As the world remembers anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, a Southern California family is honoring a historic figure who played a very personal role in their lives.

Linda Biehl said after her 26-year-old daughter was killed in South Africa two decades ago, Mandela taught her that no matter how deep the pain, everyone needs to heal.

Amy Biehl was a Fulbright Scholar and at her Stanford graduation wrote the words "Free Mandela" on her mortarboard. Her mother said Amy wanted the same thing Mandela and countless South Africans want: equality in South Africa.

But she did not live to see it.

The Newport Beach woman was killed by a mob in 1993, as she drove through Guguletu, targeted because she was white.

“They threw a brick in (her car), smashed the windows and then she was stunned but she managed to get out and of course her friends said, ‘Run, Amy, run!'” Linda Biehl said.

The young woman who had hoped to make a difference in the deeply divided nation had been stabbed to death.

The men accused of killing her confessed and then were granted amnesty through the newly established Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The idea came from Mandela's hope that his country could reunite, after apartheid – exactly what Amy Biehl believed as well.

“It was definitely his approach to negotiating and how you had to work with your so-called enemy, and that was very much what Amy talked about,” Biehl said.

The Biehls were with Mandela when he received the Congressional Medal of Honor from then-President Bill Clinton.

After their loved one’s death, the Biehl family created the Amy Biehl Foundation to empower young Africans in South Africa. Two of the men convicted of killing Amy currently work there.

“We really do have the spirit of hope that we can aspire to do maybe something more than we think we are,” Biehl said.

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Philadelphia librarian and social justice advocate Marion Marguerite Stokes spent 35 years of her life recording nearly every minute of every program on every local and national news network on VHS and Beta Max cassette tapes.

Now, her commitment to tracking television news may result in a searchable collection of more than 800,000 uninterrupted hours of historical news footage.

Stokes' son, Michael Metelits says the creation of the enormous collection was a life-dominating and often arduous task for his mother, who died of lung disease in December, 2012.  But despite criticism from observers, Stokes maintained that the time she spent operating as many as 20 recorders at a time, swapping out one 6-hour tape after another, would not be in vain.

"I don't think anybody escaped helping her with this process. As you'd imagine a process like this, it just dominates family life and it just kind of structures pretty much everything else that goes on," Metelits said. "But she was really a kind of uncompromising person; she knew what she wanted and this was very important to her."

In an effort to honor his mother's life's work, Metelits has teamed up with non-profit digital archive company The Internet Archive with hopes of converting Stokes' 140,000 video cassette tape collection into a digital, searchable archive that would be made available to the public via the internet.

Director of television archive at the Internet archive Roger Macdonald said Stokes' archive could be a very useful addition to the company's ever-growing digital news collection.

"If we’re able to successfully digitize this, it will open up a big window on local and national news, that’s unprecedented," Macdonald said. "At the Internet Archive we’re working to record and open up U.S. television news for research purposes and we’ve been recording since late 2000; but the addition of this collection would extend our archive back three decades."

Metelits recovered his mother's video cassette collection after she died. Shortly thereafter, he reached out to the Internet Archive and the process of preserving the tapes began.

Many of the tapes were stored in Stokes' old home in Boston, where she'd lived for nearly 8 years or in one of three storage areas in Warminster, Pa. So, the first step for Metelits was to get all of the tapes in one place, to have them organized and packaged to ship.

It took Metelits and a team of family and family friends a full year to gather all of the video tapes into one storage unit and organize them by recording date. Finally, last Friday, the collection was shipped from a Philadelphia storage unit to the Internet Archive offices in San Francisco, Calif. The cost of shipping was roughly $16,000, but it’s a cost Metelits says was well worth the effort.

"It's been hard work but we're just delighted that there's an institution like the Internet Archive that's able to accept them and that's actually going to do something with them that my mother would actually approve of," he said.

According to Metelits, his mother's urge to record the news began with her observation of news coverage surrounding the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979 and the emergence of CNN as a 24-hour news channel. Stokes was interested in documenting the way various networks' coverage of news stories would change over time. When people questioned her dedication to the peculiar hobby, Metelits says Stokes eventually stopped fighting to explain her motives and settled in to saying, "I’m archiving. Leave it at that."

Metelits described Stokes as a kind but firm woman who cared deeply for social causes and enjoyed collecting all sorts of things. In the 1960s, Stokes participated in several civil rights marches, including the march to integrate Girard College in 1965, and produced what was then considered a groundbreaking discussion show called Input, which aired on a then WCAU station channel.

In addition to her massive collection of video cassette recordings, Metelits says his mother possessed a collection of innumerable boxes of newspapers, some 192 Macintosh computers (in their original boxes), and a collection of toys and dollhouses that he's currently working to find private collectors for.

Macdonald says digitizing the video collection will be nearly as expensive and time consuming as Stokes' original process, so it may be years before the collection is actually made available to the public in digital form. For now, the organization is focusing on fundraising and awareness.

"We've had estimates of needing 10-15 decks running simultaneously, and one to two people manning those and entering the meta-data of dates and times but we’re really not sure how many people or how many years it will take," Macdonald said. “The Stokes family contributed the transport fees and they will make an initial contribution from the Stokes estate to get us started on the digitization process. And we’ll look to let others know about this remarkable collection and our attempt to make it available for research and hopefully they'll be willing to contribute."

Metelits said he believes his mother would be proud of the digitization project.

"She faced a bit of opposition, not just from her family members who thought it was strange, but from lots of other people about how worthwhile this project was, whether it would ever amount to anything, whether anyone would ever find it useful," he said. "So, I think she’d feel a great deal of vindication at the interest that’s been shown in this archive.”

A Florida man was arrested after he left an infant inside a locked car in a Fort Myers strip club parking lot, police said.

Andrew Sosa, 21, was arrested on a child neglect charge after he left the four-month old girl inside a Kia Optima at Lookers strip club, according to NBC 2.

Fort Myers Police said an officer was flagged down after the baby was spotted in a car seat in the back of the vehicle just after 10:30 p.m. The officer couldn't find the car's owner so he smashed the window to get the baby out.

The baby was sweating and covered in vomit, and was taken to a nearby children's hospital for mild dehydration, NBC 2 reported. She is expected to be fine.

Detectives later discovered the baby girl had been left inside the car for three hours while Sosa was inside the strip club, police said.

Sosa, of Cape Coral, appeared in court Saturday, where his bond was set at $100,000. It was unknown whether he has an attorney.

The Department of Children and Families is handing the case.

A man who served on the 2004 jury that convicted Richard Tuite in the slaying of Escondido girl Stephanie Crowe said he always believed in Tuite’s innocence, despite the original verdict.

Orlando Dona – also known as Juror No. 6 in 2004 – said Friday’s acquittal of Tuite was finally the correct verdict, and a long time in the making.

“It’s about time,” Dona told NBC 7 Friday night. “I felt good. I felt justice was done [today].”

Tuite, now declared not guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the 1998 killing of Stephanie Crowe, served eight years behind bars for the crime. In 2012, a federal appeals court voided Tuite's conviction and ordered a new trial.

All these years, Dona said that he’s felt bad for helping to convict someone he felt was an innocent man.

Dona caused controversy immediately after Tuite’s 2004 trial, speaking out and saying he had changed his not guilty vote to guilty due to a chart seen in the courtroom that was not supposed to be used as evidence.

He said that when he heard Tuite’s conviction was overturned and he would be retired, he was hoping for this result.

Dona said he was one of the only 2004 jurors who fought against a guilty verdict and basically gave in because he didn't want there to be a hung jury.

“We had first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter. If I did not go along with manslaughter they were going to try him again because they were after him. There was no question they were after him and if they tried him again for murder one, he would have been convicted, that was my feeling at the time,” Dona explained.

Although it doesn’t change the fact that Tuite has spent so many years in prison, Dona said it feels good knowing justice was served by the retrial jury on Friday.

The day of sentencing has come for San Diego’s former embattled mayor, Bob Filner.

Filner – who was caught up in a massive scandal earlier this year involving a multitude of women and allegations of sexual harassment – will be sentenced on criminal charges stemming from that scandal Monday at 9 a.m. in a downtown San Diego courtroom.

On Oct. 15, Filner pleaded guilty to several criminal charges including a felony charge for false imprisonment and two misdemeanor counts of battery.

The charges involve three separate victims identified by court officials as “Jane Does 1, 2 and 3” who said Filner sexually harassed them while in office earlier this year.

Mayor Under Fire: Interactive Timeline

By pleading guilty, Filner admitted he “used force to restrain” Jane Doe 1 “against her will” at a Mar. 6 fundraiser, using “additional force to overcome her resistance.”

At a “Meet the Mayor” event on April 6, Filner admitted he kissed Jane Doe 2 on the lips without her consent.

On May 25, he attended a Fiesta Island rally and cleanup event where he was asked to take a photo with Jane Doe 3. The woman said the mayor grabbed her buttocks just before the photo was taken. In court, Filner admitted the count was true.

On Oct. 19 Filner went through the formal booking and release process in jail. Filner was booked at 7:11 a.m. that day, and released at 8:57 a.m. at Central Jail in downtown San Diego.

In October, state prosecutors said that under the terms of Filner’s plea agreement, the former mayor will serve three years of probation, as well as three months of home confinement. He’ll also have to undergo treatment by a mental health professional while on probation.

The accusations against Filner first went public in July when many of his former allies, including Donna Frye, exposed his behavior and demanded he step down from office.

From there, a multitude of women came forward with stories of sexual harassment at the hands of Filner, including former communications director to the mayor, Irene McCormack Jackson, who filed a lawsuit against the city.

After months of controversy, recall efforts and more accusers, Filner finally resigned on Aug. 23.

On Nov. 19, San Diego held a special election to fill the mayor’s seat left vacant by Filner.

Councilmember Kevin Faulconer held a strong lead in the mayoral race, securing his spot for the February runoff, and Councilmember David Alvarez received enough votes to face off against Faulconer in February.

Dozens of flights were delayed or cancelled at the San Diego International Airport Saturday due to inclement winter weather, the San Diego Airport Authority confirmed.

As of 12:15 p.m., at least eight American Airlines flights to and from Dallas had been cancelled due to the strong winter storm barreling down on Texas.

In addition, airport officials said approximately 60 flights were delayed at Lindbergh Field due to weather. Delays ranged from 20 minutes to two hours and involved both arriving and departing flights spanning cities such as Denver, San Francisco, San Jose, Calif., and Oakland, Calif.

The Airport Authority said weather was playing a major factor in the delays and cancellations system-wide.

As the day progresses, travelers can check their flight’s status on the San Diego Airport website.

This weekend, San Diego itself is experiencing a cold snap that includes much colder than normal temperatures, high wind, rain and even snow in local mountain area. Get local weather updates here.
 

On Friday, Richard Tuite was found not guilty in the 1998 killing of Stephanie Crowe. Tuite spent eight years behind bars for her death. The new jury found there was not enough evidence to keep the mentally ill transient in prison.

NBC 7 spoke to criminal defense attorney Gretchen von Helms about whether Tuite can take legal action against the courts or law enforcement.

“Tuite can sue, but the odds of him prevailing are slim,” von Helms said. “It will be highly unlikely for him to do that because police have immunity, jurors have immunity, the judge and the courts have immunity.”

Stephanie Crowe’s brother, Michael Crowe, and his two friends were the first suspects in the case. They confessed to murdering her, but a judge determined their confessions had been coerced. Over the last 15 years, there have been numerous twists and turns, which is why von Helms said it is also unlikely prosecutors will go after Crowe’s brother again.

“They essentially could because there is no statute of limitation for murder, but because of the left and right turns of this specific case … it is one of the unusual cases in the criminal justice system that has lots of missteps and different things happen in the investigation,” von Helms said. “Now that the brother has a factually finding of innocence, it would be difficult to overcome that and find a conviction.”

Von Helms said there’s a good chance the courts will never convict Stephanie Crowe’s killer.

The Department of Corrections told NBC 7 Tuite will be processed at the California Institute for Men in Chino, Calif., where he was last held. When they receive the order of release, they have up to five days to process and release him. For Tuite’s safety and the safety of their staff, specific information about his release will not be made public.

More than 2,000 people are expected for this weekend's free dental clinic at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The doors don't open until early Saturday, but people started lining up Friday morning to get assistance.

More than 600 volunteer dentists and hygienists will help with the event, put on by the California Dental Association. They'll be treating patients with fillings, extractions, cleanings and more.

“These are the working poor and a lot of them don’t qualify for state assistance, so we’re trying what we can do to take care of their dental issues,” said oral surgeon Russ Webb. “The need is huge, and we realize that.”

Many patients said they don't have insurance or simply can’t pay for dental care, so some drove several hours from all over California to the free event on Jimmy Durante Blvd.

“I’m afraid to smile at people because I don’t want to look ugly to people,” said Laurie Kilian, who drove seven hours from Paso Robles. “Lucky doesn't even describe the way I feel. I can't wait to be my old bubbly self with a smile again "

The event begins at 5:30 a.m. both on Saturday and Sunday. Identification isn’t necessary and there will be a covered area for anyone camping out overnight.

One of the jurors involved in the acquittal of Richard Tuite, a mentally-ill transient who spent eight years behind bars for the 1998 slaying of an Escondido girl, said serving on the retrial jury was a “tremendous burden” due to how many lives were impacted by the complicated case.

Visibly emotional, Peggy Chaplin, known in court as Juror No. 1, briefly spoke about her feelings on the case. On Friday, jurors returned a verdict for Tuite of not guilty of voluntary manslaughter, not true of using a deadly weapon, in the killing of 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe.

Chaplin said serving on the jury was very difficult. Despite the verdict, she said the jury feels extremely saddened for the Crowe family.

“All of us were aware of what a huge responsibility we had – just right from the very beginning, and we never lost sight of that, how much we were being asked to decide,” said Chaplin.

Outside the courtroom, following the reading of the verdict, Chaplin was comforted by a fellow juror, Terri Para, known as Juror No. 4.

Chaplin said the most difficult part of the retrial, which began back in late October, was hearing testimony from Stephanie’s Crowe’s family, including her mother, sister and brother.

“It was heartbreaking to watch [Stephanie’s] family having to testify,” said Chaplin, holding back tears. “We can honestly say that we never, ever lost sight of the fact that they have suffered a huge tragedy.”

The 15-year-old case of Stephanie Crowe’s slaying has been filled with twists and turns.

The young girl was brutally stabbed nine times in her bad in her family’s Escondido home. She collapsed and died in her bedroom doorway, and her bloodied body was discovered on Jan. 21, 1998.

In 2004, Tuite – a transient seen in the Crowe family’s neighborhood around the time of Stephanie’s murder – was convicted in the death of the girl. Investigators said witnesses had reported seeing Tuite walking through the Escondido neighborhood, entering homes through unlocked doors.

In 2012, a federal appeals court voided Tuite’s conviction and ordered a new trial.

During the retrial, jurors heard from many of Stephanie Crowe’s family members including her mother, Cheryl Crowe, her sister Shannon Dehesa, and her brother, Michael Crowe.

Michael was initially arrested in and charged in his sister’s murder. His friends, Aaron Houser and Joshua Treadway, were also initially deemed potential suspects.

A judge later threw out those charges levied against Michael and his friends, ruling they were based on coerced confessions of teenagers.

Ultimately, Michael was ruled factually innocent in the case.

Still, retrial jurors heard the confession taped in 1998 of Treadway confessing to the murder, along with the defense team’s theory that Michael, Treadway and Houser were responsible for Stephanie’s death.

Despite that evidence concerning Michael and his friends, both Chaplin and Para agreed that the retrial jury never honed in on them as suspects, saying the jury was never there to decide their fate, but rather the fate of Tuite.

“The boys were not on trial. This was not a trial looking at them, it was Richard Tuite that was on trial,” said Chaplin. “We were to be judging by the evidence presented in the courtroom and only as it related to Richard Tuite.”

In the end, Tuite’s attorney, Brad Patton, said he and his client were very happy with the verdict.

“Richard was emotional, as it related to this. It’s been a long time,” Patton said. “He’s a quiet person – that’s his personality – but he was very emotional as it related to this verdict and he’s very excited to get back with his family.”

Patton said Tuite’s family, including her sister, Kerri Licon, mother and stepfather, all plan to provide support for Tuite and take him in once he’s released from jail.

“Richard will have a normal life, with his family,” the attorney added.

A sheriff's department official told NBC 7 Tuite will remain in jail over the weekend and will likely be released Monday, as his release paperwork is still being processed.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said that once the court order of release is received, Tuite will be processed at the California Institute for Men in Chino, Calif., where he was last held. There, officials will have up to five days to process and release Tuite.

Patton believes Tuite was found not guilty because of two main points.

“There was no evidence that Richard Tuite ever entered the Crowe house at all, and the fact that there was a very valid confession made by Treadway and Michael Crowe,” said Patton.

“I believe this whole thing was an injustice. Without question, I have always believed very strongly that Richard Tuite did not commit this offense,” he added.

Like the jurors, Patton said he too feels for the Crowe family.

“This is the greatest tragedy a family could possibly ever encounter, no question about that. My heart goes out to them, as to the circumstances and what they’ve had to deal with, and what they’ve had to live through in this case. I hope they’re able to move on and live a productive and meaningful life,” the attorney said.

For their part, the Crowe family was angry over Tuite’s acquittal Friday.

Stephanie’s mother told NBC 7 it’s only a matter of time before Richard Tuite kills again. She still believes he is not innocent.

“I’m sure [the jury] will regret their verdict once he kills somebody else. It’s only a matter of time. So lock your doors," she warned. “He’s already killed my daughter. It’s just a matter of time before he does it to someone else’s child.”

High school teacher Michael Griffin was fired from his position at Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem on Friday after applying for a marriage license in New Jersey with his partner, a move that the school says “contradicts the terms of his teaching contract.”

Griffin, an alumnus of the private all boys liberal arts Catholic high school, had taught Spanish and French at the school for the past 12 years. He first  posted about his termination on Facebook Friday morning.

“Today I applied for a marriage license since NJ now has marriage equality,” Griffin wrote. “After 12 years together I was excited to finally be able to marry my partner. Because of that, I was fired from Holy Ghost Preparatory School today. I am an alumnus of the school and have taught there for 12 years. I feel hurt, saddened, betrayed and except for this post, am at a loss for words.”

Griffin says an email he wrote to school administration informing them of he and his partner's plan to obtain a marriage license is what opened the can of worms and ultimately lead to his firing.

He says that he was blindsided by the school's reaction and that his relationship with his partner had never been a secret to faculity and administration.

"I've been with my partner for more than 12 years, the entire time I've been teaching at the school," said Griffin. "He's been to numerous school functions with me, he's even been to McCloskey's house."

When contacted for comment, the school’s headmaster, Fr. James McCloskey, said in a statement that Griffin’s termination was due to his obtaining a license to marry his same-sex partner, a violation of the school’s teaching terms and the contract that Griffin was under.

“At a meeting in my office yesterday, teacher Michael Griffin made clear that he obtained a license to marry his same sex partner,” McCloskey wrote in a statement obtained by NBC10. “Unfortunately, this decision contradicts the terms of his teaching contract at our school, which requires all faculty and staff to follow the teachings of the Church as a condition of their employment. In discussion with Mr. Griffin, he acknowledged that he was aware of this provision, yet he said that he intended to go ahead with the ceremony. Regretfully, we informed Mr. Griffin that we have no choice but to terminate his contract effective immediately.”

He believes this section of the teachers code of conduct is the one that led to his firing:

"That, although, the School welcomes teachers from other denominations and recognizes their rights to religious freedom, as employees of a Catholic institution, all teachers are expected to uphold lifestyles compatible with the moral teaching of the Roman Catholic Church."

On Saturday, following an outpouring of support across social media sites,  Griffin posted another statement on his Facebook page:

“Thank you to everyone for all of your messages of love and support since yesterday," Griffin said. "It is so overwhelming and my heart aches over everything that has happened. Holy Ghost helped form me to be the person that I am today. Even though I am no longer employed there, I wanted to share their mission and philosophy, because I feel like I have tried to make it my life's philosophy as best I can, even now. I am trying to move forward with a peaceful heart and wish nothing but the best to my colleagues and students who mean the world to me.”

"I really did love working there, I went to school there, they formed who I am. I'm sure I'll find employment at another school, hopefully rather sooner than later."

Editor's Note: Lou Dubois is a graduate of Holy Ghost Preparatory School

Holiday cheer is in full swing across San Diego, as several events celebrated the season on Saturday.

Thousands were expected to gather in Balboa Park beginning at 11 a.m. for the second day of December Nights. The annual San Diego tradition, once known as Christmas on the Prado, kicked off Friday and will last through midnight Saturday.

View our 2013 December Nights guide

Around 300 third graders spent the day with local law enforcement during the annual Shop with a Cop event. This year the kids were treated to a private show at SeaWorld San Diego and then went on $100 shopping spree with officers at a nearby Target store.

Also on Saturday, locals got the chance to travel with Santa Claus and his elves in the North County for the eighth annual Coaster Holiday Express, a 90-minute train ride from Oceanside to Sorrento Valley. The event, put on by the North County Transit District, began at 10 a.m. and ended around 12:30 p.m.

A few parades were also scheduled for the day.

At 10 a.m., the North Park Toyland Festival and Parade kicked off along University Avenue. At around 5 p.m. the 34th annual Ocean Beach Holiday Parade and the Encinitas Holiday Parade were scheduled to take place.

The Little Italy Association held its annual tree lighting and Christmas Village along W. Date Street, between India and State streets, at around 4 p.m.

Meanwhile, also at 4 p.m., Marine Band San Diego was set to perform a free holiday concert for the public at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Loma Portal.

In Lakeside, the 15th annual Spirit of Christmas was scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. on Maine Avenue, between Woodside and Laurel, in Lakeside’s downtown area. A tree lighting ceremony, visits with Santa, vendors, food, music, and more were planned for the free community event which lasts until 9 p.m.

Locals who didn't head out today are in luck as a few holiday events are planned for Sunday as well.

Families that have children with special needs are encouraged to visit Fashion Valley Mall and take a photo with Santa during the mall's Caring Santa event. The special photo sessions will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. in Center Court which will be transformed to better support the children’s sensory, physical and other developmental needs.

You might score the ultimate one-of-a-kind gift at Holiday Hit List at Liberty Station where local crafters will be selling their unique creations. The shopping event runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 2875 Dewey Rd.

At around 2 p.m. the La Jolla Christmas Parade and Festival will be held at the La Jolla Recreation Center located at 615 Prospect St.

Finally, snow is going to fall in Eastlake for Magic Snow at the Village Walk shopping center. The snowing will take place at both 6 and 7 p.m. at 878 Eastlake Pkwy.

Did we miss your holiday event? Let us know in the comments!

Thousands of fans and car enthusiasts are continuing to pour in Sunday near the crash site of Paul Walker and friend Roger Rodas as they remember the pair in an unofficial memorial rally and car cruise, and officials say traffic around the area is being affected.

Fans going to the memorial are urged to plan ahead as the gathering is causing traffic to back up for miles, according to a Tweet by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

At about 1:30 p.m., thousands of people were holding silent prayers, writing notes of remembrance on a banner and watching and taking photos as cars drove around the loop where Walker and Rodas died.

A Facebook page for the memorial, “Paul Walker/Roger Rodas Memorial Meet (SoCal),” listed more than 7,000 people who said they planned to attend Sunday afternoon in the Rye Canyon Loop of Santa Clarita. People were already gathering at the site Saturday night.

"This is not an event sanctioned by the city (of Santa Clarita) or sheriff’s department," the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said in a news release Saturday. "However, residents need to anticipate the impact that an overwhelming number of cars will have on the area."

Officials said Kelly Johnson Parkway would become a one-way street west of Constellation Road, and Alta Vista Drive would be a one-way street eastbound to Copperhill. No westbound traffic will be allowed on Alta Vista Drive or Constellation Road, officials warned Saturday.

Sheriff’s officials had been warning days before the planned memorial that mourners needed to clear the area as their presence was interfering with the crash investigation.

Two men had also been accused of stealing a part of the wrecked 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, that smashed into a light pole and tree in the 28300 block of Rye Canyon Loop before exploding in flames and killing Walker and Rodas on Dec. 1.

As the car was being towed to an impound yard for further investigation the night of the crash , a witness saw someone take a piece of the wreck from a flat-bed truck as it was stopped at a red light.

The tow truck driver reported the theft and an investigation was launched. Police identified Jameson Witty, 18, of Tujunga, as one of the suspects in the case. A second man, described only as 25 and from outside of California, was is in communication with sheriff’s detectives making arrangements to surrender, authorities said.

Walker and Rodas were in the community of Valencia, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, to attend a fundraiser benefiting victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines. The event was held by Walker's Reach Out Worldwide, a charity he founded in 2010 to aid victims of natural disasters.

An autopsy released Tuesday cited the cause of death for Walker as combined effects of trauma and burn injuries in the fiery crash. The cause of death for Rodas, 38, confirmed to be the driver, was determined to be multiple traumatic injuries.

The injuries resulted from the car striking a "fixed object," according to the autopsy report.

The coroner confirmed that Walker, 40, was alive -- but likely unconscious -- after the crash, then died in the subsequent fire. Authorities told NBC4 there was evidence of smoke inhalation.

Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said speed was a factor in the crash, but there was no evidence the pair was involved in a street race. Investigators were still trying to determine exactly what caused the crash and whether there was a mechanical reason for Rodas to have lost control of the vehicle.

A Chicago bar sparked controversy with its plans for remembering Pearl Harbor.

Murphy’s Bleachers, in the city's Wrigleyville neighborhood, posted a message to its marquee telling patrons to commemorate Pearl Harbor with drink specials.

"Remember Pearl Harbor with bombs & kamikazes," the sign read, according to photos posted on Twitter.

Not the way to remember a tragedy. pic.twitter.com/JZk8kxFwYM

— Paul Sullivan (@PWSullivan) December 7, 2013

The sign quickly stirred up a controversy on social media. Some said the sign was "awful" and "terrible."

The bar quickly amended the sign to read "Remember Pearl Harbor" and declined to comment, but later sent out a tweet apologizing.

@PWSullivan This awful marquee has been taken down. We apologize for the actions of our staff to our whole country.

— Murphy's Bleachers (@murphysbleacher) December 7, 2013

Another apology posted to the bar's Facebook read:

"We couldn't be more embarrassed and ashamed by the actions of our staff this morning. The sign has been removed and we cannot start apologizing enough for the thoughtless disregard for decency."

Another Twitter controversy was sparked after Spaghetti-Os asked its followers to "take a moment to remember Pearl Harbor with us" and included a picture of its mascot holding an American flag.

The tweet prompted a wave of social media backlash and has since been deleted. The company later tweeted an apology.

We apologize for our recent tweet in remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day. We meant to pay respect, not to offend.

— SpaghettiOs (@SpaghettiOs) December 7, 2013

Saturday marked 72 years since the 1941 Japanese attack that launched the U.S. into World War II.

Thousands gathered at Pearl Harbor to remember those killed in the attack that launched the U.S. into World War II.

About 50 survivors returned to Pearl Harbor for the ceremony.
 

Police are investigating after three women were found dead in a Manchester, Conn., apartment Saturday night

According to authorities, officers were called to the Dye House Apartment Complex at 190 Pine Street at around 9:40 p.m. for a report of multiple gunshots.

When police arrived, they were met by the suspect outside the apartment building in the parking lot. The suspect, a male, was armed with a handgun and was carrying a 13-month-old child.

After a brief confrontation with officers, the suspect placed the child on the ground and shot himself. One officer also discharged their firearm, but it does not appear that the suspect was struck by the officer's bullet.

The 13-month old child was unharmed.

Following the confrontation, police began checking the apartment complex. They located three females deceased from apparent gunshot wounds. The identities of the victims are being withheld at this time.

This incident remains under investigation by the Manchester Police, The Hartford State's Attorney's Office and The Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad as standard protocol for Officer involved shootings.

Investigators said they are not searching for a suspect at this time. Authorities believe the person responsible for the shootings is one of the deceased.

Pine Street was closed while police investigated the incident.

State Police Major Crimes Division  are assisting Manchester police with the investigation.

A Broward, Fla., man is facing a sexual battery charge after he raped a physically disabled woman at a Lauderdale Lakes hospital where they were both patients, authorities said.

Charles Tarver, 33, was arrested Wednesday at Florida Medical Center at 5000 W. Oakland Park Boulevard, according to a Broward Sheriff's Office report obtained by the Sun-Sentinel.

Jail records showed Tarver was being held Saturday on $50,000 bond. It was unknown whether he has an attorney.

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According to the BSO report, Tarver walked into the woman's room at the hospital without her consent and groped her before raping her. The woman, who has a handicap that makes her unable to walk, couldn't fight Tarver off, the BSO said.

Neither knew each other, according to the report.

"The safety and security of our patients is a top priority. As soon as we became aware of this allegation, it was immediately reported and we are fully cooperating with the authorities," Hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Evans said in a statement. "We are committed to providing quality care for all of our patients."

Eleven more whales that are believed to be from a pod that was left stranded in shallow waters of Everglades National Park last week were found dead in the lower Florida Keys Sunday, officials said.

The whales were spotted around 1 p.m. on Snipe Point about six miles north of Sugarloaf Key by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokeswoman Blair Mase said.

Mase said crews were heading out to Snipe Point Sunday afternoon to survey the area and would return Monday to try to determine the cause of the deaths.

"We expected this may happen," Mase said, adding that the whales were not showing evidence of trauma.

Earlier, officials said crews were standing down in their search for the pilot whales after aerial surveys of the area where the whales had been spotted turned up nothing Saturday.

• PHOTOS: Whales Stranded Near Everglades National Park

A total of 51 whales were discovered stranded Tuesday by fishing guides near Highland Beach, which is the western boundary of Everglades National Park in Monroe County on the Gulf coast.

When park rangers responded, they found six whales dead, and another four had to be euthanized, officials said. NOAA and the National Park Service worked with the Coast Guard to try to get the rest of the whales away from shore and into deeper waters.

On Thursday, it was reported that 35 whales were spotted swimming into deeper waters several miles north of the original stranding site. By Friday, a pod of whales was reported swimming closer to shore, but on Saturday no whales were spotted.

Mase said a total of 22 whales are dead and the status of the rest was unknown. She said it's possible more could end up stranded.

The stranding is not uncommon in Florida. In 2012, more than 20 pilot whales beached themselves in Fort Pierce, and just five were rescued.

Pilot whales are the most common to end up in mass strandings because of their cohesive nature.
 

Sunday morning breakfast came to a halt after a car slammed into a diner in New Milford, Conn.

Police responded to the George Washington Plaza in Gaylordsville after a car slammed into a building.

The driver accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brake, crashing the car into the Gaylordsville Diner  just before 10:30 a. m., police said.

Four people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.