Connect with us

Southeast

18-year-old charged after LSU student Ashlei Hind's New Year's Eve murder at DC hotel

Published

on

18-year-old charged after LSU student Ashlei Hind's New Year's Eve murder at DC hotel

A suspect has been arrested and charged with the shooting death of a young Louisiana State University student who was attending a New Year’s Eve party with her friends in Washington D.C.

Jelani Cousin, 18, of Northeast Washington, was nabbed by police on Tuesday while armed and has been charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting 18-year-old Ashlei Hinds inside a D.C. hotel room in the early hours of New Year’s Day, Washington D.C. police said. 

The shooting occurred just before 1:20 a.m. on Jan. 1 and was the first homicide reported in the nation’s capital in 2024.

WASHINGTON, DC, SHOOTING LEAVES 2 DEAD, 2 INJURED NEAR NATIONALS PARK

Jelani Cousin, left, has been arrested for fatally shooting 18-year-old Ashlei Hinds inside a D.C. hotel room in the early hours of New Year’s Day. (Washington D.C. police, left, and Damon Fleming via Fox 5)

Advertisement

Hinds was celebrating with a group of people in a hotel room at the Embassy Suites in Friendship Heights, about six miles northwest of Downtown D.C., her family told Fox 5. Some of those in attendance were her friends and others she didn’t know closely.

An area council member told Fox 5 that the celebrations turned ugly after someone was told to leave and then shots were fired.

Responding police found Hinds inside the hotel room with gunshot wounds. She died at the scene, police said. 

D.C. police disseminated CCTV screenshot images of the wanted perpetrator on Tuesday and arrested Cousin later that day. 

Ashlei Hinds, pictured, died after being shot on New Year’s Day. Jelani Cousin, 18, has been charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting the 18-year-old student. (Damon Fleming via Fox 5)

Advertisement

CRIME IN DC IS ‘STAGGERING’: RESTAURANTEUR NOE LANDINI

Hinds’ parents told FOX 5 she was a rising star, having graduated from Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Prince George’s County last year as the Student Government Association president and a member of the National Honors Society. 

They said she was home on winter break from Louisiana State University where she was in her first year studying sports administration, with the hope of becoming either a sports agent or an athletic director.

“Ashlei was a great child,” her father Ashton Hinds tearfully told FOX 5. “I will miss her so much.” 

Hinds’ mother, Tiffany Falden, said she spoke with her daughter at around 11:55 p.m. Sunday up until around midnight, wishing each other Happy New Year and sharing “I love you” messages. 

Advertisement

Embassy Suites in Friendship Heights (Google Maps)

“I just want justice and any other families, I mean, it could happen to anyone,” Falden told Fox 5.

“I mean, nowadays, people are just walking down the street and things are happening. Just love your family. Hold them close. Keep them around and just pray it doesn’t happen to your child or family member or anybody else.”

There were 274 homicides reported in Washington D.C. in 2023, the highest number of murders the city has seen since 1997, FOX 5 reported, citing online records. 

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Southeast

Naked woman allegedly assaults deputy while intoxicated, claims she was ‘trying to be a mermaid’

Published

on

Naked woman allegedly assaults deputy while intoxicated, claims she was ‘trying to be a mermaid’

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A Louisiana woman’s attempt to go for a skinny-dip did not end swimmingly, authorities said, after she allegedly attacked a sheriff’s deputy responding to a trespassing complaint before finally surrendering to deputies Tuesday.

According to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched in November to a residence in the Linville community of Marion after a caller reported a neighbor standing in their driveway screaming and refusing to leave the property despite having been warned previously.

When a patrol deputy arrived, authorities said the suspect was found nude and swimming in a pond located on the caller’s property. 

The woman was later identified as Erin Elizabeth Sutton, 41, of Marion. Sutton initially refused to exit the pond or speak with the deputy, telling him she was “trying to be a mermaid,” according to a sheriff’s office Facebook post.

Advertisement

WILD VIDEO SHOWS SPEEDING CAR GOING AIRBORNE, EJECTS DRIVER INTO BACKYARD POOL

Erin Elizabeth Sutton, 41, is accused of threatening a sheriff’s deputy in Louisiana after being caught skinny-dipping in a neighbor’s pond. She claimed she was “trying to be a mermaid,” according to police. (Union Parish Sheriff’s Office / Getty Images)

After repeated commands, Sutton eventually exited the pond. Due to cold temperatures, emergency medical services were contacted to evaluate her, authorities said. 

A blanket was provided, and as the deputy attempted to escort Sutton inside a residence to warm up, she allegedly charged at him.

Authorities said Sutton ignored multiple commands to comply and resisted detention. A taser was deployed but had no effect, according to the sheriff’s office. Sutton was taken to the ground, where she allegedly continued to resist, kicking and punching the deputy before being restrained.

Advertisement

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT BITES ICE OFFICER IN ‘GROSS ATTACK’ WHILE RESISTING ARREST: DHS

The Union Parish Sheriff’s Office in Farmerville, La., announced on Facebook that 41-year-old Erin Elizabeth Sutton had allegedly attacked and threatened one of their deputies after skinny-dipping in a neighbor’s pond, citing she was “trying to be a mermaid.” (Google Maps)

Sutton was transported to a hospital for further treatment. During the transport, she allegedly threatened to kill deputies and paramedics, authorities said.

Because Sutton required medical care at the time, deputies later sought arrest warrants, which were signed by a judge in Louisiana’s Third Judicial District Court, according to the sheriff’s office.

Sutton surrendered to deputies on Jan. 6, 2025, and was arrested on multiple charges, including three counts of resisting an officer with force or violence, two counts of public intimidation, two counts of battery of a police officer, disturbing the peace/drunkenness and criminal trespassing.

Advertisement

According to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched in November to a residence in the Linville community of Marion after a caller reported a neighbor was trespassing. (iStock)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Her bond was set at $62,000, authorities said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office for additional comment but did not immediately receive a response. It was not immediately clear whether Sutton has retained legal representation.

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Southeast

Dem governor-elect taps Crockett’s former ‘chief brand strategist’ for top DEI role

Published

on

Dem governor-elect taps Crockett’s former ‘chief brand strategist’ for top DEI role

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

FIRST ON FOX: Soon-to-be Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has tapped the former “chief brand strategist” for Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, to serve in the state’s top diversity, equity and inclusion role.

In a Tuesday statement, Spanberger, who takes office on Jan. 17, announced she is appointing Dr. Sesha Joi Moon to serve as Virginia’s chief diversity officer and director of diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Spanberger said that Moon’s “experience across government, education, and the nonprofit sectors gives her firsthand insight into the ways in which we can build a stronger, safer, and more prosperous Virginia for every family.”

“I’m excited to announce that Dr. Moon is joining our administration,” said Spanberger, adding, “Virginia deserves leaders who will make sure our work to grow our Commonwealth’s economy keeps the needs of all Virginians in mind.”

Advertisement

DOJ CHALLENGES VIRGINIA LAW GRANTING IN-STATE TUITION TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Virginia Democratic Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger celebrates as she takes the stage during her election night rally at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Nov. 04, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“When every Virginian has the opportunity to reach their full potential, it benefits all of us,” she said.

Moon, whose doctorates are in public administration and policy and self-identifies as a “Black queer woman,” responded to her appointment by saying she is looking “forward to joining the cabinet of Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger as her historic administration works to advance a future in which all Virginians have access to opportunity — to include residents from some of the hardest-to-reach communities throughout the Commonwealth.”

Moon most recently served as the chief impact officer for the Girl Scouts of the USA. Before that, through her private consultant practice Moon & Associates, she worked as the “chief brand strategist” for Crockett, a radical far-left Democrat who is currently running for the U.S. Senate in Texas.

Advertisement

Earlier this year, Moon appeared on a 40-minute podcast episode, where she defended the importance of DEI and delivered a direct message to critics, saying, “This work has not stopped. You can defund and dismantle all you want, but the work continues.”

“I’m excited. I feel like DEI is just getting started,” Moon continued. “I know that sounds so insane to some people because some people think our discipline is crumbling, and I don’t see it like that. I feel like we’re onto something here.”

VIRGINIA’S GHAZALA HASHMI BECOMES FIRST MUSLIM ELECTED STATEWIDE IN THE OLD DOMINION

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Moon also served as executive-in-residence with two-time failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams’ American Pride Rises Network, a DEI advocacy network.

Advertisement

Before that, she was the chief diversity officer of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 117th & 118th Congresses under Speakers Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Mike Johnson, R-La.

Spanberger won a decisive electoral victory this November, defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by a margin of over 10 percentage points.

PRO-POLICE GROUP ASKS DOJ TO PROBE SOROS-BACKED VIRGINIA PROSECUTOR USING BIDEN-ERA LAW ONCE AIMED AT COPS

Then Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears speaks at a CPAC Latino Rally for Virginia on October 25, 2025 in Sterling, Virginia.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Considered a purple state, Spanberger’s victory returns the Virginia governor’s mansion to the Democrats after being held by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger, Moon, Crockett, Abrams and the Girl Scouts of the USA for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Southeast

NASCAR star Denny Hamlin gives health update on mom after she was injured in deadly house fire

Published

on

NASCAR star Denny Hamlin gives health update on mom after she was injured in deadly house fire

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

NASCAR star Denny Hamlin shared an update on his mother’s condition after she was moved to a burn unit following a house fire in North Carolina that left his father dead earlier this week.

Hamlin thanked those who reached out to him and shared their condolences. Dennis Hamlin died from injuries suffered in the blaze that occurred in Stanley.

Denny Hamlin looks on prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Concord, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, File)

Advertisement

“Thank you to everyone who has reached out with condolences on my father’s passing,” he wrote on X. “My mother continues to improve, and our family truly appreciates the outpouring of support and the respect for our privacy during this time.”

Officials said Mary Lou Hamlin was transferred to a burn specialist in Winston-Salem to treat her injuries.

Officials said the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

The fire broke out at a home in Stanley around 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, which drew emergency responses from Gaston and Lincoln Counties, according to Queen City News.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 12, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Advertisement

EX-NASCAR STAR GREG BIFFLE’S FRIEND RECEIVES HOLIDAY CARD DAYS AFTER TRAGIC PLANE CRASH

Both Dennis and Mary Lou Hamlin were out of the house as emergency personnel rushed to the scene.

“We are thankful for the multiple agency response and ask that the public be in prayer for the affected family and our first responders in fire, GEMs and police,” the Lucia-Bend Fire Department said in a statement to the outlet.

Dennis Hamlin’s death was announced later Monday.

NASCAR released a statement on Tuesday to honor the NASCAR driver’s father.

Advertisement

“NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to Denny Hamlin and the entire Hamlin family,” the organization said.

Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Progressive Toyota, exits his car  after the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2, 2025, in Avondale, Arizona. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Dennis Hamlin instilled a love of racing in his son, and sacrificed greatly to develop Denny into a world-class talent in the sport. We also continue to offer our thoughts and prayers to Denny’s mother, Mary Lou, and hope for her full recovery.”

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.

Advertisement

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending