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Regusters Called a 'Monster' in Closing Arguments

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As Prosecutor Erin O’Brien began her closing argument in the case against an alleged child rapist and kidnapper, she walked directly toward the defendant, Christina Regusters, and said: "That woman is a devil."

The prosecution wants the jury to believe she has a big imagination and a split personality.

Regusters is charged with abducting a 5-year-old kindergarten student from Bryant Elementary School in the Cobbs Creek section of Philadelphia last year. Then, prosecutors say she sexually assaulted the girl with such brutality that the child required a colostomy and several surgeries. 

O’Brien alleges Regusters walked into the school on Jan. 14, 2013 wearing Muslim garb, signed the child out and headed toward Walton Avenue. Before arriving at the home, Regusters allegedly put the girl into a laundry bag and carried her up the steps.

During her captivity, the victim was kept under a bed, naked and blindfolded. She later told police she heard a large talking bird and was told, “If you scream, that bird will peck your eyes out."

O’Brien called Regusters a stage actor who’s been acting in the theater of her mind. The prosecution sought to debunk a number of characters throughout the trial -- Rasheedah the adbuctor, an unnamed male rapist and China the rescuer.

But they don't exist in real-life, only in Regusters' mind, according to prosecutors and police.

After 12 days of testimony, the prosecution and defense rested Tuesday afternoon. Regusters did not take the stand although her attorney suggested she might. The jury is now comprised of 12 jurors and two alternates because three members were dismissed over the course of the trial.

“Every single piece of evidence points to one person and one person alone -- Christina Regusters and no one else,” O’Brien said.

Defense attorney Fred Harrison, in a zoot suit, paced back-and-forth in front of the jury while giving his closing argument for the former daycare worker.

Harrison left the door open to the notion that the defendant could have been China, the good Samaritan that dropped off the injured victim underneath an Upper Darby, Pa. playground. Regusters' DNA was found on the T-shirt the child was wearing. 

“Does the predator save the prey? I submit to you no,” Harrison said.

Regusters sat quietly twiddling a yellow pen and looking at the jury throughout the closing arguments.

O'Brien reminded the jury that searches for child pornography were done on Regusters’ laptop in the early morning on the day of the abduction. 

The prosecution is relying on this type of circumstantial evidence as there are some hurdles in the case, such as the victim’s DNA not being found anywhere inside the rowhome where the alleged crimes took place.

Harrison proposed that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has not met its burden of proof and that the jury should not convict his client based on mere suspicion.

The courtroom was packed with standing room only. The victim’s mother sat quietly in the second row. O’Brien gave her eye contact from time to time as she referred to her as a typical working mom just trying to do right by her children.

"Justice in this case is finding her guilty, telling [the victim] what her mother has been telling her all along. There’s no more monster under that bed," she said.


Contact Sarah Glover at 610-668-5580, sarah.glover@nbcuni.com or follow @skyphoto on Twitter.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Woman Sues Harrah's, Police for Alleged Brutality

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For the tenth time this year, Atlantic City’s Harrah’s Casino is at the center of a lawsuit, this time from a woman who claims security officers brutalized her two years ago.

“It was brutal,” said Amy Walsh, a 26-year-old hospital nurse from Metuchen, New Jersey. “I really did fear for my life in that moment.”

Walsh told NBC10's Ted Greenberg she was with her friends during a Bachelorette party at the casino’s Pool After Dark nightclub in August of 2012. According to Walsh, the trouble began when a waitress and manager refused to allow seating at a table for all six members of her group, which included three women who are legally blind.

“The next thing I knew I was being dragged without my shoes through the casino cutting up my feet,” Walsh said. “Which was a problem for me as a diabetic.”

Walsh and her attorney say the officers who dragged her away were members of the Atlantic City Police Department who were hired by Harrah’s as security detail. As Walsh tried to take a picture of the officers on her cellphone, one of them grabbed her phone and forced her into a holding cell, according to the lawsuit. Walsh says the officer choked her and slammed her head into a metal-plated wall while handcuffing her.

“I don’t care what the circumstances are,” said Alexa D’Amato Barrera, Walsh’s attorney. “This is assault and assault by a man against a woman is unacceptable.”

The incident was partially captured on surveillance video. Walsh believes her constitutional rights were violated and filed a federal lawsuit, naming several defendants including Harrah’s, the city of Atlantic City and the two police officers who allegedly attacked her.

Walsh is the tenth person who’s sued Harrah’s Casino for alleged brutality since January. Gary Thompson, the Director of Corporate Communications of Harrah’s parent company Caesars Entertainment Corporation, released the following statement:

“We take the safety and security of all of our guests and employees very seriously. Our security personnel are trained to use the least amount of force required to manage any particular incident while ensuring they take the steps necessary to protect guests, employees and themselves. These procedures are reviewed regularly.”

Walsh says watching NBC10’s previous reports on lawsuits against the casino inspired her to come forward.

“I said wow, I’m not alone,” Walsh said. “It wasn’t just me. It wasn’t an isolated incident.”

NBC10 reached out to the Atlantic City police department. A spokeswoman said they had no comment.
 



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

PPL Center Opens in Allentown

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Allentown business owners are hoping the new PPL Center will help economic growth.

Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Man Charged in Fatal Hit-and-Run

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The suspect in a fatal hit-and-run surrendered to police Tuesday, according to investigators. Police arrested and charged 29-year-old Juan Cruz-Garcia with vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and causing a death while license is revoked or suspended.

Garcia was allegedly driving a white Dodge pickup truck back on August 10 on Landis Avenue and Delsea Drive in Vineland when he struck and killed Armando Lopez. Garcia then allegedly fled the scene westbound on Landis Avenue.

On Monday, Vineland Police located the hit-and-run vehicle in the area of Boulevard and Forest Grove Road, according to investigators. After searching the vehicle they identified Garcia as the driver.

Garcia was processed and held on $150,000 cash bail.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia



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2 Struck by Car in Front of Vineland Walmart

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A vehicle struck two people who were standing in front of a Walmart in Vineland, New Jersey Wednesday night.

The unidentified victims were standing in a street adjacent to the Walmart on South West Avenue and Montrose Street when they were struck by a vehicle. The vehicle did not flee the scene.

They were flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital. Officials have not yet revealed their conditions.

This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

2-Year-Old Boy Falls From 2nd Floor Window

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A young boy is in the hospital after he fell from a home in Montgomery County Wednesday night.

The 2-year-old boy was inside a home on the 300 block of East Moore Street in Norristown when he fell out of a second floor window.

The boy suffered a head injury in the fall. He was flown by medical chopper to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Officials have not yet revealed his condition.

This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.
 



Photo Credit: Anonymous

Philly City Council Amends Marijuana Bill

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Philadelphia leaders agreed to amend the language of a bill decriminalizing marijuana Thursday during City Council's first meeting after summer break.

Originally introduced by Councilman Jim Kenney, the bill will decriminalize the possession and use of small amounts of marijuana within city limits.

"This bill will not legalize marijuana," said Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. "We want to ensure that the punishment for using or possessing small amounts of marijuana is commensurate with the severity of the crime while giving police officers the tools they need to protech the health and well-being of all Philadelphians."

The new law means anyone found in possession of 30 grams of marijuana or less will receive a $25 fine and anyone found smoking 30 grams of marijuana or less will receive a $100 fine and must complete as many as nine hours of community service.

 Police officers will confiscate any remaining amounts of the drug that they find.

Once passed by City Council and signed by Nutter, the ordinace will go into effect Oct. 20.



Photo Credit: NBC10 Philadelphia

Prosecutor Who Let Ray Rice Go Denied Philly Mom

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As the fallout continues over the video showing Ray Rice assaulting his fiancée, a Philadelphia single mom is speaking out about her connection to the high-profile case. The same prosecutor and judge who kept Rice out of jail with a Pretrial Intervention Program denied her the same opportunity after she was arrested for carrying a legally-owned gun in the wrong state.

“They say you can beat up your wife, beat up anybody and get away with it,” said Shaneen Allen. “But if you’re a law-abiding citizen who wants to protect your family and you cross the line to the Garden State, you’re a criminal.”

On October 1, 2013, Allen, 27, was pulled over in Atlantic County, New Jersey for a routine traffic stop. When the officer approached her vehicle, the mother of two informed him that she had a handgun in the car and presented her concealed carry permit for Pennsylvania.

Allen quickly learned that her Pennsylvania gun license held no legal weight in New Jersey when instead of getting a traffic ticket, she was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and armor penetrating bullets. She now faces a possible 3 ½ to ten years in state prison.

Records show the director of Atlantic County’s Pretrial Intervention recommended Allen for the program. As in Ray Rice’s case, entry into the program would have kept Allen from serving jail time and expunged her record of any charges.

Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain and Superior Court Judge Michael Donio denied Allen’s acceptance into PTI however. McClain and Donio would later allow Ray Rice into the same program after he punched his fiancée in an elevator at the Revel Casino, knocking her unconscious.

On Tuesday New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney called for the acting Attorney General to investigate McClain and Donio’s handling of the Ray Rice case. NBC10 repeatedly tried to reach out to McClain for comment but our calls were not returned. McClain finally broke his silence Wednesday night and spoke to the Press of Atlantic City.

“I just want people to know the decision was made after careful consideration of the law, careful consideration of the facts, hearing the voice of the victim and considering all the parameters,” McClain told the AC Press.

As the frenzy surrounding the Ray Rice controversy continues, Allen is trying to keep her spirits high for her two sons. She’s unsure however whether an upcoming celebration of her son’s 11th birthday will be the last celebration she shares with them for a long time.

“I do not want all of this,” Allen said. “I just want my life back for me and my kids.”

Jury selection for Allen’s trial begins October 6.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

From the Archives: The Man With the Red Bandana

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At the dedication of the 9/11 museum Thursday, President Obama recalled the heroism of Welles Crowther, a 24-year-old from Nyack who perished on 9/11 while saving the lives of others. On the first anniversary of the attacks, Chuck Scarborough talked with Crowther's parents who explained how they came to learn their son was the hero known only at first as "the man in the red bandana." The museum has one of Crowther's red bandanas on display.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Swastikas Spray-Painted on Kosher Butcher

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The owners of a kosher butcher shop that has sold meat to the community for a generation arrived to their Northeast Philadelphia store this morning to find it covered in anti-Semitic graffiti.

Semion and Ella Rachsmtut have owned Simon’s Glatt Kosher Meats on the 6900 block of Bustleton Avenue in the city’s Oxford Circle neighborhood for 24 years.

They arrived at the store Thursday morning to find red swastikas scrawled across the storefront, back door and walls.

The vandals didn’t do any other damage to the business, according to police.

The owners and other family members quickly cleaned up the graffiti in time for customers to arrive to the store.

Police didn’t reveal any word yet on possible suspects.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia



Photo Credit: Michael Rachshtut

Do You Recognize These Alleged Bullies?

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Do you recognize these faces?

New Castle County Police released sketches Thursday of two boys who they say bullied and robbed a boy in a wheelchair earlier this week.

Quan Mackey, a 12-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair, says he was exercising outside along the unit block of Buchanan Circle in the Christian Green neighborhood of Newark around 2:45 p.m. Monday when two boys came up behind him and pushed his wheelchair, causing it to get stuck in a storm grate.

With the chair stuck, the boys -- believed to be between 12 and 14 years old -- began striking the defenseless victim, investigators said.

"They punched me and then the other guy tried to push me out of the chair," Quan said.

The boys then stole Quan's lanyard and key and ran off, according to police.

The attack left Quan with minor injuries, according to police.

"I've been punched a couple of times," Quan said. "And it just makes me so angry that they would do this to anybody."

Quan and his father Paul Mackey believe the two attackers are the same kids who have been stealing family cats and bullying Quan for months.

"As a dad you want to be able to do everything," Paul said. "You want to make everything OK. You don't want your child to know that there are such evil people in the world."

Police officers alerted neighbors and canvassed the area after the earlier attack but they couldn’t find the boys.

As the search for the boys continues, Quan says the attacks have left him with several unanswered questions.

"Why are they doing this?" Quan asked. "What are they going to do? How can we help them? How can we get them to stop? They need help or something because I don't think that any kid would do that."

Police say one of the suspects may be identified by a small birthmark on his hand. Anyone with information about the attacks or the boys involved is asked to contact New Castle County Police Det. J. Smiley at 302-395-8110 or submit a tip online.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia



Photo Credit: New Castle County Police

Plumbing Issues Force Philly Charter School to Close Early

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Plumbing problems have forced a Philadelphia charter high school  to dismiss its students early Thursday.

Classes at the Imhotep Institute Charter High School, located on the 6200 block of North 21st Street in the East Germantown section of Philadelphia, will end at 1 p.m.

School officials closed the building Friday so that repairs could be made.

They did not detail the extent of the plumbing issues.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia

Famed Filmmaker David Lynch Returns to PAFA

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Acclaimed director David Lynch began as an artist at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.

Teacher's Slashing Death Inside Hotel Possibly Suicide

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Police rushed to a South Philadelphia hotel Thursday morning after a Philadelphia school teacher from Delaware County was found stabbed inside the women's restroom.

The women later died at the hospital and investigators believe she killed herself.

Police cars could be seen outside the Holiday Inn on Packer Avenue shortly after the woman -- a 48-year-old from Newtown Square, Pennsylvania -- was found around 8:10 a.m.

Police said the woman suffered stab wounds to her throat, chest and arms. They found her inside a stall locked from the inside with a pair of scissors and a steak knife nearby.

Medics rushed her to the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania in critical condition. She later died from her injuries, according to police.

The Philadelphia School District didn't name the victim but they did confirm that she worked as a sixth-grade teacher at Francis Scott Key School at 8th and Wolf in South Philly. She arrived for work Thursday to drop off some materials but left a short time later, according to the district.

Crime scene investigators remained on the scene for hours sorting through clues. They also interviewed her husband before determining that she likely slashed herself.

The Holiday Inn offered no comment outside of saying that they are cooperating with police. Police said hotel surveillance shows the victim entering the restroom at 7:46 a.m. A witness found her about 10 minutes later.

Grief counselors will be on hand at the school, according to police.


SUICIDE PREVENTION: If you know someone who needs help, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

26 Kids Hospitalized After Drinking Cleaning Agent: Cops

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More than two dozen children at a New Jersey day care center were taken to the hospital after being served water from a pitcher that apparently had a cleaning agent, possibly bleach, mixed in, police say.

Three adults were transported along with 26 children from The Growing Tree II Learning Center on Fifth Street in Jersey City shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday.

Police said they were inadvertently served from a pitcher that was supposed to be used to clean art materials.

Police said none of those taken to the hospital are showing any symptoms of illness, but they are still being evaluated. Most of the children had been released to their parents by early afternoon.

According to its website, The Growing Tree II Learning Center provides day care services for children between 6 weeks and 4 years old. 

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia



Photo Credit: NBC 4 New York

Philly Police Officer Charged With Assaulting Wife

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A person whose job it is to serve and protect is now facing assault charges for a violent incident involving his wife.

Joseph Griffin, 30, turned himself into Internal Affairs Thursday following an investigation into a domestic incident that allegedly happened on June 4, 2014.

Police say that Griffin, an 8-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police force, physically assaulted and threatened his wife.

He's facing multiple charges including intimidation of a victim and simple assault.

Griffin has been suspended for 30 days with the intent to dismiss, according to police.



Photo Credit: Philadelphia Police

High School Student Comes Down With Whooping Cough

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A suburban Philadelphia school district sent a letter home to parents Thursday after a high school student came down with pertussis.

Montgomery County Health Department officials confirmed that a Wissahickon High School student came down with the illness commonly known as whooping cough.

School officials didn’t reveal the age or year of the student sickened with the highly contagious respiratory disease, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says often brings uncontrollable coughs that make it hard to breathe.

In a letter sent home to parents, school district officials laid out signs of the disease and offered tips, including keeping young children away from anyone who might be sick.

The school said that anyone with questions or who see symptoms should call the county health department at (610) 278-5117.


 

2 Arrested in Death of Bridgeton Woman Found in Woods

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Two men have been arrested in connection with the death of Jennifer Cruz-Chavez whose body was found in the woods last month.

Pen and Paper Voting?

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The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will decide if pen and paper will be added to voting in addition to the commonwealth's vote machine.

NBC10 First Alert Weather: Isolated Showers Tonight

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NBC10 First Alert Chief Meteorologist Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz is tracking showers coming through the area and an end to the humid days.
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