A former Fresno man about to be freed from prison has been taken into custody in connection with the decades-old killings of five of his infant children in a case a sheriff said has haunted his agency for years. Paul Perez, 57, a convicted sex offender with a 20-year criminal...
Judge Sets Preliminary Hearing in 'Golden State Killer' Case
SACRAMENTO — A California judge on Wednesday set a May hearing to decide if prosecutors have enough evidence to go to trial against a man suspected being the notorious "Golden State Killer" who eluded capture for decades. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Steve White ordered the preliminary hearing for Joseph...
Bay Area Woman Takes to the Sky in Search of Her Stolen Dog
SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco woman is offering a $7,000 reward and has hired a plane to fly over the city to search for her her blue-eyed miniature Australian Shepherd stolen from outside a grocery store last weekend. The plane, which cost an additional $1,200 will flying a banner...
Walters: Another Showdown Over Crime Looms
No California ballot would be complete without at least one measure about crime and punishment and 2020 will be no exception. A referendum seeking to overturn California’s landmark ban on cash bail in criminal cases will once again test voters’ sentiments about the treatment of accused lawbreakers. During previous decades,...
Sacramento’s Latest Reckless Law Will Give Lighter Sentences to 10,000 Repeat Felons
Jerry Dewayne Williams, if popular folklore is to be believed, should be coming up for parole soon. This spring marks the silver anniversary since Williams, better known as the “pizza thief,” received 25-years-to-life for shoplifting a slice of pizza at the Redondo Beach pier. Ever since, he’s been “the patron saint of...
2 Guilty in $1B Fraud as Feds Auction Burt Reynolds Trans Am
SACRAMENTO — Two employees of a San Francisco Bay Area solar energy company pleaded guilty Tuesday to participating in what federal prosecutors say was a massive scheme that defrauded investors of $1 billion. While the company’s owners have not been charged, they agreed to let the government auction their collection...
Saudi Crown Prince Takes Responsibility for Khashoggi's Death
NEW YORK — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a television interview that he takes "full responsibility" for the grisly killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but he denied allegations that he ordered it. "This was a heinous crime," Prince Mohammed, 34, told "60 Minutes" in an interview...
Suspected Serial Killer Arrested After Bodies Unearthed
A Squaw Valley man described as a serial killer is in custody and faces three counts of murder after remains of his alleged victims were unearthed, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday. Buford King, 33, made an initial court appearance on the charges Wednesday. His bail was set at...
Judge Overturns 2006 Terrorist Conviction of Lodi Man
SACRAMENTO — A federal judge on Tuesday overturned the 2006 conviction of a Lodi man accused of plotting an attack in the United States after attending a terrorist training camp in Pakistan. Federal prosecutors were reviewing the decision and did not immediately say whether they will seek to retry Hamid...
6-Year-Old Among 3 Killed in Gilroy Festival Shooting
GILROY — A 6-year-old boy described by his grandmother as always kind and happy was one of three people killed and at least 15 others injured when a gunman heard to be "really angry" opened fire during the closing moments of the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee...