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Suspected killer of Akwa Ibom job seeker pleads guilty to murder

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The 20-year-old man, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape.

Uduak Akpan on Monday pleaded guilty to the murder of Iniubong Umoren, the Akwa Ibom woman who was lured out of her home with a fake job interview.

He was arraigned before a State High Court judge, Bennet Illaumoh, in Uyo.

Miss Umoren was raped and killed in April in the outskirts of Uyo by Mr Akpan who the police in Akwa Ibom State described as a serial rapist.

Her remains were buried in a shallow grave in Mr Akpan’s family house where the crime took place.

Mr Akpan, however, pleaded not guilty to the rape charge.

Dressed in a peach-coloured caftan, the 20-year-old Mr Akpan looked calm and confident in the dock.

His father, Frank Akpan, who is the second defendant in the case, pleaded not guilty to charge of accessory after the fact to murder.

An accessory-after-the-fact is someone who is believed to have assisted another person who has committed a crime to evade justice.

The Attorney General of Akwa Ibom State, Uko Sam, SAN is leading the prosecution team.

After Mr Akpan was docked and the charges read to him, it was discovered that he had no lawyer to represent him.

A lawyer, Emms Ekongson who announced his appearance for the second defendant (Mr Akpan’s father) told the court that he was holding a brief for the second defendant, Mr Akpan Snr only.

The judge had to appoint a lawyer, Sampson Adulla, the Akwa Ibom State coordinator of the Legal Aid Council, to represent the first defendant.

The Legal Aid Council is a statutory body which provides free legal services to low-income Nigerians who are unable to hire a lawyer.

Mr Adulla prayed the court to enter a not-guilty plea for the first defendant, even though he had pleaded guilty, since he was charged for a capital offence.

The judge acceded to the prayer and entered a not-guilty plea for Mr Akpan before adjourning the case to August 18.

Why we aren’t prosecuting the third suspect – Akwa Ibom Government

Meanwhile, the state Attorney General, Mr Sam, while fielding questions from reporters outside the courtroom said the state government was prosecuting only two suspects because the evidence before them can sufficiently cater for the two.

Mr Sam was responding to concerns raised by reporters on the absence in court of the third suspect that was linked to the case.

“In criminal prosecution we rely on the evidence that is brought from the investigation by the official investigators of the state,” he said.

 “We’ve gone through all the investigation reports by all the security operatives that handled the investigation.”

“Currently, the two people that have been arraigned today and charged are the people that we have sufficient evidence to prosecute them.”

“There has been so much in the social media and we don’t prosecute cases based on information on the social media but by what official investigating authority present by way of fact and evidence.”

He, however, said that if the state has evidence on the culpability of another person in connection with the case the person will be charged and prosecuted.

“In criminal prosecution there is no time bar for criminal culpability. If by tomorrow or ten years from now evidence comes out that can tie anybody who is not charged today in this crime, that person will be charged and prosecuted to the end,” he said.

Culled from the Premium Times Nigeria

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Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.

In the suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Emilio Garcia said that after a night out in 2022 in Ibiza, Spain, he was in an SUV with the hip-hop star when she began having sex with another woman right next to him. He was unable to get out of the moving car, and would have been in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country even if he was able. Garcia was “embarrassed, mortified and offended throughout the whole ordeal,” according to the lawsuit.

Alex Spiro, Megan’s lawyer, said she would fight the lawsuit in court.

“This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her,” Spiro said.

The next day Megan told Garcia never to discuss what he saw and berated and fat-shamed him, the lawsuit said. The complaint also said Garcia, who had already considered quitting because he was overworked and underpaid in a hostile work environment aggravated by Megan’s possessiveness and abusiveness, was misclassified as an independent contractor but treated as an exclusive employee.

Garcia raised those issues in the conversation with Megan, and was fired the following day after four years of working for her, the suit said. He has since filed a job discrimination complaint with the California Civil Rights Department.

The lawsuit, first reported by NBC News, names as defendants Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete; her companies Megan Thee Stallion Entertainment and Hot Girl Touring; and her label, Roc Nation. A defense response has yet to be filed. There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment from a representative of Roc Nation.

Garcia is seeking financial damages to be determined at trial, alleging he has suffered severely both emotionally and physically because of his treatment on the job, the firing and having to witness the scene in the SUV.

Megan, 29, was previously involved in major legal drama — and underwent a torrent of online abuse — as the victim of a shooting by rapper Tory Lanez, who a jury found fired at her feet on a street in the Hollywood Hills in 2020. She testified at the trial where jurors convicted Lanez of three felonies and a judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Already a major rising artist at the time of the shooting, Megan has since become one of hip-hop’s biggest stars. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and she had No. 1 singles with “Savage,” featuring Beyoncé, and as a guest on Cardi B’s “WAP.”

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Body of O.J. Simpson to be cremated this week; brain will not be studied for CTE

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April 15 (UPI) — The body of O.J. Simpson, who died last week at the age of 76, is to be cremated, a lawyer representing the ex-football superstar’s estate said, adding his brain will not be donated for research.

Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s longtime attorney and executor, told the New York Post that his client’s body is to be cremated Tuesday in Las Vegas.

He said Simpson’s family also gave a “hard no” to scientists seeking to examine the former running back’s brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is better known as CTE.

CTE is a rare and little understood brain disorder that is likely caused by repeated blows to the head. According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE results in the death of nerve cells in the brain and the only way to definitively diagnose it is with an autopsy of the organ after death.

Memory and thinking problems, confusion, personality changes and erratic behavior, including aggression, depression and suicidal ideation, are among CTE’s symptoms, the Alzheimer’s Association said.

The disease has been found in those who play contact sports, including football and hockey.

LaVergne confirmed to NBC News on Sunday that at least one person has called seeking Simpson’s brain.

“His entire body, including his brain, will be cremated,” he said.

Simpson died Wednesday following a battle with cancer.

Known by the nickname “The Juice,” Simpson was a NFL superstar during the 1970s, which made him a household name that propelled him into film and television during the next decade.

But his stardom would come crashing down in the mid-1990s when he was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

His high-profile trial lasted months, but ended with his acquittal.

In 2008, he was found guilty on a dozen charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, and was paroled in 2017 after serving nine years of his 33-year sentence.

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Houston’s Urban South Brewery Celebrates Fourth Anniversary

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Urban South Brewery Houston will host its upcoming Anniversary Party from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7, in the HTX Taproom, starting at 11 AM, celebrating four years of crafting exceptional brews and fostering community culture. This milestone event will be an exciting day featuring live music, food, activities, and a vendor market.

Beer enthusiasts are also in for a treat with the release of four exclusive anniversary specialty beers. Highlights include “Press Start,” a crafted Czech Pale Lager brewed in collaboration with Parleaux Beer Lab. Additionally, beer fans can indulge in “Level Up,” an Old-Fashioned Cocktail Sour Ale infused with orange peel, Luxardo cherry syrup, and subtle bourbon barrel notes. The offerings continue with “High Score,” a robust Double IPA bursting with flavors of Mosaic, Citra, and Chinook hops, and “Game Over,” a decadent Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout layered with strawberry fruit, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk chocolate.

To make the celebration even more memorable, fans can pre-order an Exclusive 8-Bit Beer Box featuring the four-anniversary specialty beers (Press Start, Level Up, High Score, Game Over), a 16oz can-shaped Silipint with discounted refills, and 2 tokens redeemable for draft beer.

The Anniversary Party is open to the public, welcoming families and furry friends. Urban South Brewery invites everyone to join in the festivities and toast to four years of brewing excellence.

For more information on Urban South’s Anniversary Celebration, follow the Houston taproom on Instagram and Facebook.

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