National Roundup

Pennsylvania
Man pleads guilty to murder in hit-and-run spree that killed chef
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A man has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in the death of a Philadelphia steakhouse chef prosecutors say he intentionally killed during a drug-fueled, hit-and-run spree that caused injuries and damage in two counties.

Kareem Welton, 43, also pleaded guilty Friday in Montgomery County Court to attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault and robbery of a motor vehicle in the violent predawn 2021 joyride that started in Philadelphia’s Center City and ended 30 miles (48 kilometers) away in neighboring Montgomery County.

Prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge in exchange for the plea, which does not include any agreement on sentencing.

Authorities alleged that Welton stole a car left running by a woman in July 2021 and then went to a family friend’s home and stole a 5-year-old poodle, hit two people on a motorcycle and then struck and killed 31-year-old Adriana Moreno-Sanchez as she walked home from her restaurant shift. Authorities said in an affidavit of probable cause that the car hopped the curb and struck Moreno-Sanchez, then made a U-turn and went back onto the sidewalk to hit her a second time. Authorities said Welton briefly stopped at that time to steal a jacket from the injured victim, who died at a hospital.

Authorities said Welton drove off, striking more cars and people, before abandoning the car. He later allegedly tried unsuccessfully to pull another woman from a vehicle before stealing another car blocks away and heading out of the city, hitting a bicyclist on the way. Eventually, he was spotted in Collegeville, and during the ensuing chase authorities allege he deliberately swerved into oncoming traffic to hit and critically injure a jogger. He was arrested after pulling into a Trappe gas station and trying to take a bicycle from a man standing nearby, authorities alleged.

A toxicology screen later indicated that Welton had marijuana and PCP, a powerful hallucinogenic, in his system at the time of the assaults, authorities said.

Both the 3rd-degree murder and attempted murder charges carry maximum sentences of 20 to 40 years in prison. Assistant District Attorney Roderick McCord Fancher III told The (Pottstown) Mercury that he would seek significant prison time including consecutive terms, a sentence “that accounts for each and every victim of this rampage.”

“He brought people’s worst fears of random acts of violence into real life through his actions. Completely innocent people going about their day were seriously affected by him,” Fancher said. Montgomery County authorities, using a state law, prosecuted all charges, including the fatal hit-and-run that occurred in Philadelphia.

A message seeking comment was sent Saturday to the assistant public defender representing Welton.

Massachusetts
Former candidate convicted of spending campaign funds on business debts
BOSTON (AP) — A former longshot Massachusetts congressional candidate accused of using donations to pay business debts and real estate taxes was convicted Friday of violating federal election law and making false statements.

Abhijit “Beej” Das was accused of soliciting at least $125,000 in illegal campaign contributions from friends and family. He was convicted Friday of one count of accepting excessive campaign contributions, one count of causing conduit contributions to be made, one count of conversion of campaign funds to personal use and two counts of making a false statements.

Das, a lawyer and hotel developer, was one of 10 Democrats seeking the party nomination in 2018 for an open seat vacated by Democratic U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, the widow of former U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas.
While a candidate in 2017 and 2018, Das encouraged donations that were structured as loans to a family member and then falsely claimed the donations were personal funds, law enforcement officials said.

Das, 50, of North Andover, Massachusetts, used at least $267,000 from his campaign account to pay outstanding debts for his hotel business, the hotel’s 100-foot (30-meter) yacht and real estate taxes, all unrelated to his campaign, officials said.

Das said in an email that he was disappointed by the outcome but he deferred further comment to his attorneys, who didn’t immediately respond to an email. Each of the charges carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and fines. It’s unclear when he’ll be sentenced.

Das also is facing charges in a separate case. He was indicted in June on 10 counts of wire fraud, alleging he diverted more than $1 million in clients’ escrow funds for personal expenses. Das has pleaded not guilty.

Alabama
Former police officer pleads guilty to manslaughter in shooting death of suicidal man
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A former Huntsville police officer on Friday pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the 2018 shooting death of a man who was holding a flare gun to his own head.

William Darby entered a plea agreement to avoid a second trial on a murder charge in the shooting death of Jeffery Parker, news outlets reported. A jury initially convicted Darby of murder and sentenced him to 25 years in prison, but the conviction was overturned. He was set to go to trial again in December.

Madison County District Attorney Rob Broussard told WHNT-TV that the plea agreement happened after defense attorneys reached out to discuss a potential settlement. Darby, who served 20 months before his conviction was overturned, will not return to prison unless he violates the terms of his probation under his new sentence, news outlets reported.

“What he did was clearly unlawful, but it was never lost on us that what he did was during the course of his job, which is not an easy job,” Broussard told WHNT.

Darby shot Parker while responding to a call after the man phoned 911 saying he was armed and planned to kill himself.

Trial testimony indicated Darby shot Parker, who was sitting on a sofa holding a gun to his head, within seconds of entering the home. Another officer had been speaking with Parker, trying to convince him not to kill himself, when Darby entered. Video from Darby’s body camera showed Darby entered the home and told Parker three times to put the gun down before firing.

It would later be determined Parker was actually holding a flare gun that had been painted black, but there is no evidence indicating any of the officers were aware of that fact, according to an appellate court summary of the case.