After surviving rape twice, calling 911 for help wasn’t Akia Nyrie Smith’s first instinct. As a Black nonbinary person, they knew all too well how law enforcement might respond, especially when alcohol was involved, as it had been both nights in Michigan. When Smith moved to New York in 2020, in the depths of the […]
Christina Carrega
Christina Carrega is the criminal justice reporter at Capital B. Follow her on Bluesky @chriscarrega.bsky.social.
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Policing
Officer Convicted in Breonna Taylor Case Sentenced to 33 Months
A former Louisville, Kentucky, officer was sentenced Monday to 33 months in prison for violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor, who was killed during a no-knock raid in 2020. The officer, Brett Hankison, fired 10 bullets that did not strike or kill Taylor, who was a 26-year-old first responder. Yet, he was indicted in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
Saniyah Cheatham’s Family Demands Answers in Her Death
The Fourth of July was the last time family and friends saw or heard from Saniyah Cheatham. Just hours before the 18-year-old was arrested in connection with a fight involving a friend, her mother said she was “happy” at their family barbecue. A close friend who texted with her that day agreed that she was […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Jabari Peoples Was Killed by Police. His Family Wants The Truth.
Jabari Latrell Peoples is described by his parents as a college student who “wanted to do too many things,” and was “dedicated to all his friends and all his family.” But it has been more than two weeks since his parents last heard his voice. The 18-year-old was killed by a Homewood, Alabama, police officer. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, History
Texas Man’s Fight to Move a Lynching Marker Sparks New Battle for Truth
CENTER, Texas — As Delbert Jackson turned right onto the clean, sandy-paved stretch of Martin Luther King Drive, his chin lifted with quiet pride. The road’s upkeep is due in large part to Jackson, who leads regular community cleanups in the city. On this humid and sunny morning in early June, something felt a bit […]
Posted inIncarceration, Politics & Policy
After a DUI Stop, He Vanished Into the ICE System
Kléya Rice says her phone rings every other day from unknown numbers. She answers in a panic, unsure if it’s Rony Dieujuste — her partner and the father of her two children — calling from an undisclosed detention center with only minutes to talk. The usual recording that reveals a caller’s location hasn’t played on […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Juvenile Justice
Track Meet Turns Tragic: Karmelo Anthony Indicted on Murder Charge
A Collin County, Texas, grand jury indicted Karmelo Anthony on Tuesday for the first-degree murder of Austin Metcalf, according to multiple news reports. What began as a dispute over a seat at a high school track meet on April 2 at a school that neither of the boys — then 17 — attended, ended in […]
Posted inCourts, Maternal Health, Politics & Policy
Hospitals Are Drug Testing Mothers Without Consent, Fueling Family Separations
By junior year of high school, Desseray Wright was already a mother and didn’t expect to become pregnant again so soon. The Bronx, New York, teen was juggling raising a toddler and dreaming about becoming a lawyer. Sometimes, she would hang out with her friends and occasionally smoked weed. Then one day, despite still getting […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Was Javion MaGee Lynched? A Report Confirms Earlier Finding of Suicide.
This story contains discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The death of Javion MaGee, a 21-year-old truck Illinois driver, has been officially ruled a suicide. The autopsy report from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Violence Against Women
Guilty: A Wisconsin Jury Convicts Sade Robinson’s Killer
A Milwaukee County jury took a matter of hours to convict the man last seen with Sade Robinson before her death. The seven-day murder trial of Maxwell Anderson ended without his defense calling a single witness, opting to rest their case minutes after prosecutors did on Thursday. By Friday afternoon, the jury of mostly women […]