Russia court sentences American David Barnes to prison on sexual abuse claims dismissed by Texas authorities
CBSN
A Russian court convicted an American man of sexually abusing his two sons Tuesday and sentenced him to more than two decades in prison over claims made by his Russian ex-wife. David Barnes' lawyer told CBS News the ruling had left them shocked, given the lack of evidence and the fact that law enforcement officials in Texas, where the alleged incidents took place, had looked into the allegations and never found cause to file charges.
Barnes was sentenced to 21 years in a high security Russian penal colony by a Moscow court on Tuesday for abuses that alleged took place in Texas between 2014 and 2018. Barnes was found guilty on the charge of "violent acts of a sexual nature committed against a person under the age of fourteen," according to pro-Kremlin Russian news outlet Pravda.
"The American's wife said that he repeatedly raped his sons born in 2010 and 2014. He committed crimes in the United States in the cities of Houston and the Woodlands from 2014 to 2018, when the boys were visiting him," Pravda reported.
This story previously aired on Sept. 15, 2018. News report: Today, in a 5-1 decision, the California State Supreme Court ruled that Rodney Alcala did not receive a fair trial. Juror: We, the jury, find the defendant, Rodney James Alcala, guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree. Victim Robin C. Samsoe… "I wanna kill, I wanna kill, I wanna see blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean, kill, kill, kill, kill." Jury member [in court]: We, the jury … determine that the penalty to be imposed upon defendant, Rodney James Alcala, to be death. D.A. Cyrus Vance to reporters: For both families, who had lost all hope that these cases would ever be solved, the pleas by Rodney Alcala, and today's sentencing brings closure to painful chapters in their lives.
A new law aims to strengthen reporting requirements for technology companies to combat online predators seeking to exploit children. One dad told CBS News that he hopes the law will save children like his son, who died by suicide after becoming ensnared in a "sextortion" scheme when he was 17 years old.