Local:
Cape Coral Man Admits to 20-Year Cold Case
On June 12, 2004, Corey Smith was shot and killed at his mother’s house on Royal Palm Avenue according to Fort Myers Police.
A friend of Smith, Rodney Davis was named as a suspect. However, due to a lack of evidence, police were unable to arrest him.
The case went cold for 20 years, with Fort Myers Cold Case Detective Michael Iarossi being assigned the case.
In 2022, Rodney Davis was arrested in connection to a drug trafficking ring and this was what helped lead to the confession.
This year, Davis admitted to playing a part in a homicide. Police brought in Detective Iarossi and he was able to coax a complete confession from Davis regarding the murder of Corey Smith.
Davis has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder charges and 15 years for the drug charges according to FOX 4 News.
State:
Florida Biologists Discover Burmese Pythons are Eating Larger Prey, Including Deer
Florida biologists have been aware of the ecological threat posed by the invasive Burmese python for a long time.
However, new evidence has proposed that the pythons are beginning to consume larger prey.
According to ABC News, biologists spotted a nearly 15-foot female Burmese python, it weighed 113 consuming a full-grown female white-tail deer, equivalent to 93% of the python’s mass.
Researchers have previously found large prey in the digestive tracts of pythons during dissections but this was the first time scientists witnessed a python consuming large prey in the wild.
The discovery helps scientists build their understanding of how pythons interact with their prey.
National:
Rapper Lil Durk Arrested and Charged for Murder-for-Hire Scheme
Durk Devontay Banks, known as Lil Durk, was arrested on federal charges alleging he paid for a 2022 killing of rapper Quando Rondo at a Los Angeles gas station according to NPR.
Banks was arrested Thursday night as he attempted to flee the country.
A member of the Chicago rap group, “Only the Family” (OTF), Banks worked with other members of the group to get revenge on Quando Rondo for the killing of fellow OTF rapper King Von, whose real name was Dayvon Bennett.
Banks has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and is being held without bail in the Broward County jail.
