Verdict Watch

Cases resolved in court — sentencings, guilty pleas, convictions, and acquittals.

251 articles

Verdict Trials

Teen Found Guilty of Murder Plot in U.K. for Swedish Crime Group With Iran Links

Norwegian teenager convicted of orchestrating targeted killing on British soil for organized crime network with international connections, prosecutors say.

Verdict Homicide

Ex-Wall Street Banker Edward Smith Sentenced to 30 Years for Drugging, Raping Women

Former New York financier attempted to blame autism diagnosis as defense before federal court handed down one of the year's longest sentences for sexual assault convictions.

Verdict Homicide

Florida Mother Sentenced to Probation for Punching 10-Year-Old Girl in Face Over Daycare Bathroom Dispute

Latoya Gaines admitted to police that she was involved in an altercation at a Bay County facility where she allegedly struck the child with a closed fist, causing visible bruising.

Verdict Homicide

Bryan Kohberger Files Petition Challenging Conviction in Idaho Quadruple Murders

Defense attorneys for the former criminology PhD student convicted of killing four University of Idaho students have submitted legal filings seeking to overturn the verdict

Verdict Homicide

Idaho Father Sentenced to 15 Years for Moving Newborn's Body After Infant's Suffocation Death

Brian Lemke admitted moving his 12-day-old son Benjamin's body and attempting to pass the infant's suffocation death off as SIDS.

Verdict Homicide

Florida Woman Sentenced to 20 Years for Killing Paramedic in Wrong-Way DUI Crash

Sunshine Perez pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the death of 23-year-old Ezekiel Urrutia on Florida's Turnpike.

Verdict Homicide

Nevada Parents Sentenced in Death of 3-Year-Old Zaela Walker After Father Threw Girl Against Wall for Wetting Herself

Ricky Beasley received 10 to 25 years in prison while Lakeia Walker was sentenced to probation in connection with the 2018 disappearance that prosecutors say involved hiding the child's body somewhere it has never been found.

Verdict Homicide

Oregon Father Sentenced to 45 Years for Torturing 7-Year-Old Son With Taser, 'Frankly Torture,' Judge Says

Brandon Rodgers forced his son to hold a push-up position during family dinners, shocking the boy with a Taser whenever he dropped, prosecutors said.

Verdict Homicide

Texas Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Murder of Victim Who Was Greeting Him at Front Gate

Adis Hernandez-Rivas pleaded guilty in the fatal shooting of Duniel Valladares Fernandez, whose death stemmed from a financial dispute.

Verdict Trials

'You're Stabbing Me?': Woman Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Fatal Long Island Yacht Club Stabbing

Kacy Corso admitted to driving her then-boyfriend to the Stony Brook Yacht Club where Christopher Millwater, her ex-partner, was stabbed to death after prosecutors say he 'liked' one of her Facebook posts days earlier.

Verdict Homicide

Anti-Gun Activist Sentenced to 51 Years for Murdering Man at Child's Birthday Party in Revenge Killing

Lumumba Sayers Sr. killed Malcolm Watson with a close-range head shot at his son's 5th birthday party in Commerce City, Colorado, prosecutors said, calling it retaliation for the shooting death of Sayers' own son nearly a year earlier.

Verdict Homicide

Man Who Sparked 'Wild West-Style Shootout' That Killed 19-Year-Old Aspiring Nurse Sentenced to 12 Years

Earl Williams III pleaded guilty to felony murder in the death of Bre'nee Veasley, who was struck by stray gunfire during a 110-bullet exchange at a Milwaukee strip mall.

Verdict Homicide

Jesus Barraza Sentenced to Probation for Killing Aspiring Firefighter in Las Vegas Street Racing Case

Devin Heath, 17, was months from graduating high school when he was struck and killed while crossing the street; prosecutors had sought 28-72 months in prison.

Verdict Homicide

'Want Me to Play You a Violin?': Florida Man Convicted of First-Degree Murder, Jury Recommends Death Penalty for Killing Wife in Front of Their Son

Jermaine Williams Sr. admitted stabbing his wife Yolonda 19 to 20 times after she rejected his reconciliation attempt and taunted him with the violin comment, prosecutors said.

Verdict Trials

Ohio Father Sentenced to Up to 16.5 Years for Suffocating 4-Month-Old Daughter After Prior Death Threats

Marcellaus Nekie Malone pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment in connection with his infant's December 2025 death.

Verdict Homicide

'No Body, No Case': Two Men Sentenced in Death of Nebraska Teen Who Vanished on Alleged Day Trip

Floyd Coates received 35 years and Dennis Lawson 10 years despite no murder conviction; federal judge said he believed Coates intentionally caused Sunny Sramek's death.

Verdict Homicide

'Lucky I Don't Kill You': Indiana Woman Sentenced to 10 Years for Shooting at Repairman Over $70 Fee

Reba Wilson pleaded guilty to intimidation with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon after allegedly firing at appliance repair technician Nathaniel Baird.

Verdict Homicide

California Daycare Owner Sentenced to 6 Years for Death of 5-Month-Old Baby

Roxanne Helus pleaded guilty to child abuse, involuntary manslaughter and DUI in connection with the death of infant Christian Olvera.

Verdict Homicide

Oregon Father Sentenced to 10 Years for Manslaughter in Death of 4-Year-Old Son Jhorden Clay

Marquavious Ware, who stomped and beat the boy over bed-wetting and sneaking Skittles into bed, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter.

Verdict Homicide

Fresno Serial Rapist Sentenced for Heinous Attacks on Five Women, Two Children

A Fresno man has been sentenced for a series of brutal sexual assaults spanning multiple victims including five women and two minors.

Verdict Homicide

Iowa Mother Pleads Guilty in 3-Year-Old Son's Death After Allegedly Napping While Boy Died in Hot Garage

Tiffani Huff Holmes, originally charged with child endangerment resulting in death, pleaded guilty to a lesser count of involuntary manslaughter and faces up to two years behind bars.

Verdict Trials

Mexican Drug Kingpin El Mayo Gets Life Sentence, Issues Emotional Courtroom Apology

Ismael Zambada García delivers mea culpa before being sentenced for decades of Sinaloa Cartel operations that flooded the US with drugs.

Verdict Homicide

California Teen Sentenced to 25 Years to Life for Murdering Food Vendor in Broad Daylight Robbery

Demarcus Jaime Vega gunned down 45-year-old Lorenzo Perez after pretending to be a customer interested in ordering food from his cart.

Verdict Trials

Pamela Smart, Convicted in Husband's 1990 Murder, Seeks New Trial From Life Sentence

The former Derry, N.H., woman has filed a motion seeking to overturn her conviction in the killing of her husband Gregg Smart.