True Crime News Roundup: Prince Andrew Stripped Of Military Titles After Judge Allows Sex Abuse Case To Proceed

A federal judge rules the sex abuse civil case against Prince Andrew can proceed.

Queen Elizabeth II has stripped her son, Prince Andrew, of his military titles and royal patronages, Buckingham Palace announced on Jan. 13. The news came one day after a federal judge in New York denied 61-year-old Andrew’s request to dismiss Virginia Giuffre’s civil lawsuit against him. Giuffre, 38, alleged she was a minor when Andrew, a friend of disgraced sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, raped her — claims he has vehemently denied. “The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen,” the palace said in a statement.

A mother and two of her children are arrested in connection to the murder of her young son.

Chicago police have charged multiple members of a family in connection to the death of a 6-year-old boy who they reported missing on Jan. 5 and was found dead in an abandoned home in Gary, Indiana, three days later, authorities said. A recently released Lake County Coroner’s Office report stated the body of Damari Perry showed evidence of “scattered ecchymosis on the right leg, extreme cold core temperature, and partially frozen internal organs.” The child’s body was also partially burned, according to the report obtained by WMAQ-TV. Police arrested the boy’s mother, Jannie Perry, 38, on charges of first-degree murder, and concealment of a homicidal death. The victim’s brother, Jeremiah Perry, 20, was charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm to a child under 12, concealing a homicidal death, and obstructing justice. A minor female sibling faces charges related to concealing a body. Prosecutors claimed at a recent hearing that Damari Perry “did something to upset family” on Dec. 29 so, as punishment, he was put in a cold shower until he vomited. Family allegedly then failed to seek medical attention for the boy.

The convicted killer Robert Durst is dead at age 78.

New York real estate heir Robert Durst passed away on Jan. 10 of cardiac arrest at the San Joaquin General Hospital in California, his lawyer said. Last September, Durst was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting his best friend, journalist Susan Berman, at her Los Angeles home in 2000. He was also suspected of the 1982 murder of his wife, Kathleen Durst, in New York as well as the 2001 slaying and dismemberment of his neighbor, Morris Black, in Galveston, Texas.

Elizabeth Holmes is set to be sentenced later this year.

Sentencing proceedings for former Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes are currently scheduled for late September, CNBC reported, citing a Jan. 11 court filing. Holmes, 37, was convicted of four fraud-related charges. Holmes, who recently gave birth to a baby boy, was to be released until her sentencing on a $500,000 bond. She faces up to 20 years behind bars.

A missing LGBTQ+ rights movement hero is found murdered in Florida.

The body of a man lauded as a champion of the LGBTQ+ rights movement was discovered in a landfill in Jackson County, Florida, on Jan. 8, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. Jorge Diaz-Johnston, 54, was last seen alive five days earlier, on Jan. 3, around 3 p.m. near his workplace in Tallahassee. Diaz-Johnston’s death was ruled a homicide and the investigation is open and active. In 2014, Diaz-Johnston and his partner, Don Diaz-Johnston, joined five other same-sex couples as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Miami-Dade County Clerk’s Office after they were denied marriage licenses. A judge ruled in the couples’ favor, ushering in the legalization of gay marriage in Florida the following year. "My brother was such a special gift to this world whose heart and legacy will continue to live on for generations to come," former Miami mayor Manny Diaz said in a statement.

Anyone with information related to the case is asked to call 850-891-4200, or leave an anonymous tip at 850-574-TIPS or online at Big Bend Crime Stoppers.