No bail for N.J. man after relatives slain
TRENTON, N.J. -- A man charged in the fatal shooting of three family members in Pennsylvania and related carjacking and weapons counts in New Jersey will remain jailed while his case proceeds, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Andre Gordon Jr., 26, appeared via video from the Mercer County jail for his initial court appearance on the New Jersey charges. Gordon did not enter a plea and waived his right to contest pretrial detention.
Superior Court Judge Robert Bingham II ruled that Gordon will remain in custody until his trial, and scheduled an extradition hearing for April 3. Gordon's public defender, Nicole Carlo, said he will consent to extradition to Pennsylvania to face charges in Bucks County.
A message was left with Carlo's office seeking comment on Gordon's behalf.
Authorities have said Gordon carjacked a vehicle March 16 in Trenton, N.J., before driving to Levittown, Pa., where he killed his stepmother and sister. He then drove to a second home in Levittown and killed the mother of his two children, authorities said. He is also accused of injuring his children's grandmother by bludgeoning her with a rifle.
Authorities have said Gordon's children were present when he shot their mother.
Gordon then carjacked a second vehicle in Morrisville, Pa., and returned to Trenton, authorities said. Police surrounded a home for hours in the belief that he was there. He was arrested, unarmed, when he was spotted walking down a street a few blocks away.
Officials have not released a possible motive for the attacks.
Texas congressman facing ethics probe
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, the bipartisan panel announced. It did not specify the focus of the investigation, but Nehls said it was related to his campaign's finances.
The committee announced Tuesday it was digging into a matter reported to its members Dec. 11 and it will announce how it will proceed by May 10.
Nehls said in a statement Tuesday he would cooperate with the committee.
"My campaign has complied with every Federal Election Commission (FEC) law, and my books are open," he said.
The committee is made up of five Democrats and five Republicans. Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., and ranking member Susan Wild, D-Pa., agreed to pursue the investigation.
Nehls' campaign reported losing over $150,000 last year in wire fraud, prompting an investigation by the Federal Election Commission. The campaign was able to recover over $130,000 of the stolen funds, which were reportedly sent to Misty J Productions.
The House Ethics Committee investigates violations to House rules by members and staff. It sends its investigations to the full House to take disciplinary action if members find there was a violation and can also refer cases to the Justice Department if there is evidence of a crime.
Democrat wins Alabama legislative race
Marilyn Lands, who campaigned on abortion rights in deeply conservative Alabama, won a special election to the Alabama Legislature, in a victory that Democrats say illustrates voter backlash to extreme reproductive restrictions imposed by Republicans.
Lands, a Democrat, on Tuesday decisively defeated Republican Teddy Powell to win the open House of Representatives seat in a suburban district that -- while increasingly politically moderate -- had long been held by the GOP.
"Voters want something different, and I think they are tired of women's freedoms and reproductive health care not being addressed," Lands told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
Lands, a licensed mental health counselor, had also campaigned on education and economic development issues, but took square aim at the state's abortion ban, at times invoking the deeply personal to do so.
4 killed, 7 injured in Illinois stabbings
ROCKFORD, Ill. -- Four people were killed and seven were hurt when a man went on a stabbing rampage at multiple locations Wednesday in a northern Illinois community, authorities said.
A 22-year-old man is in police custody and was being questioned Wednesday afternoon, according to Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd. She said one of the people who was wounded remained in critical condition.
She said the Rockford police received a medical call at 1:14 p.m. followed by additional calls for police and paramedics.
Not all of the victims found at multiple addresses in the city had stab wounds and none were shot, according to Redd.
Rockford police initially said five people had been injured. Cori Hilliard, a public information officer with the Winnebago County sheriff's office, told The Associated Press Wednesday evening that two more victims were among those hurt.
Three people died at the scenes. The fourth died at a hospital.
Police later identified those victims as a 15-year-old girl, a 63-year-old woman, a 49-year-old man and a 22-year-old man. Their names were not released.