WUNC reports that Tailei Qi was found not guilty by reason of insanity this week for the 2023 on-campus shooting death of Zijie Yan, an associate professor at UNC Chapel Hill. According to the story, mental health experts for both the defense and the prosecution agreed that Qi was delusional at the time of the shooting and believed he was acting in self-defense. Qi was subsequently committed to Central Regional Hospital, where he will be held until he can convince a court that he either no longer suffers from a mental illness or is no longer dangerous to others. Pretrial insanity determinations by a judge, while relatively rare, are authorized under G.S. 15A-959(c) when requested by the defense and consented to by the prosecution.
Former NCSU Sports Medicine Director Charged. A man formerly in charge of sports medicine at North Carolina State University has been charged in Wake County with nine counts of sexual contact under the pretext of medical treatment, which are class C felonies pursuant to G.S. 14-27.33A. He also faces twenty-three counts of misdemeanor sexual battery. Conviction on any of the charges carries mandatory sex offender registration. The criminal charges follow a 2022 civil lawsuit against the suspect which eventually grew to include over thirty male athletes based on similar accusations of sexual misconduct. WRAL has the report.
FBI Hacked. The Times and other outlets report that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was hacked this week, resulting in a large amount of sensitive personnel information being compromised. The hackers, a group calling themselves ShinyHunters, claim to have data on almost all FBI employees and applicants. According to the report, the data breach is “potentially devastating” and poses serious risks for counterintelligence efforts. As of the time of this post, the website used to apply for positions at the FBI is inoperable and shows only a 503-error message. The hackers have said that the attack is retaliation for a public advisory notice about the group issued by the FBI last Spring.
Flock Trouble. We have covered issues with Flock cameras on the blogs quite a bit recently, from cases of officers misusing the technology to citizen vigilantes stealing or destroying the cameras. As this story from Wired notes, the public pushback against the mass surveillance system has led to numerous jurisdictions cancelling their contracts with the company—according to one advocacy group, as many as 93 local governments have discontinued Flock services. This in turn has led leaders at Flock to offer “a significant number” of employee buyouts amid declining revenues and increasing costs. According to the report, the company may soon be forced to sell some or all its business.
Peeping Principal. A high school principal in Wellsburg, West Virginia has been charged with felony offenses for breaking/entering and intercepting communications after hidden cameras were found in the school. A custodian first discovered a camera disguised as an ink pen inside of an area used by female students to change clothes. Once law enforcement became involved, they discovered three more hidden cameras in the girls’ P.E. locker room and the changing room for the school’s dance team. Authorities were able to identify the suspect by reviewing footage on the devices, which showed the school principal setting up and adjusting the angles of the cameras. At last check, the suspect was in custody under a $100,000 bond. This article has additional details about the incident.
Global Assassination Ring. Charges against alleged members of a “global assassination network” were unsealed this week in the Southern District of New York. The indictments claim that the defendants were working on behalf of Russian intelligence to conduct surveillance, carry out killings, and recruit others within the country to commit acts of terrorism against military and civilian targets in the U.S. and Europe. The charges include conspiracy to finance terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder. For now, the defendants have not been apprehended by law enforcement. A press release from the Department of Justice has the details.
Fowl Play? In what is surely the weirdest criminal law story of the week, a Georgia man is wanted by law enforcement in connection with an alleged trespassing and larceny incident. The suspect apparently entered a stranger’s yard a little after 2 a.m., hopped into a backyard pool, and eventually made his way to the hot tub. There, the suspect encountered a rubber duck and became “infatuated” with it. Video surveillance footage shows the man “intensely interacting” with the ducky for over ten minutes before leaving with a pile of luxury beach towels valued at $1,200. The story has a photo of the suspect, and anyone with information about the suspect’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Chatham County, Georgia, police department.
I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing weekend! I can be reached as always at dixon@sog.unc.edu.
