Two Colorado hikers, Kaden Matsuda, left, and Jackson Donlon, found dead. (Chaffee County Sheriff's Office)
Two college students who went missing on a weekend hike in the Colorado mountains died after an anchor they were using while climbing failed and they fell a "substantial" distance, according to authorities.
Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were found dead in a basin of West Apostle Mountain on Oct. 28, days after setting out on their trip, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office.
An autopsy this week determined that the cause of both of their deaths was multiple blunt force injuries, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office and Chaffee County Coroner's Office. Their deaths were "instant," the offices said in a statement on Tuesday.
An investigation found that the two fell a "substantial" distance while rappelling after their anchor "had a catastrophic failure of unknown cause," the offices said.
A heavy snowstorm had impacted the area while they were on their trip. It is unknown if the storm "had a negative impact leading to the incident, but it did not play a direct contributing factor in their death," the offices said.
The two friends had attended Colorado Mountain College in Leadville. Matsuda -- of Ridgway, Colorado -- was studying to be a wildland firefighter, and Donlon -- of Queensbury, New York -- was studying to become a mountain guide, authorities said.
"Kaden and Jackson lived life at the highest peaks chasing freedoms and panoramic views that most of us only see in pictures. We hope their families and friends find strength in the memories of their vibrant spirits," Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich said in a statement.
The sheriff said there is also "relief knowing neither of them suffered."
"While their lives were far too short, they spent their final moments together surrounded by the majestic beauty of Chaffee County's high peaks that they loved," he said.
The measles virus, transmission microscopy view. (BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A sixth person in Pennsylvania has died of measles, state health officials said Wednesday.
The person was unvaccinated and a resident of Jefferson County, according to the officials.
This brings the nation’s total to seven measles-associated deaths this year, which includes six in Pennsylvania and one in New York.
Pennsylvania has reported 1,467 cases so far this year, becoming the largest outbreak in U.S. recent memory.
The death in Pennsylvania comes just days after New York state reported its first known measles-associated death in the state in over 30 years.
Health officials said a child died in Lewis County amid the ongoing outbreak.
At least 96% of measles cases in the U.S. this year have been among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.
Early symptoms include cough, runny nose, fever as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit and red, watery eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Two to three days after symptoms start, patients may develop Koplik spots, which are tiny white spots that may appear inside the mouth on the inner cheek.
Three to five days after symptoms start, patients may experience a rash, first appearing on the face at the hairline before moving downwards to the neck, chest, stomach, arms, legs and feet. Fever may spike even higher than 104 F when the rash appears, the CDC says.
Nationally, more than 4,800 measles cases have been confirmed this year in the U.S., with infections reported in almost every state, according to the CDC. It's the highest number of illnesses from measles since 1991.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective in preventing measles infection, and two doses are 97% effective, the CDC says.
Infants aged 6 to 11 months living in or traveling to high-risk outbreak areas may receive an early third dose of the MMR vaccine.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Ice melting at the antarctica, global warming is a present danger for future generations (Gonzalo Solari/Getty Images)
This year's ozone hole over the Antarctic was the largest in a decade, according to a new report by NOAA and NASA.
The 2026 ozone hole became the seventh largest in 48 years of monitoring, fueled by an unusually powerful polar vortex which prolonged ozone depletion in the Antarctic and allowed the hole to grow larger, researchers explained.
This is a stark contrast to 2025, when the ozone hole ranked as the fifth smallest since 1992.
"The polar vortex was unusually large this year in part because planetary-scale weather systems that typically well up from the lower atmosphere and break up the vortex were especially weak in August and September," said Amy Butler, a research scientist at NOAA's Chemical Sciences Laboratory.
According to government data, the ozone hole reached its greatest extent for the year on Sept. 18, measuring 10.5 million square miles, about 90% as large as the largest ozone hole on record in 2000.
Despite this year's larger hole, however, NOAA and NASA scientists emphasize that efforts to limit ozone-depleting chemical compounds have had a significant impact and long-term recovery remains on track.
"The 2026 ozone hole is large but could have been 1 to 2 million square miles larger if ozone-depleting substances were as prevalent in the atmosphere today as they were at their year 2000 peak," said Paul Newman, a senior scientist at the University of Maryland and longtime leader of NASA's ozone research team.
For decades, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting compounds were widely used in aerosol sprays, foams, air conditioners, and refrigerators, causing significant reductions in ozone levels. Researchers estimate that the ozone hole will recover by the 2070s as the older compounds disintegrate.
"The annual ozone hole has been forming later in the season in recent years, which tells us the ozone layer is healing," Newman added.
The so-called "ozone hole" is not an actual hole in the planet's ozone layer, but rather a large region of the Earth's stratosphere with extremely low ozone concentrations.
Earth's ozone layer acts as a planetary sunscreen, shielding humans, animals, and plants from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. When ozone levels drop, more UV rays reach the surface, increasing the risk of adverse health and environmental impacts such as crop damage, skin cancer, and cataracts.
Voters cast their ballots at the Joe E. Amayo Argentine Community Center polling station on Nov. 3, 2026, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
Voters in Missouri rejected an anti-abortion rights measure on the ballot that would have prohibited abortions, with some exceptions, and undone the "right to reproductive freedom" that voters had previously enshrined two years ago.
The failed amendment, led by anti-abortion rights PAC Her Health and Her Future, would have allowed state lawmakers to enact legislation to regulate abortions and access to care, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
The measure voters rejected would have allowed abortions in cases of medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape or incest. In cases of rape or incest, abortion would have only been allowed up to 12 weeks gestation.
Under the failed amendment, minors seeking abortion would have needed the consent of a parent or guardian, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
The failed amendment would have also enacted constitutional restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending federal protections for access to abortion, 13 states have ceased nearly all abortion services and four states have a six-week ban on the books, according to an ABC News tally.
After the overturning of Roe, Missouri enacted a trigger ban, prohibiting most abortions in the state.
In 2024, Missouri voters approved an amendment that enshrined the "right to reproductive freedom" in the state constitution with about 52% of the vote, prohibiting the government from denying or infringing on anyone's right to reproductive freedom.
The 2024 ballot initiative allowed for the overturning of Missouri's total ban on abortion through a subsequent court decision, allowing abortions to resume in 2025, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, 3,550 abortions were provided by clinicians in Missouri in 2025, a 53.5% increase from 2024.
Due to the restrictions prior to the court decision that allowed abortions to resume in the state, more than 11,600 people traveled out of Missouri for abortion care in 2025, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Reproductive Freedom for All said it invested six figures in its effort to defeat the 2026 ballot initiative and protect reproductive freedom.
"Missouri Republicans tried to overturn the will of voters, but Missourians fought back and chose reproductive freedom for the third time in two years. Missouri voters have made their voices clear and rejected anti-democratic attempts to take away their power," Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said in a statement late Tuesday.
State Sen. Adam Schnelting, who sponsored the proposal that led to Amendment 3 being placed on this year's ballot, told ABC News last month that passing the amendment is "critical to protecting women and children and providing Missourians with a measure that is more in line with their values than the one narrowly passed two years ago."
Schnelting did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment on the election results.
Protesters listen to speakers at a rally in support of a former Cornell University student known as Jane Doe at the Ithaca Commons, October 13, 2026 in Ithaca, New York. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The criminal investigation into a former Cornell University student's rape claim will be led by a Cornell alumna who has successfully prosecuted sexual offenses in federal court and now works in a private practice that represents women who've said they were trafficked or abused by Jeffrey Epstein.
New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday named Jackie Kelly to conduct the investigation into whether Jane Doe's allegations of a fraternity house gang rape merit criminal charges.
"I thank Attorney General James for entrusting me to lead this investigation with her office," said Kelly. "All New Yorkers deserve a fair and thorough inquiry into the facts of this case. I look forward to lending my years of experience as a federal prosecutor to the Office of the Attorney General as we examine all available evidence."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul earlier removed the district attorney in Tompkins County, who had declined to bring criminal charges after reading a summary of Jane Doe's statements to Cornell University police, in which she alleged in November 2024 that she had been raped by a group of men at the Chi Phi fraternity house. All seven of the fraternity brothers accused in the incident have denied wrongdoing
Hochul last month appointed James as special prosecutor and James has hired Kelly to gather and analyze the evidence and to conduct interviews.
"The Office of the Attorney General is committed to a thorough investigation guided only by the facts, the evidence, and the law," saidJames. "Jacqueline Kelly is a seasoned prosecutor who has overseen numerous cases from investigation through trial. With her criminal legal expertise, commitment to public service, and judicial experience, I am confident that she will lead a fair and comprehensive investigation."
Kelly works in private practice at Boies Schiller Flexner, where she represents victims of sexual assault. She previously worked as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, where, as the inaugural Civil Rights Unit Chief for the Criminal Division, she oversaw the prosecutions of music mogul Sean Combs, fashion mogul Peter Nygard and other sex-crime cases.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten concluded in 2024 that what Jane Doe alleged, while "morally disturbing," did not constitute rape under New York law. He had opted to reopen the investigation and bring the evidence to a grand jury before the governor removed him and appointed James to take over.
James is facing calls for her removal from two of the fraternity brothers Jane Doe named in her civil lawsuit. They have cited one of James' social media posts before she was named special prosecutor.
"Attorney General James's public statement, followed just three days later by her assignment to oversee the same matter, creates a serious appearance of prejudgment," said Stuart Bernstein, an attorney for Gillio Lopes.
James has said the claims are without merit, and Hochul has said she has "every confidence" in James' handling of the case.
According to the attorney general's office, Kelly is facing no deadline to reach a conclusion. There is no statute of limitations for the most serious sex offenses in New York, but the two-year statute of limitation for misdemeanors has expired.
In this image posted to social media by the Williamson County Sheriff's Office, Jacob Morley is shown on Nov. 3, 2026. (Williamson County Sheriff's Office)
Jacob Morley, the convicted murderer who escaped a Tennessee prison last month, has been taken into custody near Kansas City, Missouri, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday.
Morley had escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) announced on Oct. 26.
According to the Williamson County Sheriff's Office in Illinois, authorities responded to a report of a stolen vehicle on Tuesday morning, southwest of Marion, Illinois.
"Investigators subsequently determined that the vehicle, a white 2005 Ford pickup truck utilized as a farm vehicle, had been stolen by 28-year-old Tennessee prison escapee Jacob Allen Morley," the sheriff's office added.
The sheriff's office highlighted coordinated efforts with law enforcement partners resulting "in the apprehension of Jacob Allen Morley by the Missouri State Highway Patrol as he traveled through the Kansas City, Missouri, area."
The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed they took the suspect into custody in Carroll County, Missouri, near Norborne, Missouri, which sits about an hour east of Kansas City.
According to MSHP, authorities received information from the TBI that Morley may have been traveling through the state. After authorities located the vehicle using license plate cameras, the Kansas City Police Department followed the vehicle with a helicopter.
Morley was eventually taken into custody "without incident," according to MSHP.
According to TDOC, Morley was serving a life sentence for a conviction in Carter County, Tennessee, for crimes including first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism.
"At approximately 11:30 p.m. on October 25, 2026, staff at NWCX confirmed Morley was unaccounted for and immediately conducted an emergency count and search of the facility," the agency said when it announced his escape on Oct. 26.
Security cameras "confirmed Morley breached the perimeter fence and exited the facility in his TDOC uniform," officials said.
After Morley allegedly stole a truck in Tennessee after his escape, the vehicle was found in Marion, Illinois, the TBI announced on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
After the stolen truck was recovered, little information emerged about Morley's whereabouts until his arrest on Tuesday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Two people were killed -- one of whom died in a vehicle -- and hundreds of others were rescued since Sunday as a storm brought severe flooding in Palm Bay, Florida, according to Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina.
The deceased victims have been identified by Florida officials as Joshua Bennett, 34, and Archie Richards, 78
Emergency crews rescued hundreds of people from flooded areas using boats and special high-water vehicles, Medina said in a press conference Tuesday.
Some homes suffered major damage. One family reported that 38 inches of water had filled their living room, Medina told reporters.
"That is devastation within our city," Medina said.
Officials warned that flooding could continue even after the rain stops because water may take several days to drain. They urged residents to stay away from flooded roads, fast-moving water and downed power lines.
Flooding has also affected other parts of Florida, including St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties. State officials said they are working with local leaders to determine how much damage the storm caused.
A low-pressure system over the Gulf led to continuous onshore flow over the Florida peninsula on Sunday and Monday.
Up to 2 feet of rain fell in southern Brevard County on Sunday and Monday, leading to catastrophic flooding of streets, homes and businesses.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says it rescued more than 60 people in Brevard County on Monday.
Area schools have been closed and polling stations have been relocated, according to officials.
Persistent onshore flow will keep scattered showers along Florida's east coast on Tuesday, with additional rainfall of 1 to 2 inches, with locally 3 to 5 inches or more, possible.
Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins visited Palm Bay to see the damage and meet with families affected by the flooding. He thanked first responders and residents who helped their neighbors during the emergency.
"This is heartbreaking. When you talk to citizens who literally just moved here, from Louisiana, got set up, got settled — everything they own is wrecked. It’s a huge loss," Collins said.
The Justice Department in recent days has continued moving at an aggressive clip in ramping up its criminal investigation into the Alaska U.S. Senate race, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News, with prosecutors in the process of issuing more than 100 subpoenas and at least twenty target letters and preservation notices alerting individuals they are targets of the probe.
The investigation began accelerating last week after The New York Times detailed alleged efforts by Democrats and some in Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, to be on the ballot with incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan.
The target letters, which are being issued to Democrats whom investigators believe were involved in the recruitment effort, are an unusual step in such an early juncture in the investigation.
Among the recipients are Marc Elias, sources said, an attorney frequently attacked by Republicans over his extensive involvement in election-related litigation on behalf of Democrats.
"No one should be surprised that President Trump's Department of Justice is targeting me and my law firm on Election Day," Elias said in a statement. "This administration has repeatedly weaponized the DOJ against the President's political enemies despite zero evidence of wrongdoing, and we are the latest targets. We will not be intimidated by a sham investigation."
A target letter, which is typically used by the Justice Department to alert an individual they are a "target" of a federal grand jury investigation, does not mean an individual will ultimately face federal charges. According to sources, the letters indicate that a grand jury empaneled in Alaska is probing possible conspiracy and donor fraud related offenses.
Appearing on Fox News Tuesday, Attorney General Todd Blanche said that further DOJ action could be triggered in the event Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan narrowly loses, saying, "There is a scenario where the incumbent Sen. Sullivan could lose but really he didn't lose -- really because of ranked-based, it's clear that voters were confused."
"Again, that's why you need to preserve the ballots because you need to look at the individual ballots potentially to see if there was voter confusion, if it's obvious from the ballot itself that the voter, or likely that the voter intended to vote for Sen. Sullivan but was confused because of the fraud that's taken place there," Blanche said.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason, who dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block certification of the race if Sen. Sullivan loses, said in her ruling that once ballots were cast, an investigation into voter intent would be "impossible" because the government would have to preserve voter secrecy even if ballots cast for Daniel J. Sullivan were somehow segregated.
A DOJ spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Police work a crime scene in Brooklyn, New York where a jogger was stabbed. (WABC)
An avid runner stabbed while jogging less than a mile from her New York City home has died, WABC reported Tuesday, citing the runner's family.
Police told ABC News that Katie Suarez, 28, was stabbed in the neck Friday night while jogging along the Belt Parkway waterfront in Brooklyn, in what appears to be a random, "very violent" attack.
Suarez's family told WABC that she died Monday night. Police are still searching for the suspect.
She called her father around 8 p.m. Friday to tell him she was about a half mile from home, according to police. When she did not arrive back home, her parents went looking for her, and her father found her stabbed in the neck, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny.
Kenny described a brutal attack in an interview with ABC News on Monday, with a long blood trail of about 150 feet.
"It was a very, very large crime scene," Kenny said.
Police said nothing appeared to have been taken from Suarez and there was no indication of sexual trauma.
"We believe it to be some sort of random attack at this time," Kenny said. "She was a very private person. For someone to know that she was going to be there at that exact time would be extraordinary for us to find out."
The attack occurred along the Shore Parkway Greenway near the city's Bath Beach and Bensonhurst neighborhoods in Brooklyn, according to police. There are no cameras in the area, and a canvass of the neighborhood has so far turned up no video, according to Kenny.
A license plate reader captured about 1,700 cars passing the area at the time of the attack, and detectives are hoping to isolate drivers with dash cameras that may have caught something, Kenny said.
The NYPD released a photo of Suarez while trying to find anyone who may have seen her on Friday. The photo shows Suarez, who has participated in city races before, wearing a T-shirt and bib for the Frozen Bonsai 5K in Prospect Park in March. She was not registered to compete in the New York City Marathon that was held Sunday.
Police asked anyone who may have seen her on Friday between 7:56 p.m. and 8:12 p.m. in the vicinity of the eastbound bike path along the Belt Parkway between Bay 8 Street and Bay 17 Street to come forward.
"We're looking for any interaction that she may have had alongside the pathway," Kenny said. "There's always fishermen out there. We're interviewing them."
Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Anyone with information on the assault is asked to contact the NYPD at 1-800-577-8477.
Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp and their children Emma and Charlie in a photo released by their family. Courtesy Robinson Family
A family of four, including two young children, were among those killed when a Learjet slammed into a Florida roadway, according to a relative.
All nine people aboard the Bahamas-bound aircraft -- two crew members and seven passengers -- were killed in Sunday's catastrophic crash in Palm Beach County, authorities said.
Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp and their two young children -- Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2 -- were among those aboard the plane, according to Robinson's brother.
"Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever," Anthony Robinson said in an online statement while sharing a photo of the family. "Their warmth, generosity and gift for making people feel welcome touched so many lives. Their loss will be felt deeply by all those who loved them and who they loved in return."
The co-pilot's stepfather also identified her to ABC News on Monday as 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras.
An official from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office said it is too early for victims' identities to be officially released. The medical examiner's office is engaged in the "lengthy process" of DNA collection and assessment, officials said.
Plane may have been breaking up before crash: NTSB
The 22-year-old twin-engine Learjet 60 crashed after plummeting to the ground at 350 feet per second, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, creating a huge crater in a roadway.
The plane may have been breaking up before it hit the ground, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.
"We do have some indication that the aircraft was breaking up before impact, and so some of this is yet to be determined. We may find parts of the aircraft some distance away from the actual impact site," NTSB board member Tom Chapman said at an afternoon news conference in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Chapman said before beginning a rapid descent from 35,000 feet and making a Mayday emergency call to air traffic control, the aircraft's two-person crew reported they were experiencing icing on the aircraft and "moderate turbulence."
NTSB officials said they do not have precise numbers on the Learjet's airspeed, but said it was traveling at a high rate of speed before the crash.
Aircraft maintenance records showed there was a cockpit voice recorder installed on the jet, according to Chapman, but he said it's unclear if it was still onboard the aircraft during its final flight.
Photos and videos online showed a jet hitting the ground nose-first and bursting into a fireball. The impact of the crash left a crater near a shopping center.
Man injured on the ground
One man who was in a vehicle on the ground "immediately adjacent" to the crash site sustained a leg injury, according to NTSB investigator in charge Timothy Monville.
The jet crashed just before 1 p.m. ET near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue, in the Greenacres community of Palm Beach County, authorities said.
The crash prompted the evacuation of hundreds of people from 77 mobile homes in the area, county officials said following the NTSB briefing.
During Monday's news conference, Chapman gave a timeline of the air disaster, saying that weather conditions are a major focus of the investigation and that the turbulence the crew reported is "certainly a factor."
The Learjet, which belonged to Aurora Aviation, a private company doing business as Upper Jets, took off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, around 10:37 a.m. ET on Sunday and was headed to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas, Chapman said, adding that the crew was in communication with air traffic control facilities along the flight route.
At 12:47 p.m. ET, the crew reported they were encountering "moderate turbulence" and "light clear ice" on the aircraft, which the crew said at the time was manageable, according to the NTSB.
While in contact with the Miami Air Route Traffic Center, the crew transmitted that they were at 35,000 feet and that the moderate turbulence was causing the aircraft to experience altitude deviations of about 700 feet, Chapman said. He said the crew also reported that the temperature outside the airplane was minus 47 degrees Celsius, or minus 53 degrees Fahrenheit.
Very soon after, the crew requested permission to climb to 37,000 feet, which was approved by FAA air traffic control, Chapman said. Less than 30 seconds later, a transmission from the airplane announced a descent, followed by a Mayday call.
"Less than 30 seconds later, the airplane transmitted, 'We are in an overspeed condition, descending...,' with the rest unintelligible," Chapman said. "Subsequent communications described that the airplane was descending rapidly and gave an altitude callout."
"Sadly, all aboard were lost," Chapman added.
Neither Monville nor Chapman could say whether the jet flew through an active thunderstorm prior to the aircraft's rapid descent and crash.
Search for debris ongoing
Monville estimated that a debris field from the crash measured about one-half mile by four-tenths of a mile in size and was scattered among ball fields, businesses and houses.
"We're finding debris, but haven't identified parts yet," said Monville, adding that NTSB investigators will be at the scene of the crash for several days collecting evidence.
Monville said the "biggest obstacle" investigators are likely to have is recovering wreckage from the huge crater the crash created. He said current weather conditions also are posing difficulty for investigators and that rainwater had seeped into the crater.
Department of Justice text on the side of their headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images stock photo)
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a false statements case against two former senior FBI agents accused of lying to Congress about past investigations of Hunter Biden.
In dismissing the case, Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui delivered a scathing rebuke from the bench of current FBI and DOJ leadership, who he accused of seeking to impact the midterm elections.
"What has transpired here cannot be described as anything other than weaponization," the judge said in tossing the case against former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides.
The dismissal follows days of testimony in a series of rare public hearings Faruqui convened to determine whether the government's case against Floris and Benavides met the low bar of probable cause.
Testimony from an FBI agent who led the case revealed it was initiated only after President Donald Trump held a July address in which he alleged there was widespread election fraud and corruption by the FBI under the Biden administration, and that the case was ordered directly by FBI Director Kash Patel.
Prosecutors accused Floris and Benavides of lying to Congress when they were asked about federal investigations of Hunter Biden and the veracity of information allegedly found on his laptop -- but the case fell apart under scrutiny, with Judge Faruqui saying "there is simply nothing" that shows either agent intended to make false statements about the probes.
"Without motive, without direct evidence, I have nothing," Faruqui said.
Faruqui also faulted Patel, Attorney General Todd Blanche and D.C. U.S. attorney Jeanine Pirro for their public statements maligning both Floris and Benavides despite the lack of evidence, and accused the DOJ of rushing to bring charges in advance of the midterms, in apparent violation of a longstanding department practice that limits taking overt investigative steps in politically sensitive investigations within 60 days of an election.
"I will not bury my head in the sand and pretend I cannot read a calendar," the judge said. "I will not lobotomize myself that way."
A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Faruqui said it was the first time in his history on the bench that he had ever made a finding that the government failed to reach the relatively low burden of establishing probable cause to bring charges -- which he said adds to mounting evidence that the Trump administration is unwilling to bring some of its more controversial prosecutions before grand juries.
In what he described as a "slapdash job" by the government in seeking to bring charges against decorated former agents like Floris and Benavides, Faruqui said the flawed attempt to prosecute them and the messaging by top administration officials would likely deter qualified investigators from wanting to join the FBI -- and also potentially threatened Congress' ability to get valuable testimony from future witnesses.
"This case is marketing material to discourage people from joining the FBI," Faruqui said, before questioning "what person in their right mind" would want to join the bureau after seeing what happened to Floris and Benavides.
It's not immediately clear whether the government will seek to appeal Faruqui's ruling or if it will attempt to charge Floris and Benavides through other means, such as filing an amended complaint or seeking to indict them in D.C. or another district.
Lindsay Clancy is set to appear in a Massachusetts courtroom on Monday for a pivotal hearing that could determine the future of her triple murder case in the deaths of her children.
Two months after a deadlocked jury ended a lengthy trial this summer in a mistrial, the judge overseeing the case told prosecutors and defense lawyers he plans to discuss a future trial date during Monday’s hearing.
“That’s my goal -- to get this thing tried to as soon as proper without sacrificing anyone's rights, anyone's position. But I don't want this thing to then just start to kind of get kicked down the road, punted, and go forward,” Judge William Sullivan said during September’s hearing.
Neither side has firmly committed to retrying the case, saying they want to see how the judge rules on some post-trial motions before they decide their plans. Judge Sullivan plans to hear arguments on some of those issues during Monday's hearing, including Clancy's motion to dismiss the case and a request for a gag order ahead of a potential second trial.
Below are the three main issues set to come up during Monday's hearing.
Motion to dismiss
Clancy's attorneys are asking Judge Sullivan to dismiss the case, arguing that he failed to fully investigate whether the holdout juror who forced the mistrial properly followed the court's instructions on the law.
Attorneys Martin Weinberg and Kevin Reddington argue there was no need to declare a mistrial at that point, and that retrying the case after improperly ending the first trial would amount to double jeopardy.
Prosecutors argued that Judge Sullivan "properly declared a mistrial" after the jury reported being deadlocked twice, and that investigating the holdout further "would have surely led to judicial coercion of that juror and the impermissible intrusion into the substance of the jury's private deliberations."
“The Court's decision to conduct a limited individual inquiry of each juror and then instruct the collective jury on reasonable doubt - made after carefully considering counsels' proposed alternatives -- was a proper exercise of the Court's discretion,” prosecutors wrote.
Attorneys with the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office also argued the foreperson’s notes about the deadlock did not allege a “personal issue, bias, or extraneous influence attributable to the dissenting juror.”
The holdout juror -- who identified himself as Michael Péguy Desronvil -- said in statements and an interview following the trial that he had no doubts about her guilt.
“How methodical I thought Lindsey was in the execution of the children, so that was really big for me,” he told Fox News. “The thought process that goes behind and to fulfill the commitment of doing that. I thought it was um, it was um, it was uh logical.”
Judge Sullivan will also hear arguments Monday about the defense’s request to further investigate the holdout juror, including by reviewing court documents and his cell phone records. Last month, Judge Sullivan denied a request to hold an evidentiary hearing about the holdout.
“This Court concludes that any further judicial inquiry is inappropriate, given the mandate that the court must not delve into a juror's subjective reasoning, thought process, view of the case, or relationship to the other jurors, and must not inquire into the jury's deliberative content, collective thought process, or any disagreement among the jury,” Judge Sullivan wrote.
Request for a gag order
Judge Sullivan will also hear arguments about a request by prosecutors to impose a gag order, which they argue is necessary to "prevent the carnival atmosphere" from the first trial.
“Restraints on any further extrajudicial statements are necessary in this case to protect the integrity and fairness of the judicial system,” they wrote.
Ahead of a potential second trial, prosecutors said the gag order would “prevent any further pollution of any potential jury venire as well as subsequent witness testimony.”
Defense lawyers pushed back on the request and argued that the concerns raised by prosecutors were speculative.
“It offers no evidence that any prospective juror has been exposed to, or affected by, anything counsel has said. Invoking an important interest is not enough to justify such an order. And if a future venire were already ‘inevitably tainted,’ silencing counsel now could not cure it,” wrote defense attorney Laura McConnell. “The harm the government fears is purely speculative. There is no venire, no jury, and no trial date.”
While gag orders are sometimes imposed during high-profile trials, the defense argued that prosecutors did not meet the high legal bar needed to justify the request.
“The government bears a heavy burden to justify such an order. It offers no evidence. There is no jury, and it is unknown whether one will ever be impaneled. There is no trial date. The Motion should be denied,” McConnell wrote.
Future trial date
Judge Sullivan concluded Clancy's last appearance in court by telling both sides to "be prepared to talk about picking a trial date" during Monday's hearing.
“I think it's important that this case move forward if it has to move forward,” Sullivan said during the Sept. 29 hearing. “Why don't we just pick a trial date that will get this case moving?”
In a rare moment of agreement, both Reddington and prosecutors told the judge that they would rather wait until he resolves the post-trial motions before they agree to a new date.
“We'd rather defer until you make your rulings and then any appellate arguments are presented, rather than pick a trial date,” Reddington said.
Following the hearing, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said outside court that his office is still evaluating whether to retry the case.
“We're doing a very thorough review right now, and we're going to continue to do our job to make sure that we do what's best for the interests of justice and the interests of those three children,” he said.
Four people were killed in three apparently unrelated shootings across the Deep Ellum neighborhood in Dallas late on Halloween night, police said, adding that a suspect had been taken into custody and at least one other was being sought.
"The detectives and officers are still trying to put everything together to understand exactly what happened on each scene and to see if anything is related," Dallas Police Chief Daniel C. Comeaux said during a press conference on Sunday. "At this time, we have no information that they are related, but we're still doing an investigation to try to figure that out at this time."
Comeaux said at least 15 people had been injured in the shootings, but that number could rise as some people had transported themselves to nearby hospitals.
The first shooting began at about 12:20 a.m. near the 2600 block of Elm Street, followed less than an hour later at about 1:05 a.m. by a shooting on the 2600 block of Main Street, police said. The third began at about 1:35 a.m. on the 200 block of S. Crowdus Street.
Dallas Police sources told ABC News' Dallas–Fort Worth affiliate WFAA that at one location a man allegedly said he was going to "start shooting." At least three people were killed at that location, the source said.
Such violence "is always unacceptable in our city," Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson said in a statement.
"Public safety must always remain our top priority and we must continue to explore strategies to ensure that Deep Ellum can be a safe gathering place in our city," Johnson added.
Johnson and Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert both said the victims and their families would be in their thoughts.
"Dallas Police officers were on the ground and able to respond immediately. Dallas Police will continue to investigate this incident and work to bring those responsible to justice," Tolbert said in a statement. "We will share additional information as it becomes available."
A Learjet believed to be carrying nine people crashed on Sunday afternoon in Palm Beach County, Florida, after making a rapid dive of about 350 feet per second, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The plane, a 22-year-old twin-engine Learjet 60, crashed after taking off from Austin, Texas, and was headed to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas, according to the FAA.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, the FAA said.
Photos and videos online showed a jet hitting the ground nose-first and bursting into a fireball. The impact of the crash left a crater near a shopping center.
The jet crashed near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue, in the Greenacres community of Palm Beach County, authorities said.
There was no immediate word from authorities on deaths and injuries.
The plane went from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in a little over a minute, or roughly 350 feet per second, before it slammed into the ground, according to the FAA.
"Obviously, this was a cataclysmic plane crash," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press briefing on Sunday. "It looked like a missile going down. It left a big crater on the side of the road."
"I think people will recognize this as a major tragedy," he said.
According to records, the plane belongs to a private company and has been used as a rental in the past.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A cross-country storm is expected to begin impacting parts of the Northeast on Friday, November 6, 2026. (ABC News)
As parts of the Southwest are expected to endure another day of heavy rain and flash flooding on Sunday, a developing cross-country storm could produce a soggy Election Day across the central United States.
Flood watches remain in effect on Sunday across much of Arizona, portions of southern Utah, southwestern Colorado, northwestern New Mexico and southern Nevada.
Over the weekend, parts of the Southwest have received 1 to 2 inches of rain, ramping up a flash-flooding threat.
A level 3 of 4 risk for flash flooding is forecast on Sunday across the region, including the cities of Flagstaff, Ariz., Cedar City, Utah, Durango, Colo., and Farmington, N.M. The Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks are also at risk of flash flooding.
Cross-country storm track
The renewed flash-flood threat across the West and Southwest -- including Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah -- is expected to be exacerbated by a cross-country storm system that will begin hitting the West on Sunday.
The town of Pagosa Springs, Colo., was being evacuated on Sunday ahead of potentially historic flooding of the San Juan River, according to the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office. Mandatory evacuation orders were in effect Sunday afternoon, about a week after the San Juan River spilled its banks and caused flooding in Pagosa Springs.
"The river is rising faster than originally anticipated and is now expected to crest higher than previously forecast," the sheriff's office said in a social media statement on Sunday.
The river, according to the sheriff's office, could crest as soon as 6 p.m. local time on Sunday.
"Even if you are not currently in a mandatory evacuation area, we strongly encourage anyone who does not feel safe where they are to move to higher ground NOW. Do not wait until conditions worsen," the sheriff's office said.
Colorado Emergency Management officials said in a social media statement on Sunday that the San Juan River is expected to rise to historic levels.
"To put the forecast into perspective, during the devastating 1911 flood that wiped out most of what existed as the town of Pagosa at that time, the San Juan River crested at approximately 17.8 feet. The current forecast calls for the river to rise nearly 2 feet above that historic level."
Across Arizona, flash flooding and numerous road closures were being reported Sunday afternoon. Evacuation orders were also issued for parts of Sedona and Cedar Creek, Ariz., due to the rapidly rising floodwaters, including along Oak Creek in the area.
Sedona Fire posted an alert on their Facebook page, saying they were "calling in extra personnel to assist with an excessive amount of rescue operations in the area." The post included a video of homes being flooded and vehicles getting stuck in the rapidly rising waters.
White Mountain Apache Tribe, a federally recognized sovereign nation of about 15,000 members in east-central Arizona, also issued evacuation orders on Sunday afternoon.
Besides heavy rain, mountain snow is possible over the next few days across the higher elevations of the southern Sierra Nevada to central Rockies. However, it remains too early to tell how the cross-country storm will affect other parts of the country as it moves east.
The system is expected to sweep across the center of the country on Monday, bringing rainy weather to parts of the Plains and upper Midwest.
On Monday, scattered severe thunderstorms may develop across portions of the central and southern Plains by the late afternoon and evening hours. Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita, Kan., and Oklahoma are expected to be in the threat zone.
Severe thunderstorms moving across the Plains and upper Midwest could also be accompanied by potentially damaging wind gusts, large hail and tornadoes.
Early forecast for Election Day
On Tuesday, Election Day, unsettled weather will be focused over the center of the country and parts of the Gulf Coast. The East and West coasts will be mostly dry for Election Day.
Rain showers on Tuesday are expected to become widespread across portions of the central Plains and Midwest, with strong thunderstorms possible from East Texas into the lower Mississippi Valley.
Rain showers will become more widespread across portions of the central Plains and Midwest,
The cross-country storm could reach the East by Wednesday and Thursday as a weakened system, with possible scattered showers and thunderstorms across the area.
Separate system impacting parts of Florida
A separate system is expected to bring an elevated flash-flood risk to eastern Florida on Sunday and Monday.
Flash flooding could develop across parts of the Florida peninsula as rounds of heavy rain sweep across the region. Flood Watches have been issued from Miami to Cape Canaveral through Monday afternoon.
Law enforcement officials are at the scene after a man was struck by a vehicle driven by an ICE agent during chase, according to the Harris Courty Sheriff's Office, on Oct. 10, 2026, in Harris County, Texas. (KTRK)
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of intentionally striking a man in Houston earlier this month is expected to surrender on Monday morning, his attorney, David Lindenmuth told ABC News.
Mario Alberto Morales was indicted by a grand jury in Houston on a charge of second-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
Lindenmuth said Morales did not intend to strike Miguel Parra Hernandez when he was pursuing him and another person who were attempting to flee on foot on Oct. 10.
“It was an accident. It was nothing more than accident, but the DA to score political points right before elections decided to bring charges,” Lindenmuth said.
At a press briefing on Friday, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare alleged that Morales' body-camera footage shows the officer "aggressively steered his vehicle" into Parra Hernandez.
The district attorney played graphic video from the officer's body-worn camera alongside surveillance footage of the incident during a press briefing.
The body-camera footage appears to show Morales behind the wheel, pursuing Parra Hernandez and another individual who are fleeing on foot.
"Got a runner, got a runner," the officer can be heard saying. "On foot. Both of them."
Seconds later, the body camera footage shows the officer appearing to turn his steering wheel toward the left. Authorities say that’s when the vehicle struck Parra Hernandez and then came to a stop.
Morales is then seen approaching Parra Hernandez, who is lying on the ground crying in agony, and moving his leg.
When asked about the video, Lindenmuth said Morales had two detainees in the back seat and was trying to avoid striking a vehicle and did not intend to hit him.
“Clearly there is contact but the contact wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t knowingly,” Lindenmuth said. “It was in reaction to him trying not to strike a vehicle.”
Lindenmuth said Morales served in the army, was a paratrooper, and is a Christian pastor who does missionary work overseas.
He said he believes the charges against his client are politically motivated.
“This is a good man, so why are you attacking his character and his background? You know why? When you don’t have evidence, you have to vilify somebody,” he said. “So he has to make him the boogeyman, a monster, because he knows he cannot prove intent because there was none.”
Speaking at the press briefing, the DA told reporters: "I've reviewed hundreds of cases, some very similar to this. The evidence that we have in this case is as clear as any that I've ever prosecuted or investigated."
Attorney Kim Bruno, who's representing Parra Hernandez, her client suffered fractures and nerve damage and underwent surgery following the incident.
“All he wants is accountability,” Bruno said. “He wants assurance that this will not happen to anybody else. He is so sympathetic, and all he cares about are the other people. But he is the one in the bed suffering.”
Parra Hernandez is currently detained and remains in federal custody at a rehabilitation facility.
According to Lindenmuth, Morales is a former corrections officer who enlisted in the Army.
Morales also worked as a detention and processing officer at the Port Isabel Detention Center and worked with DHS as an ICE contractor, Lindenmuth said.
He joined ICE as a federal immigration officer in August 2025, Lindenmuth said.
James Comey, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, during an interview in Salzburg, Austria, on June 21, 2019. (Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A federal judge on Friday did not immediately rule on a request from attorneys for former FBI Director James Comey to throw out criminal allegations put forward by the Justice Department accusing him of allegedly mishandling classified information more than a decade ago.
It's the third known effort by federal prosecutors to attempt to bring charges against Comey in the span of 13 months, after President Donald Trump issued a public demand for the Justice Department to act "now" to bring prosecutions against Comey and other perceived political foes.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden heard arguments for nearly two hours over whether the government improperly sought to extend the statute of limitations so they could charge Comey by filing a "criminal information" rather than an indictment, which requires sign-off from a grand jury.
At one point in the arguments, the judge addressed the Justice Department's recent difficulties in convincing grand juries to approve charges in a growing number of cases, despite that previously being extraordinarily rare.
"Turns out ham sandwiches are harder to indict these days," Judge McFadden said, referring to New York Judge Sol Wachtler's famous 1985 quote regarding how easy indictments are to attain.
It was unclear by the conclusion of the hearing whether McFadden would issue a ruling by next Thursday, which would technically be the last day for the government to seek a grand jury indictment against Comey, until the criminal information is dismissed under the Speedy Trial Act.
But DOJ attorney Dustin Farahnak said that, as part of the government's active investigation, it has since uncovered evidence that could be included in the case as recently as April of 2017 -- which, if true, would extend the government's ability to potentially charge Comey for another six months.
Before concluding the hearing McFadden cautioned to the government, saying he "will be extremely frustrated if there is some dawn raid" to arrest Comey, prompting Farahnak to assure him "that won't happen."
Earlier in the hearing, Comey's attorneys said there have been several recent instances where FBI agents have been parked outside Comey's home for unexplained reasons, raising the suggestion that he could face arrest at any moment.
The latest allegations against Comey were revealed Monday after McFadden ordered details of the behind-the-scenes legal fight to be unsealed at the request of Comey's legal team.
According to unsealed court records, prosecutors allege that Comey broke the law by directing FBI staff to leak information to a New York Times reporter for an article published on Oct. 5, 2016, titled "Yahoo Said to Have Aided U.S. Email Surveillance by Adapting Spam Filter."
"The United States' investigation has uncovered evidence that former FBI Director, James B. Comey, sought to correct misinformation which had appeared in the press by way of Reuters the day before," prosecutors wrote in their response to Comey's motion to dismiss the case earlier this month. "Mr. Comey directed staff to speak to [the New York Times reporter] about specific accuracy concerns related to the Reuters article, and thereby illegally transferred classified information."
The article in question centered on whether the Department of Justice sought a court order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to force Yahoo to search for communications between members of a foreign terrorist organization.
According to court filings, Comey sought to correct claims in a Reuters story published the previous day that Yahoo "secretly built a custom software program to search all of its customers' incoming emails for specific information provided by U.S. intelligence officials."
Comey was indicted in North Carolina on April 28 over a controversial Instagram post from last year that prosecutors say was a threat against the president. In the post, Comey shared a picture showing the numbers "86 47" -- interpreted to mean "get rid of" Trump -- written in seashells on the beach, with the caption, "Cool shell formation on my beach walk."
Comey removed the post soon after making it, saying, "I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down." His next court appearance in that case is scheduled for January.
The former FBI director was previously indicted in September 2025 on charges of making a false statement and obstruction related to his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020.
Comey pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and the case was ultimately dismissed on the grounds that the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney who brought the case was improperly appointed.
With the help of an interpreter, a U.S. soldier asks locals about possible hidden weapons in the many caves surrounding their village, July 29, 2002, in Qiqay, Afghanistan. (Wally Santana/Pool/Getty Images)
Dozens of Afghan immigrants, possibly including relatives of Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. military, are expected to be deported this week, according to lawyers, advocacy groups, and families of those detained.
A court filing for one Afghan immigrant reviewed by ABC News shows that the destination of a deportation flight expected to take place this week is Pakistan, with further transport to Afghanistan.
Advocates and families previously told ABC News that, as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, hundreds of Afghan immigrants are currently being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention in Louisiana, from where many international deportation flights depart.
Charlotte Moyal told ABC News that her husband, who has been in immigration detention for more than a year, was recently transferred from a facility in Pennsylvania to one in Louisiana. Moyal said her husband was notified he could be deported from the U.S. as early as next week.
Shawn VanDiver, founder and president of AfghanEvac, a nonprofit group that supports Afghans who were evacuated from their home country as part of the United States' military withdrawal, previously told ABC News that families of those detained are "terrified."
If removed to Afghanistan, some of the families fear those removed will face torture or persecution from the Taliban.
"Anybody from Afghanistan is in danger if they get sent back," VanDiver said.
A State Department spokesman told ABC News earlier this week that the department reaffirmed its position that "all countries must be able to manage their borders and immigration processes in a manner that ensures the safety, security, and prosperity of their citizens."
In a statement, Taliban officials said they have "deep concern over reports indicating that the United States intends to transfer a number of Afghan refugees to Pakistan," and that they are "ready to engage constructively in this matter."
"When even the Taliban say they have 'serious concern' about your deportation plan, it is time to stop and ask what you are doing," VanDiver said in response to the statement. "Pakistan and the Taliban are at each other's throats, the border between them is nearly shut, and this administration wants to drop the families of America's allies in the middle of it."
"That is not immigration enforcement. It is abandonment with a boarding pass," VanDiver said. "These families stood with our troops. Stop the flight."
A senior official at the Afghan Refugees Commissionerate told ABC News that because Afghanistan does not have a formal agreement with the U.S., Pakistan handles the transit process for Afghan detainees.
The official said that Afghan immigrant detainees transferred to Pakistan are transported to the Afghan border in bulletproof buses.
"Afghans who stood with American troops, and their families, are being quietly loaded onto a plane to Pakistan, where they will very likely be pushed to the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan," Democratic Rep. Scott Peters, a longtime supporter of Afghan refugees, said in a statement. "If this administration has its way, we would be throwing our vulnerable allies into the jaws of mortal danger. This is absolute cruelty and it is not who we are. This decision needs to be reversed."
ABC News' Luke Barr, Aleem Agha and Habibullah Khan contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump is joined by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the White House on Sept. 29, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Nvidia, a top chipmaker, is denying a report that its CEO, Jensen Huang, was allegedly targeted in a Chinese spy plot.
According to a New York Times report published Thursday, U.S. intelligence officials allegedly determined that a top executive at a Singapore-based data center company who developed a "close relationship" with Huang was funneling information to Chinese officials in Beijing.
The executive was identified by the Times as Alice Huang, who was pictured together with the Nvidia CEO in 2024.
Nvidia denied the report in a statement to ABC News, saying Jensen Huang "talks with thousands of customer executives every year."
"Jensen's interactions with Ms. Huang are not unusual or unexpected," the statement read. "Meetings with customers are part of a CEO's job."
A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry also denied the report.
“The reports are baseless and purely slanderous smears against China,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Friday at his daily press briefing.
Neither Alice Huang nor her employer, Megaspeed International, responded to ABC News' request for comment.
According to the Times, President Donald Trump was briefed on U.S. intelligence officials' findings but did not take any action.
The White House has not yet responded to ABC News' request for comment.
Trump is a close ally of Jensen Huang, who has advised the president amid an artificial intelligence race with China. Jensen Huang was a guest at a White House state dinner in September, where Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping.
That same month, the CEO attended a luncheon for AI and tech industry leaders hosted by Trump at the White House.
Earlier this year, in January, Huang convinced the president to clear the way for advance chip sales to China, in a deal that gave the U.S. government 25% of the profits.
Trump also personally owns shares in Nvidia, the world's most publicly traded company.
Christa Pike said in a statement released by her attorneys on Friday that she is "recovering" but had been "deeply hurt by the incompetence" after her botched execution in Tennessee last month.
"My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts. I still struggle to speak. And the pain isn't just physical. There is pain in my mind and in my soul," she said.
Pike dictated her message to her legal team, the statement said.
The statement, her first public comments since the failed execution, comes one month after her execution date.
Pike touched on the day she was scheduled to be executed, the moments after she awoke and the toll the failed execution took on her in the statement.
Pike is currently in the infirmary at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, Tennessee, the statement said.
"I walked into the execution chamber at Riverbend men's prison prepared to die. I had made my peace," she said. "I had told the people who loved me, supported me and stood by me through the years I was grateful for them. I had also told the people in the room and who were there to witness my execution that I was leaving them in loving kindness."
Pike said days after her survival, she awoke "confused and in pain."
She said she had "not contemplated life beyond that night" and was "deeply hurt by the incompetence that has put so many people in this terrible position."
According to Pike, she has been "largely isolated in the prison's medical ward," which has brought about "its own kind of pain."
She compared her current isolation to the 28 years she spent in solitary confinement, saying this is "a repeat of that condition."
Pike also acknowledged the "love and support" she has received, saying, "To know that so many people care about me, that they see me as a human being whose life matters, is something I cannot fully put into words."
"I don't know why I survived that night. I don't know what comes next. Some days, finding hope is harder than others," Pike said. "I am trying to heal, one day at a time. And I am holding on to the love and kindness of so many people who have reminded me that I am not alone."
Pike, 50, was sentenced to death after being convicted of the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.
"I continue to think about my victim's family and the terrible pain and loss they have endured," Pike said.
Slemmer's mother, May Martinez -- who had traveled from her home in Orange Park, Florida, to Nashville with her husband for the execution -- told ABC Jacksonville affiliate WJXX that she believes that the state failed her family.
"All I wanted was justice," Martinez told WJXX.
Witnesses to the Sept. 30 execution said that authorities appeared to administer two rounds of lethal pentobarbital but that Pike appeared to still be breathing an hour later when witnesses were escorted out of the chamber.
Pike reportedly asked, "Where am I?" after regaining consciousness in a hospital nearly a week after the botched execution left her critically injured and temporarily on a ventilator, according to one of her attorneys.
Pike is the first person reported to have survived lethal injection after being given medications, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
In the wake of the botched execution, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee ordered a temporary halt to scheduled executions in the state, and Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada resigned.
Speaking to reporters this week, Lee said he expected her sentence would remain unchanged, despite the circumstances.
"As it relates to a particular individual like Christa Pike and her crime, she is still incarcerated under the laws of the state of Tennessee. And I suspect her sentence will be the same as it was before, unless determined otherwise by the courts," Lee said.
