ALACHUA, Fla. – A 57-year-old Alachua man, Freddie Kelly, is facing an aggravated animal cruelty charge after authorities said his dog was discovered tethered with a heavy metal chain while suffering from a severe neck injury.
An Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputy was called to the 14100 block of NW 167th Place on June 25 after Animal Control officers asked for assistance with a dog they believed was in distress. According to the deputy’s report, the Labrador Retriever mix, named Big Boy, was secured to a wire line using a metal chain and collar. The chain was later determined to weigh more than 10 pounds. The deputy also reported smelling a strong odor of decay while nearing the animal.
Big Boy appeared underweight, with his bones visibly protruding, and had what authorities described as a large open wound on his neck.
Because officers could not immediately verify who owned the dog, Big Boy was taken into custody and transported to Alachua County Animal Resources for emergency medical care.
A veterinarian at the shelter found a ruptured mass on the right side of the dog’s neck, roughly the size of a softball. The injury had a foul odor, and maggots were present in the tissue, according to the veterinary assessment. The mass was surgically removed, and Big Boy was also found to have a serious flea infestation.
Investigators later noted that Kelly had received a written warning in 2021 over tethering a dog with a heavy chain. The description of that animal matched Big Boy, authorities said.
Kelly subsequently surrendered Big Boy to the county. He reportedly told officials that he had owned the dog since it was a puppy and had continued feeding him.
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After being advised of his Miranda rights, Kelly allegedly acknowledged that Big Boy had been kept on the heavy chain. He also said he attempted to care for the neck wound himself by opening the affected area and applying hydrogen peroxide.
Big Boy’s health continued to worsen despite treatment, and he was humanely euthanized on July 1.
Kelly was charged with aggravated animal cruelty. Court records indicate he has no prior criminal history. He was released on $5,000 bail, and Judge Mitchell Bishop ordered that he have no contact with animals.
Bacon Buyers May Be Eligible for Share of $117 Million Class-Action Settlement
Pork producers could soon be opening their piggy banks.
Millions of Americans who purchased pork products may qualify for part of a $117 million class-action settlement tied to claims that pork prices were improperly inflated.
The settlements apply to consumers who indirectly bought eligible raw pork products between June 28, 2014, and June 30, 2018.
Eligible purchases could include grocery-store bacon and other pork items, including pork bellies, loins, shoulders, ribs and pork chops.
The litigation arose from allegations that major processors conspired to drive up pork prices by restricting supply and using industry data to shape the market.
Companies named in the case, including Agri Stats, Clemens, Hormel, Seaboard, Triumph, Tyson and Smithfield, have denied the allegations.
Still, the agreements bring the litigation to a close without a trial and without a determination of whether the companies were at fault.
“The court has not ruled that the defendants did anything wrong, and the companies deny any allegations of wrongdoing,” the settlement’s website states.
Clemens, Hormel, Seaboard, Triumph, Tyson and Smithfield are among the brands included in the settlement.
In total, the current settlements make $117.065 million available for consumers.
While a handful of companies agreed to pay millions, there is no set amount of money that each impacted person will receive.
Eligible consumers who file valid claims will receive a share of the settlement based on the number of people who submit claims and the amount of pork they bought.
The settlement applies to consumers in a whopping 25 states, including New York, California, Florida, Illinois and Michigan.
Not every pork product qualifies, either. Organic pork and products labeled ‘no antibiotics ever’ are excluded, as are certain pork products that were marinated, seasoned, flavored or breaded.
Consumers who believe they qualify have until October 29 to submit a claim.
And even though part of the form asks for ‘purchase information,’ buyers do not have to enter a receipt from years ago.
The website confirms, ‘you do not need to provide any documentation at this time. However, the Settlement Administrator may ask for additional information or documentation to support your claim.’
People who file a claim will not be required to provide a receipt or proof of purchase, but may be asked questions about their purchases
After buyers submit their claim online, they will receive a confirmation email with a unique code – the website says to keep both the email and the code for the time being.
Customers can also submit their claim by mail, if they choose.
There have also been earlier settlements in the case involving JBS and Smithfield totaling $95 million, but the deadline to claim money from those settlements has already passed.
Meanwhile, Agri Stats agreed to certain business-practice changes but is not making a cash payment as part of the settlement.
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Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae Take Transgender Lawsuit to Federal Court
A group of Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae returned to federal court Monday in an effort to revive their lawsuit against the sorority’s national organization, alleging its leaders improperly permitted a transgender woman to join a chapter.
Allie Coghan, one of the plaintiffs, told Fox News Digital that although she has graduated, she hopes the appeal will create a legal precedent involving single-sex private organizations and limit the ability of national bodies to override the wishes of local members.
“We were promised a sisterhood, and we were given a brother,” Coghan said. “If Kappa wants to redefine the word woman to include men in the definition, that’s fine, but they have to go through the proper procedures to do so and allow members to vote, which they did not.”
The dispute dates to 2022, when Artemis Langford, a transgender student, was admitted to the University of Wyoming chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Coghan said Langford’s admission moved forward despite objections raised by her and other members of the sorority.
According to Coghan, the chapter also departed from its usual membership voting process.
Rather than using the chapter’s standard recruitment application, she said members were instructed to vote through Google Forms that were not anonymous and were connected to their email accounts.
“They were knocking on girls’ doors asking for proof that you had voted,” Coghan said. She also alleged that chapter officers warned members they could be branded “transphobic” if they opposed the prospective member’s admission.
Coghan said members and parents tried repeatedly to reach Kappa Kappa Gamma’s national leadership, but executives did not return calls and later stopped responding to emails.
She and several fellow sorority members eventually filed a legal challenge against the organization.
The initial lawsuit was dismissed by US District Judge Alan B. Johnson, who ruled that Kappa Kappa Gamma, as a private organization, could interpret its own membership requirements.
However, the alumnae, supported by the Independent Women’s Law Center, appealed the ruling to the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which heard oral arguments in Denver Monday.
It was very surreal to be back. I mean, we were in college. We just wanted to be sorority girls, finish our degrees, graduate, go out into the real world,” Coghan said.
“I remember when I was trying to decide if I wanted to sign my name on this, asking the lawyer, am I [going to] be married with kids before there’s any sort of resolution? And he just kind of laughed at me and said, ‘I guess it depends on how soon you get married.’ Well, I actually just got married two weeks ago,” she added.
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Coghan described the situation in school as toxic and said the sorority house became a “political war zone.” She said that while Langford did not live in the house, the student was granted 24/7 access to the living quarters and common rooms, including an area young women needed to walk through to get to the showers.
“The entire dynamic of the house completely shifted. It became a political war zone,” Coghan said. “You would see him sitting in the common rooms upstairs, and girls have to walk past those rooms to get to the shower. We don’t have a space to undress to get into the shower, so you would just walk in your towel and go take a shower and come back.”
While Coghan has since graduated, she said a sense of duty to younger women keeps her involved in the case and seeking a resolution in the courts.
“I don’t understand how the feminist movement has shifted so much that it’s no longer pro-women, it’s pro-woman erasure,” Coghan said.
“I hope that it will really set a standard of woman means woman. Woman does not mean man who thinks he is woman. Woman is not up for interpretation. A woman is an adult human female,” she later added.
Coghan and her fellow plaintiff, Hannah Holtmeier, also spoke on the “Riley Gaines Show” podcast, discussing the moment they said their chapter president told them that if they didn’t like the change in their house, they were welcome to drop out of the group.
“She basically told us, ‘If you don’t like it, your values don’t align with Kappa’s, and you can drop,’” Holtmeier told Gaines. “Being told that, ‘If you don’t like it, you can drop’ and not live in a house that I had called a home for already a year and a half was absolutely mind-boggling to me.”
She echoed Coghan’s comments about conditions in the sorority house, saying women would sometimes act as lookouts for one another when they were in the shower to ensure the hallway was clear.
“It was to the point where girls would have like a lookout basically when they’re in the shower. They would text their roommate, say, ‘Hey, I’m coming back,’ and they would have to clear the hall,” Holtmeier said.
“It was definitely an unnerving feeling in those intimate spaces, especially upstairs when that’s where our showers were.”
The recent oral arguments before the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver represented a new phase in the legal battle.
The three-judge panel is considering whether to overturn the lower court’s dismissal and revive the breach of contract lawsuit.
The plaintiffs argued the national leadership of the group could not legally redefine core membership terms, including what constitutes being a “woman,” without a formal vote from the organization’s members or an amendment to its bylaws. The appeals court’s ruling will determine whether the lawsuit remains dismissed or is allowed to move forward.
Fox News Digital reached out to Kappa Kappa Gamma for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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DaBaby, DaniLeigh and Ice-T Bring Kids to Rookie Kids Fashion Show
Celebrity families made a stylish night of it Thursday as stars arrived with their children for Rookie Kids: Runway on Broadway at Macy’s Herald Square in New York City.
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New York Knicks standout Jalen Brunson hosted the Sept. 17 kids’ fashion event, which sent fresh looks from major labels such as Abercrombie Kids, Levi’s, Nike and Lacoste down the runway.
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DaBaby and DaniLeigh brought along their 5-year-old daughter, Velour, for the Rookie Kids runway event. The young fashionista took photos with each of her parents on the red carpet, sporting a black-and-white ensemble accessorized with heart-shaped sunglasses and a basketball-themed purse.
Ice-T and Coco Austin also turned the occasion into a family outing with their 10-year-old daughter, Chanel Nicole Marrow. Chanel posed between her parents in a brown polka-dot dress, paired with a pink cardigan and sneakers.
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The Rookie Kids catwalk was a familiar setting for Chanel. She previously modeled in the brand’s annual New York back-to-school fashion show in July, where her runway moment drew proud praise from her famous father.
Trey Songz attended alongside Caro Colon and their son, Noah Neverson. Toya Johnson was also on hand with her husband, Robert “Red” Rushing, and their daughter, Reign Rushing.
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Brunson had his own family by his side. His wife, Ali Marks, and their daughter, Jordyn, joined him at the event, with the three posing together for photos.
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His Knicks teammate Josh Hart returned with wife Shannon Hart and their twin sons, Hendrix and Haze. The boys made their runway debut at the 2025 edition of Runway on Broadway, when Hart jumped onto the catwalk after the then-2-year-olds hesitated during their walk.
Rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie was spotted at this year’s show with his children as well.
Singer RL Huggar of NEXT attended with wife Lena Huggar and their 9-year-old daughter, Rory Lane Huggar.
The event was held in partnership with Brunson’s Second Round Foundation, whose logo appeared throughout the red carpet. The organization focuses on providing educational, athletic and community opportunities for young people.
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This year marked a change from the 2025 Runway on Broadway show, which was hosted by Ciara and partnered with Ciara and Russell Wilson’s Why Not You Foundation. Josh Hart’s twins, Ice-T and Coco’s daughter Chanel, and several other celebrity kids were among the families who participated last year.
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Police: Dad, Stepmom Nearly Starved 9-Year-Old to Death, Ignored Pleas
Inset, from left: Elizabeth Lynn Crow and Jacob Aaron Neal (Frankfort Police Department). Background: The Frankfort area where prosecutors allege Neal’s 9-year-old son was abused (Google Maps).
An Indiana father and his wife are accused of subjecting the man’s 9-year-old son to extreme neglect, allegedly starving and abusing the child as punishment while requiring him to help care for younger children in their home.
Jacob Aaron Neal, 31, and Elizabeth Lynn Crow, 27, were arrested Thursday, authorities said. Each faces a felony charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury.
The investigation began Aug. 26, 2026, after Indiana University Health Frankfort Hospital notified police about a child with suspicious injuries believed to be consistent with abuse, according to a Frankfort Police Department press release. Officers said the boy was malnourished and had extensive bruising as well as multiple fractured bones.
Because of the seriousness of his injuries, the child was transferred to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis and admitted in critical condition. Police later said he had been upgraded to stable condition.
The Indiana Department of Child Services removed several other children from the home shared by Neal and Crow. Authorities said those children were found to be healthy.
Investigators allege Neal and Crow deprived the boy of food as a form of discipline.
Court records reviewed by Indianapolis FOX affiliate WXIN detailed the extent of the child’s condition. Police said he weighed 51 pounds, with his ribs visibly showing because of malnutrition. The boy reportedly wore size 4 diapers and was “unaware when he would soil himself.”
Medical personnel reportedly documented bruises on the child’s face and head, broken ribs, compression fractures in his spine, open wounds on his hands, gastrointestinal bleeding, a fungal lung infection, broken teeth and bedsores.
When authorities questioned the couple about the boy’s injuries, Neal and Crow allegedly offered conflicting explanations, according to court documents.
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Neal reportedly told doctors the child had fallen while climbing a bookshelf, while Crow said he had fallen from a swing at a park about a week earlier. Doctors told police they did not believe the explanations, as they could not account for the severity of the boy’s injuries.
During an interview with investigators, Neal allegedly said the children were given food whenever they were hungry.
When investigators asked Crow when the boy was last happy and healthy, she responded, “It’s not like he’s been like this for a week or anything. This is just the past couple days and not even this bad,” Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR reported, citing court documents.
Investigators also found text messages between Neal and Crow discussing the boy’s food and punishment, several of which were published by WTHR and WXIN and read, in part:
- Sept. 8, 2025: Neal texted Crow that his son “Can go without eating today to see how he likes it.” Crow responded that because the child ate that day, he needed to be spanked.
- Dec. 17, 2025: Neal texted Crow that the boy “needed to be put on medication and locked the f— up.” Later in the conversation, Crow replied, “I don’t trust the neighbors not to call the cops & I CANNOT risk you getting in trouble & us losing the kids.”
- Aug. 11, 2026: Crow texted Neal about the child stealing food, saying, “I’m f—ing done with him!!” before adding, “He’s been trying to talk to me all day & I’ve not responded to him a single time. I’m done w this abusive relationship & then him fake apologizing.”
- Aug. 11, 2026: One of the defendants texted the other, “HE’S GOT TO GO,” and “HE HAS GOT TO GET TF OUT OF OUR HOUSE! He’s a lost cause, there’s NO changing him!!”
- Undated: Crow texted Neal about the boy, writing, “ALL DAY [he] has been begging for food like a f—ing dog,” and “Every 2 minutes ALL DAY LONG he’s asked about food!! Nonstop!! I told them to leave me tf alone & let me relax for a little bit.”
Frankfort Police Chief Scott Shoemaker called the case “heartbreaking.”
Neal and Crow both pleaded not guilty during their initial hearings Friday, court records show. A judge revoked Crow’s bond because she was already out on bond in another child-neglect case. Neal’s bond was set at $40,000. The defendants are scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing on Nov. 12.
The post Dad, stepmom nearly starved 9-year-old to death, complained about boy begging for food while they tried to ‘relax’: Police first appeared on Law & Crime.
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Lizzie Borden Murder Trial: How Money Shaped the Prosecution’s Case
TV
Netflix’s anthology entry Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story explores the repression, anger, and psychological pressures portrayed as leading to the killings of Andrew and Abby Borden. While the series casts Lizzie Borden as a woman pushed to a breaking point by a harsh, controlling home life, she was acquitted after a sensational murder trial. In reality, the case did not delve deeply into the household’s psychology; prosecutors centered their argument largely on money.
Netflix’s anthology installment Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story examines the psychology, repression, and rage said to have culminated in the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. The show presents Lizzie Borden as the product of a cruel and restrictive household, ultimately driven to snap, even though she was acquitted in an explosive murder trial. The real-life proceedings, however, did not examine the psychology of the Borden home. Instead, prosecutors concentrated almost entirely on financial motives. Here is what happened.
How were Abby and Andrew Borden killed?
On the morning of August 4, 1892, Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby, were discovered hacked to death in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts. Abby was killed first in an upstairs guest room, struck about 18 times with a hatchet-like weapon. Roughly 90 minutes later, Andrew was murdered as he slept on a sofa in a downstairs sitting room, suffering around 11 blows to his head and face.
Lizzie, 32 at the time, was unmarried and still lived in her father’s home. She said she had been searching the barn loft for fishing sinkers when her father was killed and claimed she found his body after returning to the house. The only other person in the household that morning was the maid, Bridget Sullivan. Sullivan testified that she heard nothing unusual, though she had been napping in an attic room far from where the killings occurred.
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Investigators quickly became suspicious of Lizzie. Her account of where she had been changed over time, while neighbors questioned her seemingly unaffected demeanor. A pharmacist later alleged that she had tried to purchase poison one day before her father and stepmother were murdered.
She was arrested on August 11, 1892, then formally indicted in December. Her trial opened on June 5, 1893, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Although prosecutors sought to build a compelling case, their evidence was largely circumstantial. Authorities never found bloodstained clothing or a definitive murder weapon. After about 90 minutes of deliberation, the jury acquitted her on June 20, 1893.
The prosecution focused on Lizzie Borden’s dwindling inheritance
Lizzie Borden’s trial was sensational, but the prosecution could not secure a conviction. One reason may have been the limited evidence available to them. Prosecutors instead leaned heavily on the point they could establish: Andrew Borden controlled the family’s money. Much of their case argued that Lizzie had a financial motive, alleging she feared her father was diverting assets that would otherwise become part of her inheritance. According to several reports, the prosecution said Andrew had spent the months before his death moving money toward Abby’s relatives, including deeding a house to Abby’s sister and drawing funds from the family fortune.
Prosecutors focused on the money because they believed the shrinking inheritance drove Lizzie to murder her parents out of fear of financial instability. There was a fair amount of money to worry about, too. According to reports, Andrew Borden was one of the town’s wealthiest men, with a net worth of around $300,000 at the time. That fortune would be roughly equivalent to $10 to $11.5 million today. Despite the wealth, Andrew ran his home frugally while reportedly handing off money to relatives. The prosecution’s theory rested on a simple, transactional grievance: Lizzie resented her father’s frugality and resented her stepmother Abby’s growing claim on the family estate.
Lizzie and her sister, Emma, were the only ones poised to inherit Andrew’s fortune, should Abby die first. If Andrew predeceased Abby, the fortune would have gone to her, according to Vanity Fair. Lizzie and Emma’s mother, Sarah Borden, died in 1863 from an illness.
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Planning Board Approves Halal Kill Floor Amid Community Outcry
Residents in Rio Linda, California, have voiced anger after plans for a large halal slaughterhouse were allowed to advance because of a procedural technicality.
Bahadur Amiri submitted an application to the Sacramento County Planning Commission last year seeking to convert a 20-acre property on Palladay Road in Rio Linda into what he called a “small-scale slaughterhouse.”
The proposed facility drew fierce opposition almost immediately, with nearby residents objecting to an unrestricted “kill floor” being built close to their homes.
Opponents have repeatedly raised concerns about the project’s potential environmental effects. Some residents also said they fear they could hear animals being slaughtered at the site.
Despite the backlash, the Sacramento County Planning Commission approved the halal slaughterhouse project in July. On August 24, commissioners narrowly rejected an appeal filed by members of the Rio Linda–Elverta community, Fox 40 reported.
Commissioners split 2-2 on the appeal. Under Sacramento County code, however, the tie meant the appeal was denied, allowing the project to proceed.
The decision went against a recommendation from the planning advisory council, giving some local residents hope that the dispute may not yet be settled.
Still, the rejected appeal clears the way for Amiri to begin the licensing process without additional public hearings.
Plans for a “small-scale slaughterhouse” on a 20-acre Rio Linda, California, property have moved ahead despite concerns raised by local residents.
The Sacramento County Planning Commission deadlocked on an appeal that could have halted the project, but county rules meant the 2-2 vote resulted in the appeal being denied.
In his application, viewed by the Daily Mail, Amiri argued the slaughterhouse, which he is naming ‘Greenfarm,’ is ‘specifically designed to meet the cultural and religious needs of the Afghan and broader Muslim communities in the area, who currently lack a local space for ritual animal slaughter in accordance with Islamic law.
‘The facility will allow for humane, halal slaughter within a fully-enclosed, fenced covered building, ensuring that all activities remain private and discreet.
‘The facility will also include appropriate waste management and sanitation measures, fully complying with all relevant laws and regulations to ensure environmental safety and animal welfare,’ the application reads.
If approved, the site, which currently houses an abandoned single-family home as well as several barns and animal enclosures, would house livestock and accept customers for up to 30 custom slaughter services each week.
But community members spoke out against the proposal one-by-one at the hearing on August 24.
‘We live about 600 feet from the back of their property and we see it all,’ one woman claimed. ‘My kids play in a seasonal pond that we have in our backyard, and it flows directly from their property. Are they still safe to play there?’
She then went on to claim she would be able to hear the animals being killed at the property.
Michelle Anderson, who said she lives catty-corner to the site, also noted she has a well on her property.
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Applicant Bahadur Amiri initially filed an application with the Sacramento County Planning Commission last year. He spoke out defending his proposal at a meeting on August 24
His plans call for a ‘fully-enclosed, fenced covered building, ensuring that all activities remain private and discreet’
The site currently houses an abandoned single-family home as well as several barns and animal enclosures
‘I’m really concerned about the water and what it will do to my water, and I won’t know until it’s too late,’ she bemoaned.
Anderson also worried about peace of mind in the home she had hoped to retire in.
‘Let’s talk about the smells and the fact that we have a nice breeze out there,’ she said.
One man who spoke at the hearing further said he is a ‘strong believer in personal property rights.
‘I believe you should be able to do whatever you want on your property as long as it’s legal, and that it doesn’t have a substantial negative effect on neighbors in your community – which I believe this project does,’ he argued.
Others also expressed their concerns over traffic increases, reduced property values and animal exploitation.
One woman expressed her concerns that her children will no longer be able to play in their seasonal pond
A man at the meeting argued the project has ‘a substantial negative effect on neighbors’
But the planning board also heard from Amiri, who defended his proposal as he lamented: ‘It’s not easy when you’re just by yourself and the whole community comes against you.’
He noted that he addressed many of the issues residents raised in the past.
‘It’s going to be [a] sealed tank,’ Amiri said. ‘This operation is not going to happen in the middle of the yard, [it] is going to be inside the building and that building will be inspected by the building department.’
In the end, Planning Commissioner Joseph Devlin agreed that the business could promote a more sustainable food system for the region.
‘We are, and have claimed to be, the Farm to Fork capital of the world,’ he noted. ‘However, one of the probably biggest gaps within that Farm to Fork is the actual acquiring and harvesting of meat that is locally sourced.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Planning Commission and Amiri for comment.
Two Men Exchange Gunfire During Child Custody Swap in Oakleaf Plantation, Deputies Say
No one was injured after two men allegedly exchanged gunfire during a child custody handoff in Clay County, deputies said. Both suspects were taken into custody after fleeing the scene.
OAKLEAF PLANTATION, Fla. — Two men were arrested Friday after investigators said they shot at one another inside an Oakleaf Plantation home while children were present during a custody exchange.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office received multiple 911 reports of gunshots on Baybridge Court shortly before 5 p.m. Friday, authorities said.
Within minutes, dispatchers received additional calls reporting that a vehicle had crashed on nearby Piedmont Manor Drive and that a man was running through a resident’s backyard.
Deputies responded to the area and quickly located all of those believed to be involved in the shooting, officials said.
Investigators determined that the two men involved knew each other, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities said the incident began during a planned custody exchange between separated parents at a home on Baybridge Court. During the handoff, the woman’s current boyfriend and her legal husband allegedly began firing at each other while children were nearby.
Despite the exchange of gunfire, no one was struck or injured, deputies said. Both men are now in custody.
One suspect fled on foot through backyards in the Baybridge Court cul-de-sac before deputies found him a short time later, investigators said. The other allegedly drove away, crashed into a tree on Piedmont Manor Drive and then ran. A sheriff’s office K-9 later located him. He was taken to a hospital for injuries authorities said he sustained after the shooting.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to call the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at 904-264-6512. Tips may also be submitted through SaferWatch or to First Coast Crime Stoppers by dialing **TIPS.