News Roundup

Published for NC Criminal Law on December 15, 2017.

On Monday morning, a man detonated a pipe bomb inside a subway corridor in New York, seriously injuring himself but, because the device malfunctioned, not causing serious harm to anyone else.  Apparently intending to carry out a devastating suicide attack, Akayed Ullah posted a message on his Facebook page saying “Trump you failed to protect your nation,” and set off for the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan with a homemade pipe bomb strapped to his torso.  The device did not fully detonate, likely sparing many lives.  Ullah has told investigators that he carried out the attack for the Islamic State, and he has been charged with several terrorism offenses. Keep reading for the final blog post of the year – the North Carolina Criminal Law blog is signing off for the holidays and wishing our readers a safe and happy season.  We’ll have new posts beginning January 2. Register of Deeds.  The News & Observer reports that former Wake County Register of Deeds Laura Riddick turned herself in to law enforcement officers this week after being indicted on charges of embezzlement.  The report says that Riddick has been accused of embezzling more than $900,000 from the Register of Deeds office during her time there.  Three other former employees of the office also have been indicted as part of an investigation into how $2.3 million went missing from the office over a nine-year period. Death Penalty.  Last week, the News Roundup noted that prosecutors will seek the death penalty in murder [...]