Combat Aging Knees: Five Morning Exercises to Reinforce Muscle Strength
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Feeling like your knees have turned into rusty hinges when you step out of bed? You’re definitely not in this alone. While many resort to gentle yoga sequences for relief from that stiff, creaky sensation, it’s time to rethink this approach—yoga only solves part of the problem.
Yoga undoubtedly improves flexibility and helps calm the nervous system, but it’s not enough to build the muscular strength necessary to stabilize your knee joints daily. According to the National Institute on Aging, strength training is a powerful tool to maintain joint function and independence as we get older. Stronger muscles surrounding a joint can significantly reduce the stress the joint has to endure.
For those experiencing knee discomfort after 60, it’s typically a strength concern rather than a flexibility issue. Your quads, hamstrings, and calves cross the knee joint playing a pivotal role in force control during walking, stair climbing, or standing up from a chair. Studies indicate that weakness in these muscle groups forces your knee to absorb stress it wasn’t designed to handle on its own.
We spoke with James Brady, CPT, a certified personal trainer at OriGym, who has designed a five-move morning routine to bolster the muscles supporting your knee. The routine is designed to be done comfortably without a gym membership or even getting down on the floor. Brady’s expert tip: “Aim for two to three sets of 8 to 15 reps per exercise, tailoring the routine to your current fitness level for the best results.”
Chair Sit-to-Stand
The chair sit-to-stand mirrors one of the most common movements in daily life: getting up out of a chair. Practicing it deliberately helps build the lower body strength that keeps that motion easy as you age, and it works several muscle groups at once without any equipment.
“This is one of the best exercises for rebuilding knee strength because it strengthens your quads, glutes, and hamstrings together while reinforcing an everyday movement pattern,” explains Brady.
How to do it:
- Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart.
- Lean your chest slightly forward.
- Press through your heels and stand up.
- Slowly lower yourself back to the chair with control.
- Perform two to three sets of 8 to 15 reps, resting for 60 to 90 seconds between sets.
Step-ups
Since your body has to stabilize on one leg with every rep, step-ups help build leg strength while challenging your balance. That combination makes them fantastic for protecting your knees, which rely on both strong muscles and control to stay stable under load.
“Step-ups improve knee stability by strengthening the muscles that support the joint while also challenging balance,” says Brady.
How to do it:
- Stand in front of a low step or bottom stair.
- Place one foot firmly on it.
- Drive through your heel to lift yourself up.
- Step back down slowly with control.
- Do all reps on one leg before switching sides.
- Complete two to three sets of 8 to 15 reps per side. Rest for 45 to 60 seconds between sets.
Standing Hamstring Curls
Your hamstrings rarely get the same attention as your quads when it comes to rebuilding knee strength, but they play an equally important role in keeping your knee joints balanced and protected. When the muscles on the back of your legs are too weak relative to the front, the knee loses stability. This move strengthens them with nothing more than a chair for support.
How to do it:
- Stand tall behind a chair or countertop for support.
- Bend one knee to bring your heel toward your glutes, keeping your thighs aligned.
- Lower your foot slowly back to the floor.
- Repeat on the opposite leg.
- Continue alternating for the full set.
- Aim for two to three sets of 8 to 15 reps per side, resting for 45 to 60 seconds between sets.
Supported Calf Raises
Strong calves help improve stability through your ankles and lower legs, which gives the knee a more solid foundation to work from. Holding onto a chair keeps the movement safe and controlled. This move is “great for helping knee health,” says Brady.
How to do it:
- Stand behind a chair and lightly hold the backrest for balance.
- Raise your heels until you’re standing on your toes.
- Pause for one to two seconds at the top of the movement.
- Lower your heels slowly back to the floor.
- Perform two to three sets of 8 to 15 reps. Rest for 45 to 60 seconds between sets.
Exploring the Hidden History of a Renowned Cold Remedy
As the early chill of winter begins to seep into morning air, grocery stores and pharmacies launch their campaigns. Their goal? To persuade consumers to arm themselves with vitamin C, a supposed shield against the inevitable cold and flu season.
But how did this widespread belief take root?
The origins of this notion weave a tale that involves a Nobel Prize laureate, a controversial book, and a series of claims that, upon closer inspection, don’t entirely hold up.
Nobel Prize winner writes a book
Enter Linus Pauling, a distinguished American chemist, celebrated with two Nobel Prizes. In 1954, he garnered the award in chemistry for his pioneering work on chemical bonds, and by 1962, he had earned another, this time for peace, recognizing his fervent opposition to nuclear weapons testing.
Though his expertise lay far from nutrition or virology, Pauling ventured into these realms with the publication of a book in 1970, exploring vitamin C’s role in treating colds. This book is often credited as the catalyst for the vitamin C sales boom, a phenomenon that shows no signs of waning even today.
In this book, Pauling said we should consume high doses of vitamin C, around 1,000–2,000 milligrams a day for good health, and even more to prevent a cold.
His recommendations were said to be initially from one placebo-controlled trial in children on a ski camp in the Swiss Alps. He then analysed a further four studies conducted after his claims.
But his interpretation of these studies has been widely criticised. There were incorrect mathematical analyses, reliance on four poor-quality trials and the overemphasis of the study in children.
So, do mega-doses of vitamin C work?
The short answer is not really. Multiple studies conducted since the ones Pauling analysed show that if there is an effect on vitamin C and colds, it’s minimal. Even then, any marginal benefits are only under certain circumstances, such as if you’re an athlete or in the army.
One study, published in 2023, was a meta-analysis that combined the results of ten placebo-controlled trials. These looked at the effect of vitamin C on the severity and duration of colds. In total, these trials involved 2,736 healthy people (adults, children and athletes) who regularly took at least 1,000mg of vitamin C a day, not just when they had a cold.
Overall, the researchers found people who took vitamin C had a 15 per cent reduction in severe cold symptoms compared to those who didn’t take it. This was expressed as the number of days “confined indoors”, which the authors acknowledged as a limitation. Vitamin C did not affect how long mild symptoms lasted.
A meta-analysis in 2013 found taking lower doses (at around 200mg a day) did not decrease the number of colds in the general population. However, there were fewer colds for athletes and army personnel.
Similar to the other study, regular vitamin C supplements showed a reduction in severity of symptoms in children and adults by 8–14 per cent. However, taking vitamin C at the start of the cold had no benefit.
So, from these two meta-analyses, Pauling’s original advice is over-stated. There is no evidence vitamin C will reduce your risk of catching a cold.
There is some evidence it will reduce how long severe symptoms last, but on average only by about 10 per cent. So if severe symptoms from a cold last for five days, it will reduce severe symptoms by about 12 hours. If the severe symptoms last for 24 hours, they will reduce by about two-and-a-half hours.
Taking vitamin C when symptoms start will have no effect. You need to be taking it regularly, even before you get sick.
So how much vitamin C is too much?
Pauling’s recommendation for good health, at around 1,000–2,000mg a day, is around the upper limit of what’s now considered safe to consume.
Australia has not set an upper limit for vitamin C, due to inconclusive evidence. But guidelines refer to other expert recommendations for adults to not consume more than 1,000mg a day. In the United States, the upper limit for adults is 2,000mg a day.
Pauling’s recommendation is also much higher than the recommended daily intake in Australia and other countries. For adults over 19 in Australia, this is 45mg.
This is what you would find in half an orange, three to four florets of cooked broccoli or one-third of a glass of orange juice.
So what should I do?
Taking high doses of vitamin C (over 1,000mg a day) continually can increase your risk of adverse events such as:
- Gastrointestinal effects, such as diarrhoea, nausea, stomach cramps and bloating
- More oxalate excretion, which may lead to kidney stones
- An increase in iron absorption, which may lead to tissue damage in people with undiagnosed haemochromatosis (an inherited disorder where you absorb too much iron from your food)
- Interactions with radiation therapy, chemotherapy and the cholesterol-lowering drugs statins.
If you feel you would benefit from vitamin C supplements, discuss this with your GP. You should limit the dose to below 1,000mg a day and be mindful of the side effects.
Remember less than 4 per cent of Australians are deficient in vitamin C.
Evangeline Mantzioris is the program director of human nutrition at Adelaide University and an accredited practising dietitian. She has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council. She has been appointed to the National Health and Medical Research Council Dietary Guideline Expert Committee. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors alone and do not represent the views of the NHMRC or the Expert Committee.
Babysitter Arrested for Kidnapping Again: Shocking Details
Authorities in Georgia have apprehended a babysitter suspected of abducting two young girls. Known as Zola Cooper, 4, and her little sister Norah Cooper, 11 months, the siblings were reportedly kidnapped by Lakesha Brown.
The two girls, initially labeled as being “in extreme danger,” have fortunately been located unharmed, according to an announcement made by the City of Atlanta Police Department on Monday.
It is reported that Brown had established trust with the girls’ mother, agreeing to babysit them while she stepped out for dinner on Saturday night. Upon returning, the mother found herself unable to reach Brown, prompting her to quickly contact the authorities.
The mother reported her children missing at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, indicating that she had left them in Brown’s care around 6 p.m. earlier that evening, as per the police report.
In an alarming incident, a babysitter has been charged with the alleged kidnapping of young sisters Norah, 11 months, and Zola Cooper, 4 years old. Thankfully, police have confirmed the children are now safe and sound. (City of Atlanta Police Department)
By Monday afternoon, police announced they were able to locate the girls using technology that pointed them to the Sylvan road area. Once they arrived, officers heard crying, found them, and brought them to safety.
Atlanta police said Brown had previously been accused in a similar kidnapping case in Alabama.
Investigators in Alabama said in August 2021, Brown was arrested for kidnapping infant Kamarion Taylor, who was just four days old at the time.
Police spent hours searching for the girls with the help of investigators from Georgia and Alabama. (City of Atlanta Police Department)
Brown allegedly gained the trust of Taylor’s mother and grandmother and kidnapped the infant while his mother was taking a nap.
“When Kamarion’s mother awoke, the baby was nowhere to be found. Lakesha was also gone. The mother immediately contacted Lakesha and asked where Kamarion was. Lakesha told her that Kamarion was there in his playpen where she laid him before she left,” the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said.
Police said a babysitter allegedly abducted two young sisters after gaining their mother’s trust and agreeing to watch them Saturday night. The girls, ages 4 and 11 months, were found safe Monday after officers used technology to track them to an area where they heard crying. Police arrested Lakesha Brown, who authorities said was also accused of kidnapping a 4-day-old baby in Alabama in 2021. (Atlanta Police/Facebook)
Investigators safely recovered Kamarion and Brown was booked into jail.
Mark Walter’s Role with Dodgers Unaffected by Chelsea FC Sale
Mark Walter might soon part ways with another slice of his sports empire.
Despite this, there’s no current buzz suggesting the Los Angeles Dodgers will be part of that transaction.
Coming on the heels of last week’s shocking Lakers deal, Walter finds himself making headlines once more. According to the Financial Times, he and business associate Todd Boehly, also a co-owner of the Dodgers, are exploring the option of offloading their shares in Chelsea Football Club, a prominent team in the English Premier League.
Much like when Walter offloaded the Lakers amidst a federal investigation into his insurance businesses, Monday’s announcement has reignited speculation about his role with the Dodgers.
Insiders, however, report that there’s an understanding within the organization that Walter has no intention of putting the MLB franchise on the market just yet, a source informed the California Post on Monday.
For now, there’s been no apparent change from the status quo of last week, when Dodgers president Stan Kasten insisted the club’s ownership situation was unaffected by the Lakers sale.
“This is a Lakers story,” Kasten told reporters then. “It’s not really a Dodgers story.”
The exact same can’t be said now, of course, with Boehly and Walter looking to offload ownership stakes in Chelsea that they had held since 2022.
But in this case, at least, the Chelsea sale isn’t coming completely out of the blue, thanks to years of reported strife that Boehly and Walter had with the soccer club’s other chief investors at private equity firm Clearlake Capital (which, notably, counts newly-minted San Diego Padres owner Jose E. Feliciano as one of its co-founders).
According to reports, Boehly and Walter are now considering selling their minority shares of Chelsea to the Clearlake group.
Still, amid the vacuum of information that remains regarding the status of Walter’s business empire and the ongoing investigation into his various companies, speculation about his ownership of the Dodgers will ensue.
Last week, Kasten declared he had “no reason to think” the resources provided to the team by Walter and his Guggenheim ownership group would change –– yet also professed not to have intimate knowledge of Walter’s non-sports businesses nor the investigation into them.
There have also been reports linking Dodger-affiliated companies (including one called “Dodgers Tickets LLC”) to the larger inquiry from federal prosecutors into Walter’s business practices.
It is all contributing to a cloud that continues to hang over the franchise, amid it’s attempt to win a third-consecutive World Series this year.
And while, to this point, there have been no signs of change within the organization, uncertainty still very much abounds in the wake of yet more news surrounding the owner.
Former Super Bowl Champion Passes Away at 56 After Courageous 19-Year ALS Battle
OJ Brigance, the Super Bowl-winning linebacker known for his work off the field, has died at 56 after courageously battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, for nearly two decades.
During his seven-season NFL career, Brigance spent much of his time with the Miami Dolphins. Although he never started a defensive game, his impact was felt on the field in various roles.
While in the NFL, Brigance divided his efforts between defense and special teams, playing not only for the Dolphins but also for the Baltimore Ravens, St. Louis Rams, and New England Patriots.
Brigance’s tenure with the Ravens was particularly impactful, as he played a key role in winning Super Bowl XXXV against the New York Giants, making the first tackle during the game’s kickoff return.
After being diagnosed with ALS in May 2007, Brigance dedicated his remaining years to advocating for research through his charity, the Brigance Brigade Foundation, aiming to make a difference in the fight against this debilitating disease.
In a statement announcing his passing, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said, ‘We are devastated by the awful news that we have lost O.J. Brigance.
Former NFL star OJ Brigance has died at age 56 after a 19-year battle with ALS
Brigance played on defense and special teams across seven seasons in the NFL
Brigance (R) was on the Ravens and made the first tackle in their Super Bowl XXXV win
‘O.J. was a beloved legend, mentor and man to everyone who was fortunate enough to know him. He was a vibrant person who became one of the first Ravens heroes with his passionate play, including the first tackle in the 2000 Super Bowl.
‘Known for his big smile and welcoming nature, it was easy to feel a special connection with O.J. from the moment you met him. His infectious smile and the inspirational way he lived and played endeared him to everyone he touched, both inside our building and across this city.
‘This is a tremendously sad day for Baltimore. O.J. will be remembered for his service to our community, to the Ravens and to the fight to find a cure for ALS. With heavy hearts, the Ravens organization extends our deepest condolences to [his wife] Chanda and the entire Brigance family. We are saddened by this loss, and O.J.’s spirit will remain part of this community forever.’
A native of Houston, Brigance played college football at Rice University and was a three-year starter.
After going undrafted following his graduation in 1991, Brigance began his football career in the Canadian Football League with the BC Lions.
He then played with the CFL’s Baltimore Stallions for two seasons, winning the 1995 Grey Cup and being named a CFL All-Star that same season. Due to the odd circumstances of the Stallions’ existence, Brigance is the only player in history to win a Grey Cup and a Super Bowl for teams representing the same city.
In the 1996 offseason, Brigance was signed by the Miami Dolphins as a free agent and was twice voted as a team captain in his four seasons in the Sunshine State.
Brigance served as the Ravens’ director of player personnel from 2004 until his death
The Ravens signed him in the 2000 offseason, where he finished second on the team in special teams tackles with 25. In the postseason, he led the team in the same category.
After winning Super Bowl XXXV, he played with the St. Louis Rams in the 2001 season as well as for part of the 2002 season. After being cut, he played one final NFL game with the Patriots before retiring.
Two years after retirement, the Ravens hired Brigance as their director of player development. He held the position with the team until his passing.
Following his ALS diagnosis in 2007, Brigance was an inspiration to athletes and those working in sports.
He was a recipient of the NFL’s George Halas Award in 2015. The award is given by the Pro Football Writers of America to an NFL ‘player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed.’
The following year, the NCAA gave Brigance their Inspiration Award. The award is given to a ‘current or former varsity letter-winner, a coach, or an administrator’ who ‘when confronted with a life-altering situation used perseverance, dedication and determination to overcome the event and now serves as a role model to give hope and inspiration to others in similar situations.’
ICE Proposes Legal Insurance to Protect Local Officers in Immigration Arrests
In a move to offer protection to local law enforcement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has introduced a strategy to buffer officers conducting immigration arrests from potential financial liabilities stemming from allegations of misconduct while on duty.
The plan, outlined in a document released last Friday, proposes that ICE would help cover the cost of liability insurance for state and local officers who are authorized and trained to enforce federal immigration laws.
Since President Donald Trump resumed office last year, partnerships between ICE and local police forces have increased, and this new insurance initiative could further entice departments that have previously hesitated due to liability concerns. The Associated Press has been the first to cover this development in insurance proposals.
The proposal details that participating officers would secure insurance policies that provide up to $500,000 in personal liability coverage, typically allocated towards legal expenses, settlements, and judgments. They would receive reimbursement for up to $250 per year, which aligns with the anticipated cost of the insurance.
Critics of ICE’s stringent approach to immigration enforcement suggest that this program might serve as another means for officers to circumvent accountability for any misconduct.
“The concern here is that ICE is going above and beyond to guarantee law enforcement does not have even the slightest risk of liability for violating Americans’ rights while helping ICE arrest people,” said David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, who has called on Congress to make it easier to sue ICE agents for wrongdoing.
ICE outlined the plan in a document informing industry officials that it is considering hiring a contractor to help provide outreach, training and communications support for its so-called 287(g) partnerships with local departments, which are named for a section of a 1996 immigration law. The contractor would hire the insurance vendor and process the reimbursements, among other tasks.
ICE has asked for industry feedback by Thursday. The proposed timeline for launching the program and its estimated cost are unclear.
ICE had no immediate comment on the plan.
Arrests by ICE’s local partners have spiked since last year
During Trump’s second term, ICE has offered generous financial incentives to participating local agencies, increasing the number who have partnered with the federal government, as well as the number of arrests.
Nearly 1,600 agencies in 32 states now have agreements to participate in ICE’s task force model, in which trained local officers can interrogate, arrest and charge people suspected of being in the country illegally, according to ICE data.
Departments qualify for funding to help cover expenses like their officers’ pay, equipment and vehicles. With encouragement from state and local Republican officials, agencies in Florida, Texas, Oklahoma and Georgia have been among the leaders.
Arrests made through such programs jumped to an average of 3,000 per month in the first two months of 2026, according to the most recent ICE data provided to the University of California Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project. That compares to a monthly average of 250 in 2024 under President Joe Biden.
Local departments, officers worried about liability for ICE work
As local officers increasingly carry out federal immigration work, they and their departments have expressed concerns about the civil liability that could result from claims alleging excessive use of force, wrongful arrest and illegal search and seizure, among other things.
That’s because insurance policies that cover their local work may not apply. Pennsylvania’s risk pool, for instance, recently made clear that it would exclude “proactive immigration enforcement activities” from coverage, forcing several participating counties to search for other insurance options.
Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe said he found insurance to cover his 13 deputies participating in the program at a cost of $20,000 in annual premiums.
“I want to make sure the guys are additionally covered, so we had to spend the money,” he said, adding that federal funding would cover the cost.
Federal officers usually enjoy legal immunities and a government-funded defense when they face lawsuits. But those protections may not always apply to local officers, which has heightened their concerns over liability and the need for insurance.
While civil lawsuits are the main concern, professional liability insurance typically helps cover legal fees for officers facing criminal investigations as well.
Sheriffs’ group says ICE’s insurance idea sounds promising
Justin Smith, a former Colorado sheriff who is executive director of the National Sheriffs’ Association, said ICE’s plan sounds promising and that he was anxious to speak with ICE about how the plan would work.
Smith said he has shared concerns with ICE that some sheriffs are reluctant to join the partnerships because of the potential liability at a time when immigration enforcement faces intense public protests and media scrutiny. Smith said others who are partnering with ICE have already started facing legal claims tied to their immigration work, which can be costly whether or not deputies are ultimately found to have done anything wrong.
“Right now, any time you are working on immigration there is going to be a much higher potential for there being problems and having suits and issues,” he said. “They’re recognizing that it is a different environment. And I think trying to be good partners with us as best they can.”
Under their agreements, ICE warns local departments that they are responsible for the costs of incidents that give rise to liability. But it seeks to reduce the risk by saying local officers performing ICE-authorized functions are “acting under color of federal authority,” which would bar lawsuits against individual officers.
The agreements also state that local officers who face civil lawsuits can ask the U.S. Department of Justice to represent them, and that ICE will generally support their requests. But the final decision on whether to do so rests with DOJ.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Court Rejects Trump Tactics, Denounces Unlawful Prosecutor Appointment by DOJ
Left: Sigal Chattah, the attorney representing Guard the Constitution Project founder Shawn Meehan, appears in court alongside Monti Levy, who represents Nevada Republican Party delegate Eileen Rice, in Las Vegas on Monday, March 4, 2024. (Wade Vandervort/Las Vegas Sun via AP). Right: Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is seen making her way to a deposition at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, on Friday, May 29, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.).
A new legal blow hit one of former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s lingering “acting” U.S. attorneys on Monday. An appellate court ruled against Bondi’s tactics, barring her from overseeing prosecutions of her challengers. The decision scrutinizes the Trump administration’s attempts to unlawfully maintain Sigal Chattah in her position.
In a unanimous decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declared that Chattah’s role as acting U.S. Attorney in Nevada does not comply with the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. This verdict aligns with various other court rulings nationwide that have rejected the Trump administration’s maneuvers to ignore the U.S. Senate’s constitutional role of advice and consent.
Instead of adhering to the established constitutional process for appointing permanent federal prosecutorial leaders, the Department of Justice repeatedly attempted to convert interim loyalists into acting U.S. attorneys. These actions, often following the expiration of their 120-day terms, involved firing court-appointed replacements during vacancies to extend the interim service.
U.S. Circuit Judge Eric Miller, appointed by Donald Trump, made it clear that the Department of Justice cannot simply designate Chattah as the acting U.S. attorney by dismissing the existing first assistant U.S. attorney or second-in-command.
“The maneuvers used to extend Chattah’s time atop the U.S. Attorney’s Office are not unique to the District of Nevada. The Attorney General has employed similar—though not always identical—tactics to extend the service of other temporary appointees who have not been confirmed by the Senate. The district court’s reasoning was consistent with that of the other courts to consider those tactics, every one of which has concluded that they violate the limits imposed by the FVRA,” the opinion said.
The panel cited decisions that cut against the temporary U.S. attorney appointments of Alina Habba in New Jersey, Bilal Essayli in California, Lindsey Halligan in the Eastern District of Virginia, John Sarcone in the Northern District of New York, and Ryan Ellison in New Mexico.
Miller was joined in the decision by Senior U.S. District Judge Sidney Thomas, a Bill Clinton appointee, and U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld, Jr., a Trump appointee sitting on the three-judge appellate panel by designation.
The panel upheld Senior U.S. District Judge David Campbell’s ruling from October, which sided with criminal defendants Giann Icob Salazar Del Real, Devonte Devon Jackson, and Jorge Enriquez, Jr. in holding — without dismissing indictments — that their prosecutor had to be disqualified.
Campbell, a George W. Bush appointee in Arizona, said the FVRA was enacted by Congress “precisely” to prevent a scenario where a president and attorney general might attempt to backfill anyone into a top prosecutor role.
“The Court will disqualify Ms. Chattah from participating in or supervising Defendants’ prosecutions,” Campbell said.
The 9th Circuit, referring to Chattah as the “putative Acting United States Attorney,” affirmed the disqualification order and gave “no weight” to the DOJ’s reliance on an Office of Legal Counsel opinion from 2001.
Although the OLC concluded “first assistants may be elevated at any point after the vacancy arises,” the court said, the opinion was “inconsistent with earlier executive interpretations of the [FVRA] statute, and it relies on reasoning that has since been rejected.”
Chattah earlier defended her appointment as “not unconstitutional” and “not done in a nefarious manner,” according to local CBS affiliate KLAS.
“You know, a lot of these people, I know that they’re scared because I know where a lot of the bodies are buried because I come from the defense world,” she said.
The post Court turns down Trump admin ‘tactics’ that propped up ‘not lawfully appointed’ prosecutor, gives ‘no weight’ to DOJ’s citation of itself first appeared on Law & Crime.
Heartbreaking Tragedy: Man’s Violent Rampage Leaves Four Dead, Three Dogs Killed, Home in Flames
In a chilling revenge-driven act, a California man, consumed by heartbreak, quietly waited for night to fall. Once his former boyfriend’s family had retired for the evening, he slipped into their home, fatally shooting four individuals before setting the structure ablaze, according to prosecutors.
Miguel Diego Sandoval, aged 21, has confessed to the horrific events that unfolded in November 2024. The bloodshed at a Lancaster residence tragically ended the lives of Janvi Maquindang, 21, Christine Aca-ac, 25, Edwin Garcia, 24, and Matthew Montebello, 21.
“The defendant was heartbroken after his breakup and escalated to an unthinkable act by taking the lives of four blameless people,” stated Nathan J. Hochman, the Los Angeles County District Attorney.
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna attentively listens as Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman delivers remarks during a Los Angeles news conference. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, File)
“This violence was premeditated and it has created a gaping void that will forever haunt the victims’ families,” Hochman continued, assuring the public. “This guilty admission ensures a lifetime behind bars for Sandoval.”
The deadly rampage was sparked by the end of Sandoval’s relationship with Aca-ac and Maquindang’s brother, and prosecutors say he came looking for revenge.
On Nov. 16, 2024, Sandoval lurked outside the North Tabler Avenue home until the occupants had gone to bed, according to prosecutors. He then went inside and opened fire, killing the four victims.
Sandoval torched the home after the shootings and fled, prosecutors said.
Lancaster, Calif., murder victims Janvi Maquindang, left, Edwin Garcia, Christine Aca-ac and Matthew Montebello, who were killed in a November 2024 shooting and house fire. (GoFundMe)
Amid the carnage, a 16-year-old victim trapped inside managed to call 911 from a locked bedroom. Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies responding to the burning home rescued the teen.
Three beloved family dogs were also killed, resulting in three felony animal cruelty counts against Sandoval.
Fundraising pages set up by the victims’ loved ones in the aftermath of the 2024 killings paint a picture of four young lives cut short and the families left reeling from the massacre.
Christine and Edwin were engaged and planning a future together, according to a GoFundMe organized by Christine’s sister. The fundraiser remembered Christine as a funny, vibrant and deeply caring older sister who served as the legal guardian and protector of her younger siblings.
Christine Aca-ac and her fiancé, Edwin Garcia, were among four people killed inside a Lancaster, Calif., home in November 2024. (GoFundMe)
The same GoFundMe described Janvi, Christine’s brother, as a bright and successful young man who had graduated as valedictorian of his high school class. His younger siblings looked up to him as a role model and someone they could count on, the fundraiser said.
The fundraiser said the younger siblings escaped the attack physically unharmed, but lost Christine and Janvi, as well as their home in the fire. The fundraiser was later expanded to help them find a safe place to live, continue their education and rebuild their lives.
Matthew had turned 21 only days before the shooting, his older brother Andrew Montebello wrote on a separate GoFundMe. According to the fundraiser, Matthew was shot in the head, rushed from the scene and placed in a coma as his family desperately waited for good news that never came.
Andrew described his younger brother as talented, smart and relentlessly curious, writing that Matthew would throw himself into learning a new skill until he mastered it or moved on to his next interest.
Sandoval is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 17 at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center Superior Court of California in Los Angeles. (Derek Shook for News Media, File)
In another GoFundMe, Edwin’s mother, Yemi Olivares, remembered the 24-year-old, known to his family as Fernando or Fer, as a gentle soul who dreamed of becoming an educator in academics and music. She wrote that her son hoped to marry, become a father and teach future generations.
“As a mother, I am completely and utterly devastated,” Olivares wrote on the GoFundMe.
Sandoval pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, including special-circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by means of lying in wait.
He also admitted to attempted murder, first-degree residential burglary and arson of an inhabited structure or property, along with two counts of child abuse under circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
The guilty plea ensures Sandoval will never walk free. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 17.