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US Army soldier Travis King, who fled to North Korea, is 'now free' after pleading guilty to desertion

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US Army soldier Travis King, who fled to North Korea, is 'now free' after pleading guilty to desertion

The U.S. Army soldier who was temporarily detained by North Korea last year after running across the Demilitarized Zone was sentenced to 12 months’ confinement after pleading guilty Friday to desertion and four other charges, including assaulting an officer. 

The military court judge at Fort Bliss, Texas, reportedly told King that without the plea he could serve up to 20 years following his admission of guilt. 

King was declared a free man on Friday based on the 338 days he had already served awaiting trial and good behavior. He also received a dishonorable discharge from the United States Army.

“With time already served and credit for good behavior, Travis [is] now free and will return home,” his attorney, Franklin D. Rosenblatt, told Fox News.

US ARMY CHARGES TRAVIS KING WITH DESERTION FOR CROSSING INTO NORTH KOREA 

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In this photo taken in Seoul on Aug. 16, 2023, a man walks past a television showing a news broadcast featuring a photo of U.S. soldier Travis King. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Nine other offenses that King faced, including possession of sexual images of a child, were withdrawn and dismissed under the terms of a plea agreement he reached, according to The Associated Press. 

King bolted across the heavily fortified border from South Korea in July 2023 and became the first American detained in North Korea in nearly five years. 

His run into North Korea came soon after he was released from a South Korean prison where he had served nearly two months on assault charges. 

About a week after his release from the prison, military officers took him to the airport so he could return to Fort Bliss to face disciplinary action. He was escorted as far as customs, but instead of getting on the plane, he joined a civilian tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom.  

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US OFFICIALS SAY TRAVIS KING IS IN AMERICAN CUSTODY AFTER MONTHS OF DETAINMENT IN NORTH KOREA 

Travis King US Army soldier

An undated photo of Travis King, the American soldier who was detained for 71 days in North Korea. (Facebook)

He then ran across the border, which is lined with guards and often crowded with tourists. 

King ultimately was detained by North Korea, but after about two months, Pyongyang abruptly announced that it would expel him. On Sept. 28, he was flown back to Texas, and has been in custody there. 

 

King spent a total of 71 days in North Korean custody. 

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Fox News’ Lawrence Richard and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Southwest

Texas man convicted after saying he mutilated victims, ate human heart as part of 'ritualistic sacrifices'

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Texas man convicted after saying he mutilated victims, ate human heart as part of 'ritualistic sacrifices'

A Texas man was convicted of killing three people, dismembering them and burning their bodies after admitting to investigators that he was called to “commit sacrifices.”

Jason Thornburg was found guilty of capital murder on Wednesday and now, the same Tarrant County jury that convicted him must determine whether he receives a death sentence or if he will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to Fox 4.

In September 2021, Thornburg killed three people, dismembered their bodies and stored them under his bed at a motel in Euless, Texas, before lighting the bodies on fire inside a dumpster in Fort Worth.

TEXAS LAWMAKER PROPOSES BILL TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY IN LONE STAR STATE: ‘I THINK SENTIMENT IS CHANGING’

Jason Thornburg (Tarrant County Jail)

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Thornburg confessed to investigators that he felt a compulsion to commit “ritualistic sacrifices” and that he ate a victim’s heart and other parts of the victims’ bodies.

His attorneys argued he was insane when he carried out the murders and suffered from a severe mental disease.

ELDERLY MAN ACCUSED OF ROOMMATE AND DOG’S ‘BRUTAL’ MURDER HAD EXTENSIVE CRIMINAL RECORD

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Thornburg confessed to investigators that he was being called to “commit sacrifices” and that he ate a victim’s heart and other parts of the victims’ bodies. (iStock)

When he was arrested on murder allegations, Thornburg confessed to police he killed his roommate in May 2021 during a suspicious home explosion and his girlfriend in Arizona back in 2017.

These two previous murders were brought up in court on Thursday when the punishment aspect of the trial began.

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The jury must now determine whether he receives a death sentence or if he will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. (iStock)

The victims’ families cannot speak publicly until the punishment phase is finished.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Vehicle, 2 occupants plunge into crowded Southern California harbor

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Vehicle, 2 occupants plunge into crowded Southern California harbor

Two people were taken to the hospital after a vehicle they were inside plunged into the harbor Sunday night in Marina Del Rey, officials confirmed to KTLA.  

Details are limited and It’s unclear exactly how the incident occurred, but authorities with the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to 4675 Admiralty Way just after 6 p.m. on reports of the vehicle in the water.  

L.A. County Fire Department Public Information Officer Marco Rodriguez said the two occupants were able to get themselves out of the vehicle after it went into the water.  

Both were examined by medical personnel with the fire department and taken to a nearby hospital in unknown condition.  

Rodriguez said that two L.A. County Lifeguard divers were deployed to ensure there were no other occupants trapped in the vehicle.  

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  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor
  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor
  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor
  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor
  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor
  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor
  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor

A witness, Johnny Hamcheck, told KTLA that a third person, a woman, exited the vehicle before it went into water, though officials did not confirm that detail.  

Footage of the recovery effort showed crews attaching large yellow floating devices to the vehicle as it was anchored to a crane and eventually pulled out of the water and loaded onto a tow truck.  

The vehicle showed heavy front-end damage, presumably from crashing through the steel railing and into the water.  

An investigation into the crash is ongoing and no further details were provided.  

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Southwest

24 states' attorneys general call on Supreme Court to keep biological boys out of girls sports

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24 states' attorneys general call on Supreme Court to keep biological boys out of girls sports

Attorneys general from 24 states are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling and uphold an Arizona law to prohibit biological boys from competing on girls’ sports teams.

The petition comes after a federal appeals court ruled that the law likely violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.

“Sports teams are divided by sex to begin with to give girls a level playing field so they’re not competing against boys,” South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a news release. “Arizona’s law restricting girls’ sports teams to biological females is just common sense, and it protects girls from competing against bigger, stronger males who identify as females.”

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Alan Wilson (Getty Images)

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In addition to Wilson, the attorneys general supporting the petition are those from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.

The petition notes that these states have laws similar to Arizona’s that restrict girls’ sports to biological females.

It also argues that the Equal Protection Clause does not prohibit states from offering separate sports teams for men, women, boys and girls.

GIRLS CATHOLIC SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL TEAM COULD FACE PENALTY AFTER FANS BOO TRANS ATHLETE ON PUBLIC SCHOOL TEAM

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The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“In sports, equal access means a level playing field,” the attorneys general write in their brief. “And a level playing field usually means sports teams divided by sex so that girls can compete against other girls.”

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“Basing the distinction on biology rather than gender identity makes sense because it is the differences in biology—not gender identity—that call for separate teams in the first place: Whatever their gender identity, biological males are, on average, stronger and faster than biological females. If those average physical differences did not matter, there would be no need to segregate sports teams at all,” they continued.

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The petition argues that the Equal Protection Clause does not prohibit states from offering separate sports teams for men, women, boys and girls. (ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty Images)

The attorneys general are asking the high court to “make it clear that the Constitution does not prohibit states from saving women’s sports from unfair competition and providing meaningful athletic opportunities for girls and women,” according to Wilson’s news release.

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