inspired by every one of them and my resolve to cultivate in dafa was fortified.
when i drafted this sharing article, i had a fever that lasted for a week. I knew it was interference, and i was determined to write it. I hope my experience will serve as a testimony to how wonderful dafa is. Dafa is so precious—how fortunate we are to have obtained the fa. I know there will be more tests and tribulations in the future, but i will hold myself to the high standards of the fa, continue to look inward to cultivate myself, and do the [three things] diligently.
i thank master for compassionately saving me.
these are my experiences and what i learned in cultivation. I ask fellow practitioners to kindly point out anything that is not in line with the fa.
copyright © 1999-2026 minghui.Org. All rights reserved. |
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| COMMUNITY DIGEST: Jan. 18, 2026 |
| Posted on Sunday, January 18 @ 00:01:28 PST (11 reads) | |
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Trinity audioplayer ready...
wyoming valley
northeastern pennsylvania music teachers association presents mark reinhart and “tuning the player”: 3 p.M. Sunday, jan. 18. East mountain holiday inn, bear creek twp. Workshop open to all area musicians and students on a concise methodology of relaxation, meditation and exercises to pre-performance routines and warm-up techniques. Reinhart runs three pure rivers studio for the arts, drums. Free.
greater wyoming valley audubon society virtual program: 7 p.M. Monday, jan. 19. Franklin klock from carbon county environmental center will present “what to wear/how not to die in the woods.” He will give tips for winter weather to keep us safe. Zoom link will be posted on www.Gwvas.Org under “events.”
third annual blankets and broth event: 9 a.M. To noon, martin luther king jr. Day, january 19. Friedman jcc, 613 s.J. Strauss lane, kingston. Volunteers are welcome to make handmade fringe blankets. Collection held for broth, soup, or any non-perishable food to contribute to the friedman jcc food pantry, sarah’s table. Blankets will be distributed to ruth’s place, project warm for veterans affairs, and the salvation army kirby house. Non-perishable food items will continue to be donated to sarah’s table at the friedman jcc. To volunteer or for information, contact o’donnell law at cro@odonnell-law.Com or 570-208-4287. No pre-registration is necessary. Doors will open at 8 a.M. Check odonnell-law.Com in case inclement weather affects the event. Please bring scissors if possible. Other materials are supplied by o’donnell law. Volunteers from the wilkes-barre health department and the luzerne county naacp also support the event.
wyoming valley chapter of the embroiderers’ guild of america public stitch-in: 10 a.M. To noon saturday, jan. 24. Barnes and noble bookstore, arena hub plaza, wilkes-barre twp. Public is welcome to bring something to stitch along or to stop by and see what the group is stitching.
wyoming valley real estate investors association monthly meeting: 7 p.M. Tuesday, june 27. Grotto pizza, 337 wyoming valley mall road, wilkes-barre twp. Speaker, lt. Ryan foy, luzerne county sheriff’s department, on sheriff’s sales. New members welcome. Visitors will be charged $15 at the door, which will be applied to the yearly dues of $85 if they join. Refreshments served.
back mountain
fire company bingo: doors and kitchen open 5:30 p.M. Monday, jan. 19; feb. 2 and 16. Northmoreland volunteer fire company, 1618 demunds road, centermoreland. No rsvp needed.
st. Paul’s lutheran church labyrinth walk: 3 to 6 p.M. Wednesday, jan. 21. St. Paul’s lutheran church, 474 yalick road, dallas. No reservations required. Shoes are not worn while walking the labyrinth; wear or bring socks. Finger labyrinths available for those with physical or visual disabilities. For information, contact stpaul@epix.Net or 570-675-3859.
roast beef dinner: 4:30 to 6:30 p.M. Wednesdays, jan. 28 and feb. 28. Northmoreland volunteer fire company, 1618 demunds road, centermoreland. Roast beef, real mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetable and dessert. Eat-in or takeout.
indoor garage sale: 9 a.M. To 1 p.M. Saturday, feb. 7 (snow date sunday, feb. 8). Dallas eastern star hall, foster street, dallas. Gently used and new items, including lots of books. Welsh cookie sale, $8 per dozen. Lunch available. For information, contact dianne corby at 570-675-4893 or diannec@ptd.Net or visit dallas eastern star building association on facebook.
dupont
valentine’s day party: 4:30 p.M. To 10 p.M. Saturday, feb. 14. Dupont veterans of foreign wars post 4909. Dinner, 6 p.M. Entertainment by the sperazza band. Cash bar. Cost, $30. To rsvp, call bob lopata at 570-472-1152.
duryea
open house: noon to 2 p.M. Sunday, jan. 25. Holy rosary school, 125 stephenson st., Duryea. Themed “come unlock your future at hrs,” which kicks off catholic schools week, visitors can tour the school, meet the teachers and learn more about the curriculum. Choose a winning key to unlock $250 off a registered student’s tuition for 2026-27. Tuition assistance and reduction programs available. Enrolling students for pre-kindergarten for 3 and 4-year-olds, kindergarten through eighth grade.
ninth annual dodgeball tournament: friday, feb. 6. Holy rosary school, 125 stephenson st., Duryea. Register teams of up to 10 players in age groups first through eighth grade and high school to adult. Entry fee, $10. Register through the link on the holy rosary duryea facebook page or hrsdodgeballtournament.Com.
kingston
cash bingo: doors open 5 p.M.; Games start 6 p.M. Wednesday, jan. 21. Veterans of foreign wars, 757 wyoming ave., Kingston. Games, 15 for $20; payouts, $100. Specials, 3 with payouts of $250 and $500. No outside refreshments; food and beverages for sale. In case of inclement weather, call the vfw at 570-287-7511 or irem shrine at 570-675-4465 or check their facebook pages.
harding
all-you-can-eat soup and salad supper: 4:30 to 6:30 p.M. Saturday, feb. 7. Mount zion united methodist church, mount zion road, harding. Variety of soups, usually 8-10, including chili, vegetarian and gluten-free options; several salads and breads, beverages and desserts. Cost, $10 adult; $5 children. Everyone is welcome to come for good food and good fellowship. The church welcomes donations of nonperishable food for local food banks and gently used clothes to donate to local families in need.
hughestown
hughestown neighborhood crime watch meeting: 6:30 p.M. Monday, jan. 19. Hughestown hose co. Meet new borough manager joseph jones and newly elected borough officials; residents can discuss what projects they would like to see happen in the borough. Light refreshments.
kingston
kingston historical society meeting: 7 p.M. Thursday, jan. 22. Kingston municipal building council chambers, wyoming avenue, kingston. Anyone wishing to join may attend a meeting or request information by mail at p.O. Box 1702, kingston, pa 18704.
laflin
pasta and sausage dinner: noon to 3 p.M. Sunday, feb. 1. St. Maria goretti church, 42 laflin road, laflin. Eat-in or takeout (containers provided). Includes salad, beverage, dessert, bread and butter. Donation, $15; children aged 5 and under eat free for dine-in only. For information, call the church office at 570-655-8956
mountain top
knights of columbus, st. Jude council 6440 knights of columbus, hosts annual free throw shooting contest: noon to 2:30 p.M. Sunday, jan. 18. Jude school gym. Open to all boys and girls ages 9 to 14. Contestants will compete in their own age group in separate boys and girls divisions. Winners in each division advance to regional championships in march. Pre-registration not required. For information, email info@stjudekofc6440.Org.
st. Martin’s nanticoke-style pizza sale: order deadline, saturday, feb. 10; pickup, thursday, feb. 19. St. Martin’s episcopal church, 3085 church road, mountain top. Pizza from sanitary bakery in nanticoke. Cost, $15 per tray. To order, call st. Martin’s church at 570-868-5358 and leave name, contact phone number and pizza order. For information, visit the church on facebook or www.Stmartintimeless.Org
nanticoke
take-out piggies dinner: noon to 3 p.M. Sunday, jan. 18. Rev. James r. Nash parish center, 518 s. Hanover st., Nanticoke. Includes piggies, potato, vegetable, apple sauce, bread, and dessert; cost, $14. Individual piggies, $4. Chicken finger dinner, $12. Purchase tickets at the parish office; an order form may be found at nanticokecatholic.Com in the bulletin.
free community lunch and worship service: noon, wednesday, jan. 21. Nanticoke first church, 267 e. Main st., Nanticoke. For information, call 570-258-2822.
17th annual myasopusna celebration: noon to 4 p.M. Sunday, feb. 8. Transfiguration of our lord ukrainian catholic church, 240 center st., Nanticoke. Dinner, entertainment and vendors. A dinner of holubtsi (stuffed cabbage), kobasa, ham, varenyky (transfiguration pierogi), kapusta (sauerkraut), blackbread and dessert at noon, followed by entertainment including the englot sisters, kazka ukrainian folk ensemble and st. Mary’s traditional ukrainian dancers. Ukrainian crafts, books, embroidered clothing and gift items for sale; basket raffle; pysanky demonstration. Dinner tickets, $25; limited seating and only available in advance. To purchase tickets, call and leave a message at 570-735-4654 or 570-735-1901.
pittston
celebrate music – pittston: 10 a.M. To 11:30 p.M. Saturday, jan. 31. Downtown pittston. All-day celebration of live music of many genres throughout venues in downtown pittston. For participating bands and venues, full schedule, and information, visit www.Downtownpittston.Com.
plains twp.
plains squad sons of the american legion meeting: 7 p.M. Wednesday, jan. 21. American legion post 558, plains twp. Squad commander jim emil will preside; future fundraising and veterans events will be discussed. All sal members encouraged to attend.
plymouth
plymouth historical society holds anthracite heritage month program “from the mines to rails”: 6:30 p.M. Thursday, jan. 22. First welsh baptist church community room (use side door), 168 girard ave., Plymouth. Joe slusser will present on the ashley planes, norm barret will present on the d&h railroad, and dave skoniecki will present on his railroad lantern collection. Free admission; refreshments to follow. Parking available in borough lot next door.
swoyersville
sons of the american legion, squadron 644 of swoyersville meeting: 6:30 p.M. Wednesday, jan. 21. Post home. Membership dues for 2026 accepted. Agenda includes upcoming lenten dinners and mother’s day breakfast. All members encouraged to attend. Commander thomas walsh will preside. Visit sons of the american legion squadron 644 on facebook.
west pittston
west pittston historical society hosts “slopes, shafts and planes — the mechanics of mining” presentation: 6:30 p.M. Friday, jan. 30. Trinity episcopal church, 337 spring st., West pittston. Anthracite heritage month program presented by mining engineer justin emershaw from the hazleton-based atlantic carbon group. Learn how and why mine shafts and planes were located, how surveyors direct the miners regarding where the tunnels and shafts are in the mine, and how engineers find coal for a viable mine operation, in both historic and modern-day mines. Free; open to the public.
wilkes-barre
takeout piggie/holubtsi dinner: pickup, noon to 4 p.M. Saturday, jan. 31. Ss. Peter and paul ukrainian greek catholic church school hall, 635 n. River st., Wilkes-barre. Dinners include piggies (meat- and rice-stuffed cabbage), mashed potatoes, vegetable, bread and butter and dessert. Cost, $15 adults; $9 children aged 12 and younger. Walk-in customers will be welcomed, but reservations are strongly encouraged. To rsvp, call 570-829-3051.
holy trinity super bowl piggy sale: order 9 a.M. To 5 p.M. Feb. 2 through feb. 5.; Pick up 1 to 4 p.M. Saturday, feb. 7. Holy trinity orthodox church, 401 e. Main st., Miners mills. Two for $8 or four for $15. Preorders necessary due to limited amount; call 570-825-6540.
king’s college hosts “the organ and catholic liturgy” program: 7 p.M. Monday, feb. 9. George and giovita maffei family commons, 29 w. North st., Wilkes-barre. Free; open to the public. For information, contact john vaida, dean, at 570-650-6459 or email raphael micca, secretary, at rdmicca@agopane.Org.
live performances and auditions
actors circle presents “love, sex, and the i.R.S.”: 7 p.M., Friday to saturday, jan. 23-24; 2 p.M. Sunday, jan. 18 and 25. Providence playhouse, 1256 providence road, scranton. Buy tickets via www.Actorscirclescranton.Com, or pay cash or check at the door. Tickets, $15 general, $12 senior, $10 student. Thursday, january 15, all tickets are $10. For reservations, call 570-342-9707.
nepa’s got talent show online auditions: deadline, saturday, jan. 31. Musicians, dancers, singers, solos, groups, comedians,magicians etc. Welcome to submit video auditions at https://nepmta.Org/talent for consideration; 25 finalists chosen to perform for more than $3,500 in prizes during nepa’s got talent show at 1:30 p.M. March 22 at the f.M. Kirby center, wilkes-barre.
helping hands in our area
clothing closet: open 10 a.M. To noon, first and third wednesday of the month. Dorranceton united methodist church (enter by side door), 549 wyoming ave, kingston. Free clothing in women’s, men’s and children’s styles; many sizes to choose from.
food pantry distribution: 10 a.M. To noon, second wednesday of each month. Forty fort united methodist church. Open to all in need. No early birds. With generosity from ceo/weinberg food bank and the church family.
project donating joy quilt group regular meetings: 9 a.M. To noon every monday. Trucksville united methodist church, 40 knob hill road, trucksville. Quilts are made for children in crisis or need. New members to the group welcome. For information, contact judy gober at 570-262-3858.
submit community news: the citizens’ voice welcomes community news and photographs from community groups, service organizations and nonprofit organizations. Send writeups and/or photos via email only to community@citizensvoice.Com. Announcements for upcoming events should be submitted at least a week prior to ensure publication. For full listings, visit citizensvoice.Com. |
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| Telluride Theatre: What the Constitution Means to Me, 1/29, 2/5 & 2/12 at Ah Haa |
| Posted on Sunday, January 18 @ 00:01:28 PST (13 reads) | |
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17 jan telluride theatre: “what the constitution means to me,” 1/29, 2/5 & 2/12 at ah haa & more!
telluride theatre is hosting heidi schreck’s boundary-breaking, award-winning play which breathes new life into our constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of americans.
get tickets here. (Pay-what-you-can; $25/ticket suggested.)
donate today to help telluride theatre create magic and possibility.
and scroll down for more information about the play and another no-miss event.
go here for more about telluride theatre dating back to 2009.
fifteen-year-old heidi earned her college tuition by winning constitutional debate competitions across the united states. In this hilarious, hopeful and achingly human play, she resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives.
“what the constitution means to me” kicks off telluride theatre’s year-long series of fringe projects, unique limited engagements produced in collaboration with a variety of artists both within and outside of telluride.
keep your eye out for future 2026 fringe projects: “clown sex ed”; “mars sucks!”; And “the la familia music group experience.”
in addition, telluride theatre’s colleague at telluride science, telluride foundation, and sparky productions are excited to invite the community to a free evening with yury urnov, the co-artistic director of the wilma theater in philadelphia! |
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| Supporters and Opponents of Boys in Girls Sports Go Head-to-Head | |
| Posted on Sunday, January 18 @ 00:01:28 PST (10 reads) | |
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As the supreme court heard oral arguments tuesday in two cases concerning state bans on men in women’s sports, supporters and opponents of the bans faced off outside the building in competing demonstrations.
the demonstrations came as the court considered two legal challenges to state laws governing male participation in women’s sports. This issue pushed many americans to support donald trump and deliver him a landslide victory in last year’s presidential election, due to their shock at the blatant unfairness of allowing men to compete and dominate in women’s sports categories. While supporters of the legislation viewed the issue as one of protecting women’s rights, critics argue that the laws discriminate against male athletes identifying as transgender. (Related: trump’s ban on males in female sports: what it does, why it’s justified, and the left’s outrage.)
the cases before the court stem from state laws enacted over the past several years restricting biological boys and men from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. One of these cases challenges idaho’s fairness in women’s sports act, passed in 2020, which bars boys and men who identify as transgender from competing in female athletic categories from elementary school through college. The law was challenged by 24-year-old lindsay hecox, a biological man who wanted to compete in women’s cross country and track at boise state university. A second case involves a west virginia law challenged by the mother of an 11-year-old biologically male middle school student, identified in court filings as b.P.J., After the child was barred from participating in girls’ sports. (Related: religious liberty cases return to supreme court)
those rallying outside the supreme court to oppose men’s participation in women’s sports based their arguments on competitive fairness and safety for female athletes. Tammy fitzgerald, executive director of north carolina values, brought three buses of people from north carolina to support the state laws. Fitzgerald acknowledged the potential for nationwide changes as a result of the court’s decision, stating, “this is going to be applied in a lot of different places. Being able to decide that as a country, as a nation, as states, ‘we believe in only two sexes.’ That has ramifications that ripple across all the laws in every state.”
other demonstrators come at the issue from broader perspectives. Margot heffernan, an activist with the women’s liberation front, said she attended as a “radical feminist” to “protect the rights of women and girls.” She argued that “women have had our own sports granted to us legally … for quite a few years now” and then explained “women need their spaces. We cannot compete against men. We are totally different.” Lauren leggieri, co-executive director of lbg courage coalition, took aim at the activists on the other side of the aisle, saying, “lgbtq is a myth! There is lgb, which is based on reality-based, sexual attraction, and the rest is a political agenda.”
“if you’re so sure of your beliefs, you should be able to articulate them clearly and defend them in a debate. Refusing to debate is not a winning strategy.”
several rallygoers on the side of protecting women’s sports expressed frustration with the refusal of many dissenting protesters to engage in civil dialogue and debate their ideas. Teresa pregnall, concerned women of america’s (cwa) virginia state director, said, “we need to be able to talk to one another. That’s the mature way of dealing with things. I encourage those who oppose what we stand for, ‘let’s talk about it.’” Faith ozenbaugh, national student director for cwa, articulated concern for the counterprotesters. She said, “we know that a lot of their behavior, their vitriol, comes from abuse and brokenness in their own lives. Our desire for them is healing.” When asked what message she had for protesters on the other side, leggieri echoed a similar sentiment: “if you’re so sure of your beliefs, you should be able to articulate them clearly and defend them in a debate. Refusing to debate is not a winning strategy.”
former ncaa swimmer riley gaines was among the many athletes, activists, and lawmakers who addressed the crowd. Gaines stated, “[the other side] loves to hide behind words, like ‘compassion’ … it’s not compassionate to ask a young girl to strip down naked in front of a man, while he simultaneously undresses.” She continued, “they love to use the word ‘progressive’ … this is utterly regressive, it is taking us back at least half a century.”
toward the end of her speech, gaines said she hoped that this fight would make for her daughter’s world a better place. In attendance with her husband and daughter for the rally, she remarked, “it’s a pretty a wild thing when you have to dress your 3-month-old baby in a bulletproof vest.” Another speaker exclaimed, “trans don’t exist. There are only men, women, and confused, abused children.… We’re done with that!” While she said this, she taunted the other side, who tried to drown her out with constant noise. One lawmaker, explaining the urgency of the issue, put it very bluntly: “if we don’t make a stand now, our country will go down so fast, our heads will swim.” (Related: spat between gaines and aoc shows what’s wrong with the democrat party)
for some rally speakers, the issue was deeply personal. Macy petty, a former collegiate athlete and legislative strategist with concerned women for america, told the american spectator her involvement began during her high school volleyball recruiting season, when she competed against a male athlete in the women’s category while college scouts were present. “He got to bypass the rules and rob all of us [female athletes] of our opportunities to compete safely,” petty recalled. She spent four years trying to change the ncaa from the inside, but “the ncaa would have nothing to do with me,” she explained. On monday, petty invited ncaa president charlie baker to join the stage with her at the supreme court. She explained, “if you really and truly want to empower female athletes, stand for female athletes, and i will see you on the steps of the supreme court.” Charlie baker did not attend the rally.
petty believes the cases before the supreme court reflect concerns female athletes have raised for years without being taken seriously by congress or athletic institutions. “Back [in] 2018, this wasn’t really an issue anyone was talking about … i, at the time, was honestly confused. I didn’t understand how someone could so easily cheat and get away with it,” she explained. Petty explained that she supports allowing athletes who identify as transgender to compete in the male category. “I think that a man, even if he identifies as transgender, should still have the opportunity to compete and train. He just doesn’t get to be exempt from the rules,” she said. When asked about the changes she would like to see in america if the court rules in her favor, petty replied, “i hope that it would embolden congress … it would legitimize our concerns as female athletes … we are often dismissed … the highest court in our nation is taking our concerns seriously. That is gonna be a huge shift.”
another group of demonstrators argued that these state laws unfairly target transgender-identified males and frame their participation in sports as an attack on their “human rights.” Rushad thomas, who said he attended in support of “transgender brothers and sisters who are being scapegoated by the right in the united states,” explained “that’s all that transgender people want. They just want to be able to exist in society and live their life” and “we need to stop all these attacks on them because they are a tiny percentage of the population.” Rushad further stated that he has “friends who are transgender” and “i don’t think you need to have personal experience of people to commiserate with them and empathize with their plight.” A member of the episcopal church, rushad said, “i believe that trans people are beloved by god.”
the national council of jewish women (ncjw) also attended the rally. Along the sidewalk adjacent to the court, an ncjw spokeswoman addressed a small crowd of supporters holding signs depicting jewish symbols warped by pro-trans colors. The spokeswoman began, “trans [sic] rights are under attack. It’s an attack on our trans siblings, our trans selves, all of us.” She then attempted to rebrand donald trump’s famous line, as she exclaimed, “we will fight, fight, fight to save lives.” She went on, “as a closeted trans kid, sports were life-saving for me. They let me be one of the boys.” When asked for his message to people on the other side of this issue, one ncjw supporter said, “it’s not that deep. Why are you so pressed? Why are you obsessed with this?”
the majority of activists opposed to the bans on men in women’s sports refused to be interviewed. Many of these individuals alleged that one must first visit the “press table,” who were “filtering out our requests” before interviewing any of them. Once a transgender activist media person was identified, the woman said, “we’ll circle back and see who’s available.” Upon returning to the table to find who was available, she was more standoffish, saying, “yeah, we already spoke. We will definitely connect you,” before ending the conversation there.
as demonstrators dispersed from the court’s steps, the legal questions at the center of the rally remained unresolved. Based on the oral arguments presented, it appears that the court will uphold idaho and west virginia’s state bans on men in women’s sports. Justice alito appeared to represent the sentiment of the majority of americans in his response to a lawyer representing the biological male from idaho, “how can a court determine whether there’s discrimination on the basis of sex without knowing what sex means for equal protection purposes?”
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| Texas investigators say jealousy was a motive in teen Livye Lewis shooting death |
| Posted on Sunday, January 18 @ 00:01:28 PST (13 reads) | |
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In the early morning hours of halloween 2020 — a day when the boundaries between the living and the dead become blurred — livye lewis was discovered draped over the steering wheel of her car, dead from a rifle shot to the neck.
livye had just turned 19.
deputy: (crime scene bodycam): and i dont know if dispatch has notified her next of kin or not ...
it happened in hemphill, a tiny town in texas with a population just over 1,000. Its the kind of place where no one is a stranger, and news spreads like wildfire.
man (crime scene bodycam): is that — isnt that, uh...
woman: darci basss daughter?
man: yeah.
that is how livyes mother, darci bass , heard the news — when a friend called to say that livye had been shot.
peter van sant : you didnt know if she was dead or alive?
darci bass : no.
darci bass (crime scene bodycam): i wanna see my child!
darci bass : and the next time i, yeah, i saw her, she was in — in a casket.
darci bass (crime scene bodycam): i dont believe it. I dont believe it. Oh my god!
the murder of livye lewis by all accounts, livye was a remarkable young woman — a straight-a student and recent high school graduate with a scholarship to a local college.
darci bass : her dream was to go on to college, become a nurse, and then become a physicians assistant.
livye was already a certified nursing assistant at a local nursing home.
darci bass : she was loved by all the residents there.
peter van sant : thats a tough job, too.
darci bass yes. And she loved it. … That was her passion.
thats also where she met one of her best friends, fellow nursing assistant taylor barnett.
taylor barnett : we worked together, and then she just started staying with me all the time.
barnett was nearly six years older and had a young daughter, but she says livye fit right in.
taylor barnett : if you seen livye, you seen me. We just clicked, like, automatically.
bayley williams met livye in kindergarten.
bayley williams : she was a person that wanted stability and didnt wanna play, like, the kid games. … She was ready to … be grown up.
thats probably why livye fell for an older man, matthew edgar, who was 23 when they met.
taylor barnett : … i was dating a guy who was actually friends with matthew. … So, we all just kind of started hanging out.
livye was still a senior in high school when she and edgar began a secret relationship. Edgar was married to montana bockel, the mother of his two young sons.
phone records indicate that livye and edgar began texting each other in november 2019, when matthew wrote: you do realize you cannot say a word to anybody that we are even texting lol. Livye responded: well obviously im not gonna brag about texting a married man but thanks for the clarification.
it appears that after a very brief affair, livye quickly and firmly ended things.
but edgar wasnt done. About four months later, he texted to complain about how unhappy he was in his marriage. I cheated again, he said. But livye held her ground. … Im not really down for being a homewrecker, she wrote.
nearly two months later, edgar ended his marriage in this text exchange with his wife where he said, aint you its me. Me always cheating on you. Four days later, bockel hired a divorce attorney, edgar moved out and circled back to livye.
at just 18, livye was now navigating a relationship with a man who had two young sons, and a soon-to-be ex-wife.
bayley williams : at first … they didnt get along, livye and montana didnt. Uh, i think that was out of jealousy on montanas behalf. And then it was kind of just like the flip of a switch. All the sudden, montana wanted to be livyes best friend, and they talked all the time.
darci bass : i think in livyes eyes, she was definitely thinking she had a friend.
peter van sant : and in montanas eyes, what do you think?
darci bass : i think that she was jealous, and i think that some people get close to people and they have another reasoning behind it.
peter van sant : and so, do you think in some ways a — a dangerous love triangle had formed?
darci bass : yes … definitely a dangerous love triangle. Yes.
j.P. Macdonough : you can call it that. Absolutely.
sabine county sheriffs investigator j.P. Macdonough questioned edgar about his relationship with bockel and livye.
j.P. Macdonough: whats your relationship like with both of them?
matthew edgar: its awesome.
j.P. Macdonough: ok. So, its not a typical, i hate your guts?
matthew edgar: no. Hell no. (Laughs)
j.P. Macdonough: ok.
matthew edgar: its awesome.
j.P. Macdonough: ok.
matthew edgar: my ex-wife and her, theyre big buddies.
taylor barnett : i just told livye to just be cautious … you can get along with her for their children, but … dont be too close with her. I mean because thats his ex-wife.
but burnett says that as time went by, it was edgars behavior that became the most menacing.
taylor barnett : he was pretty much abusive … in more ways than one. … For a little while he was staying at my house with her … and he would just get drunk and crazy and either holler at her … and like, it got so bad that like, i didnt want him there, at my house anymore.
phone records show that the relationship was a rollercoaster ride. While at times edgar sent texts to livye like, goodnight baby i love you, livyes texts alleged physical abuse: idk why you keep putting your hands on me like that ... My body hurts today.
bayley williams : i think that she was in love with who matthew could be, cause she knew who he was and knew that what he was doing to her wasnt right, but she still stayed.
livye had been planning on moving to her new college campus, but in the summer of 2020 she stayed on that rollercoaster ride, agreeing to move in with edgar and help take care of him and his sons. She even redecorated the boys rooms.
but things seemed to have quickly turned ugly.
peter van sant : in august of 2020, livye writes to matthew, i want to be in our home with you but i cant do the way you act when you drink. Im scared of you. … Youve laid your hands on me multiple times … i deserve better than that.
peter van sant : had she told you at that time that — he had been violent?
darci bass : no … she didnt tell me that. … Probably figured that i would go do something crazy, and she didnt want me probably getting in trouble.
livye did tell her cousin sydney ebarb what was going on.
peter van sant : she sent you a disturbing photograph.
sydney ebarb : yes.
peter van sant : evidence of physical abuse, correct? … Do you have that photo?
sydney ebarb : i do …
peter van sant : can you show it to me?
sydney ebarb : yes sir. … He busted her nose.
its not clear what caused the altercation, but texts would later show that edgar was cheating on livye with, of all people, montana bockel. On oct. 4, 2020, livyes birthday, edgar texted bockel: i didnt cheat on livye with multiple woman. ... Just you lol.
darci bass : he was … continuing relationship on with his ex-wife and had my daughter in the middle of it. … Not knowing that she is being manipulated by all of them.
sydney ebarb : i was in an abusive relationship. So, i just said, livye, you know it gets worse. And she said, i know. And i said ok, i love you.
livye broke up with edgar, but in a small town like hemphill you can run, but you cant really hide. In the early morning hours of halloween 2020, edgar and livye would end up together again — on the side of the road.
what happened in the hours before livye lewis was killed? The morning livye lewis was killed, her ex-boyfriend matthew edgar found himself in a hospital bed, claiming he had no idea how he got there.
matthew edgar (hospital body cam): i have no clue why im here.
despite the blood on his face, edgar wasnt injured. But he did admit to sheriffs investigator j.P. Macdonough that hed been drinking.
j.P. Macdonough: how much?
matthew edgar: bottle. … Jim beam.
j.P. Macdonough: jim beam. Anything else?
matthew edgar: a few beers earlier in the day.
he said hed been at a party the night before at his friend bobby ozans house. Thats when he claims he last saw livye.
matthew edgar (hospital bodycam): her and my ex-wife both was there.
j.P. Macdonough: ok.
j.P. Macdonough: so you left bobbys and went to your house?
matthew edgar: i went home.
j.P. Macdonough: you went home?
matthew edgar: i was at my house.
and thats where edgar claims he blacked out, and simply cant explain how he ended up in a fetal position between a black truck — that wasnt his — and livyes car.
j.P. Macdonough (hospital bodycam): you dont know how you ended up on the ground behind the car?
matthew edgar: no, sir.
j.P. Macdonough: with the dead girl in it?
matthew edgar.. I dont — i dont have no clue.
macdonough took swabs of the blood on edgars face for dna testing —
j.P. Macdonough (hospital bodycam): all right, matthew. Im gonna do this one on the chin.
— and matthews clothing was taken into evidence.
j.P. Macdonough (hospital bodycam): im gonna go through some of your clothes, ok?
matthew edgar: yes, sir.
then, macdonough placed edgar under arrest.
j.P. Macdonough (hospital bodycam): charge is gonna be homicide, alright? Now, pay attention to me. I want you to understand why, ok?
matthew edgar: yes, sir.
j.P. Macdonough: ok. You were found behind the vehicle where the decedent was. … There was some kind of relationship between you and her … there is a weapon laying on the ground behind the vehicle close to where you were found, ok? Based on that and a few other things, im gonna place you in custody right now for homicide, ok?
peter van sant : whats his reaction to that?
j.P. Macdonough : he had none.
peter van sant : but he didnt say, youre gonna do what? I didnt do anything.
j.P. Macdonough : no.
peter van sant : nothing at all?
j.P. Macdonough : nothing at all.
with edgar jailed, macdonough was on a legal deadline. According to texas law, the district attorneys office now had 90 days to present enough evidence to a grand jury to indict edgar, or they would have to release him on bond. So, macdonough enlisted the help of the texas rangers and began piecing together what happened to livye.
shaun dunn : matthew was just an … easy arrest.
shaun dunn is an old friend of edgars.
shaun dunn : he, he told me, hey look, you know i didnt do this. … Yes, i was there at the scene, but i — you know, i — i didnt — i did not do this, i loved her.
dunn, a former texas oil and gas man, once employed a then 20-year-old edgar as a supervisor on his pipeline.
shaun dunn : i know matthew, i spent a lot of time with him. … He was a hard worker, you know, he loved his family. … He valued his friendship, uh, with people.
dunn was also once a deputy sheriff, and says in his personal and professional opinion, edgar is innocent.
shaun dunn : when youre in law enforcement and — and you sit across the table from somebody that has taken someones life as a cold-blooded killer … theres a certain feel that you get from that person. … I never seen him reach that point.
dunn believes edgar when he says he has no memory of what happened —
j.P. Macdonough (hospital interview): the cause of death of that girl is not natural.
and thinks this moment was very real.
matthew edgar: did they tell you a name?
j.P. Macdonough (hospital interview): livye …
shaun dunn : i believe that was, that was genuine. That that was the first time that he knew that she was deceased.
which raises the obvious question —
peter van sant : if matthew edgar did not kill livye, who did?
shaun dunn : uh …thats kinda still up in the air. … In my opinion … theres plenty of other people that — that, you know, could be involved in this.
dunn wont name names, but edgar and his mother, cindy hogan, have insinuated that someone else killed livye: montana bockel. Listen to this recorded jailhouse call.
cindy hogan (jailhouse call): but im sayin matthew — if it turns out that montana did this ...
matthew edgar: i dont want to talk about it, please.
cindy hogan: i mean its not gonna make you wanna hurt her because she killed the woman you loved, are you?
matthew edgar: i dont know.
macdonough says bockels unusual friendship with livye did get his attention.
j.P. Macdonough: my husband left me for this woman, but shes my best friend, you know, i — i — i have to question that as — as an investigator.
in one of the last photos ever taken of livye, shown above, she is with bockel at that party edgar told investigators about at bobby ozans place.
bobby ozan : im gonna say theres probably about 20 people there.
including edgar and bockels sons. Ozan told investigators edgar spent the night watching livye and montana party, with everyone but him.
bobby ozan : he would try to come over there and talk to them and they just really wouldnt say much to him. … They were just basically ignoring him.
investigators learned that livye had broken up with edgar just weeks earlier, and he had taken up with another young woman in town.
investigator: i am trying to find out your relationship with … matthew edgar.
woman: we were havin sex, just — i met him that monday, and we saw each other every day.
investigator: so you just … known him a week?
woman: yeah.
but it was clear to ozan that edgar wasnt over livye.
bobby ozan : he was just … hurt and then now she dont want nothing to do with him no more. … Shes going on with her life, just, like, you dont exist anymore.
ozan says edgar was stewing at the party.
bobby ozan : he just wasnt his self. Hes on edge.
peter van sant : and drinking heavily –
bobby ozan : yes, sir. Yeah.
peter van sant : and the more he drank the angrier he got.
bobby ozan : exactly.
damning evidence in the case against matthew edgar as the party at ozans was winding down, edgar says he called it a night .
j.P. Macdonough (hospital bodycam): oh so, you left bobbys. Went to your house?
matthew edgar: i went home.
j.P. Macdonough: you went home?
matthew edgar: i was at my house.
thats where edgars memory goes blank. But his ex-wife, montana bockel, remembers much more.
in an audio recording from an oct. 31 interview, bockel told investigators edgar suddenly came back to the party and learned that livye had decided to stay overnight at ozans.
ranger joe haralson: and you think he heard livye say, she gonna spend the night?
montana bockel: oh, i know he heard her. Cause thats what made him so mad.
j.P. Macdonough : during the course of the investigation and during my interviews … with family and friends … matthew had intended to ask ms. Lewis to marry him. … Thats how significant he felt about ms. Lewis. … To … hear her back at the house say that im gonna stay with … bobby, was just –
peter van sant : meaning sleep with bobby.
j.P. Macdonough : correct.
peter van sant : that was too much for him.
j.P. Macdonough : that was just too much.
according to bockel, edgar was so angry — he even took it out on her.
montana bockel (interview with investigators): he tried to choke me, and then, thats when i went and got bobby.
bobby ozan : so i … went outside and he had kicked all the doors in her car and was punchin on the window.
j.P. Macdonough : at one point bobby had to pin matthew against the car in order for the girls to be able … to leave.
bobby ozan : whole time im holding him, hes screaming top of his lungs, im gonna kill yall. Im gonna kill yall.
bockel says she and livye left in separate cars. In search of safety, bockel says she headed toward the home where edgars mother and grandparents lived, and thats where edgar caught up with her.
montana bockel (interview with investigators): he pulled in behind me. … I went to get out and he started chokin me again.
their children were in the backseat of edgars van.
montana bockel (interview with investigators): and i was honkin the horn, so somebody would come outside.
in all the racket, bockel says edgar left, and headed for his own home, a short distance away on the same property. A shaken bockel says she asked to stay the night with edgars mother and grandparents — and then began texting with edgar.
montana bockel (interview with investigators): i have messages.
ranger joe haralson: what does he say?
you took part in it and you are guilty as she is !!! … Wrote edgar, as he angrily accused bockel of playing a part in livyes decision to spend the night with ozan. Those texts would become damning evidence in the case against edgar.
montana bockel (interview with investigators): he said, you knew what was going on.
a decision that appears to have enraged him.
montana bockel (interview with investigators): he said, i will take your life her life and his life … mark my words.
at 3:22 a.M., Edgar texts: im leaving better get here and get your kids. Macdonough says evidence shows that a drunk and angry edgar then got behind the wheel of his truck, where he kept his rifle, and went hunting for livye.
j.P. Macdonough : i think she pulled over to talk to him and ill tell you why. … She was just sittin there with her legs crossed. … Indicates to me she was not afraid. It was not a fight-or-flight thing where she was prepared to just bolt out the car, she was actually, to some degree, comfortable with who she was speaking with.
twelve minutes after texting im leaving, edgar texted: im home. I got livyes keys and her phone. Bockel asked: where is she. Edgars response: dead.
bockel told investigators she didnt call 911 because she didnt believe he was serious. Instead, bockel texted edgar, can i come down there. His reply, yeah. But bockel claims that edgars mother wouldnt let her leave — so she just fell asleep.
montana bockel (interview with investigators): i never left. I didnt even know anything had happened until i woke up at around 6 oclock this morning.
but edgar didnt go to bed. Macdonough says evidence shows that not long after sending that text that livye was dead, edgar did something no one can explain: he went back to the crime scene — this time in his cousin zachs truck. Its that truck that was found parked behind livyes car.
peter van sant : why would he go back then? Why would he return to the scene of the crime?
j.P. Macdonough : that would be a question youd have to ask matthew. I — i cant explain that.
also hard to explain: bockels failure to call 911. It made no sense to livyes friend bayley williams.
bayley williams : she knew who he was and what type of person he was, and then she was receiving all those texts. I dont think that you can just take that with a grain of salt after youve received those text messages.
peter van sant : yeah, its time to … to call police.
bayley williams : right.
macdonough says he and his team of investigators wondered if bockel had been to the crime scene that morning to try and help edgar cover up livyes murder.
montana bockel (interview with investigators): i know you dont believe me, but i cant tell you stuff that i dont know happened.
two months after the crime, bockel was given a polygraph exam.
polygrapher: are you covering for the person responsible for livyes death?
after monitoring her physiological responses, bockel was told she failed the polygraph.
polygrapher: theres no doubt that you left something out. …That theres something youre not telling me.
but after an in-depth multiagency investigation, investigators concluded that bockel was never at the crime scene and had nothing to do with livyes shooting or any coverup.
peter van sant : and, so, to all those who think somehow, shes involved, you say?
j.P. Macdonough : not true.
peter van sant : not true at all.
all the evidence, says macdonough, points to one person: matthew edgar.
peter van sant : is there a motive in your mind?
j.P. Macdonough : jealousy.
peter van sant : jealousy.
j.P. Macdonough : plain and simple.
in february 2021, the covid-19 pandemic shut down the courts and this case. With no grand juries being convened, a judge was forced by law to release a still unindicted matthew edgar on a reasonable bond — $50,000.
darci bass : for them to set it so low was insane to me.
months after edgars release, bass was at her local convenience store when edgar just strolled in.
darci bass : when he came in the door … i just went — started — started throwing whatever at him and went for him. … And i just remember saying, you killed my daughter. … You killed my daughter …
edgar pressed charges against bass, and she was arrested. The charges would eventually be dropped , but bass says she just wanted some answers.
darci bass : she loved you and she was good to you and your kids and to your family. What made you think that this was the answer to anything that was going on?
on march 16, 2021, four-and-a-half months after his arrest, a grand jury finally heard the evidence against matthew edgar, and indicted him for the murder of livye lewis. But edgar, who was still out on bail, wasnt done breaking the law and tormenting livyes family.
darci bass : i just was like, are you — are you serious?
defendant matthew edgar disappears as january 2022 and the trial of matthew edgar approached, darci bass was confident that the evidence in the murder of her daughter, livye, would finally prove that matthew had killed her.
peter van sant : what, in this case, struck you as the most powerful evidence against matthew edgar?
darci bass : from him saying that he was gonna kill them — her, till him being at the scene, till it being his gun.
then, there were all those venomous texts between edgar and montana bockel, that taylor barnett and bayley williams say ended with a clear confession.
taylor barnett : when he texts and said shes dead.
peter van sant: cause who would know that except —
bayley williams : the person who did it.
and remember that text that read, i got livyes keys and her phone. Well, livyes phone was found in the truck edgar had driven to the crime scene. Her keys were found on the driveway at his grandparents house — and reluctantly handed over to investigators by edgars mother, cindy hogan.
peter van sant : is it true in your opinion that she tried to keep livyes keys from investigators?
j.P. Macdonough : that was the indication.
hogan also tried help her son by suggesting that livye had been killed by a drug cartel, because edgar owed them money.
j.P. Macdonough : and that the cartel had killed livye and staged it to make it look like matthew did it, because … they were out $30,000.
peter van sant : what do you think of that theory?
j.P. Macdonough : uh, i think … its a far-fetched fairytale.
darci bass : it was so farfetched … what was just a crazy story … to try to distract people from the truth.
on monday, jan. 24, 2022, edgars trial began with jury selection. Edgar, who was still out on bond, walked in and out of court every day like a free man.
j.P. Macdonough : due to the nature … of the crime … and the emotion throughout the county … we had security arrangements in place for trial. We even had matthew wearing a bulletproof vest.
on the first day of testimony, the state began presenting its case, which included dna lab results that detected a tiny speck of livyes blood on the pants edgar was wearing when he was found at the crime scene.
peter van sant : how important is that piece of evidence?
j.P. Macdonough : its critical. It puts him there at the time that that injury that caused her death.
but edgars court-appointed defense attorney, rob hughes, argued that a tiny drop of blood doesnt prove a thing.
peter van sant : how else could that speck have gotten on his pant leg if not coming from blood spatter from the shooting?
rob hughes : you can get dna transferred from just touching someone.
hughes says theres no telling how long that blood had been there.
and all that blood on edgars face that macdonough swabbed and had tested? It wasnt livyes or edgars — and once they were excluded, investigators didnt pursue other matches. Hughes says there were additional dna tests that also raised questions about who else may have been at the crime scene.
rob hughes : there were other peoples dna on matthew, and livye was excluded as a contributor to those dna samples.
hughes tried his best to argue that the dna should be considered reasonable doubt but admits that his biggest obstacle in defending edgar were those texts —and edgars insistence that he has no memory of sending them.
peter van sant : in your entire career as a defense attorney, have you ever had a client who was functioning during the course of a crime — texting, conversing with people, driving an automobile — then said they had no memory whatsoever of the events?
rob hughes : i have not.
peter van sant : and you understand why that would be hard for people to believe?
rob hughes : yes.
hughes also asserted that the murder weapon had not been tested for fingerprints or dna. But conceded the rifle belonged to edgar. After a second day of testimony, the prosecutor notified hughes that he would be resting his case the next morning, and it would then be hughes turn to call witnesses. Shaun dunn says that he had been snapchatting with edgar, who was feeling optimistic about his chances.
shaun dunn : he was so confident that … he was gonna need a job … and asked me … would i find him a spot to go to work?
but the next morning, as hughes arrived at the courthouse,. He got a panicked call from edgars mother, who told him her son was now a fugitive.
rob hughes : she just started … frantically telling me that matthew was gone. Matthew had run and he had taken a gun with him. And she was afraid he was gonna kill himself.
darci bass : are you serious? Like hes — hes gone? He had — he shouldnt even been out on bond. And he had an ankle monitor on. What happened with that?
authorities say edgar had simply waited for the battery on his ankle monitor to die, and then left home — most likely on foot.
j.P. Macdonough : we started getting assets from all over. … Lufkin p.D. Swat, uh, dps, texas rangers … we even had tracking dogs from the — from the prison unit … they followed a trail through the woods, roughly two miles.
meanwhile, edgars trial went on without him. That very same day, defense attorney hughes began presenting his case. The jury was not told that edgar had fled, but they must have wondered.
peter van sant : so, a case thats already very difficult for you has now become, ill use the word impossible.
rob hughes : it — it made it much — it — it didnt help, thats for sure.
no one was surprised when, after deliberating for about an hour-and-a-half, the jury found edgar guilty of murder. But he was still on the loose, out there somewhere — an armed threat to himself and the community.
bayley williams : i mean i think that it was like a scary time because … its hemphill, he knows where everybody lives at.
darci bass : that was a terrible, crazy time for me knowing that hes out there. … Supposedly loved my daughter, but murdered her, and me, the one thats actively trying to make sure that he goes to jail, what would he had done to me.
bass says it felt like no one was searching for edgar, so she became a mother on a mission and hung a homemade wanted poster all over town. But she wasnt alone. Macdonough had been joined by jeff coulter, a special deputy with the eastern district u.S. Marshals service, and they were on the hunt for edgar.
peter van sant: do you consider him right off the bat to be a dangerous fugitive?
jeff coulter : oh, absolutely. Uh, from what i was told, the murder, the crime scene, yes, no doubt.
the hunt for a convicted killer the very spot where 19-year-old livye lewis was murdered is now a memorial lovingly tended to by her mother.
darci bass : (at the memorial) i just want everyone to remember what happened here … what livye had to go through.
its also a place that bass is convinced edgar visited, after becoming a fugitive.
darci bass : i just felt it as a mother., I was like hes coming here. Hes not far.
bass says she also heard rumors that edgars mother had been spotted buying her sons favorite cigarettes and liquor in large quantities.
darci bass : where is she taking em to?
one week after edgar ran from the law, jeff coulter, a special deputy with the u.S. Marshals service, was asked to take over the manhunt.
peter van sant : when you first … begin your investigation, do you start with his family? … To see if theyve heard anything?
jeff coulter : no, no. … I dont like being lied to. … Ive already heard their stories … claiming … she was killed by the cartel … so, no … i didnt even waste my time.
coulter says he quietly spent nearly a year working with the sheriffs office and other law enforcement agencies around the country, to chase down every lead that came their way.
jeff coulter : and we had put in a lot of hours, a lot of weekends, a lot of late nights.
then, a tip that edgar might actually be hiding in plain sight – in a house just yards from his grandparents property.
jeff coulter : it looked great, it sounded great. But we physically have to put eyes on him before we make a move on his residence.
the house, which belonged to a family friend, was surrounded by woodlands, so coulter enlisted the aid of two wardens with texas parks and wildlife department.
the plan? To get as close as possible, under the cloak of darkness, using night vision to id their man.
jeff coulter : we were gonna enter into the woods. Make our way up to the back of the property. Get as close as we could and sit there and see if we could get a visual of him.
while coulter led a team of three men into the woods, macdonough and his deputies were on the opposite side of the house, near the driveway — but out of sight, in their vehicles.
j.P. Macdonough : my job was to sit right there at the front door of that house.
if coulter and his men made a positive id on edgar, they would finally have him cornered .
jeff coulter : we went in about 4:30 in the afternoon. We knew it was gonna get dark about 5:30. … We got into probably about a hundred yards of the house. And — we heard barking, um, come to find out they had a pretty good-sized rottweiler in the backyard.
jeff coulter : were out there for an hour or so. … We could hear voices. … We hear a female voice. We could hear male voice, but its so thick. We cant see. … Then we catch a violent thunderstorm … and theres lightning and thunder and torrential rain. It was miserable. But it was a blessing in disguise … the noise covered our movement.
they were 30 yards from the house when a second storm hit, but there was no giving up.
jeff coulter : thats 11 months and two days. … This needed to end tonight.
drenched and exhausted, coulter and his team could hear voices on the back porch of the house but couldnt see faces. Until about 8 p.M., When a man stepped off the porch.
jeff coulter : walks around the side of the house and he stands there.
one of coulters men immediately recognized that man as matthew edgar.
jeff coulter : he goes, hes here. I got eyes on him.
j.P. Macdonough : we got word that they had made a confirmation … drove down, pulled in the driveway.
jeff coulter : once we saw the lights, it was a 30-yard sprint, all four of us. … We break the corner, and we started screaming law enforcement, police. … He jumps up and he throws himself against the wall, like, oh, crap.
peter van sant : you got me.
jeff coulter : yeah. It was over with.
peter van sant : did you guys make eye contact?
j.P. Macdonough : absolutely. … He said, hey, j.P.. I said, hey, matthew. And then he asked me, you havent … proven my innocence yet? And i said, no, matthew. — I have not.
coulter says thats not all edgar had to say that night.
jeff coulter : he said, please dont shoot my mother.
peter van sant : his mother is in the house.
jeff coulter : his mothers at the house.
peter van sant : was she crying? Was she upset?
jeff coulter : no. I think she acted amazed that he was there. … Like she didnt know what was going on.
peter van sant : really?
jeff coulter : yes. … Surprised he was there.
peter van sant : was she arrested as well?
jeff coulter : not at the time. She was not.
cindy hogan was eventually charged with hindering apprehension. 48 hours reached out to her attorney for comment but did not hear back. On jan. 3, 2023, matthew edgar was formally sentenced for the murder of livye lewis: 99 years in prison, with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years.
peter van sant : does it give you — i dont know what the word is, not any peace, but … in prison he will likely suffer for decades?
darci bass : i can only hope, but he doesnt suffer like … like her brother … he doesnt suffer like… her little sister.
bass hopes to be there when edgar comes up for parole, and barnett and williams say she wont be alone.
bayley williams : and i dont care however he says that he changes while hes in there. I dont think that thats … something you can ever come back from, because shes definitely not coming back.
meanwhile, bass is trying to save up enough money to buy a headstone for livyes grave.
peter van sant : how do you carry on and honor your daughters memory?
darci bass : i just gotta get up every morning and just — just remember the good things … and i wanna make her proud.
bayley williams : i dont want her to be remembered as the girl that got killed in the small town. I want her to be remembered for … the way that she carried herself, and the happy person that she was to be around.
cindy hogan is awaiting trial.
if you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, contact the national domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233. |
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