Free Republic

A Florida man has been arrested in connection to the bloody murder of a convenience store manager who was stabbed 73 times in 1996 after DNA from a discarded beer can linked him to the cold case, investigators said Thursday. Kenneth Stough Jr., 54, was taken into custody in Lake County on Tuesday more than 25 years after the murder of 31-year-old Terence Paquette, Orange County Sheriff John Mina told reporters at a press conference. Paquette was found dead on the morning of Feb. 3, 1996, inside the bathroom of the Lil’ Champ convenience store in northwest Orange County. Mina...

The Fraternal Order of Police voted unanimously on Tuesday not to endorse Orange County Sheriff John Mina in his re-election bid, following his decision to take a knee with Black Lives Matter protesters last month. A union survey showed that a majority of respondents complained about low morale and many believed Mina wouldn't back them up if they were involved in a use-of-force case that went public, according to Fox 35. One union member who was surveyed said, “You knelt with the same protesters/rioters who were hurling insults and bricks at us for your own political gain." Mina took a...

Omar Mateen, the killer who claimed allegiance to the Islamic State, hid in a bathroom at Pulse, a gay nightclub where he had slaughtered scores of people. A wall of cinder block separated him from a team of police officers outside. For three hours early Sunday morning, crisis negotiators tried to end the siege. Then Mateen — whom police said had acted “cool and calm” during discussions — talked about killing more people. Alarmed, police placed an explosive device against the wall and detonated it. The breach failed; the hole wasn’t large enough to allow for a successful rescue. A...