An Idaho judge has lifted a sweeping gag order in Kohberger’s quadruple murder case

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho judge has lifted a sweeping gag order in Bryan Kohberger’s quadruple murder case. Kohberger avoided a potential death sentence by pleading guilty earlier this month to the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students at a rental home near campus in 2022. Kohberger admitted to breaking into the rental home through a sliding door and killing the four friends, who had no connection with him. A judge in Moscow, Idaho issued a sweeping gag order early in the case, barring prosecutors, defense attorneys and other officials involved in the investigation from talking to reporters or others about anything not already included in public court documents. The gag order was lifted Thursday.

Juul gets FDA’s OK to keep selling tobacco and menthol e-cigarettes

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials will allow Juul to keep selling its electronic cigarettes. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that Juul’s benefits as a less harmful alternative for adult smokers outweigh the risks of teen use. It’s a major win for a company that has struggled for years after being widely blamed for sparking the teen vaping trend. Parents, politicians and anti-tobacco advocates wanted a ban on the devices that many blame for the recent spike in underage vaping. The FDA decision applies to both tobacco and menthol-flavored versions of the reusable product.

Man who sent Facebook message about committing a sexual assault pleads guilty

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said “So I raped you” has pleaded guilty. Thirty-two-year-old Ian Cleary faces a proposed four- to eight-year sentence after Thursday’s plea. Cleary is an American who has been in custody since he was arrested in France last year. A lawyer for Cleary says he experienced several mental health episodes there. Shannon Keeler, the former Gettysburg University student who pursued the case for more than a decade, faced Cleary in court Thursday for the first time since the encounter.

Judge OKs release plan for woman who stabbed a classmate to please Slender Man

(AP) — A Wisconsin judge has approved releasing a woman from a mental hospital, more than a decade after she nearly killed a classmate to please the fictional horror character Slender Man. Experts testified Morgan Geyser has made progress with her mental health, leading to her conditional release plan being approved. She is now 22 and has spent seven years in a psychiatric hospital after pleading guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide. She and a friend lured their victim to a park and stabbed her 19 times. All three girls were 12 years old at the time. The case gained national attention due to the girls’ obsession with Slender Man, a popular internet boogeyman.