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Wife of slain deputy US Marshal speaks of suspect publicly for first time: 'No regard for human life'

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Wife of slain deputy US Marshal speaks of suspect publicly for first time: 'No regard for human life'

The bereaved wife of Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. “Tommy” Weeks, who was among four law enforcement officers killed last week in a shootout at a wanted suspect’s Charlotte home, spoke of her husband’s killer before hundreds gathered for his Monday memorial service, including U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.

“This tragedy was the result of someone who did not have any regard for human life,” Kelly Weeks said of the killer, 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr.

Hughes died at the scene after fatally shooting Weeks; North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC) Officers Sam Poloche and William “Alden” Elliott, who were members of a USMS fugitive task force along with Weeks; and CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer from the second floor of his Galway Drive home in Charlotte on April 29.

Four more law enforcement officers were injured at the scene while trying to serve a warrant for Hughes’ arrest. The suspect had an “extensive” criminal record, according to North Carolina Public Records and CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings. 

Kelly Weeks, center, the widow of slain Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks Jr., glances over at attendees of her husband’s memorial service at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. on Monday, May 6, 2024.  (Jeff Siner/The Charlotte Observer via AP)

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CHARLOTTE SHOOTOUT: 4 SLAIN OFFICERS SERVING WARRANT HAD ‘GREAT DISADVANTAGE,’ EXPERT SAYS

Two additional persons of interest – both female, one just 17 years old – were taken into custody. Authorities are still working to determine whether anyone else was involved in the shooting.

Authorities recovered an AR-15 rifle, a 40-caliber handgun, magazines and ammunition from the residence, and Jennings said that over 100 rounds were fired in the shootout.

“Tommy’s mission in life was to make the world safer and fight for justice,” Weeks’ wife said. “So what do I need? I need this country to come together, to support our law enforcement officers so they can continue to fight for justice just like my husband did. Thank an officer every single day, encourage our children to show police officers the proper respect.”

The widowed mother of four hoped the memory of her 48-year-old husband would inspire others to “lift up his fellow brothers and sisters in any law enforcement capacity.”

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This undated photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows Thomas M. Weeks. Weeks was a deputy U.S. Marshal assigned to the Western District of North Carolina and was one of four officers killed April 29, 2024 in Charlotte, N.C.  (U.S. Marshals Service via AP)

Weeks said her husband was a devoted father and husband, always walking on the inside of the street to protect her from traffic and wanting her within arms length.

“I woke up every single day to a man telling me he loved me, ‘You’re the most beautiful woman,’ ‘How lucky I am to have you.’ What he didn’t realize is I was the lucky one.”

Weeks would “do anything” to make his loved ones “feel special,” his wife said, “insisting you drink a Guinness or have a glass of whiskey” and “inviting you to play golf or come to the lake, or just give you a call to see how you were doing.”

Weeks was a 13-year veteran of the marshals service and had worked in Charlotte since 2014, the agency said. After beginning his career in law enforcement in Washington, D.C. in 2011, he spent eight years with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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CHARLOTTE OFFICER KILLED IN LINE OF DUTY REMEMBERED IN MEMORIAL AS MAN WHO’D GIVE THE ‘SHIRT FROM HIS BACK’

The home where four law enforcement officers were killed remains destroyed in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Four officers were killed in a shootout on Monday while trying to serve a search warrant. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)

CHARLOTTE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO DIED IN SHOOTOUT IDENTIFIED: ‘FOREVER INDEBTED’

Her husband’s service made Weeks aware of the risks law enforcement officers take daily to “protect our bubble.” 

“As I look out on this crowd, I see so many law enforcement officers here to pay their respects. It is a clear reminder of the sacrifice these men and women make every day,” she said. “If you do not serve or have a family with individuals who do serve, you sleep peacefully at night knowing you’re protected by many brave men and women.” 

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Garland told mourners that he had called Weeks’ spouse hoping to lift her spirits – unexpectedly, he said, she lifted his.

“When I called you last Tuesday to convey the Justice Department’s deepest condolences to your family,” Garland said. “I hope to in some way be able to provide you with comfort and support in the midst of your unimaginable loss. What I did not expect is that you would end the call by asking me what you could do to support the Marshal Service and the Justice Department in this time of immeasurable sadness.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland climbs the stairs to the lectern to speak during a memorial service for slain U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks Jr., at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. on Monday, May 6, 2024. Weeks Jr. died during a standoff with a gunman on Monday, April 29.   (Jeff Siner/The Charlotte Observer via AP)

Last week, former FBI agent with Miami’s Violent Fugitive Task Force Nicole Parker called upon Garland and the Department of Justice to establish more concrete protocols for arrests and takedowns carried out by the agencies it oversees, including the U.S. Marshals. 

She likened last week’s shooting to an incident in February 2021, when FBI Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were killed while attempting to serve a warrant on a Florida suspect wanted for violent crimes against children.

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CHARLOTTE POLICE CHIEF BREAKS DOWN REMEMBERING 4 SLAIN OFFICERS, SAYS SUSPECT HAD ‘EXTENSIVE’ CRIMINAL HISTORY

(L-R) Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks, Investigator William “Alden” Elliott,  Police Officer Joshua Eyer and Investigator Samuel “Sam” Poloche were killed in a police shootout in Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday, April 29, 2024. (U.S. Marshals Service via AP/NCDAC/Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department/Sean Rayford via AP/Getty Images)

She noted that no formal changes were made to protect federal agents in similar situations in the future.

Like Weeks’ wife, she called for respect for law enforcement officers, both from the public and the federal government.

“Until our country wakes up and shows respect, learns lessons from these tragedies, shares those lessons and makes some changes, it’s going to keep happening,” Parker said. “That’s why everyone’s leaving – law enforcement officers don’t feel like anyone has our backs.” 

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President Biden visited Charlotte on Thursday to meet the fallen officers’ families and members of CMPD, and wrote in a statement that “we must do more to protect our law enforcement officers.”

“That means funding them – so they have the resources they need to do their jobs and keep us safe,” the President said in a Monday statement. “And it means taking additional action to combat the scourge of gun violence. Now. Leaders in Congress need to step up so that we ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require safe storage of guns and pass universal background checks and a national red flag law. Enough is enough.”

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Southeast

Timeline tracks diplomat’s path from college overachiever to alleged highway ‘road rage’ mass stabber

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Timeline tracks diplomat’s path from college overachiever to alleged highway ‘road rage’ mass stabber

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The diplomat accused of fatally stabbing one person and injuring three others in a Sunday highway “road rage incident” once graduated with academic honors and built a career that took him to the U.S. State Department.

Jared Llamado, 32, fatally stabbed Michele Adams, 39, and injured Dana Bonnell, 36, Mary C. Flood, 37, and Heather Miller, 40, according to Virginia State Police. Llamado also stabbed his own dog to death, authorities said. The incident happened on I-495 southbound at 1:17 p.m. in Fairfax County, about 30 minutes from Washington, D.C.

Officials said the stabbings did not appear to be targeted, and none of the victims besides the dog were in Llamado’s car at the time. Llamado, who was armed with a knife, was shot by a state trooper in self-defense and died at a local hospital, authorities said. The trooper wasn’t injured.

“A Virginia State Police trooper was called to the scene at approximately 1:17 p.m. for a reported road rage incident. When the trooper arrived on scene, he was confronted by a male suspect carrying a knife,” Virginia State Police wrote in a news release. “The trooper then shot the suspect in self-defense. The suspect, Jared Llamado, 32, of McLean, Va., was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. Llamado later succumbed to those injuries. The trooper was not injured.”

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Officials said Jared Llamado also killed his dog. (Facebook/Jared Llamado)

Police respond to a stabbing on I-495 at Little River Turnpike on March 1, 2026. (WTTG)

The U.S. Department of State confirmed Llamado was a foreign service officer with the agency.

“We are aware of the tragic incident that involved a Foreign Service Officer and occurred on Sunday, March 1, in Fairfax County, Virginia,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to all those affected by this tragedy.”

On Feb. 22, Llamado posted a picture with several friends on social media, appearing to be happy and upbeat.

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STATE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMS FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER IS SUSPECT IN VIRGINIA ‘ROAD RAGE’ MASS STABBING

Jared Llamado was a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department, according to an agency spokesperson. (Facebook/Jared Llamado)

“Dinner with my long time friends and coworkers!” Llamado wrote, in what would be his last Facebook post.

Here’s a timeline of Llamado’s work and education history leading up to the stabbing incident, according to his LinkedIn and social media:

2011 – Began studying at George Mason University:

In 2011, Llamado began studying at George Mason University to earn a degree in applied information technology.

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2015 – Graduated from George Mason University:

In 2015, Llamado graduated from George Mason University with a degree in applied information technology. Llamado said on LinkedIn that he graduated with a 3.76 grade point average, which landed him on the dean’s list for seven of his eight semesters. He also said he graduated magna cum laude.

July 2015 to June 2018 – Employed as a network engineer at OSIbeyond

Officials said Jared Llamado killed one person and injured three others. (Instagram/jared.llamado)

June 2018 to June 2020 – Employed as an IT Network Engineer at ECC IT Solutions, LLC

June 2020 to October 2021 – Employed as a senior solutions engineer at R3 LLC

November 2021 to July 2024 – Employed as a senior network engineer at LMS Technical Services

September 2024 to March 2026 – Employed as a diplomatic technology officer at the U.S. Department of State:

While working at the Department of State, Llamado said he was living in Copenhagen, Denmark, but appeared to be back in the United States recently.

March 1: Police say Llamado went on a stabbing spree in a “road rage incident”:

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Authorities identified Jared Llamado, 32, of McLean, as the suspect in a stabbing following a crash on Interstate 495 in Fairfax County, Virginia. (Jared Llamado McLean Facebook)

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According to dispatch audio obtained by Fox News Digital, the stabbing incident “started out as a property damage crash,” then the suspect began “stabbing people with a knife.” 

The dispatch operator said that there were “multiple victims in the roadway.”

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Ex-mayor convicted after son walks in on lewd act at alcohol-infused pool bash

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Ex-mayor convicted after son walks in on lewd act at alcohol-infused pool bash

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A former Louisiana mayor has been found guilty of having sex with a minor after prosecutors revealed her teenage son caught her in the act with his friend at a 2024 alcohol-infused pool party hosted at her home.

Misty Roberts, 43, the former mayor of DeRidder, was convicted of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile on Tuesday, according to KPLC. 

Roberts was subsequently released on a $100,000 surety bond, the outlet reported. 

The verdict followed days of testimony from Roberts’ family members, teenagers at the parties and the victim himself as prosecutors worked to paint a picture of the booze-filled events leading up to the incident.

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Prosecutors charged that Misty Roberts had sex with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a booze-filled house party in 2024. (Misty Roberts/Facebook)

On Tuesday, the victim took the stand to tell the jury he was drunk when he and Roberts – who was serving as mayor at the time – had sex, according to KPLC. 

In closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Charles Robinson began by saying, “I told ya’ll at the beginning of the trial that ‘a lewd and lascivious photo is worth a thousand words.’ Here, you have it,” the outlet reported. 

Robinson then pointed to a series of evidence exhibits showing Roberts posing with the victim while obscured by furniture, including photos from the night of the incident in which Roberts is seen wearing a bikini as the teen smiles up at her.

TEACHER PLEADS GUILTY TO SEXUALLY ABUSING 15-YEAR-OLD STUDENT WEEKS AFTER GIVING BIRTH: REPORT

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Misty Roberts, the former mayor of DeRidder, has been found guilty of having sex with a minor. (Louisiana Highway Patrol)

However, defense attorney Adam Johnson reportedly attempted to convince the jury that key parts of the case were not properly investigated by police, including potential DNA evidence, witness testimony and video surveillance from Roberts’ home. 

Johnson alleged the investigation was an attempt to “railroad” Roberts by lead investigator Melissa Welch, who previously testified she told the victim’s mother that witnesses need to “get on board or get run over by the train.” 

Earlier in the trial, jurors were shown text messages between Roberts and her teenage son, with the pair discussing what type of alcohol the teens wanted for the party hosted at her home. 

FORMER KANSAS ART TEACHER ACCUSED OF HAVING SEX WITH STUDENT IN JEEP TO STAND TRIAL

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Misty Roberts was serving as mayor of DeRidder at the time of the 2024 pool party, according to KPLC.

In another exchange, Roberts’ son warned her of the victim’s age, texting her, “He is seventeen,” according to the outlet. The victim was 16 years old at the time of the alleged incident. 

Additional text messages from the night of the party show Roberts’ son calling the situation “crazy” and telling her that his younger sister was emotional. 

Upon taking the stand, Roberts’ daughter told the court that she witnessed her mother and the victim “on top of each other” the night of the party, KPLC reported.

NEW JERSEY TEACHER WHO SLEPT WITH STUDENTS AT FAMILY BAGEL SHOP LEARNS PRISON SENTENCE

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Additionally, prosecutors revealed the victim’s mother texted Roberts to confirm she was not pregnant, with Roberts assuring her she was on birth control. 

Roberts then screenshotted the exchange and sent the messages in a separate group chat, suggesting she would take the emergency contraceptive “Plan B,” the outlet reported. 

A DoorDash driver also previously took the stand to testify that he fulfilled an order from “Misty C” to purchase the emergency contraceptive and leave it at the front door of the home.

FLORIDA TEACHER CHARGED FOR ALLEGED SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH STUDENT WHO LIVED WITH HER

The driver then reportedly heard rumors of the incident and told jurors he believed his delivery was connected. 

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Over the weekend, Roberts’ ex-husband, Duncan Clanton, testified that Roberts admitted to having sex with the teenage boy and revealed that the couple’s children had caught them in the act, the outlet reported.

Text messages between the married couple showed Clanton telling Roberts, “I would deny what happened if you’re approached by anyone at the meeting,” on the day of a city council meeting.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL COACH CHARGED WITH RAPING FOSTER DAUGHTER, SERVING VICTIM TEQUILA SHOTS: REPORT

In another exchange, Clanton reportedly testified Roberts texted him, “I need you to deny it, please.”

Clanton added that while he refused to deny the allegations, he avoided talking about the incident. 

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“I can’t keep hurting others, friends and family. Lord knows I’ve done enough,” Roberts reportedly texted Clanton, KPLC reported.

LOUISIANA SCHOOL’S TEACHER OF THE YEAR ACCUSED OF INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT WITH FORMER STUDENT

Roberts resigned from her position as mayor just days before her arrest in 2024. 

Carnal knowledge reportedly carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison, with indecent behavior carrying a sentence of up to seven years. She will also be required to register as a Tier 1 sex offender, according to KPLC.

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Her sentencing is scheduled for April 17. 

Roberts’ attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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Trump, BBC agree on mediator for $10 billion lawsuit over Jan 6 documentary editing controversy

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Trump, BBC agree on mediator for  billion lawsuit over Jan 6 documentary editing controversy

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President Donald Trump and The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) agreed on a mediator on Tuesday to help resolve the president’s $10 billion lawsuit. 

The BBC has come under intense scrutiny over a 2024 Panorama documentary about Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech delivered before the riot at the U.S. Capitol. Critics called the documentary misleading because it omitted Trump’s call for supporters to protest peacefully. Trump sued the BBC in December for both defamation and for a violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act for $5 billion apiece, seeking $10 billion total. 

While ABC and CBS have both settled lawsuits with Trump in the past year, the BBC has vowed to fight the case. The two sides agreed on John W. Thornton, Esq., to serve as a pretrial mediator, who will seek a resolution. 

President Donald Trump and The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) agreed on a mediator on Tuesday to help resolve the president’s $10 billion lawsuit.  (Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

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“The BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally and deceitfully editing its documentary in order to try and interfere in the Presidential election. President Trump will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in lies, deception, and fake news,” a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team told Fox News Digital. 

The BBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Trump’s suit, filed in the Southern District of Florida Federal Court, was filed in a personal capacity and named the BBC and BBC Studios Productions as defendants. The parties have proposed a mediation session the week of Oct. 26. Mediation, a standard case management step required by the court, is contingent on the outcome of a jurisdictional challenge the BBC is expected to submit later this month. 

“As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings,” a BBC spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

LEGAL ANALYST PREDICTS TRUMP COULD WIN ‘CONSIDERABLE’ DAMAGES FROM BBC DOCUMENTARY LAWSUIT

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President Donald Trump has tangled in the courts with several media organizations. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

The BBC previously issued an apology for the erroneous edit and said it had pulled the program from its platforms, but a spokesperson for the broadcaster added, “While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.”

The controversy began with a bombshell report from The Telegraph that featured excerpts from a whistleblower dossier compiled by Michael Prescott, a communications advisor hired by the BBC to review its editorial standards.

The whistleblower revealed that the BBC “Panorama” documentary released in 2024 had a misleading edit of comments Trump made at the rally that preceded the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The documentary omitted Trump urging his supporters to protest “peacefully” and instead spliced two separate comments made nearly an hour apart, making it appear he was calling for violence.

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“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol. And I’ll be there with you. And we fight — we fight like hell,” the documentary showed Trump saying, with no indication the statements came far apart.

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In reality, Trump said, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol. And we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong.”  It was 54 minutes later that Trump called on his supporters to “fight like hell” for election integrity.

The New York Times referred to the ordeal as “one of the worst crises in its 103-year history” of the BBC. The blunder led to the resignations of BBC News CEO Deborah Turness and BBC director-general Tim Davie.

Turness insisted in an interview last week that the BBC does not have any institutional bias against Trump. 

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Trump’s legal team suggested the defendants “timed the publication of the Panorama Documentary to be close in time to the 2024 Presidential Election” and the value of the president’s “personal brand alone is reasonably estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars.”

Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report. 

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BBC says it will fight Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over edited Jan 6 comments

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