Southeast
Pregnant woman stabbed 14 times in front of young daughter over bad pizza delivery tip: deputies
A pizza delivery driver in Florida is facing charges after deputies say she violently attacked a pregnant woman over dissatisfaction with the tip amount.
According to a press release from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, 22-year-old Brianna Alvelo, of Kissimmee, was arrested in connection to Monday’s attack and is facing charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, home invasion and aggravated assault.
On Thursday, FOX 35 News obtained an arrest affidavit with more details about the attack and that Alvelo is now also facing a murder charge.
The report stated that the victim was in the motel room with her boyfriend and her 5-year-old daughter, celebrating his birthday, when the stabbing occurred, just after 11:45 pm, after they ordered food from a nearby Marco’s Pizza.
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When the pizza was delivered, the report stated that the victim attempted to pay for the $33.10 order with a $50 bill and asked for change.
Alvelo then reportedly told the victim that “they don’t provide change,” prompting the victim to ask for her money back and search for smaller bills.
The victim eventually paid for the order and reportedly gave Alvelo a $2 tip, at which time she told investigators that Alvelo “rolled her eyes and walked away without saying anything.”
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Later in the evening, after the victim’s boyfriend and daughter were asleep, officials said Avelo returned to the victim’s motel room with an unknown male suspect, who was armed with a firearm, and forced their way into the room.
After pointing the gun at the victim and her daughter, the male allegedly forced the victim’s boyfriend into the bathroom, where investigators say he smashed the boyfriend’s phone as Alvelo began rummaging through the victim’s things.
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Alvelo, who was armed with a knife, began attacking one of the victims, officials said. The victim was stabbed multiple times, and Alvelo stopped stabbing the victim when the male suspect yelled it was time to go, investigators said, adding the victim believed Alvelo was “trying to kill her.”
Investigators said the victim was stabbed 14 times, underwent surgery for a punctured lung and learned at the hospital that she was a few weeks pregnant.
The victim was transported to the hospital and is currently in stable condition, officials said.
On Wednesday, News 6 received a statement from a Marco’s Pizza spokesperson following Alvelo’s arrest.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred. The local owner and his team are fully cooperating with local authorities, who have launched an investigation into the matter. The safety and well-being of customers and team members are always our top priority, and we are taking this incident very seriously,” the spokesperson said.
Alvelo is being held in the Osceola County jail without bond.
Deputies are working to identify the male suspect and are urging anyone with information to contact Crimeline at 800-423-8477.
Stepheny Price is writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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Southeast
Family accused of ‘Sopranos’-style brawl with bats, guns against rival paving company: police
Six Georgia men who work for the same family paving company are accused of instigating a brawl with a competitor paving company on Dec. 19, according to police records.
Mark Buckland Sr., Mark Buckland Jr., Willy Buckland Sr., Willy Buckland Jr. Luke Buckland and James Small have all been charged in connection with the alleged assault against several family members working for a competing paving company called EH Paving, Monroe County records show.
Monroe County Sheriff Brad Freeman told 13 WMAZ that the incident was “like something out of ‘the Sopranos’ TV series.”
The victims, working for EH Paving, were paving a customer’s driveway in Bolingbroke around 1 p.m. on Dec. 19 when several trucks pulled up to the location, at which point six members of the Buckhead family — who work for a rival paving company in Bolingbroke — exited the trucks with baseball bats, sticks and other weapons, according to an incident report obtained by Fox News Digital.
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Deputies arrived after a 911 caller reported a “large fight” involving “bats and guns.”
The owner of EH Paving said that Mark William Buckland Sr., 50, had tried to hit his son over the head with a bat. He further alleged that Willy Buckland Jr., 22, and Buckland Sr.’s 21-year-old son-in-law, Small, had attacked the owner’s other son, and Luke Buckland, 28, had attacked his nephew, the incident report states.
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The EH Paving owner believes the Buckland family attacked his family because they were doing a paving job near one of their properties, which the Bucklands thought was “disrespectful.” The owner alleged that Mark Buckland Sr. was carrying a “cowboy-style” gun and pointed it in his face.
The property owner, who contacted police, said that one member of EH Paving had shot a gun into a wooded area in an attempt to break up the fight, according to the incident report.
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Meanwhile, Mark Buckland Jr. told an officer that he had been punched in the mouth and chalked the alleged attack up to “just a misunderstanding” when asked why his family was at the property.
“These are adult men, too,” Freeman told 13 WMAZ. “Adult men with pretty good reputations.”
Mark William Buckhead Sr. is charged with tampering with evidence, pointing a gun or pistol at another person and criminal trespass. Luke James Buckland is charged with simple battery. Mark Judy Buckland is charged with simple battery, inciting to rioting and criminal trespass. Small is charged with criminal trespass and simple battery. Willy Jack Buckland Jr. is charged with criminal trespass and simple battery. Willy Jack Buckland Sr. is charged with criminal trespass and aggravated assault, Monroe County records show.
The six men had been released as of Monday morning.
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Southeast
Carter's death spurs outpouring of tributes from state leaders of both parties: 'A servant's heart'
Former President Jimmy Carter, the first U.S. commander-in-chief to reach the age of 100, was fondly remembered by state leaders across the political spectrum after his passing.
Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement that he, first lady Marty Kemp and their children “join all Georgians and the entire nation in mourning the loss of former President Jimmy Carter.”
“As the only American president thus far to come from Georgia, he showed the world the impact our state and its people have on the country. And as a son of Plains, he always valued Georgians and the virtues of our state, choosing to return to his rural home after his time in public office,” Kemp said.
Georgia GOP Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a top potential contender to replace the term-limited Kemp in 2026, added in his own tribute that Georgia, the nation and world “lost a man who exemplified what it means to be a public servant and to put the needs of others before your own.”
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Jones said he once met the Carters and described them as kind and accepting.
Georgia State Senate Leader John F. Kennedy, R-Fort Valley, said Carter’s life was “largely defined by his servant’s heart” and “steadfast commitment to our country and state.”
“The lord has called home his good and faithful servant,” added Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Effingham.
To the White House, he brought “pragmatic wisdom of a peanut farmer, work ethic of a homebuilder and unyielding faith of a Sunday School teacher,” he added.
Former two-time Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams said Carter “lived a life of courage, fortitude, kindness and grace.”
“He was a giant who never saw anyone as smaller than himself. Whether at a Boys & Girls Club banquet or when he sponsored a medical clinic for the uninsured in his corner of rural Georgia, he lived James 2:17 each day,” said Abrams.
Outside the late Democrat’s home state, tributes poured in from all 49 others.
In neighboring North Carolina, Democratic Governor-elect Josh Stein called the late president a “principled man” who “represented the best of America: guided by faith and service and dedicated to our nation’s promise.”
Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey noted that Carter grew up not far from the Yellowhammer State line, and praised the Democrat for his Navy service and work in taking over his family’s peanut farm after his father, James Sr., died.
“Jimmy Carter not only lived the longest of any former U.S. President, but his life also brought greater dignity to the presidency,” Ivey said in a statement.
“President Carter lived a great life marked by service to his country. Volunteering his time to build homes for those in need well into his 90s,” said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican.
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West Virginia’s Democratic Party chairman, state Del. Mike Pushkin added that Carter’s legacy is one of “humility, integrity and relentless service.”
“He taught us that true leadership is not about power, but about lifting others up and making the world a better place. His work continues to inspire generations of Americans to engage in public service and to strive for a more just and equitable society,” said Pushkin, D-Kanawha.
Rhode Island Democratic Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement that America lost a “great man, compassionate leader and true humanitarian.”
“In everything he did, President Carter put service above self. He believed fiercely in lifting up others and lending a hand to those in need – an example for all of us to follow,” McKee said. “We thank President Carter for his service to our nation and dedicating his life to making the world a better place.”
One rising star in Carter’s party ordered flags across his state at half-staff Monday.
“President Jimmy Carter was a humble, generous, and admirable public servant — both as our president and in his years after as a citizen in service,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement.
In the current president’s home state, outgoing Delaware Gov. John Carney called Carter a “champion for peace and human rights.”
Delaware Gov.-elect Matt Meyer wrote on X that Carter’s life “left an indelible mark on the world.”
“[W]hat made him truly extraordinary was his humility and compassion,” Meyer said.
Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly called Carter “a truly moral man.”
“His innate humanity, his humility, his devotion to serving his community and his country, and his belief that the world could live in peace is the remarkable legacy he leaves behind.”
In California, potential 2028 presidential candidate Gov. Gavin Newsom also paid his respects.
“Jennifer and I join the country and the world in mourning the passing of President Jimmy Carter, a tireless champion for human rights and democracy whose unparalleled life of service made the world a better place,” he said.
Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement that Carter proved “good people, wanting nothing more than to do good – can excel in politics and life.”
Thousands of miles to the west, Hawaii Democratic Gov. Josh Green said the people of his state “send our Aloha and heartfelt condolences to the Carter ‘ohana during this difficult time.”
“President Jimmy Carter truly exemplified what it meant to live a life full of service,” added Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, another likely 2028 Democratic hopeful.
“His towering legacy of compassion for others set a standard that will always be remembered,” the Hyatt Hotels heir added.
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Southeast
Convicted South Carolina bank killer asks for 'compassionate release' days after Biden commuted death sentence
A South Carolina man convicted in the brutal double murder of two bank employees in 2017 is asking for a “compassionate release” days after President Biden spared his life and commuted his death sentence.
Brandon Council, 28, was convicted in September 2019 in the 2017 double murder of Conway bank employees Katie Skeen, 36, and Donna Major, 59. Council was then sentenced to death by a federal court one month later.
Council was one of 37 federal inmates on death row who had their sentences commuted to life in prison by Biden.
On Friday, Council filed a motion in the U.S. District Court in Florence arguing that he deserved a “compassionate release” because he had been subjected to “severe, unnecessary, and unjustifiable psychological harm” that “can only be accurately construed and assimilated as an act of torture,” since he was permanently housed in solitary confinement since Nov. 4, 2019, according to records obtained by WBTW.
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A compassionate release is described by the American Bar Organization as the process by which those incarcerated may seek early release, whether to community supervision or to their communities, due to extraordinary or compelling circumstances.
Several people have openly disagreed with Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences, including Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., who said the decision was “shameful.”
“Biden’s move to pardon 37 federal death row inmates – including 3 men from South Carolina who committed unspeakable acts – continues to shock Americans nationwide. This decision is shameful. It is high time to return America to a country of law and order,” Fry wrote in a post on X.
Fry added in another post following the announcement that Biden’s decision “disgraces victims’ memories nationwide.”
“Joe Biden’s clemency for death row inmates disgraces victims’ memories nationwide, like Donna Major of Conway and Katie Skeen of Green Sea. This shows shocking disregard for innocent families’ pain, right at Christmas. January 20 cannot come soon enough,” Fry wrote in his post on X.
Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., echoed Fry and called Biden’s actions “senseless.”
“President Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates is not just senseless—it’s an outrageous example of this administration’s upside down and backwards ideology,” Meuser wrote in a post on his X account.
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During an interview with “Fox & Friends,” Major’s family said they were livid after Biden commuted her killer’s death sentence just days before Christmas.
“I was angry. I’m still angry. I am upset that this is even happening, that one man can make this decision without even talking to the victims, without any regard for what we’ve been through, what we’re going through, and completely hurt, frustrated and angry,” Major’s daughter Heather Turner said during the Christmas Eve interview.
“She was shown no mercy at all. This man walked into the bank, never said two words to her. Shot her three times in total. He went and shot her coworker, Katie Skeen as well, who was totally defenseless and unaware of anything happening,” Major’s husband, Danny Jenkins, added during the show.
“I can’t even believe that this is actually happening…”
Council spent a week at a motel across from the CresCom Bank in Conway, South Carolina, where he watched the movie “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” before he went in with a gun and killed both Skeen and Major.
Council already had a prior felony conviction at the time and told an FBI agent that he went into the bank knowing he would kill someone during the robbery.
He had been on parole for a month at the time of the murders, which came during his second bank robbery since leaving prison.
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President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the Biden-Harris administration’s moratorium on federal executions when he returns to office.
Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, on Christmas Day to call out Biden for his commutation decision.
“They know that their only chance of survival is getting pardons from a man who has absolutely no idea what he is doing,” Trump’s post read.
“Also, to the 37 most violent criminals who killed, raped, and plundered like virtually no one before them, but were just given, incredibly, a pardon by Sleepy Joe Biden. I refuse to wish a Merry Christmas to those lucky ‘souls’ but instead, will say, GO TO HELL!” Trump continued.
The U.S. government has executed 50 inmates since 1927, according to the Bureau of Prisons, including Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and Cold War spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. That’s far fewer than the individual states, which have executed more than 1,500 condemned inmates in the last 50 years.
The government carried out death sentences for 13 federal prisoners during Trump’s first term, the most under any president in a century.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Taylor Penley and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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