Last living Suspect In 1996 Drive-By Shooting Of Tupac Shakur Indicted In Las Vegas On Murder Charge

This booking photo provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows Duane "Keffe D." Davis, Friday, September 29, 2023 in Las Vegas...(Las Vegas Police Department via AP) 

BY RIO YAMAT AND KEN RITTER

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A man who prosecutors say ordered the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur was arrested and charged with murder Friday in a long-awaited breakthrough in one of hip-hop’s most enduring mysteries.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis has long been known to investigators as one of four suspects identified early in the investigation. He isn’t the accused gunman but was described as the group’s ringleader by authorities Friday at a news conference and in court. In Nevada you can be charged with a crime, including murder, if you help someone commit the crime.

“Duane Davis was the shot caller for this group of individuals that committed this crime,” said Las Vegas police homicide Lt. Jason Johansson, “and he orchestrated the plan that was carried out.”

Davis himself has admitted in interviews and in his 2019 tell-all memoir, “Compton Street Legend,” that he provided the gun used in the drive-by shooting.

Authorities said Friday that Davis’ own public comments revived the investigation.

Davis, now 60, was arrested early Friday while on a walk near his home on the outskirts of Las Vegas, hours before prosecutors announced in court that a Nevada grand jury had indicted the self-described “gangster” on one count of murder with a deadly weapon. He is due in court next week.

The grand jury also voted to add a sentencing enhancement to the murder charge for gang activity that could add up to 20 additional years if he’s convicted.

Hundreds of pages of transcripts released Friday provide a view into the first month of grand jury proceedings, which began in late July with testimony from former associates of Davis, friends of Shakur and a slate of retired police officers involved in the case early on. Their testimony painted a picture for the jurors of a deep, escalating rift between Shakur’s music label Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records, which had ties to Davis and represented Shakur’s rap rival, Biggie Smalls.

“It started the whole West Coast/East Coast” rivalry that primarily defined the hip-hop scene during the mid-1990s, one of Davis’ former associates testified.

The first-ever arrest in the case came after Las Vegas police in mid-July raided Davis’ home in the nearby city of Henderson for items they described at the time as “concerning the murder of Tupac Shakur.”

Davis denied an interview request Friday from jail, and court records don’t list an attorney who can comment on his behalf. Phone and text messages to Davis and his wife on Friday and in the months since the July 17 search weren’t returned.

In a statement Friday, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, the rapper’s sister, described the arrest as a victory.

“This is no doubt a pivotal moment. The silence of the past 27 years surrounding this case has spoken loudly in our community,” she said. “It’s important to me that the world, the country, the justice system, and our people acknowledge the gravity of the passing of this man, my brother, my mother’s son, my father’s son.”

On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in a BMW driven by Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight. They were waiting at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip when a white Cadillac pulled up next to them and gunfire erupted.

Shakur was shot multiple times and died a week later at the age of 25.

Davis, in his memoir, said he was in the front passenger seat of the Cadillac and had slipped a gun into the back seat, from where he said the shots were fired.

He implicated his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, saying he was one of two people in the backseat. Anderson, a known rival of Shakur, had been involved in a casino brawl with the rapper shortly before the shooting.

“Little did anyone know that this incident right here would ultimately lead to the retaliatory shooting and death of Tupac Shakur,” said Johansson, the police lieutenant.

Anderson died two years later. He denied any involvement in Shakur’s death.

Emails seeking comment from two lawyers who have previously represented Knight were not immediately returned. Knight was grazed by a bullet fragment in the shooting but had only minor injuries. He is serving a 28-year prison sentence in California for an unrelated voluntary manslaughter charge.

On the night of July 17, Las Vegas police quietly surrounded the home where Davis lives with his wife, Paula Clemons. Police lapel video obtained by The Associated Press showed SWAT officers detaining a man and his wife outside the home lit up by a swirl of red and blue lights after announcing their presence on a bullhorn. The couple’s faces are blurred in the videos.

Police reported collecting multiple computers, a cellphone and hard drive, a Vibe magazine that featured Shakur, several .40-caliber bullets, two “tubs containing photographs” and a copy of Davis’ memoir.

Greg Kading, a retired Los Angeles police detective who spent years investigating the Shakur killing and wrote a book about it, said he’s not surprised by Davis’ arrest.

“He put himself squarely in the middle of the conspiracy,” Kading said, adding that Davis himself gave Las Vegas police “the ammunition and leverage to move forward.”

Kading said he had also anticipated the murder charge, because Davis’ public comments showed the crime was premeditated.

“All the other direct conspirators or participants are all dead,” Kading said. “Keefe D is the last man standing among the individuals that conspired to kill Tupac.”

The rapper’s death came as his fourth solo album, “All Eyez on Me,” remained on the charts, with some 5 million copies sold. Nominated six times for a Grammy Award, Shakur is still largely considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time.

Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton contributed reporting from Los Angeles.

Workers Exposed To Extreme Heat Have No Consistent Protection In The US

A maintenance worker pushes a refuse cart in the sun, Friday, August 25, 2023, i  Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty O'Neil)

BY GABE STERN

RENO, NEV. (AP) — Santos Brizuela spent more than two decades laboring outdoors, persisting despite a bout of heatstroke while cutting sugarcane in Mexico and chronic laryngitis from repeated exposure to the hot sun while on various other jobs.

But last summer, while on a construction crew in Las Vegas, he reached his breaking point. Exposure to the sun made his head ache immediately. He lost much of his appetite.

Now at a maintenance job, Brizuela, 47, is able to take breaks. There are flyers on the walls with best practices for staying healthy — protections he had not been afforded before.

“Sometimes as a worker you ask your employer for protection or for health and safety related needs, and they don’t listen or follow,” he said in Spanish through an interpreter.

A historic heat wave that began blasting the Southwest and other parts of the country this summer is shining a spotlight on one of the harshest, yet least-addressed effects of U.S. climate change: the rising deaths and injuries of people who work in extreme heat, whether inside warehouses and kitchens or outside under the blazing sun. Many of them are migrants in low-wage jobs.

State and federal governments have long implemented federal procedures for environmental risks exacerbated by climate change, namely drought, flood and wildfires. But extreme heat protections have generally lagged with “no owner” in state and federal governments, said Ladd Keith, an assistant professor of planning at Arizona State University.

“In some ways, we have a very long way to catch up to the governance gap in treating the heat as a true climate hazard,” Keith said.

There is no federal heat standard in the U.S. despite an ongoing push from President Joe Biden’s administration to establish one. Most of the hottest U.S. states currently have no heat-specific standards either.

Instead, workers in many states who are exposed to extreme heat are ostensibly protected by what is known as the “general duty clause,” which requires employers to mitigate hazards that could cause serious injury or death. The clause permits state authorities to inspect work sites for violations, and many do, but there are no consistent benchmarks for determining what constitutes a serious heat hazard.

“What’s unsafe isn’t always clear,” said Juanita Constible, a senior advocate from the National Resources Defense Council who tracks extreme heat policy. “Without a specific heat standard, it makes it more challenging for regulators to decide, ‘OK, this employer’s breaking the law or not.’”

Many states are adopting their own versions of a federal “emphasis” program increasing inspections to ensure employers offer water, shade and breaks, but citations and enforcement still must go through the general duty clause.

Extreme heat is notably absent from the list of disasters to which the Federal Emergency Management Agency can respond. And while regional floodplain managers are common throughout the country, there are only three newly created “chief heat officer” positions to coordinate extreme heat planning, in Miami-Dade County, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Federal experts have recommended extreme heat protections since 1972, but it wasn’t until 1997 and 2006, respectively, that Minnesota and California adopted the first statewide protections. For a long time, those states were the exception, with only a scattering of others joining them throughout the early 2000s.

But as heat waves get longer and hotter, the tide is starting to change.

“There are a lot of positive movements that give me some hope,” Keith said.

Colorado strengthened existing rules last year to require regular rest and meal breaks in extreme heat and cold and provide water and shade breaks when temperatures hit 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.7 degrees Celsius). Washington state last month updated 15-year-old heat safety standards to lower the temperature at which cool-down breaks and other protections are required. Oregon, which adopted temporary heat protection rules in 2021, made them permanent last year.

Several other states are considering similar laws or regulations.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs recently announced new regulations through the heat emphasis program and declared a state of emergency over extreme heat, allowing the state to reimburse various government entities for funds spent on providing relief from high temperatures.

Nevada also adopted a version of the heat emphasis program. But a separate bill that would define what constitutes extreme heat and require employers to provide protections ultimately failed in the final month of the legislative session.

The measure faltered even after the temperature threshold for those protections was increased from 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) to 105 (40.5 degrees Celsius). Democratic lawmakers in Nevada are now trying to pass those protections through a regulatory process before next summer.

The Biden administration introduced new regulations in 2021 that would develop heat safety standards and strengthen required protective measures for most at-risk private sector workers, but the mandates are likely subject to several more years of review. A group of Democratic U.S. Congress members introduced a bill last month that would effectively speed up the process by legislating heat standards.

The guidelines would apply to all 50 states and include private sector and select federal workers, but leave most other public sector workers uncovered. Differing conditions across states and potential discrepancies in how the federal law would be implemented make consistent state standards crucial, Constible said.

For now, protections for those workers are largely at the discretion of individual employers.

Eleazar Castellanos, who trains workers on dealing with extreme heat at Arriba Las Vegas, a nonprofit supporting migrant and low-wage employees, said he experienced two types of employers during his 20 years of working construction.

“The first version is the employer that makes sure that their workers do have access to water, shade and rest,” he said in Spanish through an interpreter. “And the second type of employer is the kind who threatens workers with consequences for asking for those kinds of preventative measures.”

Heat protection laws have faced steady industry opposition, including chambers of commerce and other business associations. They say a blanket mandate would be too difficult to implement across such a wide range of industries.

“We are always concerned about a one-size-fits-all bill like this,” Tray Abney, a lobbyist for the National Federation of Independent Businesses, told Nevada legislators.

Opinions vary on why the Nevada bill failed after passing the Senate on party lines. Some say it was a victim of partisan politics. Others say there were too many bills competing for attention in a session that meets for just four months every other year.

“It all comes down to the dollar,” said Vince Saavedra, secretary-treasurer and lobbyist for Southern Nevada Building Trades. “But I’ll challenge anybody to go work outside with any of these people, and then tell me that we don’t need these regs.”

Stern is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America places journalists in local newsrooms across the country to report on undercovered issues. Follow Stern on Twitter: @gabestern326.

Olympians Efe Ajagba And Ali Eren Demirezen Meet July 20 On FOX

Heavy sensation Efe Ajagba. Image: Premier Boxing Champions

LAS VEGAS (PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS) — Rising unbeaten heavyweight sensation and 2016 Nigerian Olympian Efe Ajagba will square off against undefeated 2016 Turkish Olympian Ali Eren Demirezen in FOX PBC Fight Night action and on FOX Deportes Saturday, July 20 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The 10-round heavyweight attraction will feature two 2016 Olympians putting their unbeaten records on the line as they look to make a statement in the red-hot division. FOX PBC Fight Night begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and is headlined by undefeated IBF Super Middleweight World Champion Caleb "Sweethands" Plant making the first defense of his title against unbeaten contender Mike Lee.

FOX PBC Fight Night will precede the FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View event beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT that also takes place at MGM Grand featuring eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao facing WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith Thurman in the main event.

Tickets for the event, which is presented by TGB Promotions and Sweethands Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased online through AXS.com, charge by phone at 866-740-7711 or in person at any MGM Resorts International box office. The Ajagba vs. Demirezen match is being promoted in association with Ringstar Sports.

"Saturday, July 20th is the biggest night of boxing I can remember," said Richard Schaefer, Chairman and CEO of Ringstar Sports. "The entire card top to bottom is toe-to-toe action with evenly matched fights featuring the most entertaining fighters in the world displaying their talent. I am sure several of the fights that night will be immediate Fight of the Year candidates. It is only fitting that the most talked about young heavyweight, Efe Ajagba, will be part of this Boxing-Extravaganza. Efe is simply put the definition of must-see TV. His opponent, Ali Demirezen, is undefeated in 11 fights with 10 of them by knockout. It will be two undefeated big punchers putting it all on the line, that is PBC boxing at its best!"

Ughelli, Nigeria's Ajagba (10-0, 9 KOs) gained notoriety last August 24 when his opponent, Curtis Harper, walked out of the ring after touching gloves to start the first round. The 24-year-old won the fight without throwing a punch as Harper was disqualified live on FS1. Ajagba, who lives in Stafford, Texas and trains with Ronnie Shields, has steadily increased his competition in his two fights this year, stopping Amir Mansour on FOX in March in two rounds, before disposing of Michael Wallisch in April in two rounds as well.

"My goal is clear: I want to be heavyweight champion of the world," said Ajagba. "To get there I must continue to take on anyone and for the third time in my career it is another undefeated heavyweight. As they say 'somebody's o must go,' and it won't be mine. There's no better platform for this performance than on the biggest boxing night of the year. The stage is set...don't blink!"

Unbeaten since turning pro after the 2016 Olympics, Demirezen (11-0, 10 KOs) has fought out of Hamburg, Germany in the professional ranks and will make his U.S. debut on July 20. The 29-year-old most recently defended his European heavyweight title against Adnan Redzovic in April, winning by disqualification and matching Ajagba with a perfect knockout rate minus one DQ.

"I'm very happy to make my U.S. debut versus a really good fighter like Efe Ajagba,'' said Demirezen. "I'm very focused on that fight and being in the best shape ever to make a statement. I plan to have a great performance in Las Vegas because I know the U.S. boxing fans like real fighters. I'm sure they will love me after the fight.''

For a complete look at Ajagba vs Demirezen, check out our Fight Night page.

Las Vegas Marijuana Convention Skyrockets With Growth Of Industry

People pack the Las Vegas Convention Center on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, for the annual Marijuana Business Conference. Image: Chris Kudialis

BY CHRIS KUDIALIS

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (LAS VEGAS SUN)--One step into the annual Marijuana Business Conference in Las Vegas and the massive growth of the industry is evident.

Small booths that used to squeeze into the Rio as recently as 2016 have tripled in size, offering CES-style presentations at the conference’s new home, the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Many of last year’s first-time show attendees are now among the record 1,100 exhibitors from 60 countries, having found their business niche in the exploding international market.

The convention, which just two years ago welcomed 10,000 industry members from across the world, is boasting more than 25,000 attendees this week. The three-day convention began Wednesday and concluded Friday.

Cassandra Farrington, CEO and co-founder of event host Marijuana Business Daily, said the show’s growth is largely a reflection of weed’s emergence into mainstream society.

“It’s every sector in the cannabis industry,” she said. “There’s so much innovation going on, and it’s a global industry by any measure.”

Thirty-two U.S. states now offer some form of the plant for legalized sales, including Nevada.

While the plant remains illegal under federal law, nationwide legalization of marijuana in Canada this year has opened the door for U.S.-based pot companies to gain access to capital as publicly traded organizations.

But marijuana’s fight for legitimacy is still “incomplete,” Farrington said. The conference seeks to “let people know what this industry is really about,” she said.

Joe Vargas, who has operated Las Vegas-based buylegalmeds.com since June 2015, has gone from working out of his father’s kitchen to a 4,800-square-foot hemp production facility. He also owns three brick-and-mortar stores in the valley, including a location on the Strip.

Walking through the convention with his daughter and business associate Nahtaly, Vargas said the growth of the marijuana industry has allowed him to consider franchising, going public and retiring.

Scott Leshman’s Detroit-based CBD business Cannabinoid Creations displayed a variety of CBD-infused products like fountain soda, candies and oils. He marveled at the industry’s growth since he began growing cannabis in 2006. He now operates in almost every state in the U.S.

“Saying the industry has come a long way would be an understatement,” Leshman said.

Fear Compromises The Health, Well-Being Of Immigrant Families, Report Finds

BY ANNA GORMAN

A man holds up a sign as DACA recipients and supporters march in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017. Image: Steve Marcus Via Las Vegas Sun

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (LAS VEGAS SUN) -- Luis Ramirez has lived in the U.S. without immigration papers for two decades, but he is more worried about deportation now than ever before.

Ramirez said he and his wife, Luz Cadeo, who is also here illegally, have already made plans in case they are arrested by immigration police: The couple, who live in Lakewood, Calif., would try to find work in their native Mexico while their youngest U.S.-born children, ages 15 and 18, stayed in the U.S. with a relative.

“We are taking it very seriously,” Ramirez, who works as a welder, said in Spanish. But, he added, “it’s very difficult to explain to [our children] the reality of what could happen.”

Immigrant families like Ramirez’s are living with heightened fear and uncertainty because of stricter immigration policies and increased enforcement under the Trump administration, according to a report released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

The fear, and the stress it creates, is compromising children’s health, possibly for the long term, the report said. It is also causing some parents to forgo health care or withdraw from public health programs such as Medicaid, which covers people with low incomes, and Women, Infants and Children, which provides nutritional assistance.

The report, based on focus groups with 100 parents and interviews with 13 pediatricians, found that immigrants across the nation are anxious about being deported and separated from family members. Some parents are reluctant to leave their homes or participate in recreational activities.

This post-election anxiety isn’t limited to immigrants without papers, according to the report.

“These feelings of fear and uncertainty extend broadly across different groups of immigrants, including immigrants who are here legally,” said Samantha Artiga, director of the disparities policy project at the Kaiser Family Foundation and one of the authors of the report. “They no longer feel like a green card is enough and [believe] that they really need to seek citizenship to feel secure and stable in the country.”

Shirley Avalos, a U.S. citizen, said she saw that anxiety in her mother, a legal permanent resident, also known as a green card holder. At one point, her mom couldn’t find her green card, and she was scared to drive until she found it. Donald Trump has gone “overboard,” said Avalos, who lives east of Los Angeles.

In the interviews, parents and pediatricians reported that immigrant children were suffering from depression, anxiety, stomach ailments and headaches. They also saw children who were having problems eating, sleeping and doing schoolwork. The overall stress could have lifelong consequences for the health of those children, said Lanre Falusi, a pediatrician at Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C., and past president of the local chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“The ongoing, consistent, serious fears and stress that these families are experiencing can have actual physical effects on kids,” Falusi said. “Their brains are still developing, so they are particularly sensitive to their environments and their experiences.”

While most parents said they were still taking their children to the doctor, the report showed that some families have shifted toward more walk-in visits to avoid having to provide personal information to schedule an appointment.

Ramirez said his family still goes to the doctor when needed, but they try not to give any more personal information than necessary.

Falusi said she has seen a diminished use of health care services firsthand since the 2016 election. “When there are rumors around immigration raids, the parking lots are empty,” she said. “The clinics are empty.”

To try to help families feel more secure, physicians are posting welcoming signs and stationing bilingual staff out front. They are also reassuring families that their information will be kept confidential.

Both parents and pediatricians also reported that racism, discrimination and bullying — especially toward Muslims and Latinos — had increased since the election.

“The anti-immigrant rhetoric has really emboldened people to be outwardly hateful, and that is damaging for our kids in particular,” said Jenny Rejeske, senior health policy analyst at the National Immigration Law Center.

In addition, many aspects of daily life — including everything from driving to seeking jobs — have become more difficult for immigrant families, according to pediatricians and parents. One Latino parent from Boston, for example, said the children used to go to the park but now they spend more time inside for fear of being deported.

Daisy Juarez, 27, who was born in the U.S. and lives in Los Angeles, said the strict immigration policies have affected her entire family, especially her stepfather, a construction worker who is here illegally. Juarez’s sister, 10-year-old Amy, said she gets nervous about her dad being arrested by immigration officers. “What if they deport him and I can’t see him anymore?” she wondered. “If they deport him, I’m gonna miss him a lot.”

While deportations also soared under President Barack Obama, those mostly targeted undocumented immigrants with criminal records, Rejeske said. President Trump has shifted that focus to all immigrants here illegally, regardless of how long they have been in the U.S. or whether they have children who are U.S. citizens, she said.

Trump also has banned travel from certain countries, boosted immigration enforcement and announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which provides temporary legal status to people brought to the U.S. illegally when they were children.

The two older children of Ramirez and Cadeo are both part of that program, known as DACA. Cadeo said she worries because now authorities have all of their children’s information and can easily find and deport them.

The pediatricians, interviewed this fall, were from eight states and the District of Columbia, and they serve immigrant populations. The focus groups were conducted in five languages with parents from 15 countries, including Mexico, Syria, Brazil and Korea. The discussions took place in Chicago; Boston; Bethesda, Md.; and five California cities — Fresno, San Diego, Oakland, Los Angeles and Anaheim.

Many of the parents who participated in the focus groups came to the U.S. after fleeing war and violence in their native countries, said Artiga of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

“They don’t have an option to return to their native country and now they are really worried about whether they are going to be able to remain here,” Artiga said. “Those individuals are in a really difficult situation.”

Doctors Prepare For Deep Dive Into Las Vegas Shooter's Brain

BY SALLY HO, AP

Stephen Paddock opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest festival killing dozens and wounding hundreds. Paddock left behind little clues about what led him to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. He killed 58 and wounded nearly 500 before killing himself. Paddock's brain is being sent to Stanford University for a months-long examination after a visual inspection during an autopsy found "no abnormalities," Las Vegas authorities said. Doctors will perform multiple forensic analyses, including an exam of the 64-year-old's brain tissue to find any neurological problems. (Courtesy of Eric Paddock via AP, File)

LAS VEGAS (ASSOCIATED PRESS) — Scientists are preparing to do a microscopic study of the Las Vegas gunman's brain, but whatever they find, if anything, likely won't be what led him to kill 58 people in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, experts said.

Stephen Paddock's brain is being sent to Stanford University for a months-long examination after a visual inspection during an autopsy found no abnormalities, Las Vegas authorities said. Doctors will perform multiple forensic analyses, including an exam of the 64-year-old's brain tissue to find any possible neurological problems.

The brain will arrive in California soon, and Stanford has been instructed to spare no expense for the work, The New York Times reported. It will be further dissected to determine if Paddock suffered from health problems such as strokes, blood vessel diseases, tumors, some types of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, degenerative disorders, physical trauma and infections.

Dr. Hannes Vogel, Stanford University Medical Center's director of neuropathology, would not discuss the procedure with The Associated Press and referred questions to officials in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located. They also refused to provide details.

Vogel told The Times that he will leave nothing overlooked to put to rest much of the speculation on Paddock's health as investigators struggle to identify a motive for the shooting. The examination will come about a month after Paddock unleashed more than a thousand bullets through the windows of a 32nd floor suite at the Mandalay Bay casino-hotel into a crowd below attending an outdoor country music festival. After killing 58 people and wounding hundreds more, Paddock took his own life with a shot through his mouth, police say.

Investigators working around the clock remain frustrated by a lack of clues that would point to his motive. Authorities have resorted to putting up billboards in southern Nevada seeking tips and now the intensive brain study that medical experts say likely won't yield definitive answers.

If a disease is found, experts say it would be false science to conclude it caused or perhaps even contributed to the massacre, even if that explanation would ease the minds of investigators and the world at large.

"There's a difference between association and causality, and just because you have anything, doesn't mean it does anything," said Brian Peterson, president of the National Association of Medical Examiners and chief coroner of Wisconsin's Milwaukee County.

The microscopic study is not a standard practice but is regularly used as needed. Families sometimes request such a detailed examination to better understand their own genetic risks. Peterson said it's also common in high-profile cases such as Paddock's, where so much is riding on the results that all forensic options must be exhausted.

Douglas Fields, a neuroscientist who studies the rage circuit in brain systems, said horribly violent events, such as mass shootings and terrorism, rarely involve actual brain abnormalities but can be triggered by psychiatric problems.

Perpetrators often are suicidal psychopaths who are motivated to commit heinous crimes because they have internalized their isolation and anti-social behavior as an existential threat for themselves, he said.

"When police look for motive, it's kind of misplaced in cases like this because they appear to be crimes of rage. There's no motive for crimes of rage. It's a crime of passion," Fields said. One such case involved the University of Texas shooter Charles Whitman, who fatally shot 13 people in 1966 from a clock tower on the Austin campus. Whitman was found to have a pecan-sized tumor in his brain, though the suggestion that it caused his rampage is still debated decades later.

Peterson, who is not involved in the Paddock case, said an initial inspection that is standard for any autopsy would generally include dissecting the brain at one-centimeter intervals to look for issues identifiable to the trained eye — infection, tumor, symmetry, bleeding and blood vessel abnormality.

A further study would involve a microscopic focus on the tissue cells, such as using stains to determine different types of dementia and other degenerative diseases, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is sometimes found in people who have suffered repetitive brain trauma.

There also would likely be a review of the brain at a molecular level though DNA, Peterson said. Experts say the brain study on Paddock will be a worthy effort for scientific reasons. Dr. Paul S. Appelbaum, a psychiatry expert at Columbia University, said that at minimum, it might yield something even tangential that can be passed on to the public, such as awareness for psychological disorders or brain diseases.

"Are we ever going to know for certain what caused his brain to do that?" Appelbaum asked. "Probably not from a neuropathological examination, but it's not unreasonable to ask and see whether it might contribute to our understanding of what occurred."

Follow Sally Ho at https://twitter.com/_sallyho.

WHAT'S HAPPENING: Girlfriend Denies Knowledge Of Vegas Plot

Marilou Danley. Danley, 62, returned to the United States from the Philippines on Tuesday night, Oct. 3, 2017, and was met at Los Angeles International Airport by FBI agents, according to a law enforcement official. Authorities are trying to determine why Stephen Paddock, Danley's boyfriend, killed dozens of people in Las Vegas Oct. 1, in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP, File)

LAS VEGAS (ASSOCIATED PRESS, OCTOBER 5, 2017) — The girlfriend of the Las Vegas shooter said Wednesday that she had no idea he was planning an attack on the Strip and is devastated for the victims. A lawyer for Marilou Danley read a statement from her after she was questioned by FBI agents in Los Angeles about her boyfriend, Stephen Paddock. Danley was out of the country at the time of Sunday's attacks and said Paddock sent her to see her family in her native Philippines.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump traveled to Las Vegas to meet with law enforcement officers and survivors of the shooting outside the Mandalay Bay hotel casino that killed 58 people and wounded more than 500 others.

More about the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history: THE GIRLFRIEND Danley, 62, called Paddock a "kind, caring, quiet man" and said she hoped to have a future with him. She said she was initially pleased when Paddock wired her money in the Philippines to buy a house for her family, but she later worried it was a way to break up with her.

"It never occurred to me in any whatsoever that he was planning violence against anyone," she said. FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe , speaking at a cybersecurity forum Wednesday in Boston, said investigators are busy "reconstructing the life, the behavior, the pattern of activity of this individual and anyone and everyone who may have crossed his path in the days and the weeks leading up to this horrific event."

Asked if investigators had determined why Paddock carried out the attack, he said, "We are not there yet." THE GUNMAN Paddock, a 64-year-old retired accountant and multimillionaire real estate investor, specifically requested an upper-floor room with a view of the music festival, according to a person who has seen hotel records turned over to investigators.

Paddock wasn't able to move into the room until Saturday, said the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly and disclosed the information to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The room goes for $590 but was given to Paddock for free because he was a good customer who wagered tens of thousands of dollars during each visit, the person said.

Casino regulators are looking closely at Paddock's gambling habits and checking their records to see whether he had any disputes with casinos or fellow patrons. In addition, investigators are examining a dozen financial reports filed in recent weeks when he bought more than $10,000 in casino chips.

TRUMP VISIT President Donald Trump traveled to Las Vegas, where he met privately with shooting victims and their families and told the city that the nation stands with them to share in their grief.

Trump also told first responders that they should be proud of the way they responded to the massacre. He said that he met "some of the most amazing people" during his visit to a hospital where victims were recovering and that he's invited some of the survivors to the White House for a visit.

On his trip from the airport, the president's motorcade drove past the Mandalay Bay hotel where the gunman fired down into the concert crowd. The president also drove past his own Trump hotel. THE DEAD

The 58 victims included a father of six, a man who died in his boyfriend's arms and a university student who was studying health care management. More than 500 people were injured in the attacks. At least 160 are still hospitalized, with nearly 60 in critical condition Wednesday evening, hospital officials said.

The injured ended up in 13 hospitals scattered across southern Nevada, with most of them treated and released. POSSIBLE GUN LEGISLATION Senior congressional Republicans said Wednesday they were open to considering legislation banning "bump stocks" like Paddock used to effectively convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automated weapons.

The comments from lawmakers including the No. 2 Senate Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, marked a surprising departure from GOP lawmakers' general antipathy to any kind of gun regulations. But they were far from a guarantee of a path forward for the new legislation by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., especially with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan making clear their priorities are elsewhere.

Other GOP legislators who seemed open to banning "bump stocks" included Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and John Thune of South Dakota.

For complete coverage of the Las Vegas shooting, click here: https://apnews.com/tag/LasVegasmassshooting.

This story has been corrected to show that the death toll is 58, not including the gunman, based on revised information from the Clark County coroner.

GOP Leader Says NRA-Backed Bill Shelved Indefinitely

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., right, listens as her husband Mark Kelly, left, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, about the mass shooting in Las Vegas. Giffords, was a congresswoman when she was shot in an assassination attempt in 2011.



WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republican leaders called for unity and prayer after the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas, but offered no new legislation to tighten gun laws and said a bill to ease regulations on gun silencers would be shelved indefinitely.

"We are all reeling from this horror in Las Vegas," Speaker Paul Ryan said at a news conference on Tuesday. "This is just awful." Ryan said there's no plan for the House to act soon on a National Rifle Association-backed bill to ease regulations on gun silencers. A House panel had backed the bill last month and lawmakers were expected to move ahead on the measure.

The bill is "not scheduled right now. I don't know when it will be scheduled," Ryan said. Instead, Ryan and other GOP leaders urged prayers to unify the country and said a positive way to respond to the shooting is to donate blood. Ryan said the actions of the gunman who killed at least 59 people and wounded hundreds more will not "define us as a country. It's not who we are."

Ryan's comments came as Democrats renewed calls for gun safety legislation. Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, pushed Congress to pass a universal background checks bill and "commonsense gun laws" to help prevent the next mass shooting.

"Gun violence is a public health crisis. There is no single law or policy that would prevent every tragic shooting, but let's start working together to do something," Durbin said on the Senate floor. "We can't stop the shootings that have already happened in Las Vegas, Chicago, Roseburg, Oregon, and across the nation. We failed to respond in time for those victims and their families. But if we work together, we can stop shootings in the future."

Besides the silencer measure, House GOP leaders had been moving forward with a bill to allow people with concealed-carry permits to take their weapons to other states. Republicans had been upbeat about prospects for legislation, but votes on both measures seemed unlikely.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who favors gun control, said Monday it was "time for Congress to get off its ass and do something." In an outdoor news conference Monday, former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, grievously wounded in a 2011 attack, turned to the Capitol, raised her fist and said, "The nation is counting on you."

But no action was expected, as other mass shootings in Colorado, Connecticut, and Florida, and even attacks on lawmakers, failed to unite Congress on any legislative response. A bipartisan bill on background checks failed in the Senate four years ago, and since then Republicans have usually pointed to mental health legislation when questioned about the appropriate congressional response to gun violence.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Monday asked Ryan to create a select committee on gun violence to recommend legislation. A group of Democratic lawmakers asked Ryan to remove the silencer bill from the House calendar indefinitely.

In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Ryan said Congress needs to fund mental health reforms. "But if you're saying that this Republican Congress is going to infringe upon Second Amendment rights, we're not going to do that," he said.

Associated Press writers Erica Werner and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

Acts Of Heroism Emerge In Chaos Of Las Vegas Shooting

Pastor William McCurdy holds a candle during a prayer vigil in honor of those affected by the shooting on the Las Vegas Strip, in front of Las Vegas City Hall in Las Vegas, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017. The vigil was held in honor of the over 50 people killed and hundreds injured in a mass shooting at an outdoor music concert late Sunday. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

LAS VEGAS (ASSOCIATED PRESS) — Rob Ledbetter's battlefield instincts kicked in quickly as bullets rained overhead. The 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran who served as a sniper in Iraq immediately began tending to the wounded, one of several heroes to emerge from the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Amid the massacre in Las Vegas, which left 59 people dead and more than 500 injured, there were acts of compassion and countless heroics that officials say saved scores of lives.

There was a man one survivor knows only as Zach who herded people to a safe place. There was a registered nurse from Tennessee who died shielding his wife. Like many people in the crowd of some 22,000 country music fans Sunday night, Ledbetter heard the pop-pop-popping noise and figured it was fireworks. Then he saw people dropping to the ground. When more booms echoed in the night air, he recognized the sound of automatic weapons fire.

The gunman, identified as Stephen Craig Paddock, a 64-year-old retired accountant from Mesquite, Nevada, created his own sniper's perch inside the 32nd floor room at the Mandalay Bay casino hotel, across from the concert grounds. He appeared to fire unhindered for more than 10 minutes, according to radio traffic, and then killed himself before officers stormed in and found 23 firearms.

"The echo, it sounded like it was coming from everywhere and you didn't know which way to run," said Ledbetter, who was at the concert with seven people including his brother, who was shot and injured, and his wife. They found cover in a VIP area of the concert. Once out of harm's way, he turned to injured strangers.

Thanks to a man who took the flannel shirt off his back, Ledbetter says he put a makeshift tourniquet on a wounded teenage girl, whose face was covered with blood. "Some random guy, I said, 'I need your shirt,' "said Ledbetter, who is now a mortgage broker and a resident of Las Vegas. "He just gave me the flannel off his back."

Ledbetter said he compressed someone else's shoulder wound, and he fashioned a bandage for a man whose leg was shot through by a bullet. "There was a guy that looked like he had a through and through on his leg, that we just put a T-shirt around and just did a bandanna tie," said Ledbetter, who was outside University Medical Center on Monday, where his brother was being treated for a gunshot that went through his arm and into his chest. He is expected to survive.

Ledbetter and others grabbed the injured man, carried him out to Las Vegas Boulevard, put him in the back of a utility truck with five to 10 other people that was headed to the hospital. Ledbetter said he would have helped more people but couldn't clear the barrage of gunfire.

"I'm saving people, or trying to do my best. But it got to the point, I saw people all over, laying where we used to be standing ... just laying there and nobody getting to them and I couldn't get out there. The shots just kept coming in and bouncing. I would have been in harm's way," he said.

He worries that those unfamiliar with battlefields will suffer what they have survived. "Everybody there is going to have emotional problems. I know that. There was blood everywhere I went: Excalibur, Luxor, on the Strip, on the street," Ledbetter said. "All these people are going to have PTSD. I feel bad for all of them."

Another concertgoer, Anna Kupchyan, credits a man she knows only as Zach for saving her life and about nine others when he herded them into an outdoor trailer serving as a restroom. Kupchyan, a 27-year-old law student from Los Angeles, said bullets were raining down on the crowd as she and a horde of others began running in search of a way out of the outdoor venue.

The man, Zach, opened a door and ordered people inside and then joined them and shut the door, Kupchyan said. They stayed inside as the shooting continued, everyone paralyzed in fear, she said. "Then security came and they shouted for us to get out, to run," she recalled. Outside the trailer, dead bodies were sprawled on the ground, including a man who had been shot in the head, she said.

She and her best friend Leslie Aguilar, a 26-year-old therapist, eventually jumped in a cab that was driving by and befriended two other women survivors who let them stay in their hotel room until the danger subsided.

Not all of Sunday night's heroes survived. Sonny Melton, a registered nurse, died in the shooting, according to The Henry County Medical Center in Paris, Tennessee, where he worked. His wife, Dr. Heather Melton, an orthopedic surgeon who was with him when shots were fired, survived.

She told WZTV in Nashville, Tennessee, that her husband "saved my life and lost his." She said her husband was the most kind-hearted, loving man she ever met.

Associated Press Writers Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco and Anita Snow in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

James Cabrera sits at a slot machine in the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Nev., Monday, Oct 2, 2017. Cabrera and his wife, Sonia Pena, drove to Las Vegas from La Habra, Calif., overnight after their 21-year-old daughter Jessica called them from the music festival. Jessica yelled, "They're shooting at us. People are falling, I love you!," Cabrera recalled. Later they learned their daughter escaped unharmed and hid in a bathroom overnight at the MGM hotel until morning.

Hacker Who Helped Stop Global Cyberattack Arrested In US

British IT expert Marcus Hutchins speaks during an interview in Ilfracombe, England. Hutchins, a young British researcher credited with derailing a global cyberattack in May, has been arrested for allegedly creating and distributing banking malware, U.S. authorities say. Hutchins was detained in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017, while flying back to Britain from Defcon, an annual gathering of hackers of IT security gurus. A grand jury indictment charges Hutchins with “creating and distributing” malware known as the Kronos banking Trojan.

LAS VEGAS (AP, AUGUST 04, 2017) — Marcus Hutchins, a young British researcher credited with derailing a global cyberattack in May, was arrested for allegedly creating and distributing malicious software designed to collect bank-account passwords, U.S. authorities said Thursday.

Hutchins was detained in Las Vegas on his way back to Britain from an annual gathering of hackers and information security gurus. A grand jury indictment charged Hutchins with creating and distributing malware known as the Kronos banking Trojan.

Such malware infects web browsers, then captures usernames and passwords when an unsuspecting user visits a bank or other trusted location. News of Hutchins' detention came as a shock to the cybersecurity community. Many had rallied behind the researcher whose quick thinking helped control the spread of the WannaCry attack that crippled thousands of computers last May.

The indictment, filed in a Wisconsin federal court last month, alleges that Hutchins and another defendant — whose name is redacted — conspired between July 2014 and July 2015 to advertise the availability of the Kronos malware on internet forums, sell the malware and profit from it. The indictment also accuses Hutchins of creating the malware.

Authorities said the malware was first made available in early 2014, and "marketed and distributed through AlphaBay, a hidden service on the Tor network." The U.S. Department of Justice announced in July that the AlphaBay "darknet" marketplace was shut down after an international law enforcement effort.

A court hearing was scheduled for Hutchins on Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas. It was not immediately clear if he has a lawyer. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based digital rights group, said it was "deeply concerned" about Hutchins' arrest and was attempting to reach him.

Hutchins recently attended Def Con, an annual cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas that ended Sunday. On Wednesday, Hutchins made some routinecomments on Twitter that suggested he was at an airport getting ready to board a plane for a flight home. He never left Nevada.

A Justice Department spokesman confirmed the 22-year-old Hutchins was arrested Wednesday in Las Vegas. Officer Rodrigo Pena, a police spokesman in Henderson, near Las Vegas, said Hutchins spent the night in federal custody in the city lockup.

Andrew Mabbitt, a British digital security specialist who had been staying in Las Vegas with Hutchins, said he and his friends grew worried when they got "radio silence" from Hutchins for hours. The worries deepened when Hutchins' mother called to tell him the young researcher hadn't made his flight home.

Mabbitt said he eventually found Hutchins' name on a detention center website. News of his indictment Wednesday left colleagues scrambling to understand what happened. "We don't know the evidence the FBI has against him, however we do have some circumstantial evidence that he was involved in that community at the time," said computer security expert Rob Graham.

The big question is the identity of the co-defendant in the case, whose name is redacted in the indictment. Why was it blacked out? "Maybe the other guy testified against him," said Graham. The co-defendant allegedly advertised the malware online. Hutchins is accused of creating and transmitting the program.

The problem with software creation is that often a program includes code written by multiple programmers. Prosecutors might need to prove that Hutchins wrote code with specific targets. "I've written code that other people have injected malware into," said Graham. "We know that large parts of Kronos were written by other people."

One legal scholar who specializes in studying computer crime said it's unusual, and problematic, for prosecutors to go after someone simply for writing or selling malware — as opposed to using it to further a crime.

"This is the first case I know of where the government is prosecuting someone for creating or selling malware but not actually using it," said Orin Kerr, a law professor at George Washington University. Kerr said it will be difficult to prove criminal intent.

"It's a constant issue in criminal law — the helping of people who are committing a crime," Kerr said. "When is that itself a crime?"

O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island. Associated Press writers Raphael Satter in Paris and Frank Bajak in Houston contributed to this report.

Lateef Kayode Wraps Up And Ready For 9/11

Lateef Kayode in last minute training session for fight with Luitz Ortiz at the Wild Card Boxing Gym, Hollywood, California Monday, September 8, 2014. Image: Ehirim Files 


WBA Heavyweight Title (The Joint, Hard Rock Cafe & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada): Lateef "Power" Kayode Vs. Luis Ortiz, Thursday, September 11, 2014 -- As Nigeria's Lateef Kayode wrapped up training moments ago, Sept. 8, 2014 at the Wild Card Boxing Gym in Hollywood, Calif., I told him no one else could beat him but himself. Only Lateef can beat Lateef, letting him know we're giving him all the support to knock the hell out of Cuba's Luiz Ortiz. I told him judging by accounts of how we do stuff back home, you're his senior by four years and he should give you that respect and use your seniority grounds to nail him. I told him, I don't want any distant fight for long stories to emerge. I want a knockout and I want it as quick as possible. Just remember your story--from Onipan bus stop to Palmgrove on Ikorodu Road and all that hustle to help your friends and family have decent meals--and you don't want to blow that big meal away. "I don't want a distant fight", I repeated," I want a knockout." Lateef responded: "Yes Sir, Yes Sir." The journeyman knows he needs the crown badly and a story that follows "The Journey." 

Nigeria's Kayode For WBA Title

The Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions announced Wednesday, August 20, 2014, that the vacant WBA Heavyweight World Title will be held in the Main Event Golden Boy Live on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes. Nigeria's Lateef Kayode fighting out of Hollywood, California, will put his name in the history books when he meets Cuba's Luis Ortiz Thursday, September 11, 2014 for the WBA title at The Joint, Hard Rock Cafe $ Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada. Both fighters are unbeaten and Kayode will be Nigeria's second fighter to win the title in that division. The Kayode-Ortiz 12 round bout sponsored by Corona and O'reilly Auto Parts. Kayode is trained by 4-time trainer of the year Freddie Roach.

Ike "The President" Ibeabuchi

Ike with HBO Boxing analyst Larry Merchant after the fight with Chris Byrd.

Ikemefula "Ike" Charles Ibeabuchi was born in Okigwe, in post-Civil War East Central State, Nigeria, on February 2, 1973. He defeated highly ranked contender David Tua and future heavyweight titlist Chris Byrd. With ring name "The President", and after compiling a record of 20-0 with 15 knockouts, he was sent to jail following charges that he tried to rape a woman in Las Vegas in July 1999.

Ibeabuchi planned on joining the Nigerian military before he witnessed Buster Douglas knock out Mike Tyson in 1990. Inspired by the fight, Ibeabuchi started boxing.

Ibeabuchi twice defeated countryman and eventual 1996 Olympic bronze medalist Duncan Dokiwari. He emigrated to the Dallas area with his mother in 1993 and won the Dallas and Texas Golden Gloves tournaments in 1994.

Under the guidance of former world welterweight champion Curtis Cokes, Ibeabuchi made his professional debut with a second round knockout of Ismael Garcia on October 13, 1994.

After winning 16 straight fights against club fighters and journeymen, Ibeabuchi made a big jump in competition and fought undefeated prospect David Tua for the WBC International Heavyweight title on June 7, 1997. Tua was 27-0 and considered by many analysts to be the "next Tyson."

The fight was nothing short of spectacular. Both threw bombs and neither took a backward step all night. They set a heavyweight record with 1,730 punches thrown. Ibeabuchi also set the individual record by throwing 975 punches and averaging 81 per round. The heavyweight average is around 50. Ibeabuchi won by a unanimous decision with scores of 117-111, 116-113, and 115-114. The fight established Ibeabuchi as a top contender.

Immediately after the fight with Tua, Ibeabuchi began complaining of a terrible headache. He was taken directly to the hospital where he underwent several tests, including an MRI. From what the latest advances in scientific technology could detect, there was nothing at all wrong with him. He showed no evidence of brain bleeds or swelling. Nothing was found and he was sent home with a clean bill of health.

After being released from the hospital, Ibeabuchi began to swear that he was being plagued by demons; evil spirits that only he and his mother could see.

A couple of months after the Tua fight, distraught over a perceived snub in the WBC rankings, Ibeabuchi abducted the 15-year-old son of his former girlfriend and slammed his car into a concrete pillar on Interstate 35 north of Austin, Texas. According to the criminal complaint, the boy suffered "numerous injuries" from the accident "and will never walk normally again." Ibeabuchi was charged with kidnapping and attempted murder, but the courts concluded he was trying to commit suicide and he was sentenced to 120 days after pleading guilty to false imprisonment. He also paid a $500,000 civil settlement.

"It was a very frustrating case because what he did wasn't as clearly criminal as what I expected him to get involved with down the line," said District Attorney John Bradley, who prosecuted Ibeabuchi. "I fully expected that his contact with the criminal justice system had not ended with our county. We weren't able to get him examined, but it sure seemed to me -- even if he was a heavyweight boxer looking at making millions of dollars -- that he should have been committed to a psychiatric community and treated."

Ibeabuchi developed a new persona based on his nickname, "The President." At times when he was being churlish or refusing to complete a simple requirement such as attending a weigh-in, his handlers would appeal to The President's regal nature by convincing him it was the noble thing to do. "There were times when he thought he was really a president," boxing promoter and former HBO Sports executive Lou DiBella said. "He would get into these mental states where he insisted on people calling him The President. It was his alter ago, where 'I am The President,' not of the United States, but maybe the world."

Promoter Cedric Kushner said Ibeabuchi on two occasions had to be literally dragged onto airplanes before fights because of perceived demonic forces.

Once Ibeabuchi wielded a knife during a dinner meeting in New York to discuss a possible three-fight HBO deal. "We were having a fine meal at a nice restaurant," Kushner said, "and mid-course Ike picked up a big carving knife, slammed it into the table and screamed 'They knew it! They knew it! The belts belong to me! Why don't they just give them back.'" "That was a peculiar experience," Kushner said. "That wasn't the type of conduct I expected to romance the guy from HBO. (Ibeabuchi) was like a Viking."

Ibeabuchi returned to the ring after thirteen months of inactivity and scored a first round knockout over journeyman Tim Ray in July 1998. Two months later, he stopped journeyman Everton Davis in nine rounds.

Ibeabuchi's next fight would be against Chris Byrd in March 1999. Byrd, a 1992 Olympic silver medalist and a future world heavyweight champion, was a quick and slick southpaw with a record of 26-0.

While training for the Byrd fight, one of Ibeabuchi's sparring partners, Ezra Sellers, cut him during a sparring session.

The cut was on the left eyelid and would take four stitches. Sellers had his gloves and handwraps removed by Jay Wilson, Ibeabuchi's assistant trainer. Afterward, Sellers retrieved his wedding ring from his gym bag and went over to apologize.

Ibeabuchi spotted the ring and accused Sellers of intentionally cutting him. Sellers said Ibeabuchi then kicked him in the right knee.

"As I was falling, I grabbed him and he wound up on top of me, straddling me, and he was punching my head and then he was choking me, and finally they pulled him off me," Sellers said. "I said, 'Your own trainer wrapped my hand,' and that sent him off after (Wilson)."

Sellers left the gym to find a policeman. That's when he realized he couldn't walk and took a cab instead to a hospital. He was told to forget a March 12 boxing date because of torn knee ligaments.

After leaving the hospital, he filed charges. So did Wilson.

A former Kushner matchmaker, Bill Benton, was dispatched by the promoter and HBO to check on Ibeabuchi. Benton said the Sellers incident was "just a gym skirmish" and the fight with Byrd went off as planned.

After four rounds, the three judges had the fight scored even: 38-38, 39-37 for Ibeabuchi, and 39-37 for Byrd. In the fifth, Ibeabuchi landed a devastating left hook that sent Byrd to the canvas. Byrd made it back to his feet but was quickly sent back down. Byrd once again rose, but was trapped against the ropes and taking punishment as the referee waived it off at the 2:59 mark.

Following the win over Byrd, Ibeabuchi turned down $700,000 to fight fringe contender Jeremy Williams and $1 million for a showdown with the undefeated Michael Grant.

In July 1999, Ibeabuchi was staying at The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas when he phoned a local escort service and had a woman sent to his room.

The 21-year-old woman said she was there to strip and nothing else. She claimed he attacked her in the walk-in closet after she demanded to be paid up front.

"He invites her up to his room and begins to get physical with her," said Christopher Lalli, a Clark County chief deputy district attorney. It got loud enough that people in the adjoining room notified hotel security.

"When they enter the room," Lalli said, "a woman, naked from the waist down, is running toward them."

Ibeabuchi barricaded himself in the bathroom, and police discharged pepper spray under the door to coax his surrender.

Ibeabuchi's defense faced the further difficulty of the Clark County DA's reopening of a similar sexual assault allegation from eight months earlier that took place next door to The Mirage, at sister-property Treasure Island Hotel and Casino.

He was released on bail and placed on house arrest—able to train and fight again until his trial—but he was remanded after two more sexual-assault allegations surfaced in Arizona.

"The troubling thing for us was this was not an isolated incident," Lalli says.

Lalli says the case against Ibeabuchi's crimes at The Mirage was solid. There was physical evidence, eyewitness testimony, a pattern of unacceptable behavior.

"It was evidence you don't have nine times out of 10 in these cases when you go to trial," Lalli said.

Ibeabuchi was deemed incompetent to stand trial and was sent to a state facility for the mentally ill. Medical experts concluded he exhibited bipolar disorder, and a judge granted permission to force-medicate him. Eight months later, 2½ years after his arrest, he was ruled cogent enough to plea.

He entered an Alford plea, conceding the prosecution had enough evidence to convict him while not admitting guilt. Had he gone to trial and been found guilty of rape, he could have received 10 years to life in prison, but instead he got two to 10 years for battery with intent to commit a crime and three to 20 years for attempted sexual assault, to be served consecutively.

Ibeabuchi was paroled on the first charge in 2001 and has been denied parole on the second charge three times. He was denied parole in August 2004, in August 2007 and again in February 2009. He was again denied parole, the fourth time, and the next parole date was set for May 14, 2013. He'll be 40 by then and hopes for his return to the ring will be slim.

Since his incarceration, Ibeabuchi has earned two college degrees from Western Nevada Community College: an Associate of General Studies and an Associate of Applied Science in General Business.

SOURCES: WIKI; IKE IBEABUCHI

Hard-luck Ajose earns headlining role

By Dan Rafael, ESPN

KO artist Lucas Matthysse stands in way of Olusegun Ajose's path to redemption

Olusegun Ajose of Nigeria has been sitting in position for a mandatory title shot for a year, but the WBC has ignored his rights time and time again. It has simply screwed him and left him with little leverage other than a costly lawsuit that nobody wants.

It is boxing politics at its absolute most heinous.

Ajose dropped Ali Chebah twice and won a unanimous decision in an official final eliminator last September, in a fight that made him the mandatory challenger for the WBC's 140-pound title. In other words, he had next.

Ajose-Chebah took place shortly after the WBC wrongfully stripped Timothy Bradley Jr. of the belt but, because it's an organization that always gives Mexican fighters the benefit of the doubt, it approved Erik Morales to face late substitute Pablo Cesar Cano for the vacant title. That was preposterous because the WBC's two top contenders, Ajose and Chebah, were scheduled for a final eliminator shortly thereafter and that is the fight that should have filled a vacancy that was absurd to begin with.

After Morales won the vacant belt, Ajose (30-0, 14 KOs) was again ignored. Instead of following its rules that say a fighter who wins a vacant title is supposed to next make a mandatory defense, the WBC pathetically allowed Morales to defend against Danny Garcia (and Morales wound up losing the title because he did not make weight and then lost a clear decision to Garcia).

Then it was Garcia who was supposed to fight Ajose next. Instead, he was put off again as Garcia's handlers got the WBC to approve a summer unification fight with Amir Khan after Lamont Peterson tested positive for a banned substance and the fight with Khan was canceled.

Garcia knocked out Khan, but instead of Ajose finally getting his opportunity, he was left on ice yet again as the WBC let the mandatory slide and approved a rematch between Garcia and the undeserving Morales (who lost his last fight AND didn't make weight). They meet again on Oct. 20.

So what of the 32-year-old Ajose? His consolation prize is an "opportunity" to fight knockout artist Lucas Matthysse (31-2, 29 KOs) of Argentina for the organization's vacant interim belt at 140 pounds. Ajose accepted it because, well, what other choice does he have? He can still make more money in this fight than any other but the full title fight. In addition, Damian Ramirez, Ajose's manager, told me that the WBC has promised to pay Ajose $75,000 to make up to him for the royal screwing, although he hasn't yet seen the money. And, of course, the WBC also promised him a mandatory title shot a year ago.

After almost a year off while this all played out (and not to Ajose's benefit) he will return to action to face Matthysse for the interim belt on Saturday night (Showtime, 9 ET/PT) at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The fight was originally the co-feature on the card, but it was elevated when welterweight titlist Randall Bailey, citing a back injury in training, postponed his first defense against Devon Alexander.

"It's common knowledge I've been deprived of this fight for so long," Ajose said. "I've been ready to fight for a championship for four years. Now that I have this opportunity I'm not going to let it go. I better win this fight. I'm going to give everything I have to win this fight."

Ajose, who spent some time living in England and in New York, is an active solider in Nigeria's army and plans to return to duty after the fight.

"I'm coming to America to win a world title," he said. "After the fight, I'm going back to join the army and live and train in the barracks. That's the way it is. I'm a soldier. You don't become a soldier if you're not tough."

And you also don't beat Matthysse if you're not tough. He is one of boxing's best pure punchers, but Ajose said his power is not a concern to him.

"Just because he can punch other boxers doesn't mean he can fight me," Ajose said. "He has never fought me. When he punched Zab [Judah], did he knock him out? No. Did he knock out [Devon] Alexander? No. I'm at their level. Knock me out? That's not going to happen. It's going to be me knocking him out, not the other way around.

"Ali Cheba had an 80 percent knockout ratio and when he hit me it didn't hurt me. I proved my chin. I knocked him down twice but he didn't hurt me. I felt some of his power but nothing I couldn't handle."

Matthysse, 29, lost controversial split decisions to Judah and Alexander in their hometowns and he is coming off a sensational fifth-round knockout of former two-division titleholder Humberto Soto in June.

"I know he's one of the toughest in the division." Ajose said. "He's quite tough. He lost twice, but I think he was robbed both times. I know he comes to fight, but I only saw two of his fights -- against Devon Alexander and Zab Judah. I didn't see his fight against Humberto Soto. There are more fights of me on YouTube than there are of him, so he probably knows more about me. But when we fight, we'll learn a lot about each other.

"My advantage is my skills, my experience in the ring -- not that he's had more fights [in the U.S.] than I have. That doesn't matter. He may have fought more times here, but he's never faced anyone like me."

And should Ajose win, he wants the shot at Garcia he has been denied.

"Danny Garcia, that's who I want to fight, 100 percent," Ajose said. "After I beat [Matthysse], I want Danny. He's been saying he's better than me. OK, come out and fight if you think you're a superstar. Show me you're good, because right now I have a bigger fish to fry, and that's Lucas. Lucas is way better than Danny. Right now I'm thinking about Lucas. After I beat him we'll think about Danny."

Memorable Images and Time: 80s Big Fights

Challenger Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini (L) of Youngstown, Ohio and WBC Lightweight Champion Alexis Arguello exchange blows during the 11th round of their 15-round title bout here 10/3. Arguello retained his title with a TKO in the 14th. Date: October 3, 1982. Location: Atlantic City, New Jersey. A Bettmann Colection.


4/15/1985-Las Vegas, NV- Referee Richard Steele counts over middleweight Thomas "Hitman" Hearns, who lies flat on his back in the ring after being knocked down by Marvelous Marvin Hagler in the third round. Hearns regained his feet, but Steele stopped the middleweight title fight.


4/6/1987-Las Vegas, NV: Sugar Ray Leonard taunts Marvin Hagler during the middleweight title bout.


Deuk-Koo Kim, 134 1/4, drops to the canvas as he is knocked out in the 14th round by World Boxing Association lightweight champion Ray Mancini. Mancini retained his title and Kim was hopitalized without regaining consciousness. Date: November 13, 1982. Location:Las Vegas, Nevada


9/21/1985-Las Vegas, Nevada. New world heavyweight champion Michael Spinks connects with a left to the head of Larry Holmes in the early rounds of their title fight 9/21. Spinks won a unanimous decision.


8/21/1981-Las Vegas, NV- Puffy-eyed Wilfredo Gomez (L) looks dazed after being hit by defending champion Salvador Sanchez for the last time during eighth round action of their title bout. Referee Carlos Padilla stepped to stop the fight after this blow to the head of Gomez. Sanchez won in the eighth round TKO to retain his title.


September 9, 1983-Las Vegas, Nevada: Aaron Pryor lands a left on Alexis Arguello (Right) in the fourth round of their WBA Junior Welterweight title fight at Caesars Pavilion. Bettmann.

Memorable Images and Time: The Big Fights

Joe Frazier (right) crouch's and lands a right to the stomach of Muhammad Ali in bout here January 28. Ali won unanimous decision in the 12-rounder. Both fighters wear white trunks; the ropes are blue and their gloves are wine-red. January 28, 1974




Boxer James "Bonecrusher" Smith reels from the force of a right from Mike Tyson in a heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas, Nevada. March 7, 1987.


Roberto Duran (facing camera) and WBC Welterweight Champion Sugar Ray Leonard battle at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec. Challenger Roberto Duran dethroned Leonard with a unanimous 15-round decision to take the WBC Welterweight title. June 20, 1980. Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada



Heavyweight champion Larry Holmes defends his title against challenger Gerry Cooney here at the Caesars Palace. Holmes wins the fight by a TKO. September 1982. Location: Las Vegas, Nevada



Boxer Muhammad Ali Defeating Boxer Sonny Liston:
Referee Joe Wolcott guides heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali to a neutral corner after Ali downed challenger Sonny Liston in the first round of their championship fight on May 25th, 1965. Clay retained his crown by scoring a one-minute knockout victory over Liston in the controversial fight.