AV's National Headlines

Judge Denies Karmelo Anthony New Trial

A Texas judge has rejected a request for a new murder trial for Karmelo Anthony, who is serving a 35-year sentence for fatally stabbing a fellow student at a high school track meet.  Anthony’s legal team argued that he acted in self-defense when he stabbed Austin Metcalf during the April 2025 track meet in Frisco.  Prosecutors claimed that the killing was “unjustified” and was “plain and simple murder.” Anthony’s lawyers have said they’ll appeal the weekend ruling that leaves both his conviction and sentence intact. 

Ex-Deputy Convicted Of Fatally Shooting Sonya Massey Dies

(Springfield, IL)  —  The former Illinois sheriff’s deputy convicted of fatally shooting a woman in her home in 2024 has died.  Sean Grayson’s attorney announced his death on Sunday.  Grayson was six months into his 20-year sentence for second-degree murder in the death of Sonya Massey.  Another defense attorney had said at his sentencing in January that the former deputy was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2023.  In July, he was denied medical release by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.

Rapper BigXthaPlug Arrested In Collin County On Multiple Charges

(McKinney, TX)  —  Dallas rapper BigXthaPlug is facing felony charges after being arrested and booked into the Collin County Jail.  Court records show the rapper whose name is Xavier Landum was arrested by the Allen Police Department on Friday.  Landum was charged with driving while intoxicated, marijuana possession of less than two ounces and unlawful possession of a firearm. BigXthaPlug was scheduled to perform at the Country Rising Festival on Friday, but missed his appearance with what the festival called a “personal emergency” on social media.

Buffalo Bills Ed Oliver’s 2-YO Son Drowns At Home

(Houston, TX)  —  Buffalo Bills star Ed Oliver is mourning the loss of his two-year-old son.  TMZ Sports reported the child drowned in the swimming pool at the NFL player’s home near Houston, Texas.  Local officials said deputies responded to an in-progress life-in-danger call at Oliver’s home on the evening of June 28th.  When first responders arrived they were told the child’s parents had found him unresponsive in the pool.  The toddler was rushed to the hospital by ambulance and was later pronounced dead.

Clancy Murder Trial To Continues

(Plymouth, MA)  —  Testimony will continue  in the Massachusetts murder trial of Lindsay Clancy.  The prosecution is still calling on rebuttal witnesses after the defense rested its case on Friday.  Clancy has admitted to strangling her three young children in 2023, but has pleaded not guilty because of postpartum psychosis.  Closing arguments in the trial are expected to begin later in the week. 

NAACP Slams Navy’s Reported Talks To Swap War Hero’s Name On Carrier With Trump’s (Undated)  —  NAACP President Derrick Johnson is criticizing the Navy after reports it thought about renaming an aircraft carrier honoring Black World War II hero Doris Miller potentitally with President Trump’s.  Johnson said in a social media post that the alleged discussions over the USS Doris Miller’s name were “a slap in the face to every war hero and to every service member who has worn the uniform.”  The carrier, named in 2020 at Pearl Harbor, is the first to honor a Black American and the first recognizing a sailor’s actions while serving in the enlisted ranks.  Miller earned the Navy Cross for helping wounded sailors and firing an anti-aircraft gun during the Pearl Harbor attack despite having no formal training, before being killed in action in 1943.  Johnson added that it was “beyond comprehension” for a president to seek his own name on a Navy ship while service members face deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln