Actor Michael Jace deliberately loaded a gun, murdered his wife in cold blood and then lied when he claimed he only intended to shoot her in the leg, a prosecutor said in a fiery closing argument Friday.
I dont know how you can shoot somebody three times and call it an accident, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Tannaz Mokayef told jurors at the close of Jaces four-day trial for first-degree murder in Los Angeles.
The actor best known for playing a cop on the FX show The Shield sat stone-faced as Mokayef told the jury of six men and six women he shot wife April Jace three times in May 2014 with both malice and reflection.
Do you remember the ballistics expert (explaining) how heavy that trigger pull was? Like holding a gallon of milk with one finger. Each pull of the trigger is a reflection, each pull of the trigger is a thought, she said.
Michael Jace told wife to "run to heaven" after killing her: DA
She said Jace even admitted malice when he claimed to police, I was just angry and all I intended to do was shoot her in the leg.
She reminded jurors the couples own 10-year-old son recalled on the witness stand that he heard Jace say, You like to run, why dont you run to heaven, as he shot his running enthusiast wife twice in the legs after previously shooting her in the back.
Jace was upset because April, 40, had asked for a divorce, Mokayef said.
This is about control and obsession, the prosecutor said. When she finally says, No more, I have to get out of this. He kills her.
Michael Jace, accused of murdering wife, gets trial delayed
Jace, 53, is facing 50 years to life if convicted of first-degree murder.
His lawyers havent disputed Jace pulled the trigger but want the jury to choose a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
Defense lawyer Jamon Hicks said Friday that his client simply snapped in the heat of passion.
Text messages and testimony during the four-day trial revealed Jace was upset about his crumbling marriage and believed April was having an affair.
In her emotional closing argument, Mokayef again showed the graphic photo of Aprils lifeless body on the floor of the couples house after she was declared dead at the scene.
She said April was shot at such close range, death investigators found gunpowder where the bullets hit her legs.
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Haircuts - Peaky Blinders - Series 1 - BBC First Don"t mess with the creepy cleric
Tommy finally got permission to kill Hughes but we knew it wouldnt be that easy. Having laid a trap and lulled his foe into a false sense of security, Hughes hired muscle jumped Tommy as he was poised to pull the trigger. A brutal beating was administered and Tommys skull sickeningly fractured. That cracking sound wont be forgotten in a hurry.
How sinister was Hughes beatific smile as he watched Tommy suffer, then that smug scene at The Ritz as he forced Tommy to apologise? When Hughes made him replace Gods name with his own in the Act of Contrition, it became clear what a megalomaniac the poisonous padre truly is.
Could Mary be the mole in the Shelbys midst?
Hughes hissed dark threats about Ada and Tommys toddler son Charles, warning: We have people in your life. My moneys on one of his sisters-in-law, Linda (Kate Phillips) or Esme (Aimee-Ffion Edwards). Then again, housekeeper Mary (Wendy Nottingham) suddenly has a higher profile. Et tu, Mary?
Feminism has reached Small Heath
Why should the men have all the fun? As they lived like lords, the fed-up Shelby women were left to do all the work. Encouraged by troublesome Linda, they staged a walkout and joined the city-wide march of female workers on the Bullring to demand equality. Polly even ended up making revolutionary speeches from the back of a wagon.
Jessie Eden, the female shop steward who was mentioned, was a real historical figure - a wartime munitions worker turned militant unionist who played a key local role in the 1926 General Strike.
Girl power was everywhere. Linda played hardball with Tommy over husband Arthurs slice of the loot, haggling him up from 30,000 to 41,000. Pregnant Esme told John that she felt like a hen in a coop. Lizzie (Natasha OKeeffe) expressed dissatisfaction at Tommy using her for s*x. The women even got their own slo-mo sequence, striding through the streets of Small Heath to the strains of PJ Harvey.
You wait ages for a robbery and two come along at once
So now we know the final play, which will unfold over the next two weeks. Double agent Hughes has been dealing arms for the White Russians - while feeding information to the Soviets. The British establishment want the Soviets to blow up the train, committing a violent act on UK soil which allows the government to break off diplomatic relations.
Tommy knows the armoured cars stolen from the Lanchester factory are merely bait and the Peaky Blinders are being sacrificed, so needs to pull off the heist while keeping his men out of danger. Neither does he trust the Russians to pay up, so is planning a daring raid on their subterranean treasury that same night. Think Hatton Garden: the Prequel.
The best episode so far
This third run got off to a slow start but cranked into gear here with a corking hour of drama. The plot moved on apace, twists came thick and fast, there was tense action and delicious dialogue. Like a gathering storm, its all building brilliantly towards the climactic two episodes.
Next week
The penultimate instalment sees Tommy call in help, cousin Michael embrace the badness, Pollys portrait unveiled and the Russians throw one helluva party.
CHICAGO (Christian Examiner) The Christian satire "Babylon Bee" website is known for its edgy humor, but some fans said it went too far Tuesday when it posted a story about the death of TBN co-founder Jan Crouch.
The 78-year-old Crouch died shortly after suffering a stroke, and two and a half years after her husband, TBN co-founder Paul Crouch, passed away in November 2013.
The Babylon Bee said a satirical Hinn told reporters "that Crouch must have spoken her own death into existence."
The Crouches were well-known for being leaders in the health-and-wealth or prosperity gospel movement a point the Babylon Bee story noted under the headline "Top Prosperity Theologians Puzzled Over Death Of Jan Crouch."
"Various baffled prosperity gospel preachers have begun offering theories Tuesday on how Crouch could possibly have passed away, given her overabundance of faith, her supernatural ability to name and claim health and wealth at will, and her decades of collecting donations while promising that G*d"s will is for everybody to be wealthy and healthy," the story read.
Like other Babylon Bee stories, this one carried no byline.
It included fake quotes from prosperity gospel preachers Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes and Kenneth Copeland.
"Maybe she read a really mean tweet or some criticism of her theology, and she spoke the words out loud and gave them life. How else can you explain someone who possessed supernatural health from G*d dying four years before the average female life expectancy in the U.S.," the satirical Osteen quote read.
The Babylon Bee said a satirical Hinn told reporters "that Crouch must have spoken her own death into existence."
"I can"t think of a single other reason that can explain why she would die of a stroke during "healing month" on TBN, when the network is reminding its fans that "G*d wants them well and whole,"" the satirized Hinn quote read.
The story concluded: "Whatever the reason for Crouch"s sudden passing, Trinity Broadcasting Network has announced an upcoming month of solemnly and aggressively seeking donations in her honor."
Barry McCarty, professor of preaching and rhetoric at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, told the Christian Examinerthat the story should not have been posted.
This is not a day to poke fun on the day she died. I think it would have been best to have said nothing than to have lampooned and satirized someone on the day she died. She was a wife and mother and people love her. Today is a day to extend condolences to those who grieve her loss.
- Dr. Barry McCarty, professor of preaching and rhetoric, SWBTS
"I have been a fan of the Babylon Bee. I have appreciated their sometimes irreverent and stinging satire. I would also say that ordinarily I appreciate wit and satire and I am no fan at all of prosperity gospel and televangelists but this struck me as being beyond the pale today," McCarty said.
"This is not a day to poke fun on the day she died. I think it would have been best to have said nothing than to have lampooned and satirized someone on the day she died. She was a wife and mother and people love her," McCarty added. "Today is a day to extend condolences to those who grieve her loss."
On the Babylon Bee"s Facebook page, fans were divided.
"Being in the funeral industry, the bee has lost me on this one," wrote Brad Root, who noted he"s not a fan of TBN theology. "She does have a family who is grieving her loss. Pray for her family that they may see the truth and be brought closer to G*d. Don"t make fun of her after she passed. What would Jesus do? I love ya bee, but you crossed the line this time."
Angela Gabrielle Soles wrote, "I normally think everything BB posts is gold.... but this was completely insensitive. Satire and jokes are fun, but this crossed the line."
Rhett Kelley wrote, "Normally a big fan, but this is way too soon. Regardless of their heretical doctrines, we could demonstrate some charity as her family and friends mourn. There"s plenty of time for satire later."
Others, though, said the story did not go too far.
"Satire works because it offends and in offending shocks our senses to the reality behind the joke," wrote Nate Schlomann. "It is in the very moments of life and death and pain and suffering that the hellacious Prosperity Gospel does its most damage. Sad to have seen this pastorally first hand too many times. So this is the perfect time, there can be no other. Go BB."
Mike Chaney wrote: "Truth is not always comforting and can be offensive. The post sarcastically addresses a legitimate question. It is far less offensive than teaching a doctrine that causes people to live in doubt, guilt and shame for not having enough faith to claim perfect health and abundant wealth."
Stephen Hawking On Donald Trump: "He"s A Demagogue"
Donald Trump has secured the support of one of the world"s worst dictators and been condemned by a man widely considered one of Earth"s greatest minds.
North Korea"s state-run newspaper DPRK Today has praised the billionaire Republican nominee as "wise" and "far-sighted", and taken a shot at his likely Democrat opponent, Hillary Clinton.
"The president that US citizens must vote for is not that dull Hillary but Trump, who spoke of holding direct conversation with North Korea," the paper"s editorial read.
Mr Trump has threatened to pull US forces out of countries where it has bases, like South Korea, unless those countries pay up.
"Who knew that the slogan "Yankee Go Home" would come true like this?" the paper, a mouthpiece for dictator Kim Jong-un"s regime, said.
Meanwhile cosmologist and all-round brainbox Stephen Hawking was stumped when asked by an ITV interviewer to explain Mr Trump"s highly successful campaign to date.
"I can"t," he told Good Morning Britain.
But he gave it a shot anyway.
"He is a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator."
Prof Hawking in the past has expressed support for Labour, the UK"s primary left-wing party, and having been confined to a wheelchair most of his life, is a big supporter of universal healthcare.
Memorial Day LUXEMBOURG (AFNS) -- Luxembourgers and Americans united to pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their freedoms, fulfilling a promise to never forget that price.
More than 200 citizens of both countries paid their respects to the legacy and valor of fallen American service members as part of a Memorial Day ceremony at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in Luxembourg, May 28.
David McKean, the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg; Lucien Weiler, the marshall of the Luxembourg court; Simone Beissel, the vice president of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies; U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Timothy Ray, the 3rd Air Force and 17th Expeditionary Air Force commander; laid ceremonial wreaths and commemorated the fallen Americans ahead of the federal holiday observance.
We gather today as countless others have done every year in Luxembourg since 1946 to honor our fallen heroes, McKean said. Behind me lies the final resting place of 5,075 brave young men and one brave young woman who died in service to our country, for the freedom of this beautiful country and for the freedom of the world.
The ambassador remarked how every white marble cross or star marker represented an actual person someone who made promises he intended to keep, and someone who undoubtedly had hopes and dreams for tomorrow.
Of particular note, McKean observed how many of those buried there had one thing in common that distinctly made them American: they were children of immigrants.
The stories of these men tell the stories of America; we are the country of immigrants, he said. I think President Obama put it best when he said recently, Immigration is at the core of our national character. It is our oldest tradition. It is who we are. It is what makes us exceptional. But these men were more than just children of immigrants like (U.S. Army Gen. George) Patton, they were also heroes. We may never have heard of them but they had family and friends and promises to keep. They had hopes and dreams.
Both the ambassador and Ray laid wreaths on behalf of the American people and military. The ceremony also involved service members from the U.S. and Luxembourg armed forces, including Airmen from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.
The installation"s honor guard presented the American, Luxembourg and U.S. Air Force flags and later performed a ceremonial volley with the backdrop of the cemetery of the Airmens predecessors-in-arms, many who died during the Battle of the Bulge.
In his speech, Ray highlighted the legacies of U.S. Army Pvt. William D. McGee and Sgt. Day G. Turner, who both posthumously earned the Medal of Honor for heroism during World War II, as well as U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Nancy Leo, a 216th General Hospital nurse, who is the only woman buried in Luxembourgs cemetery.
(Former) President Reagan said, The martyrs of history were not fools, they did not die in vain, the general said. The fallen who lay before you today secured for us what we must guarantee for the present and for the future. We have an obligation to face that dilemma to choose freedom and pursue it will all of our energy.
Ray added how history showed how people have always been faced with threats to their freedom and how the present time is no different.
Today, Airmen from U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa conduct combined training and theater security cooperation engagements with allies and partners aiming to demonstrate a shared commitment to promoting a Europe that is whole, free and at peace.
I believe we have to do more than simply remember, the general said. We have to collectively think about the choices we as free people need to make about our current situation today and tomorrow. Tyrants and tyranny have been a part of human history, no doubt about that. They have been with us in the past, they are with us today and they will be with us in the future.
The first official Memorial Day observance occurred at Arlington National Cemetery May 30, 1868, to honor and decorate the graves of those who died during the Civil War. The holiday serves as an opportunity to pause and remember the sacrifices of more than 1 million Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who gave their lives in defense of freedom.
Today we come together in this beautiful place, on this beautiful day, as others gather at American cemeteries abroad and across the United States to remind one another that we have not forgotten and that we are so proud of the men and women who serve their country so valiantly, McKean said. We are so grateful that through all these years the people of the Grand Duchy have continued to lovingly watch over and pay tribute to the brave Americans that stayed behind. G*d bless our service men and women around the world today. G*d bless Luxembourg and G*d bless the United States of America.
Imagine Dragons - Roots Even rapper T.I., who has a role in the series as a slave named "Cyrus," told the Huffington Post that he was initially leery.
"I will admit that I was one of the ones to say, "Man, I don"t know if that needs to be remade,"" he said. "It was just a huge undertaking for him as a producer and for me as an actor to sign up to remake such a classic and to tell a story that has so much pain and just so much turmoil involved in it."
So it"s no surprise that after the initial airing on Monday, there were some cheers and jeers about the rebooted "Roots."
Rapper Snoop Dogg took to Instagram for an expletive-filled rant against it and urged a boycott.
"How the f*** they gonna put Roots on Memorial Day," the rapper asked after saying he no longer can watch slave narratives including the film "12 Years A Slave." They going to just keep beating that s*** into our heads as to how they did us, huh?"
Saying "I don"t understand America," Snoop went on to opine that "They just want to keep showing the abuse that we took hundreds and hundreds of years ago."
"But guess what? We"re taking the same abuse," he said. "Think about that part. When you all going to make a [expletive] series about the success that black folks is having. The only success we have is Roots and 12 Years A Slave?"
The pain of watching a miniseries about slavery in America was evident as one person tweeted "I"m sorry, but I can"t bring myself to watch #Roots. I"m glad it"s been remade and I hope many people watch. But I can"t."
A few tweeted their disappointment with the remake.
And yet others were delighted with the updated version as a slice of history they felt should be shared with younger generations. The original aired in 1977.
Producer Will Packer tweeted his thanks to the audience and urged people to tune into the remaining episodes saying "I have never been more proud to be involved with a project."
NBA 2K16 - NBA Finals Promo Updated May 31, 2016 1:34 p.m. ET
Seattle
The Golden State Warriors improbable comeback from a 3-1 series deficit in the Western Conference finals Monday night gripped basketball fans everywhere. But it left three distinct groups feeling especially overjoyed.
One was the Warriors themselves, who found a way to keep their record-breaking season alive. The second was the NBA, which is all but guaranteed sky-high ratings for Golden States Finals rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The third was a collection of NBA fans more than 600 miles from the site of Monday nights game, who were openly and enthusiastically rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder to lose: the people of the scorned basketball city of Seattle.
If they had gotten swept, sure, we wouldve liked that they lost, said Paul Rogers, an editor and senior writer with Sonics Rising, a blog dedicated to bringing the NBA back to Seattle. But the fact that they were up 3-1, then lost? It will sound petty, but to me, its almost better that way,
For fans of the Seattle SuperSonics, who lost their franchise when it relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, the feelings of anger and resentment havent dimmed much with the passing of time. For some, they may have only gotten stronger.
Rogers, who is 47 years old, didnt try to hide his satisfaction at the Thunders season-ending loss. In fact, he acknowledged that hed only really begun to pay attention to the Western Conference finals once Oklahoma City lost control of its commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
He wasnt alone in feeling that way. On Saturday, Mariners fans at Safeco Field saved their loudest cheers of the night for when the final score from the Thunders Game 6 loss flashed on the jumbotron.
Monday night at Stout, a bar in Seattles Capitol Hill where 33-year-old salesman Miles DeCaro watched Game 7, about two-thirds of the 300 patrons were wearing Sonics or Warriors gear.
There mightve been one person in the room cheering for the Thunder, DeCaro said. More than anything, we all just feel relieved. Im happy the Warriors succeededand the Thunder did not.
All of which underlines that many Seattle fans are far from over the franchises abrupt relocation to Oklahoma, which followed the sale of the team in 2006 to Oklahoma City businessman Clayton Bennett, who subsequently failed to secure the public funding necessary to build a new stadium for the Sonics.
For eight years, a rabidly passionate fan base here has been without a franchise, leaving a legion of former Sonics followers in the NBA wilderness. Rachel Engrissei, a 33-year-old recruiter for a staffing agency, said the citys basketball fans face a dilemma: They want a team to replace the Sonics, but they dont want it to come at the expense of another city that would have to endure a similar heartache.
The situation came up in Sacramento a couple years ago, and we had a chance to get another team, said Engrissei, whose father stopped watching the NBA after the Sonics vanished. Everyone wants another team, but I didnt want to take that away from them, because I know how that feels. Theyd view us the same way we view Oklahoma City now.
Golden States victory derailed what wouldve been a matchup between a pair of cities that have lived through the consequences of relocation. While Oklahoma City got the Thunder from Seattle in 2008, Cleveland lost its NFL team, the Browns, to Baltimore 20 years ago, in 1996.
Both situations were especially tough for the vacated cities because of how quickly the teams found success after moving. The Ravens won the Super Bowl five seasons after leaving Clevelanda city that hasnt won a major championship since 1964while Oklahoma City has become a perennial NBA power with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on the roster, reaching the Finals just four seasons after relocating.
Seattles feelings about Durant, who won Rookie of the Year during the Sonics final season in Seattle, are complicated. Fans seem to like and root for him personally, though those sentiments are generally overridden by a stronger desire to see the Thunder lose by any means necessary.
When I see disappointment in his face, Im not happy about it, because we like Kevin. He even came back here a few years ago to play in a charity basketball game, said Rogers, the Sonics Rising editor. Its just really hard to separate him from Oklahoma City. Thats why wed like to see him move to another team, so we can cheer for him again.
This ambivalence isnt reserved for Durant. Engrissei says she essentially refused to talk about the Thunder with a cousin who lived in Oklahoma because the issue remains such a sore spot for her.
DeCaro says he still wont buy Starbucks because he resents the companys chief executive, Howard Schultz, for selling the team to Bennett in 2006. He once turned down a free ticket to watch a playoff game in Oklahoma City in 2012 because of his feelings about the move, though he did buy a ticket to Game 2 of the Warriors-Thunder series and posed for photos wearing Sonics gear in the crowd.
The Thunders collapse from 3-1 up in the series meant Seattle fans were saved the pain of 2012, when they had to watch their former team reach the Finals just four years after leaving. But the fact that Seattleites continue to cringe each time Oklahoma Cityor Choklahoma City, as its known heremakes a deep playoff run shows how much some people still care.
Spencer Hawes is a perfect example. Hes from Seattle and though he now plays in the NBA as a center for the Charlotte Hornets, he remains as anti-Oklahoma City as any other resident of his city. Its gonna be an open wound until we get another team, Hawes said at a Seattle bar days before Game 7. It hurts to see them play.
But it didnt hurt on Monday night. Hawes went to Game 7 in Oakland, and he was spotted after the game, outside the Warriors locker room, wearing a huge smileand a Seattle SuperSonics shirt.
