Corey Stingley Murder: Two Men Plead Guilty

A judge in Milwaukee brought a 13-year quest for justice ⁣by a grieving​ father⁢ to a close on Thursday, accepting ​a plea deal for two men charged criminally for ‌their role in the killing of his teenaged son.

Robert W. Beringer and‍ Jesse ⁤R. Cole pleaded guilty to felony ‍murder under a deferred​ prosecution ⁤agreement⁢ that‌ allows them ​to avoid jail time yet publicly stand accountable for their ⁤actions⁣ leading to the 2012 death‌ of Corey Stingley. The men helped restrain ⁢the⁣ 16-year-old inside a convenience store after an attempted shoplifting incident involving $12 worth of alcohol.

“What happened to Corey ⁤Stingley ‍should have never happened.‍ His death was unneeded, brutal and devastating,” Dane ⁤County⁢ District Attorney Ismael Ozanne told the judge ‌in ⁣a ‌letter filed with the court.

Both ⁢of Stingley’s parents ⁣spoke directly to the judge ‌in an hourlong hearing in a courtroom filled⁤ with family members, community activists, spiritual⁢ leaders and ⁤some of the teen’s former​ classmates.

“Corey was my baby. A mother⁤ is not supposed to bury her child,” Alicia Stingley told the judge. She spoke of the grace of‍ forgiveness,⁤ and after the hearing she hugged Beringer. the Stingleys’ surviving son,‍ Cameron,⁤ shook both men’s hands.

The agreement ‌requires Cole and ‍Beringer to make a one-time $500 donation each to a charitable organization of the​ Stingley family’s ⁣choosing in honor of Corey. After six months, if the two men comply with the ⁢terms and do not commit any crimes, the prosecution will dismiss the case, ​according to documents filed with the court.

ProPublica, in a‍ 2023 story, reexamined the incident, the legal presumptions, the background of the men and Stingley’s father’s relentless legal⁣ campaign to⁢ bring the men ​into court. The three men previously had defended their actions as justified and necessary to deal with​ an emergency⁢ as they held⁢ Stingley while waiting for police to arrive.

Ozanne, who was appointed in 2022 to review the case, recommended the agreement after the ‍two men ‍and the Stingley family engaged in ⁤an extensive restorative⁣ justice process, in which they ⁢sat face to⁣ face, under the supervision of a‍ retired judge, and shared their thoughts and ​feelings. Ozanne said in the letter that the process “appears to have been healing for all involved.”

From the bench, ‌Milwaukee County Circuit Court ⁤Judge Laura Crivello said she‌ found ‌the agreement to be fair and just and ​commended the work of all the parties to ‍come to a ⁤resolution.

“Maybe‍ this is ⁢the spark that ​makes other people see similarities in each other and‌ not differences,” she said. “Maybe this is the spark⁣ that ⁤makes them think⁢ about restorative justice and how ⁢do we come together. And maybe this is‍ part of the spark that decreases the⁤ violence in our community‍ and leads ⁣us to finding the paths to have ‍those circles to sit down ‌and have⁢ the‍ dialog ​and to ‍have that conversation. So maybe there’s some ‌good that ‌comes out of it.”

Craig Stingley, ‌Corey’s father, said during the hearing that ⁢his 13-year struggle “has turned into triumph.”

Earlier,⁤ the Stingley family filed a⁤ statement with the⁤ court affirming its support for the agreement and the restorative‌ justice process.

“We sought not vengeance, but⁢ acknowledgement ‍- of Corey’s⁤ life, his humanity, and ⁢the depth of our loss,” it⁤ states. ​”We believe this agreement honors Corey’s memory and offers a ​model of how people can⁣ come ⁢together, even after profound ​harm, ​to seek understanding and

ProPublica Inquiry Reveals Widespread Misuse of‍ Facial recognition Technology⁤ by Louisiana Law Enforcement

Louisiana State Police (LSP) routinely bypassed ⁣standard legal processes ‌to‌ run facial recognition searches on citizens, a ProPublica investigation found. Between 2018 ‍and 2023, LSP officers⁢ conducted over ​19,000 facial recognition searches, primarily ‌using the ‍controversial Clearview AI system, despite lacking warrants or probable cause in the vast majority ⁣of cases. This practice raises serious concerns about privacy⁢ and potential ⁤civil liberties ​violations.

The ⁤investigation, based⁤ on ⁢over 14,000 pages​ of ⁤internal police records ⁢obtained ‌through public records requests, reveals a⁢ pattern of ⁣LSP⁤ officers using facial recognition to identify individuals ⁣during routine traffic stops, protests, and‍ even⁣ to investigate minor crimes. Records ⁢show that in at least⁢ 14% of searches ⁣- 2,660 ⁤instances – the identified individuals were not ⁣suspects in any crime.

Key⁤ Findings:

• Clearview AI Reliance: LSP officers used ​Clearview AI for 14,939 searches ⁢between 2018‍ and 2023.
• Lack of​ Warrants: Warrants were obtained for fewer than 1% of the searches conducted.
• Misidentification Concerns: The ​technology incorrectly identified individuals ‌in at least 15 ⁤cases,according to internal LSP documents.
• disproportionate Impact: ⁢ Black individuals were disproportionately scanned, representing 63% of the individuals identified through facial recognition searches, despite‌ comprising ⁣only 33% of Louisiana’s population, according to‌ 2023 U.S. Census⁢ data.

One case highlighted in the report involves ‍a man mistakenly identified as a ⁣suspect ⁤in a burglary. He was subsequently questioned by police, despite having no connection to the crime. ⁣Another instance details the scanning of protesters during a 2019 demonstration ⁤against ‌a proposed natural gas pipeline.

“The Louisiana State Police’s​ widespread use ⁤of facial ⁢recognition technology ⁤without proper legal safeguards is deeply ​troubling,” said‌ Alan Butler,​ interim executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, in a statement to ProPublica.”This practice chills free speech and disproportionately impacts ‍communities of color.”

LSP officials defended the use of facial recognition, ​stating it’s a valuable tool ‍for⁢ solving crimes. However,critics argue⁣ that the lack of oversight and clarity surrounding its use⁤ poses a significant ‌threat to privacy and civil ‍liberties. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Louisiana has called for a moratorium ‌on the‍ use⁣ of facial recognition technology by law enforcement until stricter⁣ regulations are ⁢in place.‍ https://www.aclu.org/

The ProPublica investigation builds on ​ previous reporting on the use of facial recognition technology⁢ by law enforcement agencies across the united States.