On Monday, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari review in Jouppi v. Alaska, a case involving a bush pilot’s appeal of the forfeiture of his $95,000 airplane because his passenger’s grocery bags contained three cases of beer (at least a six-pack of which Jouppi knew about because it was visible in the bag) and Jouppi was prepared to fly the passenger into an Alaskan village where alcoholic beverages were prohibited. The petitioner alleges that in, upholding the forfeiture, the Alaska Supreme Court examined the gravity of the defendant’s offense at a “stratospheric level of abstraction,” while other courts, including the Ninth Circuit, have deemed it critical to review the specific actions of the violator. USA today has a story featuring a photo of the 82-year-old pilot, who says he is fighting the case not just to keep his plane but to “ensure the Bill of Rights actually means something in protecting against government overreach.”
Readers may recall that the Supreme Court held in Timbs v. Indiana, 586 U.S. 146 (2019), that the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause applies to the States under the Fourteenth Amendment. Timbs involved an appeal from a trial court’s determination that the forfeiture of Timbs’ $42,000 Land Rover for his drug crime was grossly disproportionate to the gravity of Timbs’ offense. Jouppi provides the high court with an opportunity to clarify the framework for evaluating when a fine or forfeiture is excessive.
Man sentenced to life imprisonment for targeted political assassinations. Yesterday Vance Boelter was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 40 years for killing Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and gravely wounding Minnesota Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in attacks at the lawmakers’ homes in the early hours of June 14, 2025. The New York Times reports that Boeltner went to the lawmakers’ homes in the middle of the night disguised as a law enforcement officer. He shot the Hoffmans in the presence of their daughter, went to two other legislators’ homes but did not find them, and then went to the Hortmans’ home, where he told Mark Hortman he was there for a welfare check before shooting him and running into the house where he shot and killed Melissa Hortman. Boeltner ran from the scene, leading to a two-day manhunt. After prosecutors announced that they did not plan to seek the death penalty, Boeltner pled guilty to murder, stalking, and firearms offenses. CBS News reports that United States District Court Judge John R. Tunheim said it was “the longest sentence I have imposed after hearing thousands of cases over the years, but it is well deserved.”
Tate brothers detained in Florida. CNN reports that U.S. Marshals arrested social media celebrities Andrew and Tristan Tate in Miami on Saturday while the two were on their way to a bare-knuckle boxing event. The United Kingdom has requested the brothers’ extradition on sex-crime charges, including rape and sex trafficking. The Tates, who were previously arrested in Romania for human trafficking and sexual exploitation charges, have denied the latest allegations and are challenging the request for their extradition. Their attorneys are requesting their release on bail.
Law enforcement love triangle. A Sergeant with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol is alleged to have fatally shot a Cumberland County sheriff’s deputy last March. The News and Observer reports that newly released search warrants in the case appear to show that the two men had been vying for years for the affections of a Hope Mills woman who worked for the Cumberland County sheriff’s office. Cumberland County Deputy Captain Adam Bean allegedly arrived uninvited at the woman’s home on the evening of March 27 and became angry when he saw Sergeant Nekime Oxendine’s truck outside. When the woman and Oxendine walked outside, the woman said Bean walked aggressively toward Oxendine and Oxendine shot two warning shots into the ground. Bean allegedly kept advancing before Oxendine is alleged to have shot him. Bean died in the woman’s front yard. The SBI’s investigation is ongoing, and no charges have been filed. The Cumberland County District Attorney has recused himself from the case and the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys will decide whether to pursue charges.
FBI uses genealogy service to identify murder suspect in cold case. Police in Arlington, Texas announced this week that they had arrested a woman on charges of capital murder for the 2012 stabbing of 32-year-old Irasema Chavez. Chavez was found dead in her apartment, having been stabbed more than 100 times. The suspect, Myra Velasquez, reportedly was a friend of Chavez.
Police cracked the case with the help of the FBI, using investigative genetic genealogy (IGG), a technique that combines unidentified crime-scene DNA with genealogical research. In the Chavez investigation, that meant developing a DNA profile from an unknown droplet of blood found on a television stand in Chavez’s apartment and submitting it to a publicly accessible genealogy service to identify potential relatives. From there, investigators constructed a family tree and identified Valesquez as a potential suspect. They then obtained a sample of Velasquez’s DNA from her trash and determined that it was a match for the blood droplet on the television stand. USA Today has the story.
Looking for a thrill this weekend? This is a criminal law news roundup, but since it is Friday, I’ll take some liberties. WRAL reports that the largest roller coaster at Carowinds – the Fury 325 – is back in operation after being closed for two weeks for repairs. Carowinds officials said that inspectors noticed a slight change in the foundation of one of the ride’s support columns, which led to the repairs. So if roller coasters and straddling the border of the Carolinas are your thing, you are back in business.
Roller coasters or no, I hope you all have a happy and safe weekend.
