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Massachusetts man accused of beating parents and setting home on fire, leaving them to die

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Massachusetts man accused of beating parents and setting home on fire, leaving them to die

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A man was arrested after allegedly beating his elderly parents, lighting their Massachusetts home on fire and leaving them in the residence despite their pleas for help, according to authorities.

Darius Hazard, 44, was charged with murder and arson after his parents — 76-year-old Venture and 83-year-old Donald — were found dead in the living room of their burned North Adams home on Monday, according to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office.

Hazard confessed to physically assaulting his parents inside their home, pouring gasoline on the floor and setting the house on fire before driving away and abandoning them in the burning structure, investigators said.

Both of the suspect’s parents were found dead in the home by firefighters who responded to the blaze at about 7 a.m. on Monday. The medical examiner ruled their cause of death as smoke inhalation.

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ILLINOIS MAN CHARGED WITH ARSON AFTER ALLEGEDLY SETTING HOME ABLAZE ON THANKSGIVING

Darius Hazard, 44, was charged with murder and arson. (North Adams Police Department)

Police later took Hazard into custody at a Walmart parking lot. Officers frisked him, and he said he had a knife in his car. He said he had attempted to stab himself, and he had injuries to his thigh and chest.

Prosecutors said Hazard told the officers he became “really, really angry” while he and his father were helping his mother, who had difficulty walking and suffered from advanced arthritis and scoliosis, after she fell around 3 a.m., court documents show, according to WNYT.

“I guess I snapped,” he said.

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Darius Hazard confessed to physically assaulting his parents inside their home, pouring gasoline on the floor and setting the house on fire, investigators said. (North Adams Police Department)

Hazard was yelling at them and hitting them repeatedly, the outlet reported. His father told him to stop, which he eventually did. He then shoved both parents to the floor and struck them with various objects, as well as his fist. He even threw a fan at his father.

He poured gasoline on the floor upstairs and in the living room, set a match and drove away.

His parents were injured, but alive when he left. He told police they were yelling “come back” and “help me, help us, we are in trouble” as he left the home.

WHO IS JONATHAN RINDERKNECHT, PALISADES FIRE SUSPECT ACCUSED OF SPARKING DEADLY BLAZE?

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Darius Hazard told officers he became “really, really angry” while he and his father were helping his mother after she fell around 3 a.m. (North Adams Police Department)

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Hazard said he knew he should not have lost his cool like this. He said he had lost his temper in the past and yelled or broken things, but this was the first time he assaulted his parents.

He has pleaded not guilty and remains held without bail at Berkshire County House of Correction, News 10 reported.

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Massachusetts

Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


Happy Tuesday! While today started off dry, we’re already looking at snow out there across the area. While this event will primarily stay as rain on the Cape and islands, it will be an icy mix of snow, ice and rain for the rest of us.

The rain/snow line will continue to advance from the south to the north as the evening progresses. Before the changeover, there will be a quick coating to 2 inches for most of our area.

The threshold between the snow and rain will feature sleet and freezing rain, leading to that icing.

For the rest of the night, there will primarily be rain with continued pockets of freezing rain, leading to increasing spotty ice accretion. Be extremely careful on roads, especially since switching between rain and freezing rain can wash off any road salt.

The rain and freezing rain will exit by 6 a.m. Wednesday, but temperatures will still be close to freezing during the morning commute, so watch out for some spotty black ice.

The rest of Wednesday will be really nice! Highs will warm up to the mid 50s with the help of ample sun.

Thursday we start off in the mid 20s and top off in the mid 40s. We’ll be partly sunny with another chance for some wintry weather Thursday night. This primarily looks like some rain and freezing rain, rather than the triple threat with snow too. We’ll keep an eye on that for you.

That will continue into Friday morning. The rest of Friday: cloudy with a chance for a spot shower and highs cooler again in the upper 30s. Saturday will be dry, breezy and cloudy but gorgeous near 50 degrees! There’s a chance for some rain showers Saturday night. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour before you to go bed!

Sunday we start the day mild in the 40s and make it all the way into the upper 50s with more sun. Monday and Tuesday both look bright and in the 60s! Stay tuned.

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New Hampshire

Up to 4 inches of snow expected in NH tonight. See latest forecast

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Up to 4 inches of snow expected in NH tonight. See latest forecast


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It may be March, but winter in New Hampshire is far from over. Just one week after a blizzard tore through the state with heavy snow and high winds, the state is getting another round of snowfall.

The state will get three to five inches during the evening and night of Tuesday, March 3, says the National Weather Service (NWS) of Gray, Maine. While the accumulation will not be significant, the snowfall may cause dangerous road conditions and a layer of ice on the ground in certain parts of the state.

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Here’s what to know before tonight’s snow in New Hampshire, including snow totals and timing.

When will it snow in NH tonight?

According to the NWS, it will start snowing in New Hampshire during mid-afternoon or early evening and continue through the night. Specifically, snow will arrive to the southern part of the state around 2-3 p.m., spreading northwards through the rest of New Hampshire by 5 p.m.

Rain or freezing rain will mix in later this evening across southern New Hampshire, creating a wintry mix. All precipitation should move out of the state by midnight.

Due to the timing of today’s snowfall, the Tuesday evening commute will be affected, with the NWS warning to slow down and exercise caution while driving.

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How much snow will NH get tonight?

New Hampshire will get one to four inches of snow tonight, with one to two inches in northern New Hampshire, two to three inches in southern New Hampshire and three to four inches in the center of the state, with the possibility for five inches in localized areas.

In the Seacoast specifically, Portsmouth, Rye, Hampton and York are expected to get between two to three inches of snow, while Dover, Exeter and Rochester may get up to four.

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The wintry mix may also cause a light glaze of ice across southern New Hampshire.

NH weather watches and warnings

The NWS has issued a winter weather advisory for the state of New Hampshire, in effect from 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 through 4 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4.

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New Jersey

Former Lumberton, New Jersey, mayor Gina LaPlaca pleads guilty to 2025 DUI, sentenced to treatment program

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Former Lumberton, New Jersey, mayor Gina LaPlaca pleads guilty to 2025 DUI, sentenced to treatment program


A former mayor in Burlington County, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to DUI and child endangerment charges after a 2025 traffic stop, according to prosecutors.

Lumberton Township committee member Gina LaPlaca, 46, was indicted last spring on child abuse charges after county prosecutors said she was observed driving drunk with her young child in the car, while serving as the township mayor. 

Police arrested her at her home after reviewing video from a witness showing her swerving out of her lane and nearly hitting a utility pole. Lumberton police discovered her blood alcohol concentration was .30%, over three times the legal limit of .08%.

On Monday, LaPlaca was sentenced to three years in a diversionary program for first-time offenders after pleading guilty to driving under the influence and a fourth-degree child abuse charge. As part of the plea deal, LaPlaca will avoid jail time as long as she abides by the terms of the program.

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Under the terms of the Pretrial Intervention or PTI program, she must attend regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and comply with any requirements set by the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

Judge Craig A. Ambrose also ordered LaPlaca to have an ignition lock device on her car that will prevent it from starting up if the driver has consumed alcohol. She said in court she had already installed one in October 2025, the county prosecutor’s office said.

If LaPlaca violates the terms of the PTI program, she could be prosecuted for the child abuse charge.  

LaPlaca completed an intensive treatment program in May 2025 and said in a statement that she is “fully committed to my recovery” and is doing the “daily, intentional work” that comes with it. She apologized to Lumberton residents while acknowledging a private struggle with alcohol addiction that was no longer private.

“The weight of my actions is something I carry deeply,” she said in a statement shared on social media. “What I did was wrong. It was dangerous. It was inexcusable. I drove while intoxicated with my child in the car — a choice that could have caused irreversible harm. That reality is something I will live with, and learn from, for the rest of my life.”

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LaPlaca served as mayor through 2025 but remains on the township committee. Terrance Benson was sworn in as mayor of Lumberton this year.



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