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Joss Whedon under investigation by WarnerMedia following complaints of on-set misconduct

• No Comments • Entertainment News

Ryan Miller/Getty Images for CinemaCon(LOS ANGELES) — Director Joss Whedon is under investigation after being accused of creating a toxic work environment.

Variety reports that WarnerMedia is looking into the accusations that the 56-year-old Whedon exhibited “abusive” behavior on the Justice League movie set.

The investigation was triggered after actor Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg in the DC film, repeatedly accused Whedon and two producers, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, of misconduct.

The 32-year-old actor, who is Black, announced WarnerMedia’s response on Thursday, writing on Twitter, “After 5 weeks of interviews with various cast/crew, @WarnerMedia has officially launched an independent third-party investigation to get to the heart of the toxic and abusive work environment created during Justice League reshoots. This is a MASSIVE step forward!”

Continued Fisher in a followup tweet, “I believe this investigation will show that Geoff Johns, Joss Whedon, Jon Berg (and others) grossly abused their power during the uncertainty of AT&T’s merger with Time Warner.”  He then thanked WarnerMedia and ATT for “making strides to ensure a safer workplace for all!”

The Justice League star first blew the whistle on July 1 that Whedon exhibited “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” behavior.

Fisher also accused Johns on August 12 of making “a thinly veiled threat to my career” after he attempted to “take grievances up the proper chain of command.”  

According to Variety, a source maintains that WarnerMedia is approaching their internal investigation with objectivity and has not “prejudged” any of the parties involved.  The source also attests that the company expanded its review to encompass people beyond just Whedon, Berg and Johns.

The probe will be internal, as to preserve the integrity of the investigation.

Whedon is behind several renowned works, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and for directing Marvel’s The Avengers and Age of Ultron.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Maren Morris offers mom-to-mom advice on postpartum depression in “Is This Normal?” campaign

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAAfter the birth of her son, Maren Morris struggled with postpartum depression. Now, she’s opening up about that experience as part of Little Spoon’s “Is This Normal?” campaign.

“Postpartum depression is REAL, and I had it,” Maren shared on Twitter. “I am so proud to be involved in [Little Spoon]’s ‘Is This Normal?’ campaign that normalizes the questions we all have as new parents. For every video question I answer, they’re donating $100 to my charity of choice.”

For the singer, that’s The Black Women’s Health Imperative, which is the first nonprofit organized by Black women in support of the health and wellness of Black women and girls.

Maren and her husband, fellow artist Ryan Hurd, welcomed baby Hayes back in March. The singer has previously been open about her experience of delivering her son via emergency C-section in the midst of a pandemic.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Inside the timeline of crimes by the 'Golden State Killer'

• No Comments • National News

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — The suspected “Golden State Killer” behind serial rapes and murders across California in the 1970s and 1980s has finally been identified.

Joseph James DeAngelo, a 72-year-old former police officer, was arrested this week in the decades-old case.

His alleged “reign of terror” spanned from the Sacramento area in Northern California down to Orange County in Southern California, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said Wednesday. DeAngelo is believed to have committed 12 murders, at least 50 rapes and multiple home burglaries.

Here is a closer look at the timeline:

1973-1976

DeAngelo was a police officer in Exeter, California, from 1973 to 1976, officials said.

1976-1979

DeAngelo was then a police officer in Auburn from 1976 to 1979 until he was fired for allegedly stealing a hammer and a can of dog repellent, The Associated Press reported, citing Auburn Journal articles from the time.

1976-1978

The terror started with burglaries and rapes in the eastern district of Sacramento County in the summer of 1976, the FBI said.

The “Golden State Killer” would break into his victims’ homes by prying open a window or door while they slept, the FBI said.

Sometimes he would take jewelry, identification, cash and coins from the victims’ homes.

There were five incidents in 1976 and 17 incidents in 1977, according to SFGate.

1978-1981

The crimes turned to murders in February 1978, when the “Golden State Killer” shot and killed Brian and Katie Maggiore, who were walking their dog in the Sacramento area.

They were the killer’s last victims in the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department’s jurisdiction, according to The Sacramento Bee.

After the attacks in the Sacramento area, crimes continued in the East Bay area of Northern California, and then escalated into rapes and murders along the California coast, the FBI said.

1986

No crimes were attributed to the “Golden State Killer” from July 1981 until 1986, when 18-year-old Janelle Cruz was raped and murdered in Irvine.

That was his last known crime.

2018

Last week, DeAngelo’s name came up for the first time in the investigation, Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said.

DeAngelo was then surveilled and DNA from an item police had collected of his was confirmed as a match.

“We had our man,” Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones said at a news conference Wednesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, DeAngelo was confronted by officers and arrested in Citrus Heights in Sacramento County, said Jones.

He has not yet appeared in court.

2020

On June 29, 2020, DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder in front of dozens of victims and victims’ relatives.

The plea deal also required DeAngelo to admit to multiple uncharged acts, including rapes, which were described in horrific detail by prosecutors.

The death penalty will be taken off the table and he will serve life without parole, prosecutors said.

Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

At least 6 dead from massive California wildfire, community turns to volunteer firefighters

• No Comments • National News

LordRunar/iStockBy HALEY YAMADA, ABC News

The Northern California wildfires have taken a deadly turn.

Authorities say at least six people have been killed and two more are missing in the massive wildfires that are raging across Northern California.

More than two dozen major fires are scorching across the state of California after an unprecedented storm dropped nearly 11,000 lightning strikes over 72 hours earlier this week.

In just three days, the flames have spread rapidly, scorching over 560,000 acres and forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate. At least 175 homes have been destroyed by the flames.

More than 10,000 firefighters are on the frontlines, but fire officials say their resources are waning as some firefighters work overtime.

With a statewide lack of firefighters available to put out the growing inferno, private citizens have taken matters into their own hands. In Napa County, residents formed a renegade fire brigade who used their own hoses and chainsaws to help save a neighbor’s home.

“This is a community. This isn’t the first fire, so yes of course, I know that everybody pitches in and it doesn’t matter whether it’s your property or not,” Flynn McDonald, a Napa County resident, told ABC News.

Officials are warning against residents forming their own fire brigades, saying that it could endanger people’s lives.

For residents still stuck in the aftermath of the fire zone, however, conditions are exacerbated by power outages, a grueling heat wave and poor air quality from the smoke.

California Gov. Gavin Newson appeared at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night to address the state’s devastating wildfires.

“The hots are getting hotter. The dries are getting drier. Climate change is real,” said Newsom, who video called from a cell phone about a mile away from one of the blazes. “If you are in denial about climate change, come to California.”

ABC News’ Clayton Sandell and Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

19 years after teen disappeared, stepfather arrested and charged with murder

• No Comments • National News

Maricopa County Sheriff’s OfficeBy RACHEL WENZLAFF and ALLIE YANG, ABC News

(PHOENIX) — Nearly two decades after 17-year-old Alissa Turney disappeared, Phoenix police have arrested the man believed to be responsible for her death.

Her stepfather Michael Turney was arrested Thursday afternoon in Mesa, Arizona. He faces second-degree murder charges.

“I’m shaking and I’m crying. We did it,” Sarah Turney, Alissa’s sister, posted on social media. “He’s been arrested … Never give up hope that you can get justice. It took almost 20 years but we did it.”

Alissa Turney disappeared in May 2001, the last day of her junior year at Paradise Valley High School in Phoenix.

Police believed something was wrong because she left behind her cellphone, her hairbrush and makeup and never touched any of the $1,800 in her bank account.

Authorities also found surveillance equipment inside her house, which her stepfather admitted to setting up, for what he claimed to be safety reasons and not to spy on his children. Police also found all inbound and outbound calls were passively recorded.

In an interview with police, one friend said that Alissa had told him her stepfather had tried sexually abusing her when she was younger.

Turney denied that allegation, denied that he harmed Alissa in any way and said he had nothing to do with her disappearance.

In 2009, Michael Turney told ABC News he returned home the day she disappeared to discover she had left a note and said he immediately began looking for her. Her stepfather also said he got a call from her a week later, which would have been the last known contact.

Sarah also spoke to ABC News in 2009, at the time standing by her father’s innocence. But in recent years, she has worked to raise awareness about what she’s concluded to be her father’s guilt, posting on social media with #JusticeforAlissa and working on her podcast, “Voices for Justice.”

During the press conference, officials credited Alissa’s sister, Sarah, for her perseverance in this case.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.