Alabama News

The man convicted in the 1979 killing of 6-year-old Etan Patz was awarded a new trial Monday as a federal appeals court overturned the guilty verdict in one of the nation’s most notorious missing child cases.

Pedro Hernandez has been serving 25 years to life in prison since his 2017 conviction. He had been arrested in 2012 after a decades-long, haunting search for answers in Etan’s disappearance on the first day he was allowed to walk alone to his school bus stop in New York City.

The appeals court overturned the conviction because of an issue involving how the trial judge handled a jury note during Hernandez’s 2017 trial — his second. His first trial ended in a jury deadlock in 2015. The court ordered Hernandez’s release unless the state gives him a new trial within a reasonable period to be set by the lower court judge.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it was reviewing the decision.

Harvey Fishbein, an attorney for Hernandez, declined to comment when reached Monday by phone.

A message seeking comment was sent to Etan’s parents.

Hernandez was a teenager working at a convenience shop in Etan’s Manhattan neighborhood when the boy vanished.

Hernandez later confessed to choking Etan. But Hernandez’s lawyers said his confession was false, spurred by a mental illness that makes him confuse reality with imagination. He also has a very low IQ.

Etan was among the first missing children pictured on milk cartons. His case contributed to an era of fear among American families, making anxious parents more protective of kids who many once allowed to roam and play unsupervised in their neighborhoods.

The Patzes’ advocacy helped to establish a national missing-children hotline and to make it easier for law enforcement agencies to share information about such cases. The May 25 anniversary of Etan’s disappearance became National Missing Children’s Day.

From the start, Etan’s case spurred a huge search and an enduring, far-flung investigation. But no trace of Etan was ever found. A civil court declared him dead in 2001.

Hernandez didn’t become a suspect until police got a 2012 tip that he’d made remarks years earlier about having killed a child in New York.

Hernandez then confessed to police, saying he’d lured Etan into the store’s basement by promising a soda and choked him because “something just took over me.” He said he put Etan, still alive, in a box and left it with curbside trash.

The appeals court ruled Monday that in 2017 the trial judge gave “clearly wrong” and “manifestly prejudicial” instructions to the jury in response to a question about Hernandez’s confessions to law enforcement.

The jury had asked whether, if it deemed invalid a confession Hernandez made before being advised of his Miranda rights to remain silent, it must also disregard a subsequent confession after those warnings were given. The judge said no, but the appeals court said that answer was incorrect.

Emmy Russell and her Tyler Ward are asking for prayers after their baby daughter, Taylor Raydiant, was hospitalized over the weekend for seizures.

The 2024 “American Idol” finalist and granddaughter of country music legend Loretta Lynn posted an update on Monday after an emotional video was posted Sunday on social media.

“She did spasm this morning,” she posted. “She has the EEG, so we will see what her results are and next steps. The neurologist should be coming in very soon. Please continue to pray.”

On Sunday, her baby was rushed to the hospital with signs of spasms.

“We’ve noticed that little Taylor has had some seizures, and we took her to the hospital today,” she posted Sunday. “We really do believe in the power of prayer, so we’re just asking you to come alongside us in this moment.”

Russell, 26, said the baby was place on an EEG to monitor brain activity.

“Just pray for like, normal brain waves,” she said. “She’s been having these spasms, kind of just like she’s falling almost … they were just really concerned about it and wanted to do some checking.”

The singer explained the child was fussy and she and her singer-songwriter husband believed it was a result of teething. However, they saw what they believed to be spasms and rushed to the hospital.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

South Alabama linebacker Blayne Myrick is the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, the league office announced Monday.

Myrick, a junior from Fairhope, totaled a team-best 101 tackles along with eight tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception (which he returned for a touchdown) and a forced fumble in 2024. He was a second-team All-Sun Belt pick after last season.

Voting was conducted among the Sun Belt’s 14 coaches and select broadcasters. Voting totals were not released.

Myrick also earned a spot on the preseason All-Sun Belt first team, along with running back Kentrel Bullock. A senior from Columbia, Miss., Bullock ran for for 832 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, while catching 15 passes for 153 yards and a TD.

South Alabama had three players selected to the preseason All-Sun Belt second team: offensive tackle Jordan Davis, safety Wesley Miller and punter Aleksi Pulkkinen. Davis was a third-team all-conference pick after last season.

Troy had no players named first-team preseason All-Sun Belt, but had four on the second team: offensive lineman Eli Russ, defensive lineman Luis Medina, defensive back Devin Lafayette and kicker Scott Taylor Renfroe. Russ, Lafayette and Medina were all honorable mention selections after the 2024 season.

Southern Miss quarterback Braylon Braxton, a Marshall transfer, is the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Arkansas State kicker Clune Van Andel earned the nod on special teams.

The complete preseason All-Sun Belt football teams for 2025:

First-team offense

QB — Braylon Braxton, Southern Miss

RB — George Pettaway, James Madison

RB — Kentrel Bullock, South Alabama

WR – Corey Rucker, Arkansas State

WR – Josh Dallas, Georgia Southern

WR – Ted Hurst, Georgia State

TE – Toby Payne, Marshall

OL – Nick Del Grande, Coastal Carolina

OL – Caleb Cook, Georgia Southern

OL – Pichon Wimbley, Georgia Southern

OL – Pat McMurtrie, James Madison

OL – Zach Barlev, Old Dominion

First-team defense

DL – Bryan Whitehead, Arkansas State

DL – Latrell Bullard, Georgia Southern

DL – Jordan Lawson, Louisiana

DL – Kevontay Wells, Louisiana-Monroe

DL – Brodarius Lewis, Southern Miss

LB – Brendan Harrington, Georgia Southern

LB – Jason Henderson, Old Dominion

LB – Blayne Myrick, South Alabama

DB – Chance Gamble, Georgia Southern

DB – Jacob Thomas, James Madison

DB – Tyree Skipper, Louisiana

DB – Josh Moten, Southern Miss

First-team specialists

K – Clune Van Andel, Arkansas State

P – Alex Smith, Georgia Southern

RS – Ian Foster, Southern Miss

AP – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State

Second-team offense

QB – Alonza Barnett, James Madison

RB – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State

RB – Bill Davis, Louisiana

OL – Jax Harrington, Louisiana

OL – George Jackson, Louisiana

OL – Jalen Slappy, Marshall

OL – Jordan Davis, South Alabama

OL – Eli Russ, Troy

TE — Kyirin Heath, Southern Miss

WR – Dalton Stroman, App State

WR – Jameson Tucker, Coastal Carolina

WR – Dalen Cobb, Georgia Southern

Second-team defense

DL – Henry Bryant, Georgia State

DL – Immanuel Bush, James Madison

DL – Kris Trinidad, Old Dominion

DL – Luis Medina, Troy

LB – Shane Bruce, Coastal Carolina

LB – Trent Hendrick, James Madison

LB – Cameron Whitfield, Louisiana

LB – Koa Naotala, Old Dominion

DB – Tracy Hill, Georgia Southern

DB – DJ Barksdale, James Madison

DB – Wesley Miller, South Alabama

DB – Devin Lafayette, Troy

Second-team specialists

K – Scott Taylor Renfroe, Troy

P – Aleksi Pulkkinen, South Alabama

RS – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State

AP – George Pettaway, James Madison

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for his role at Theodore Huxtable in the 1980s sitcom “The Cosby Show,” is dead at the age of 54, TMZ is reporting.

Citing a reliable source, TMZ reports Warner died as a result of an accidental drowning. PEOPLE, citing a source, reports the actor was in Costa Rica on a family vacation when the drowning took place.

ABC News reports that Warner died of asphyxia after he was caught by a high current in the ocean. His body was reportedly found Sunday afternoon.

Within minutes of the news, “Theo” was trending on social media.

The Emmy-award winning actor was most recently hosting the podcast “Not All Hood,” and his latest episode dropped just 3 days ago.

Warner is survived by his wife and daughter.

He and Eddie Griffin starred in the sitcom “Malcolm & Eddie” from 1996 to 2000. He also starred in “Reed Between the Lines” from 2011 to 2015.

Other credits include “Major Crimes,” “Suits” and “The Resident.” He also voiced The Producer from 1994-1997 on “The Magic School Bus.”

However, Warner is most remembered for his role as Bill Cosby’s son in the “Cosby Show.” Warner was just 14 when the show premiered in 1984 and ran through 1992.

He also won a Grammy winner for Best Traditional R&B Performance with the Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Lala Hathaway for the song Jesus Children in 2015.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

It looks “Duck Dynasty” is adding to the family.

That’s right, Jep and Jessica Robertson will be grandparents again.

Jessica Robertson posted Monday that daughter Priscilla June, 18, is expecting.

“Me and Jep are excited to welcome another new grandbaby in October,” she posted. “Priscilla will give birth to our granddaughter, and we are blessed to add another grandbaby.

“This isn’t the plans we had laid out for Priscilla, but God takes our meager offerings and turns them into His greatest blessings.

The baby’s father is a man named Dillon, per her post.

“We are so proud that Priscilla and Dillon chose life for their baby and we will all be rewarded with this precious baby girl,” she added.

“We pray blessings on her pregnancy and ask God for a safe delivery for Mom and baby. We praise God for His perfect gifts!”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

Alabama is set to get its first Hard Rock hotel. The REVERB hotel is slated for downtown Florence.

The eight-story building will replace the Days Inn hotel, which has stood vacant for 15 years, in the heart of Florence. Sak Capital Partners is spearheading construction.

Florence was chosen in part due to its proximity to Muscle Shoals, which has a rich music history. It is near the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and FAME Studios. Icons like Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones and Willie Nelson have recorded music in the Shoals.

“Hard Rock International recognized the Muscle Shoals & Florence community’s music heritage and contribution to all things in modern music, specifically the rock, country and gospel genres,” developer and president Eugene Sak said. “Hard Rock is the largest collector and preservationist of modern music memorabilia and culture in the world.”

The Hard Rock is the first hotel to be built in Florence since 2010, but Sak said tourism has doubled in the area.

The hotel will have the area’s music history throughout the building, along with 155 guest rooms, 2,000 square feet of meeting space and more.

The REVERB hotel is similar to the traditional Hard Rock hotel. It’s still an upscale hotel with a recording studio, live music venues and restaurants, according to Sak. It just does not include gaming associated with the property.

Sak says the hotel is expected to create over 200 jobs, bring $1.3 billion to the local economy and attract more than 68,000 annual visitors to Florence.

The REVERB Hard Rock hotel was a recipient of a tax rebate from the Sweet Home Alabama Tourism Investment Act. Sak said incentives like this were necessary to make this project a reality because “the local private market could not support this upscale project in its early years.”

In the past year, the city has received revates, held public hearings and rezoned the area to bring the hotel giant to the Shoals.

Sak said demolition is set for later this year. It’s expected to be open in 2028.

On Monday at 12:18 p.m. the National Weather Service released a special weather statement until 1:15 p.m. for Jackson and DeKalb counties.

“At 12:17 p.m., Doppler radar tracked a strong thunderstorm near Stevenson, or 11 miles southwest of Bridgeport, moving southeast at 15 mph. Pea size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm,” says the weather service.

Locations impacted by the alert include Henagar, Stevenson, Ider, Pisgah, Hammondville, Martintown, Rosalie, Fabius and Sulpher Springs.

According to the weather service, “Strong gusty winds will be capable of knocking down small tree limbs along with other small unsecured items. Seek safe shelter until this storm has passed.”

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.

The Sun Belt Conference released its annual preseason predicted order of finish on Monday, the eve of the league’s Media Days in New Orleans.

South Alabama is picked to finish fourth in the seven-team Sun Belt West, with Troy sixth. Voting was conducted among the league’s 14 head coaches.

The Jaguars received one first-place vote, with Louisiana and Texas State garnering six each and Arkansas State the other. The defending division champion Ragin’ Cajuns are the pick to finish first in the West with 86 poll points, ahead of Texas State (78), Arkansas State (64), South Alabama (50), Southern Miss (47), Troy (43) and Louisiana-Monroe (24).

South Alabama was 7-6 a year ago, and in a three-way tie for second in the division at 5-3 in Sun Belt play. Troy finished tied for fifth at 4-8, 3-5.

James Madison is the pick in the East and received 11 of 14 first-place vote, with Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina and Marshall all garnering one each. The Dukes totaled 94 poll points, ahead of Georgia Southern (76), Appalachian State (60), Coastal Carolina (49), Old Dominion (48), Marshall (42) and Georgia State (23).

Nearly 300 current and former NASA employees have penned an open letter protesting proposed funding and personnel cuts to the space agency.

In a letter titled “The Voyager Declaration,” 131 named and 156 unnamed signatories highlight, “recent policies that have or threaten to waste public resources, compromise human safety, weaken national security, and undermine the core NASA mission.”

They call on interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy to oppose cuts proposed by the President Donald Trump administration, including a 24% budget reduction and 31% trim to the space agency’s workforce.

“We wish to preserve NASA’s vital mission as authorized and appropriated by Congress,” states the letter, which is styled as a “formal dissent” under NASA’s policy directive handbook.

In addition to workforce cuts, the Voyager Declaration opposes:

• Shutting down of congressionally authorized science missions
• Terminating contracts and grants unrelated to performance
• Ending the agency’s diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have moved to restore the bulk of the administration’s proposed NASA cuts, which included an early wind-down of key programs under the agency’s Artemis moon-to-Mars efforts managed by Huntsville’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

The Voyager Declaration signatories dedicated the letter to the 17 astronauts who have died during missions: the crews of Apollo 1, and of the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.

“Their legacies underpin every conversation about our shared commitment to safety and dissenting opinions at NASA,” the letter states.

The open letter follow similar statements from current and former employees of the Environmental Protection Agency and of the National Institutes of Health.

It also was made public the same day as a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists that identified a record 402 “attacks on science” emanating from the Trump administration since the president’s inauguration Jan. 20.

The third episode of the four-episode Christmas in July special, Christmas at Sea, premieres on the Hallmark Channel Monday, July 21 at 8/7c.

Those hoping to see what’s next for those aboard Hallmark’s holiday cruise can stream this week’s new episode through Philo (free trial), Fubo (free trial), DirecTV (free trial) or Sling (50% off first month).

What is Christmas at Sea?

For those who may have missed it, Christmas at Sea is a four-episode special premiere part of the Hallmark Channel’s Christmas in July 2025 event.

The short-term series first debuted on July 7 and followed avid Hallmark Channel fans as they boarded a holiday-themed cruise ship to meet up with fan-favorite Hallmark Channel alums such as Jonathan Bennett, Wes Brown, Erin Cahill, Paul Campbell, Taylor Cole, Nikki DeLoach and more.

On this week’s brand new episode, Rob plans an unforgettable surprise for Donna while best friends Gail and Alicia take on an off-road ATV adventure with a very special Hallmark Channel guest—Tyler Hynes.

Meanwhile, Alexandra and Paige bond over a playful makeover, and the spirited “Finding Mr. Shipmas” contest stirs up some friendly competition among the passengers aboard.

How to watch Christmas at Sea

Those looking to catch this week’s new episode along with the special’s conclusion next week can stream Christmas at Sea through the streaming platforms listed below.

Philo: 7-day free trial ($28 a month after free trial ends)

Fubo: Free trial ($84.99 a month after free trial ends)

DirecTV: 5-day free trial ($86.99 a month after free trial ends)

Sling: 50% off first month ($45.99 a month after first month)

What is Philo?

Philo is considered one of the most affordable streaming platforms on the market. Known as an entertainment-focused streaming service, Philo offers its subscribers access to over 70 top-rated TV channels such as TLC, MTV, BET, AMC, CMT, Investigation Discovery and more.

New users can enjoy Philo’s 7-day free trial and continue to stream top channels, hit TV shows and movies on-demand for just $28 a month once the free trial expires.

Those looking to customize their flow of content even further on Philo can consider including add-ons such as MGM+, STARZ, and AMC+ in their subscription.

What is Fubo?

Although primarily known as one of the most popular sports-focused streaming platforms, Fubo offers its subscribers much more than just sports related content. Fubo users can access over 100 live TV channels through its base package for just $84.99 a month following its free trial.

Some of the most popular channels available for streaming through Fubo include ESPN, ABC, CBS, NBC, TLC, MTV and more.

Subscribers can also enjoy a plethora of on-demand content in the form of hit TV shows and blockbuster movies and gain access to useful features such as the unlimited DVR feature.

What is DirecTV?

DirecTV is a top streaming service perfect for those looking to access a plethora of live TV channels and enjoy helpful features. The base package starts at just $86.99 a month after its 5-day free trial and includes popular TV channels such as HGTV, ESPN, Bravo, CMT, CNBC, BET, CNN and more.

DirecTV has also recently introduced a lineup of genre packs, which allows subscribers to choose their favorite viewing options based on what genre they watch the most. With genre packs, users can get the channels and content they want without filler channel overload. Packs start at just $34.99 a month.

Those interested in comparing all DirecTV’s channel packages and the new genre packs can check them out here.

What is Sling?

Sling is another streaming service to consider if you want to access top rated TV channels like the Hallmark Channel. Though no free trial is available to new subscribers, those who commit to a paid plan get half off the first month.

Both the Sling Orange plan and the Sling Blue plan are normally $45.99 a month, but with the current promotion, Sling users will pay just $23 a month for the first month.

For those who wish to access channels from both the Sling Blue and Sling Orange plans can do so by signing up for the Orange + Blue plan, which combines the best of both plans for just $60.99 a month ($30.50 for the first month).