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He killed a man 26 years ago in Missouri. His husband secretly worked with investigators to get a confession

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On the surface, Timothy Stephenson had an enviable life. He was married to a doctor, and they lived in a $2 million home with their twin daughters in a quiet suburb east of San Francisco.

But Stephenson harbored a secret: About two decades earlier, he had shot and
killed a man he met at a bar in Kansas City.

The crime remained unsolved until 2021, when Stephenson’s dark past finally
caught up with him. By then, his personal life was unraveling. His husband had filed for divorce the year before and the couple were locked in a legal battle over custody of their children.

Authorities arrested him on murder charges that December and extradited him to
Missouri. And this month, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

For Stephenson, it all came crashing down after police received new information
that helped them piece together what happened that night back in 1998 in Kansas
City.

That information came from Stephenson’s estranged husband.

He told his husband 10 years ago that he’d killed someone, court documents say

Stephenson’s sentencing came a decade after he told his husband, Joseph Ginejko,
about the killing he’d committed in Missouri. According to a probable cause statement obtained by CNN, Stephenson told his husband in 2014 that he met the man, Randall Oliphant, at a gay bar in January 1998 and they drove to Stephenson’s house in Kansas City, where he shot him twice in the bathroom.

A missing person notice shows images of Randy Oliphant from an issue of the Current News. - From Current NewsA missing person notice shows images of Randy Oliphant from an issue of the Current News. - From Current News

A missing person notice shows images of Randy Oliphant from an issue of the Current News. – From Current News

Oliphant pleaded for his life after the first shot, Stephenson said. The
probable cause statement did not mention a motive.

Oliphant’s body was found two months later in some woods in rural Benton County, Missouri, about 100 miles southeast of Kansas City. Missouri State Police said Stephenson was familiar with the area because his father and grandmother lived nearby and he’d been there many times.

In his confession to his husband, Stephenson told him he later remodeled the bathroom to mask the crime scene and conceal evidence.

Investigators interviewed Stephenson in 1998 and he admitted to taking an “unknown male” to his home in Kansas City. But he said he gave the man a ride from his house afterward and dropped him off at a different bar.

Stephenson’s phone records revealed roaming charges from a cellular tower near
where the victim’s body was found in rural Missouri, investigators said.

In 1998, investigators also tracked down the person who’d bought Stephenson’s
Jeep Wrangler in May of that year – four months after the killing. The new owner
told them parts of the carpet were missing when he bought it. Police said they
found traces of blood in the Jeep’s rear cargo area, but DNA evidence was
inconclusive.

It’s not clear why police didn’t arrest Stephenson in 1998. The Missouri State
Highway Patrol declined to comment to CNN and referred questions to the Benton
County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which did not respond to requests for
additional details.

In 2021, investigators planned an undercover operation to get more details

Stephenson and Ginejko were married in 2008 and lived with their daughters in
Danville, in San Francisco’s East Bay — a suburb that was once named the safest
in California.

Court records show Ginejko filed for divorce in January 2020 — six years after his
husband’s startling confession — in Contra Costa County, but it’s unclear when the
divorce was finalized. Ginejko told police he tried to research the Missouri killing
after his husband’s confession but there was little information available online.

But at some point between early 2020 and April 2021, Ginejko spoke to the
police. Ginejko told them details about the killing that had never been publicly revealed, the probable cause statement said — suggesting that he only could have learned them from his husband.

In the probable cause statement, investigators said they then staged an undercover
operation: an April 2021 meeting between Stephenson and Ginejko that was
secretly captured on audio and video.

During that conversation, which included the estranged couple talking about their
children, Ginejko brought up Stephenson’s 2014 confession. Stephenson’s
demeanor changed and he “became paranoid,” the court document said.
Stephenson asked his husband if he was wearing a wire or recording the
conversation, and even frisked him — also examining his wallet, phone and coffee
cup.

Ginejko asked Stephenson several times why he killed Oliphant, and his answers
were conflicting. Stephenson finally admitted that he had indeed confessed years ago to the killing, but claimed he’d told his husband that to scare him into staying with him, the court document said.

Stephenson’s 16-year sentence includes credit for time served.

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Newsom urges Oakland officials to tighten ‘extreme’ policy that restricts police chases

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, called on Oakland officials Friday to amend an “extreme” policy that generally only allows police to chase suspected criminals in cases of “violent forcible crimes.”

The governor sent a letter to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, the Oakland City Council and the Oakland Police Commission urging them to reconsider the Oakland Police Department (OPD) policy that limits officers’ ability to pursue suspects.

“Although some California jurisdictions allow vehicle pursuits for only certain crimes (e.g., felonies), Oakland is an outlier by imposing exceptional restrictions on OPD’s ability to police criminal activity, generally permitting pursuits only for ‘violent forcible crimes,’ as defined in OPD’s policy, and crimes involving firearms,” Newsom wrote. 

The letter said that, unlike most other jurisdictions in the state, local police in Oakland are prohibited from pursuing people suspected of committing various felonies and any misdemeanor, including those that are violent, as well as other offenses that endanger public safety, such as reckless driving, sideshow activity and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

GOV NEWSOM ORDERS HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS TORN DOWN ACROSS CALIFORNIA: ‘NO MORE EXCUSES’

Gavin Newsom

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in Sacramento, California, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/José Luis Villegas, File)

“I am mindful of the sensitivities around vehicle pursuits, which can be dangerous to police, suspects, and innocent bystanders,” the governor wrote. “California’s Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training recognizes and addresses this in its standard-setting guidance. But there is also extreme danger to the public in allowing criminals to act with impunity, and the reckless driving associated with sideshows and other criminal acts is a significant threat to public safety — as witnessed regularly by the public in viral videos and news coverage.”

This comes after Newsom’s recent move to increase California Highway Patrol (CHP) in Oakland to conduct surge operations targeting organized crime, sideshows, carjackings and other criminal activity.

Newsom said the move quickly produced several arrests of suspects accused of committing these crimes. Two days after the governor’s announcement, the CHP used ground and airborne assets to conduct a surge operation targeting sideshows. Several vehicle pursuits through that operation led to five felony arrests, eight DUIs, the recovery of eight stolen vehicles and the seizure of two guns.

“In the course of the CHP’s operations, however, they have observed, based on their professional law enforcement experience and expertise, certain dynamics that are contributing to Oakland’s public safety challenges,” Newsom wrote in the letter. “In particular, the CHP has brought to my attention that they observed criminals often fleeing with impunity because it’s common knowledge that the Oakland Police Department’s (‘OPD’) pursuit policy allows vehicle pursuits in only very limited circumstances.”

Newsom said CHP observed suspects attempting to avoid arrest by using the same routes, meaning that the suspects knew where OPD would stop chasing them. But, the governor said, the suspects were unable to avoid the six pursuits initiated by CHP, which had a number of resources available to them, including air support.

CA SCHOOL DISTRICT SUES NEWSOM OVER BILL BANNING SCHOOLS FROM NOTIFYING PARENTS OF CHILD’S GENDER IDENTITY

Newsom smirks at news conference in Sacramento

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a news conference in Sacramento, California, Thursday, March 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Any policy on vehicle pursuits must be clear-eyed in balancing the risks and benefits involved,” Newsom’s letter read. “Because of Oakland’s public safety challenges and the degree to which OPD’s pursuit policy is an outlier among California law enforcement agencies, I support the recent action by the City Council to direct a review of this policy.

“I urge you to reconsider whether OPD should be permitted to pursue suspects in more circumstances to improve public safety in your city and to establish a process to evaluate whether OPD is making full use of its authority, including that granted under the existing pursuit policy, to protect public safety and enforce the law,” he continued.

Newsom concluded his letter by saying he is committed to improving public safety in Oakland and across California. He said there have been some recent improvements in public safety, but that officials “owe it to our communities to continue to search for solutions.”



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Wordle Answer for Today, July 27, 2024

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If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for July 27, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is easier; I got it in three. Beware, there are spoilers below for July 27, Wordle #1,134! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game.

How to play Wordle

Wordle lives here on the New York Times website. A new puzzle goes live every day at midnight, your local time.

Start by guessing a five-letter word. The letters of the word will turn green if they’re correct, yellow if you have the right letter in the wrong place, or gray if the letter isn’t in the day’s secret word at all. For more, check out our guide to playing Wordle here, and my strategy guide here for more advanced tips. (We also have more information at the bottom of this post, after the hints and answers.)

Ready for the hints? Let’s go!


Does today’s Wordle have any unusual letters?

We’ll define common letters as those that appear in the old typesetters’ phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU. (Memorize this! Pronounce it “Edwin Shirdloo,” like a name, and pretend he’s a friend of yours.)

Three of today’s letters are from our mnemonic. One is fairly common, one is less common.

Can you give me a hint for today’s Wordle?

A morning beverage.

Does today’s Wordle have any double or repeated letters?

There are no repeated letters today. 

How many vowels are in today’s Wordle?

There are three vowels.

What letter does today’s Wordle start with?

Today’s word starts with J. 

What letter does today’s Wordle end with?

Today’s word ends with E. 

What is the solution to today’s Wordle?

Ready? Today’s word is JUICE.

How I solved today’s Wordle

I started with RAISE followed by NOTCH to eliminate as many common consonants as possible. The only solution left was JUICE.

Wordle 1,134 3/6

⬛⬛🟩⬛🟩
⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle was harder. The hint was “covered or flooded with, such as tourists in Paris during the Olympics” and the answer contained four common letters and one uncommon letters.

The answer to yesterday’s Wordle was AWASH.

A primer on Wordle basics

The idea of Wordle is to guess the day’s secret word. When you first open the Wordle game, you’ll see an empty grid of letters. It’s up to you to make the first move: type in any five-letter word. 

Now, you can use the colors that are revealed to get clues about the word: Green means you correctly guessed a letter, and it’s in the correct position. (For example, if you guess PARTY, and the word is actually PURSE, the P and R will be green.)

  • Yellow means the letter is somewhere in the word, but not in the position you guessed it. (For example, if you guessed PARTY, but the word is actually ROAST, the R, A and T will all be yellow.)

  • Gray means the letter is not in the solution word at all. (If you guessed PARTY and everything is gray, then the solution cannot be PURSE or ROAST.)

With all that in mind, guess another word, and then another, trying to land on the correct word before you run out of chances. You get six guesses, and then it’s game over.

The best starter words for Wordle

What should you play for that first guess? The best starters tend to contain common letters, to increase the chances of getting yellow and green squares to guide your guessing. (And if you get all grays when guessing common letters, that’s still excellent information to help you rule out possibilities.) There isn’t a single “best” starting word, but the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot has suggested starting with one of these:

  • CRANE

  • TRACE

  • SLANT

  • CRATE

  • CARTE

Meanwhile, an MIT analysis found that you’ll eliminate the most possibilities in the first round by starting with one of these:

  • SALET

  • REAST

  • TRACE

  • CRATE

  • SLATE

Other good picks might be ARISE or ROUND. Words like ADIEU and AUDIO get more vowels in play, but you could argue that it’s better to start with an emphasis on consonants, using a starter like RENTS or CLAMP. Choose your strategy, and see how it plays out.

How to win at Wordle

We have a few guides to Wordle strategy, which you might like to read over if you’re a serious student of the game. This one covers how to use consonants to your advantage, while this one focuses on a strategy that uses the most common letters. In this advanced guide, we detail a three-pronged approach for fishing for hints while maximizing your chances of winning quickly.

The biggest thing that separates Wordle winners from Wordle losers is that winners use their guesses to gather information about what letters are in the word. If you know that the word must end in -OUND, don’t waste four guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND; combine those consonants and guess MARSH. If the H lights up in yellow, you know the solution.

One more note on strategy: the original Wordle used a list of about 2,300 solution words, but after the game was bought by the NYT, the game now has an editor who hand-picks the solutions. Sometimes they are slightly tricky words that wouldn’t have made the original list, and sometimes they are topical. For example, FEAST was the solution one Thanksgiving. So keep in mind that there may be a theme.

Wordle alternatives

If you can’t get enough of five-letter guessing games and their kin, the best Wordle alternatives, ranked by difficulty, include:





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France travel disruption expected to last for days

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French rail company SNCF has warned that disruption from Friday’s sabotage against the country’s train network could last until the end of the weekend and affect hundreds of thousands more passengers.

Coordinated arson attacks on three lines of the high-speed TGV network on Friday caused chaos for travellers, hours before the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics. A fourth attack was thwarted by rail workers.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal described the attacks as “acts of sabotage”.

About a quarter of international Eurostar trains were also cancelled, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer among those affected.

In a statement issued on Friday evening, SNCF said traffic “would improve” on affected lines on Saturday thanks to the work of thousands of rail workers.

It said:

  • On the eastern line, trains would run normally from 06:00 (05:00 BST) on Saturday
  • On the northern line, 80% of trains would be running, with delays of 1-2 hours
  • On the south-western line, 60% of trains would be running, with delays of 1-2 hours

The company added that customers whose trains are delayed or cancelled will be contacted by email or text message.

Eurostar said it expected about a fifth of services over the weekend would be cancelled, while all trains would face delays of around 1.5 hours. Eurostar services use the northern high-speed line.

SNCF said surveillance of the rail network had been strengthened “on land and in the air,” using 1,000 workers and 50 drones.

Junior Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said around 250,000 people had been affected on Friday, while up to 800,000 could face delays and cancellations by Monday.

He added that disrupting holiday travel, rather than Friday’s Olympic opening ceremony, was the most likely aim of the saboteurs.

“There is not necessarily a link” with the Olympics, he said in an interview.

Friday 26 July traditionally marks the start of the grand départ (big getaway) for many French holidaymakers heading out of the cities.

No group has yet claimed that it was behind the attacks. A source linked to the investigation told the AFP news agency that the operation was “well prepared” and organised by “a single structure”.

Mr Attal said security forces were searching for those responsible.

At around 04:00 on Friday, saboteurs cut and set on fire specialised fibre optic cables essential for the safe functioning of the rail network, government officials said.

One site was at Courtalain, 150km (93 miles) south-west of Paris. A picture posted online purportedly showed burnt-out cables in a shallow gulley with its protective SNCF paving stones discarded.

The SNCF spoke of a “massive, large-scale attack aimed at paralysing” its services, not just at Courtalain but at Pagny-sur-Moselle, a village outside the eastern city of Metz and Croisilles, not far from the northern city of Arras.

Another attempted attack in Vergigny, south-east of Paris, was foiled by SNCF workers who were carrying out maintenance on site in the early hours of Friday.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into attacks on “the fundamental interests of the nation”.



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