In a tragic case that sent shockwaves through the community, a California man’s fate was sealed as he was found guilty of fatally shooting a Los Angeles deputy. The attack, reminiscent of a drive-by ambush, occurred mere steps from the Palmdale sheriff’s station in 2023.

After an intense week-long trial, the jury convicted 32-year-old Kevin Salazar of murdering Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer on Monday, bringing a somber sense of closure to the case.

“It’s crucial that justice prevails, offering at least a modicum of relief to the family,” remarked Brad Gage, the Los Angeles lawyer representing the Clinkunbroomer family, to News Media. “This conviction provides some solace and comfort to those affected.”

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Around 6 p.m. on Sept. 16, 2023, Clinkunbroomer pulled up to a red light down the street from the sheriff’s station in Palmdale. He was driving his marked car and wearing his uniform. As he waited for the light to turn green, another car pulled up alongside him – and a man inside shot him in the head.

Authorities said Salazar had followed Clinkunbroomer from the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station to the intersection less than a block away before opening fire with a .22 revolver. He sped off, and Clinkunbroomer was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Authorities found Salazar at his family’s home in Palmdale two days later and arrested him on murder charges after a standoff, part of which was caught on video.

Clinkunbroomer, 30, was engaged to be married at the time of his murder.

“When a parent loses a child, there’s no name for it,” Gage said. “It’s so painful, it’s so traumatic, it is so devastating that it is beyond words.”

Jurors deliberated for just 2 1/2 hours before finding Salazar guilty of first-degree murder as well as the special circumstance allegations of murder of a peace officer, lying in wait and firing from a vehicle, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

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Despite the conviction, a motive remains unclear, according to the family’s attorney.

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“As far as we know, there was no reason,” Gage told News Media. “It was just execution of a police officer.”

The court will move on Wednesday to a sanity-deciding phase for Salazar, to determine whether he goes to prison or is confined in a state mental hospital after he raised an insanity defense.

“This brutal and senseless murder took the life of a dedicated deputy, leaving his family, colleagues and community to endure an unimaginable loss. We hope today’s guilty verdict brings a measure of healing to Deputy Clinkunbroomer’s family and loved ones,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement.

Clinkunbroomer came from a law enforcement family. His grandfather, father and brother all served.

“Ryan dedicated his life to service, proudly carrying on his family’s legacy as a third-generation member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,” Sheriff Robert Luna said after the verdict. “We will forever honor his service, his sacrifice and the badge he proudly wore. Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer will never be forgotten.”

After his death, the family sued the county, alleging that mandatory overtime and understaffing had left Clinkunbroomer exhausted and more vulnerable to the ambush, Gage said.

The county was dismissed from the lawsuit based on workers’ compensation protections, however, and the family decided not to pursue a civil case against Salazar.

Separately, the county honored Clinkunbroomer by renaming a Department of Parks and Recreation sports complex after him in January 2026.

The latest Lifetime sensation from 2026, To Catch a Cheater, has found a new home on Netflix, and it’s raking in views from drama enthusiasts everywhere. Subscribers are diving headfirst into the melodramatic twists and turns that only a Lifetime movie can deliver.

Despite being only recently added to Netflix’s lineup, To Catch a Cheater has quickly secured its place as the second most-watched film on the platform’s Top 10 Trending Movies list. The allure of high-stakes drama wrapped in the typical Lifetime package of production is proving irresistible to audiences worldwide.

Directed by the talented Damián Romay and penned by writer Rachel Morton, this television gem follows an intriguing, albeit predictable, storyline. It features a group of teenage girls and their mothers, striving to unravel the mystery behind the untimely demise of 18-year-old Hannah. While the plot may not reach profound depths or complexities, its intrigue keeps viewers on their toes, wondering if they missed any crucial clues amid the drama. Busy schedules may prevent some from watching the full feature, while others may be curious about the conclusion without enduring the entire runtime.

No matter your motivation, Decider has got you covered. Continue reading for an in-depth analysis of the To Catch a Cheater plot and a detailed explanation of its finale, including the thrilling reveal of Hannah’s killer.

To Catch a Cheater movie plot summary:

Hannah, portrayed by Jordan Kennedy, is a high school senior navigating the emotional upheaval of her parents’ impending divorce. Her world largely revolves around her steadfast best friends, Meghan (Lily Bowen) and Charli (Valentina Rivas). Sharing the same birthday has fused their lives together, solidifying a lifelong friendship. Recently, the strain of family tensions casts a shadow over Hannah’s previously joyous life.

And of course, the moms are all besties, too. Charli’s mom, Bridget (Sheila Leason), and Meghan’s mom, Kim (Jessie Platt), are particularly close, as they work together at the company run by Kim’s husband, Doug (Roy Lynam). Both Monica and Bridget admire that Kim is still married, but Kim confesses she’s worried her husband has been pulling away, always busy at work, and might be leaving her soon.

Hannah is getting tired of her BFF Charli, who is always talking her and Meghan into doing dumb things. And yet, they keep listening to her! Charli’s latest scheme is a “pact” to test out their boyfriends loyalty before they leave for college. The idea is that each girl will flirt with another girl’s boyfriend. If any of the boyfriends flirt back, they will know they aren’t loyal.

Hannah doesn’t like, but she agrees to go along with it. She plans a date night with her loving boyfriend Hunter (Luke Omalza), and then sends Meghan in her place. Meanwhile, Charli meets up with Meghan’s boyfriend at a diner, and Hannah heads over to the beach to wait for Charli’s boyfriend, Nick (Christian Shupe). Time passes, and Nick never shows up. Hannah spots something off camera that upsets, but we don’t see what it is.

In the next scene, police show up at Monica’s door and inform her that her daughter has been found dead on the beach. The detective tell her she was killed by blunt force trauma to the head, and that it appears she fell onto the rocks and hit her head, and died. Her death is officially ruled an accident, but the detectives also say they can’t rule out suicide. Charli pressures Meghan into not telling the police about the cheating pact.

Monica suspects she isn’t getting all the information about her daughter’s death. One night, she catches Hunter breaking into Hannah’s room to steal her diary. When Monica confronts Hunter, he reveals that Charli bribed him into stealing and destroying Hannah’s diary. Apparently, on the night that Hannah stood him up for her date, he left her a nasty voicemail. He fears if the police found out about it, he would be blamed for Hannah’s death. Charli had threatened to tell everyone about the voicemail, unless Hunter agreed to steal Hannah’s diary so that Charli could destroy it. He also clues Monica in about the pact.

What is Charli hiding? Monica and David suspect that maybe Charli’s boyfriend, Nick, did show up to meet Hannah that night. They suspect Charli is covering for Nick.

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David pays Nick a visit to try to learn more. Nick insists that he never showed up that night, because he had to help his brother with a last-minute emergency. But soon after David speaks to Nick, a group of mysterious masked men jump him, landing David in the hospital. Very suspicious!

Meanwhile, Monica confronts Bridget about something she heard from Hunter: that Bridget’s daughter, Charli, was a bully to Hannah. Bridget firmly tells Monica to drop it, and stop looking for answers around Hannah’s death. She tells Monica she needs to move on. Again, very suspicious!

Monica pays a visit to the spot on the beach where her daughter died. There, she sees Bridget on a bench, kissing Kim’s husband, Doug. Whoa! Soon after, Monica gets a photo of herself at that beach, with a warning to “stop digging.” That must be from Bridget, right? Or maybe from Charli, who was secretly hiding Hannah’s bracelet in her room?

To Catch a Cheater movie ending explained:

Monica meets up with Kim to break the news that her husband is having an affair with Bridget. She also tells her that she suspects Charli may have killed Hannah, and that Bridget is covering for her daughter. Kim tells Monica to finish her coffee, so that they can go to the police with this new evidence. She even pours Monica the coffee herself, with the carafe that is, for some reason, just sitting on their table at this diner.

As they leave the diner, Monica starts to feel woozy and passes out. Clearly, Kim drugged her. Kim drives Monica to the beach where Hannah died and dumps her on the ground. But before she can do anything, she’s interrupted by Bridget, who begs her to stop.

To Catch a Cheater movie: Who killed Hannah?

Kim, aka Meghan’s mother, killed Hannah. Here’s what happened: Kim was well aware that Doug was cheating on her with Bridget. On the night Hannah died, Kim had followed Doug and watched him meet up with Bridget on that spot by the beach. Hannah spotted Bridget and Doug kissing, and got out her phone, likely to text her friends about what she saw.

Kim was desperate for her daughter, Meghan, not to find out what her father was doing. She confronted Hannah and begged her to keep it a secret. Hannah refused. A struggle ensued in which Kim tried to grab Hannah’s phone, which ended with Hannah falling, hitting her head on the rocks, and dying. Kim sent a text from Hannah’s phone Monica, to make it look more like a suicide. And yes, Kim also hired those guys to beat up David. She’s a wild mama!

After confessing all this, Kim pulls a gun on Monica. (Where did she get that?) Bridget tries to wrestle the gun away from Kim, resulting in Kim shooting Bridget. Monica flees, Kim catches up to her, and they fight. Monica manages to get the gun away from Kim, and holds her at gunpoint until the police show up and arrest her.

Later, in the hospital, Monica confronts Bridget. Bridget swears she had no idea about Kim, and was only being so weird about Hannah’s death because she knows that Charli can be a bully, and was worried Charli was the reason Hannah killed herself. She was trying to protect herself, and her daughter.

At the very end of the movie, David decides to move back in with Monica and Hannah’s older brother, Leo. With that, the movie ends. Another Lifetime classic!

According to biblical accounts, the burial place of Jesus was a tomb hewn from rock, located within a garden close to the crucifixion site.

For almost 1,700 years, Christians have held the belief that this sacred tomb resides within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

This revered site was first consecrated as a church by Roman Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. Since its establishment, countless pilgrims have journeyed there, seeking to worship at the spot where Christ is said to have been crucified, interred, and risen.

Recent archaeological excavations conducted beneath the church have provided new insights, revealing an ancient landscape that closely mirrors the description found in the Gospel of John.

Lead archaeologist Francesca Romana Stasolla shared with the Daily Mail: “We have uncovered signs of a funerary setting, as well as small plots cultivated with vines and olive trees, alongside a pastoral landscape marked by occasional human activity.”

The excavations show that the church stands over an abandoned quarry outside ancient Jerusalem where cultivated plots and multiple rock-cut tombs existed side by side.

That combination closely mirrors John’s description of a garden containing a tomb near the place where Jesus was crucified.

Although no physical evidence identifies the tomb’s occupant, the parallels keep alive the possibility that early Christians preserved the true location of Jesus’ burial.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre attracts an estimated four million visitors each year.

The original church was dedicated in AD 335 after Roman buildings at the site, traditionally described as a temple to the goddess Venus, were demolished.

During the work, builders uncovered a rock-cut chamber that was identified as the burial place of Jesus, who had died nearly 300 years earlier.

Emperor Constantine’s workers focused on one particular tomb that was already being venerated as Christ’s burial place, excavating around it to separate it from the surrounding graves. 

The second church at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which stands today, was built and restored starting around 614 to 626 AD, following the destruction and fire caused by the Persian Sassanid invasion.

The discoveries add to the ongoing debate over the location of Jesus’ burial.

Many scholars support the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the site, citing the presence of rock-cut tombs from the first century.

Others argue that the Garden Tomb, another ancient burial site in Jerusalem, better matches biblical descriptions.

The latest findings are detailed in a new 98-page preliminary report published in Liber Annuus, the archaeological journal of Jerusalem’s Studium Biblicum Franciscanum. 

The report brings together results from the final 2025 excavation campaign, completing a project that began during a major restoration of the church’s floor in March 2022.

Evidence of the ancient garden was first announced in 2025, but completed excavations have now allowed researchers to reconstruct how the cultivated land, abandoned quarry and burial chambers fitted together across the wider site.

The report revealed that the landscape began as a vast stone quarry cut into the side of a hill outside Jerusalem’s ancient walls, with some sections reaching nearly 20 feet beneath the church’s present floor.

As stone extraction gradually ended, the deepest areas were filled with soil and divided by low dry-stone walls, creating small plots that could be cultivated.

‘Evidence of cultivation is provided by archaeobotanical and pollen remains, which have enabled us to reconstruct a landscape suitable for pastoralism, with natural vegetation used for grazing,’ Stasolla said.

‘This type of Mediterranean landscape was widespread throughout the region and coexisted with the abandoned quarry area and the presence of rock-cut tombs.’

Researchers dated the cultivated landscape through its position within the archaeological layers and pottery recovered from the quarry fills.

The evidence places it after the quarry was abandoned but before Emperor Hadrian rebuilt the area in the second century AD, a broad period encompassing the lifetime of Jesus.

However, the plant remains have not been given an absolute laboratory date, meaning archaeologists cannot prove the garden was being cultivated at the precise time of Christ’s crucifixion.

Archaeologists also recovered traces of fruits, legumes and wild vegetation, revealing an open Mediterranean landscape that was cultivated, visited and used for grazing but not permanently inhabited.

At the same time, exposed rock faces left behind by the quarry provided ideal locations for burial chambers to be carved directly into the stone.

Researchers found multiple tombs opening into the same former quarry at different heights, connected by narrow paths winding between the graves and cultivated plots.

The result was a complex landscape where gardens, grazing land and rock-cut tombs existed together, just as the Gospel of John places a garden and burial chamber beside the site of Jesus’ crucifixion.

John 19:41 reads: ‘Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.’

The garden reference is one of several clues contained in the Bible.

John 19:20 places the crucifixion close to Jerusalem, while Hebrews 13:12 says Jesus suffered outside the city gate. Archaeologists found that the quarry stood outside Jerusalem’s walls at the time of Jesus but remained close to the city, matching both descriptions.

Matthew, Mark and Luke each describe Jesus’ grave as having been carved from rock. The excavations confirmed that the gardenlike landscape was also a genuine ancient burial ground containing multiple chambers cut directly into the quarry’s exposed stone.

John also states that the tomb was close to the crucifixion site, allowing Jesus to be buried quickly before the Jewish Sabbath began. 

At the Holy Sepulchre, the chamber traditionally identified as his tomb and the rock of Calvary exist within the same compact area.

None of those features was unique in ancient Jerusalem, as abandoned quarries were commonly reused for cultivation and burials. 

What makes the Holy Sepulchre compelling is the convergence of all the clues in one place: outside the ancient walls but close to the city, with cultivated land, a rocky crucifixion site and a cemetery containing rock-cut tombs.

Within that burial ground, one particular chamber would eventually become the focus of centuries of Christian veneration.

A Roman structure erected during Emperor Hadrian’s reign in the second century stood directly against the tomb, making it inaccessible, while also cutting into the nearby rock of Calvary, the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion.

The report suggested the surviving Roman walls may have belonged to a smaller cult site rather than the massive pagan temple described in traditional accounts.

Roughly two centuries later, Constantine’s workers demolished the Roman structure and excavated the same location to expose the venerated tomb.

They removed the surrounding rock, separated the chamber from the other graves and constructed the first Christian shrine around it.

Its position was considered so important that architects allowed different sections of the enormous church complex to fall out of alignment rather than move the tomb.

The first monument was probably open to the sky and consisted of a small circular shrine surrounded by 12 columns, allowing early pilgrims to gather around the burial chamber.

Although none of this proves Jesus was buried inside, the decision to return to and preserve one specific tomb centuries later raises the possibility that knowledge of its location survived through generations of early Christians.

Stasolla said: ‘The archaeological area beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre reveals the long history of a part of Jerusalem that, in the early fourth century AD, underwent the monumentalization of Christological memory.

‘In this case, I believe that the archaeological evidence should be used primarily to understand the places and contexts in which Christian memory took shape and became firmly established.’

The evidence shows that Christians were commemorating this particular location by the fourth century, but it cannot confirm that Jesus had been buried there three centuries earlier.

Important gaps remain, as no inscription identifies Jesus, and it cannot be definitively proven that the chamber was new, nor that it had been used or belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, as the Gospels state.

The Bible says that Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy member of the Jewish council, asked Pontius Pilate for the body of Jesus after the crucifixion, wrapping it in clean linen and placing it in his own unused rock-hewn tomb.

The discoveries therefore do not confirm the biblical account, but they demonstrate that the traditional site contains the principal geographical and physical features described in the New Testament.

‘The Church of the Holy Sepulchre gives monumental form to the sites where, since very early times, tradition has located the memory of Christ’s death and resurrection,’ Stasolla said.

‘Archaeology undoubtedly attests to the enduring nature of this commemorative tradition.’

Live Updates

The behavior of a spectator in the Lindsay Clancy trial has drawn widespread attention after a video surfaced, showing a woman appearing to grin and wink at a camera capturing the courtroom proceedings.

As the trial session came to a close, the camera focused on the spectators. When asked to stand, a woman in a green dress seemed to smile and wink just as the camera moved away.

The individual in question seems to be Brittany Romano, a journalist based in New York City. According to her professional website, Romano contributes to publications like “Elle,” “Cosmopolitan,” and “Teen Vogue.”

Romano has been following the trial, posting on her various social media profiles about the case.

Lindsay Clancy is the Massachusetts mother currently on trial for murder for the 2023 strangling deaths of her three young children inside the family’s Duxbury home.

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She doesn’t deny the charges, and her defense argues she is not “criminally responsible” because she was suffering from undiagnosed postpartum psychosis at the time of the killings.

As for Romano, she recently posed for a “selfie” with Clancy’s Attorney Kevin Reddington last week and posted it on X.

In a video posted to social media following the Monday proceedings, someone appears to ask Romano why she was reportedly smiling on the livestream, to which she responded and said, “I was laughing because I grew up with Lindsay,” she says.

Following her new social media fame, Romano has defended her actions and wrote in a post: “I’m actually proud of myself because these trolls have been absolutely vile,” the now-deleted post said in part.

News Media has reached out to the court and Romano for comment.

Could this be just coach speak?

Klint Kubiak appears to leverage the Raiders’ fluid quarterback situation to deliver a broader message to his team: complacency is not an option. The implication is clear—positions aren’t gifts; they’re prizes to be fought for.

There’s also a chance that Kubiak genuinely sees potential in rookie Fernando Mendoza to surpass Kirk Cousins and claim the title of starting quarterback for the Raiders.

Alternatively, Kubiak’s hesitation to declare a starting QB might be an implicit challenge for Mendoza: continue striving, continue competing. The opportunity remains open, and seizing it is entirely within reach.

If that’s the case, Mendoza is on the clock with about a week to make his mark and stake his claim.

“We got another week. I don’t want anyone to be comfortable in their job,” Kubiak said after the Raiders’ preseason win over the Texans. “It should always be that way for all positions. So, let’s keep going.”

The comment was not exactly a declaration that Mendoza is breathing down Cousins’ neck. The Raiders have been careful throughout the offseason to avoid putting that kind of pressure on the rookie.

From Tom Brady to general manager John Spytek, the organization has consistently made it clear that it does not want to rush Mendoza. Cousins was brought in to provide precisely that protection, a proven veteran capable of running Kubiak’s offense while Mendoza adjusts to the speed, complexity and pressure of the NFL.

That remains the most logical plan.

But until Kubiak officially names Cousins the starter, Mendoza has an opportunity. However narrow it might be, the door remains open.

The question is what Mendoza can do over the next week to force Kubiak to keep it that way, or perhaps open it even wider.

It starts with avoiding the type of mistake he made against the Texans.

Mendoza’s 80-yard pick-six was the quintessential rookie error. One play after Mike Washington Jr. ripped off a 33-yard run, Mendoza tried to go right back to him through the air. The decision itself was defensible. The throw was not.

Mendoza delivered the ball behind Washington and directly into the arms of Texans linebacker Wade Woodaz, who returned it for a touchdown.

That single play will not define Mendoza’s preseason. Nor should it. Rookie quarterbacks make those mistakes – and, for that matter, so do some of the greatest quarterbacks ever.

Matthew Stafford has thrown 32 pick-sixes, tied with Brett Favre for the most in NFL history. Dan Marino threw 29, while Drew Brees and Peyton Manning each threw 27.

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That is Hall of Fame company and a reminder that even greatness comes with the occasional disastrous decision. Mendoza will certainly throw more pick-sixes before his career is over. Better to experience his first one – and learn from it – in August rather than October.

But if Mendoza is going to close the gap on Cousins, he must show that he learned from it immediately.

What Mendoza needs to do

To close that gap, that means protecting the football, understanding where the danger is coming from and knowing when a play is over. The spectacular throws will come eventually. Right now, Kubiak needs to see whether Mendoza can consistently make the routine ones—and whether he can prevent one bad decision from undoing an otherwise productive drive.

Mendoza must also show greater command before the snap.

Can he get the Raiders in and out of the huddle cleanly? Can he recognize pressure, adjust protections and identify where the favorable matchup will be? Can he play on time rather than waiting for receivers to come open?

Those details rarely generate highlights, but they are often what separate the quarterback a coach trusts from the quarterback he is still developing.

Mendoza also has to demonstrate that he can move the offense when the first read disappears.

He has already flashed the ability to work through progressions and find secondary options. The next step is doing it more consistently and against increasingly complicated defensive looks. Kubiak needs to see Mendoza process quickly without rushing—and remain aggressive without becoming reckless.

Most importantly, Mendoza must make the Raiders believe the offense belongs to him.

That does not require a dramatic speech or an exaggerated display of leadership. Command reveals itself in smaller ways: how teammates respond to him in the huddle, how quickly the offense resets after a mistake and whether everyone appears more confident when he is directing traffic.

Cousins has spent more than a decade developing that presence. Mendoza cannot manufacture it in one week, but he can show that he is further along than expected.

None of this means Mendoza must be perfect in the preseason finale. In fact, chasing perfection might be the quickest way to tighten up and regress. He simply needs to look like the same quarterback from one practice and one series to the next.

If he protects the ball, plays on time, handles pressure and consistently leads scoring drives, he can make Kubiak’s decision more difficult.

Cousins still has the advantage. His experience, command and understanding of NFL defenses make him the safer choice for a rebuilding team that does not want to sacrifice its young quarterback’s long-term development for short-term curiosity.

But if his message to Mendoza is genuine – that there remains a path to the starting job – the rookie’s assignment is clear.

Keep pushing. Protect the football. Command the offense. Make the routine plays look routine.

And then force Kubiak to make a decision he may not have expected to be quite so difficult.