AP

State-PoliceSANDY LEVEL, Va. (AP) _ Authorities have identified a body recovered from the Pigg River as that of a North Carolina man who had been reported missing. Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says the Office of the Medical Examiner in Roanoke confirmed that the body is that of 44-year-old Jason W. Fuller of Carrboro, North Carolina. Geller says foul play isn’t suspected. State and local police began searching for Fuller on Sunday night after his vehicle was found abandoned in a remote area of Pittsylvania County near the community of Sandy Level. Search teams found Fuller’s body around 6 p.m. Monday. Geller says the Carrboro Police Department had reported Fuller missing. He was last seen July 31.

Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell

Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell

 

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ An FBI forensic computer analyst will be on the stand when the public corruption trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, resumes in Richmond.  Tim Huff had just begun his testimony Tuesday when an alternate juror became ill, prompting U.S. District Judge James Spencer to adjourn court a few minutes early. Testimony resumes Wednesday. The McDonnells are charged in a 14-count indictment with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and secret loans from former Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting his company’s dietary supplements products. Prosecutors presented evidence Tuesday that McDonnell concealed one $50,000 loan from Williams by listing the creditor as “medical services” on a state-required annual financial statement.

WFIR-LOGO-1

 

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Gov. Terry McAuliffe has called for a special election to replace former U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. McAuliffe’s office announced Tuesday that he had signed a writ of elections declaring November 4 a special election. Cantor announced last week that he plans to leave office early and resign on August 18. He requested McAuliffe call a special election on November 4 — the same day as the general election — so that his successor could begin serving immediately. Cantor lost a June Republican primary to Dave Brat, a college professor backed by libertarian and tea party supporters. The Richmond-area 7th Congressional District leans heavily Republican. Democrat Jack Trammell and Libertarian James Carr are also running.

Gay Pride RainbowRICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The plaintiffs in a court case challenging Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban have asked a federal appeals court not to stay its ruling striking down the law.  Last week, a county court clerk in northern Virginia sought to delay the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling while it is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. That 2-1 ruling upheld the decision by a lower district court in Norfolk. The appellate court ruling applies throughout the circuit that also includes West Virginia, Maryland, and the Carolinas.  In a filing Monday, attorneys for the two couples challenging Virginia’s ban wrote that allowing the immediate enforcement of the district court’s injunction would not result in any irreparable injury to the Prince William County clerk, the state of Virginia or the public interest.

Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell

Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The person who handled former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s schedule is testifying in his public corruption trial.  Former McDonnell scheduler Monica Block began testifying Monday about events the former first couple attended with Jonnie Williams, the former CEO of Star Scientific Inc. Among them was one in Richmond that was a last-minute addition to McDonnell’s schedule while the General Assembly was in session, which Block said was unusual.  McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, are charged in a 14-count indictment with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from Williams in exchange for their help promoting his company’s products. Williams testified under immunity as the prosecution’s star witness, starting late last Wednesday and finishing Monday.  Block will be back on the stand for cross-examination by defense lawyers Tuesday.

Gavel-Court-LegalBLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) _ A judge has ordered a sanity evaluation for a woman accused of killing a Virginia Tech student.  Media outlets report that Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Colin Gibb ordered the evaluation Monday during a hearing for 23-year-old Jessica Ewing.  Ewing is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 21-year-old Samanata Shrestha. Shrestha’s body was found in the back seat of her car, wrapped in a sleeping bag, on Feb. 10 in Blacksburg. The medical examiner’s office determined that the cause of death was ligature strangulation. Ewing also is charged with transporting or concealing a body.  She originally was charged with second-degree murder. That charge officially was dropped Monday.

WFIR-LOGO-1

ROANOKE, Va. (AP) _ A 2015 trial date has been set for a Pulaski County man accused of killing his 5-month-old son.  Howard Cole, 32, is charged with capital murder illegal disposal of a body. The two-week jury trial is scheduled to begin June 1. Cory Cole’s body was found Jan. 30 in the woods of a rural area. The child’s mother, Samantha Warden, is also facing one count of felony child neglect. Both Cole and Warden are being held in the New River Valley Regional Jail.

Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell

Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell

 

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The prosecution’s star witness in the corruption trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has testified that he never had any intimate physical contact with McDonnell’s wife. Jonnie Williams said Monday that he didn’t know Maureen McDonnell had any interest in him until last week. Maureen McDonnell’s lawyer said in opening statements that the first lady developed a crush on Williams, who had deceived her into thinking he cared for her.  The McDonnells are charged with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from Williams, the former CEO of dietary supplements maker Star Scientific Inc., in exchange for helping promote his company’s products. Williams testified under immunity for nearly three full days.

Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell

Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell

 

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A wealthy businessman who says his relationship with Virginia’s former governor was all about business texted or called the first lady more than 1,200 times over the course of nearly two years.  A defense attorney in the corruption trial of former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, raised the issue of the frequent texting Friday in his cross-examination of Jonnie Williams. Williams is testifying under immunity for the prosecution.  Attorney William Burck also showed an email Maureen McDonnell sent to Williams the day an earthquake hit Virginia. It said: “I just felt the EARTH MOVE AND I WASN’T HAVING SEX!!!!”  The McDonnells are charged with taking more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from Williams in exchange for promoting his company’s products.

Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell

Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A defense lawyer is attacking the credibility of the key witness in the corruption trial of Virginia’s former governor and his wife.  Attorney William Burck zeroed in Friday on inconsistencies in what Jonnie Williams told investigators in several interviews about his association with former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen. He also questioned Williams about his stock dealings and whether he was worried that they could be illegal. Williams is testifying under immunity. The McDonnells are charged in a 14-count indictment with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans in exchange for helping the former Star Scientific CEO promote his products.