riders spotted cowell on a train. police arrested him without incident at the pleasant hill station. so far no rate crime charge has been lodged. on that issue the public defender agrees with the d.a. >> unfortunately there's been a narrative that's put out there that this crime is based on race and that's just not the case. there's been no evidence presented whatsoever by law enforcement that this crime is generated by race. >> reporter: now the public defender tells me cowell did seek mental health treatment both behind bars while he was in prison and again after he was, several times at john george psychiatric pavilion in san leandro. cowell returns to court september 13th. >> henry, is it clear what evidence prosecutors are planning to present to prove that cowell was lying in wait? >> reporter: not yet. they haven't presented any evidence. in fact, the public defender said they're still waiting for the evidence in the case that they've only got 54 pages so far. >> and the public defender doesn't think the evidenc

other person cowell threatened was at macarthur bart. e says that woman saw cowell pull a knife and both women reported the incidents. since wilson's death, bart has increased police patrols on trains and the chief says he'll present a comprehensive crime fighting plan to the board next month. (ken) in march ... bart started a 'fare evasion' proof of payment enforcement program. (grant) it is made up of a team of 6 inspectors who walk around trains asking riders to see their tickets. (grant) kron 4's gabe slate followed up with bart about this program to see where it's happening, and how effective it seems to be. sound from - debora allen - bart director district 1it's really like a needle in a haystack, they're looking for people who are evading bart when they could just stand in front of the gates. debora allen sits on the bart board of directors. she says what they have learned so far from this pilot enforcement program is that the problem is worse than they thought. sound from - debora allen - bart director district 1the problem is w

cowell returns to court september 14th.ry lee, ktvu fox 2 news. >>> ktvu fox 2 news at 6:30 is up next with the mollie tibbetts murder case reigniting the debate about immigration. >> most people who have come to this country even illegally are probably decent people but even one murder is one too many. >> up next, what the two candidates in the california governor's race are saying about the issue. >> also ahead the head of the dmv comes to the bay area. how she says the agency is trying to reduce those long wait times. >> and it's the end of an era for orchard supply hardware. how the closure of the bay area-based chain will affect its 4,000 employees. stay with us. ktvu fox 2 news at 6:30 is next. welcome to the xfinity store. thanks, janet. it's my happy place. you can learn how to switch to xfinity mobile, a new wireless network that saves you cash. and you can get 5 lines of talk and text included with your internet. and over here i'm having my birthday party. dj fluffernutter, hit it! ♪ dj fluffernutter simple. easy.

cowell, who did not enter a plea, looks different than when he was arrested. he has grown a beard while behind bars. relatives and friends of the victim packed the courtroom a. some were angry that cowell was said to be mentally ill and was released from prison months before the stabbing. >> if he is insane keeping in an insane facility. don't keep letting him out because he did time served and you keep letting him out on the same behavior he had before. >> reporter: authorities say on july 22 cowell stabbed nia wilson and her sister as they were getting off a bart train at macarthur station in oakland. nia wilson died. her sister survived. police said he attacked them for no apparent reason. the next day bart riders spotted cowell on a train and police arrested him without incident at the pleasant hills station. so far no hurry -- so far no hate crime charge has been lodged. the public defender agrees with the da on that issue. >> there has been no evidence presented whatsoever by law enforcement that this crime is generated by race. >> reporter: the public d

riders spotted cowell on a train. police arrested him withoutiness did not at the pleasant -- without incident at the pleasant hill station. so far no hate crime has been lodged. on that issue the public defender agrees with the d.a. >> unfortunately there's been a narrative put out there that this crime is based on race and that's just not the case. there's been no evidence presented whatsoever by law enforcement that this crime was generated by race. >> reporter: the public defender tells me cowell south mental health treatment behind bars and after his release at john george psychiatric hospital in san leandro. cowell returns to court september 14th. in oakland, henry lee, ktvu fox 2 news. >>> and those temperatures today in some places warmed up a couple degrees over yesterday. here they are. the very warm really for august, 82 in antioch. i'd expect 93, 94 or 95. this is typically some of the hottest weather we see all year in august and here we are looking at temperatures well below the average which has been id

cowell returns to court september 14th. henry lee, ktvu fox 2 news. >>> we have new information on more legal trouble facing president trump's former personal attorney. investigators in new york have issued a subpoena to michael cohen as they investigate whether the trump foundation charity broke state laws. cohen pleaded guilty yesterday to campaign finance violations claiming that he was directed by a candidate to make payments to two women. in an interview on "fox and friends," president trump said the payments didn't violate the law. >> did you know about the payments? >> later on i knew. later on. but you have to understand, what he did and they weren't taken out of campaign finance, that's a big thing, that's a much bigger thing, did they come out of campaign. they didn't come out of the cai don't i tweeted about the payments. but they didn't come out of campaign. >> last month, michael cohen released an audio tape of mr. trump apparently discussing the payoff to playboy model karen mcdougal. porn star stormy daniels

cowell, had been cited before as a fare evader on bart.art had a better system in place to crack down on fare evaders, then nia would still be alive. they also dropped this bombshell, that cowell had threated others on bart. arns. since being involved, we have been approached by a 72 year old woman who said that cowell threatened her. besides seeking monetary compensation - the attorney's say the family is also hoping with this suit will increase safety on bart for all passengers. arns. we want better safety for everyone. (estacio live) i asked nia's family if they wanted to say anything today about the suit, and they declined.... both of nia's sisters who were there when she died were in attendance wearing shirts bearing her name.. ( marty ) in the south bay ... san jose police arrested a palo alto youth symphony instructor. they accuse him ofinappropriate sexual conversations with a minor.. christopher florio was working as a music teacher at harker upper school in san jose at the time. florio had been under investigation since june. har

riders, they were able to arrest cowell. the family is suing b.a.r.t. saying they didn't do anything when cowell allegedly threatened two other women. the women tried to report the incident, but there was no one there to help. the lawyer for the family alleges criminals freely come and go by evading fares. b.a.r.t. responded by saying safety is their top priority and there are more than 4,000 surveillance cameras. also, police patrols resulted in a 140% increase in arrests last year. as a result, the plea hearing will be pushed back to september 14th. >> certainly an emotional time. thank you so much, pete. >>> the death of nia wilson is leading b.a.r.t. to rethink its security. head over to nbcbayarea.com to watch our report and get more information on how b.a.r.t. plans to keep you safe. >>> a developing story. a tragic conclusion to the search for mollie tibbetts, a 20-year-old college student who vanished while out for an evening jog more than a month ago. police say an undocumented immigrant has been arrested and charged with her murder. live pictu

he says that woman saw cowell pull a knife and both women reported the incidents. since wilson's death, bart has increased police patrols on trains and the chief says he'll present a comprehensive crime fighting plan to the board next month. (ken) breaking news out of the east bay tonight. there is a vegetation fire burning in martinez right now. it's happening in the area of alhambra road on highway 4. firefighters are battling a 30 acre fire. it has been raised to three alarms. right now highway 4 is closed in the area as this fire burns,area as this fire burns, again....a three alarm again....a three alarm fire is burning near highway 4 in martinez. we have a crew headed to the scene and will bring you updates throughout the night. (pam) new at 8, in march ... bart started a 'fare evasion' proof of payment enforcement program. it is made up of a team of 6 inspectors who walk around trains asking riders to see their tickets. (ken) kron 4's gabe slate joins us live from the bart station in san brno. gabe you followed up with bart about this program to see where it

cowell, had been cited before as a fare evader on bart. they believe if bart had a better system in place to crack down on fare evaders, then nia would still be alive. they also dropped this bombshell, that cowell had threated others on bart. arns. since being involved, we have been approached by a 72 year old woman who said that cowell threatened her. besides seeking monetary compensation - the attorney's say the family is also hoping with this suit will increase safety on bart for all passengers. arns. we want better safety for everyone. (estacio live) i asked nia's family if they wanted to say anything today about the suit, and they declined.... both of nia's sisters who were there when she died were in attendance wearing shirts bearing her name.... name.... bearing her wearing shirts attendance were in when she died were there sisters who both of nia's declined.... and they declined.... both of nia's sisters who were there sisters who were there when she died were in attendance wearing shirts bearing her name.... (grant) today... the t

police last month arrested john cowell shortly after.he stabbed nia wilson violently in the neck. attorneys representing her family will file a claim arguing cowell was a fare jumper. they believe bartz should have preventing or even stopped him from getting on the train he was riding along with wilson. >> at 6:55, live pictures from mendocino county where the fight against the complex fire still ranges on. two fires here, they're also affecting lake county. here's where things stand at this hour. so far, nearly 95,000 acres have burned. 14 homes destroyed. those numbers could go up today as firefighters struggle to gain the upper hand. >> former white house press secretary sean spicer will be in san francisco today. spicer promoting a new book about his short and turbulent kennier at the white house. the book is called "the briefing." he'll be at st. marine's memorial theater tonight. >> oakland mayor libby schaaf will officially fire for re-election. happening this morning at 9:30 at city hall. she'll face a crowded field this november

they say john cowell was one of them, and had bart stopped him wilson would still be alive. the attorneys for nia wilson's family said bart failed to provide the highest standard of care. they filed a complaint against bart. >> nia's death is not some horrific anomaly that occurred in two seconds that nobody could do anything about. >> on sunday, july 22nd, john cowell is accused of stabbing nia wilson and her sister latifah in the neck at the macarthur bart station. there are 22,000 fare evaders on bart daily and cowell was one of them. >> the experts in this case will testify there is a correlation between a high incidence of fare evading and violent crime. >> he also said two witnesses will testify they had interaction was cowell in the weeks and days prior to the stack. one was a 72-year-old woman who said cowell accosted. >> and she said i'm not afraid of you and he motioned i'm going to solicit your throat. >> the other person was at macarthur bart. she saw him brandishing a knife. both women attempted to report the incidents. >> there were no station agents. >> the wo

the next day riders spotted cowell on the train. so far no charge has been lodged. >> there a narrative out there that the crime is based on race that is not the case. there's been no evidence presented by law enforcement this crime was generated by race. >> reporter: public defender told me that cowell sought mental health treatment while behind bars and when he was released. he returns to court on september 14th. >>> turning to the pacific ocean. hurricane slain weakening, but still - lane is weakening. but is still a hurricane of 130 miles an hour. this is from the international space station and it shows you how massive this storm is. >>> that areas on the big island are reporting flooding in hawaii. some two receive over 2 feet of rain over the week. people started stocking up on food, water and other flies. and people are urged to get their things soon. let's bring in alisa live at sfo. >> reporter: the ticket counter was very busy. and people are still flying out despite the threat of hurricane lane. a couple airlines are off

"john lee cowell" could face the death penalty or life in prison. today, the alameda county district attorney )s office addd a "special circumstance" to the charges saying the murder appears intentional. wilson was stabbed to death at the macarathur station, last month. cowell faces multiple charges, along with an attempted murder charge for stabbing her sister, who survived. it )s a lawsuit that could set a precedent. the santa clara county fire department is suing verizon for slowing down its internet service. the fire department says veriozn )s decision -- could have cost lives. while fighting the mendocino complex fire, freifighters noticed their internet connectiopn -- suddenly got much slower. it )s turns out -- verizon had throttled their data plan. firefighters say they had to improvise in the fire zone to try to communicate with each other and the public. today, verizon sent us this statement, admitting it made a mistake... and that per company policy... it should have lifted the speed restriction when the fire department reached out for he

james lee cowell was in court today to enter a plea...but with the da announcing it may now seek the death penalty... the case was continued.... (take vo) the 27 year old transient didn't say anything in court today.... he is facing a long list of charges for the murder of nia and the stabbing of her sister... who survived the attack. and now this bombshell, the da adding charges that could raise this case to a capital crime... uc berkeley law professor frank zimring says - the announcement today radically changes the course of the case against cowell... in a vast numbers of ways. zimring has written two books on the death penalty - he says currently there are 750 people on death row in california. and that calfiornai ahs the largest death row in the world. we have not executed someone on death row in 10 years - because of legal issues and appeals around the matter. he says - although, putting it out there that the da may now seek the ultimate und profound. it actually can be quite negative for the victims loved ones... (take sot, frank z

cowel is not charged with a hate crime. da's office said there is no evidence to support it, but they are continuing to investigate. >> black lives are always it seems, so consistently under attack. a lot of times it kind of strikes apathy in our hearts the we dent feel like we have the power to get up and do something. but the fact it happened to one of our own and it was so shaking to our whole community, we knew we had to get up and get out there >> last night people gathered to call for justice for nua. some said though they didn't know her personally, she was .to have their voices heard. the family also announced this week they're planning to sue bart for not doing enough to protect the two women, saying bart hasn't done november to stop the number of violent attacks on the trains. >> and, katie, bart has responded to this? >> reporter: they have. bart said it's taken several steps to reduce fare investigation. they have working cameras on all train cars, and they stepped up patrols. >>> the biggest concern for firefig

parts of potter valley and clear lake oaks and the cowell mountain recreation area are included. earlier some evacuation orders were lifted for the lake port area. students in lake port were supposed to go to school next week, but administrators have delayed the start for two weeks. both fires have expanded and have burned a combined 157,000 acres. firefighters hope to have them contained in about a week and a half. >>> today governor brown will be in shasta county touring the area charred by the carr fire. the fire has destroyed nearly a dozen homes. residents in the river ridge neighborhood in redding were allowed back in last night. many of the homes there are now gone. the fight has been incredibly tough for redding firefighters. some of their homes were destroyed and the department lost one of their own. abc 7 news report amanda dell castillo his moro what firefighters are doing to help.

the case was continued today until september when cowell is expected to enter a plea. te (pam) the u-s state department has issued a travel advisory for mexico ....after eight bodies were found in the streets of cancun. the bodies of a man and a woman were found in an abandoned taxi yesterday, and the dismembered bodies of two men were found in several plastic bags at another spot. also yesterday - one man was found bound and shot to death. officials also say, another man was killed while lying in a hammock.... another was found shot and covered in a plastic bag. details of the eighth body were not immediately available. none of the killings occurred in the city's beach-side hotel zone. lawrence karnow: hurricane lane is headed for hawaii. it's a major hurricane and will likely effect all of the rains, gusty winds and hu back in the bay area it was a little warmer today with more sunshine with 70s and 80s inland and 60s at the coast. on the satellite you can see a couple of weak areas of low pressure moving across the pacifice. it will help kepp temperatures cooler tha

cowell, had been cited before as a fare evader on bart. they believe if bart had a better system in place to crack down on fare evaders, then nia would still be alive. they also dropped this bombshell, that cowell had threated others on bart. arns. since being involved, we have been approached by a 72 year old woman who said that cowell threatened her. besides seeking monetary compensation - the attorney's say the family is also hoping with this suit will increase safety on bart for all passengers. arns. we want better safety for everyone. (estacio live) i asked nia's family if they wanted to say anything today about the suit, and they declined.... both of nia's sisters who were there when she died were in attendance wearing shirts bearing her name.. (ken) hearts were heavy in vacaville today... there was a memorial service for thec-h-p officer killed august 10th during a traffic stop... hundreds gathered to remember officer kirk griss...including fellow c-h-p officers from all over the state. griss was a 19-year veteran who was killed by

it alleges that the suspect john lee cowell never should have made in the bart system the day neil was killed. >> -- the day nia was killed . >> the death of nia would've been avoided if they could stop the criminals from coming in. >> the attack happened last month at oakland's macarthur bart station. 18-year-old nia and her sister were transferring trains when john lee cowell stabbed it -- stabbed them in the neck with an unprovoked attack. >>> a bay area man stole a highway patrol car and try to commandeer a bus full of college students. steve? >> reporter: bazaar is a good word to describe it and incredibly, nobody was seriously hurt through this whole thing. it sounds like a script from a hollywood movie, but it all unfolded right here at the entrance to the sacramento state campus. >> a suspect under arrest after stealing a chp car, driving it onto the sacramento state campus, pulling over this college shuttlebus and carjacking the students inside. >> we got kidnapped. he knew what he was doing. >> a ride turned into a wrestling match with students jumping on the suspect putting

one, a 72-year-old woman said cowell threatened to slit her throat. neither could locate station agents. >> a chp officer died on the job. helicopters formed a procession to honor kirk risz. he was killed during a traffic stop a week ago on the service was emotional. >> now that i have 29 days, i know i need to stay strong. if he were here he would be holding my face and telling me to finish. >> there's a memorial fund for he and his family. you want to doe nalt it's located on our website at abc7news.com. >> a national park service employee was reported missing tod today. this man was last seen on the upper pines campground. san jose resident scott tins ar was macing as well. he was last seen before a planned hike. >> new at 1 south carolina, two bay area counties banning roundup. both counties have announced they will discontinuing the weed killer. the main ingredient was at the center of an award to a bay area man who said itself caused his cancer. they plan to use safer and gnarl materials. >> more testing of potentially radioactive soil in pittsb

today, an attorney representing her family said john cowell, the man arrested for her killing, shouldever have been in the bart system in the first place and maybe boarded the train with wilson and her sisters. >> it turns out the perpetrator of this crime a derelict itinerant was in the car also. >> reporter: a public entity claim is the first step in a lawsuit. cowell, they say, was a known fare evader and had likely evaded paying his fare to enter the system the night of the killing. the family's attorney said today that fare evaders are far more likely to commit crimes than paying passengers. bart they say endangers all its passengers by allowing too many fare evaders to flood into the system. >> bart refuses to stop fare evaders, many of whom are criminals, at the turnstiles and that's what has to happen. >> reporter: bart said: >> reporter: attorneys for the wilson family say that's not enough. they want increased transparency, crime statistics posted at stations to let passengers know exactly what to expect upon entering the system, a crackdown on fare evaders. they also want c

. >>> john lee cowell, the man accused of killing nia wilson and oaklands macarthur bart station andg her sister, is now facing a new charge. alameda county prosecutors added a special circumstance in their case against cowell, sing towel was lying in wait for neah and her sister that charge me make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted. the lawyer for the wilson family approves of this the public defender's office is upset about that additional charge. >> there is no evidence of that. i have to say, i'm deeply concerned that they are now seeking death, possibly against someone who has severe, severe mental illness >> we support the 100% and are very confident that the process will work the way it's supposed to. tell us lawyer says cowell sought mental health treatment while he was imprisoned on earlier charges and after he was released the family and friends of the victims say if cowell was mentally ill he should not have been released from prison without medical treatment. >>> police what your help. if you were at the charlie booth concert at the shoreline amphitheater la

. >> john cowell was accused of fatally stabbing nia wilson. melanie woodrow is at the bart station. >> reporter: the attorneys for nia wilson's family say there are 22,000 fare evaders every day on bart. john cowell was one of them, and that had bart stopped him, wilson would still be alive. nia wilson's family and her attorney stood next to the 18-year-old's photo during a press conference where they announced they filed a complaint against bart. >> nia's death is not some horrific anomaly that occurred in two seconds that nobody could do anything about. >> attorney meet the -- on sunday, julyohnowell and her sister lifah. arns says there aerday, a corr between a high incidence of fare evading and violent crime. >> reporter: he also says that two witnesses will testify they had interactions with cowell in the days and week prior to nia wilson's stabbing. one was a 72-year-old woman at the civic center bart station who arns said cowell accosted. >> and she said i'm not afraid of you. and he motioned, i'm going to slit your throat. >> reporter:

cowell has a long criminal record. he was on parole at the time of the killing. he will be on the -- at the alameda county superior court house this morning at 9:00. >>> questions about how devolvement in two high profile legal cases will affect president trump. the first came guilty verdict for paul manafort, but it's the guilty plea from michael cohen that legal experts say could implicate the president. doug luzader joins us live from washington with the latest on all of this. >> reporter: the cohen please important because it involves campaign finance violations and those may involve the president. president trump didn't seem to miss a step last night as he led a boisterous rally in west virginia. it didn't take long for the special counsel's investigation to come up. >> fake news on the russian witchhunts. we have a whole big combination. where is the collusion? >> reporter: hours earlier the p -- presence former campaign chairman, paul manafort, was found guilty of eight financial crimes. a win for mark -- for special counsel robert mueller. >> it doesn't i

cowell escaped. nia bled to death on the platform. her sister survived. the lawsuit alleged cowell fare jumped. police arrested him after a tip from a rider. the lawsuit also alleges that other criminals freely come and go on b.a.r.t. because of lax security at the turnstiles. a lawsuit that has not yet been filed but the family attorney said they will be filing. b.a.r.t. did release a statement in response to the offending lawsuit. they say nothing is more important than the safety of our riders and employees. in the last several years, b.a.r.t. has launched a multi-prong approach to reduce fare evasion, including a new proof of payment ordinance and inspection teams as well as infrastructure changes to make it harder to bypass fare gates. b.a.r.t. also notes they have more than 4,000 surveillance cameras in operation throughout the system and police patrols, increased police patrols led to a 40% increase in arrests last year. now, nia's viewing will be later today, and there will be a funeral service tomorrow in oakland between 11:00 and 2:00. again, th

cowell is the mastermind behind many successful shows, including "american idol."d to be brutally honest. kelly clarkson spoke in cowell's honor at the ceremony, and was quick to defend his mean reputation. take a look. >> now, granted, i was the one he was never mean to. so i'm still waiting. but, no. he was never mean to me. but it was more of the thing that i never found it to be mean, though. i found it to be constructive. and i found -- there's no -- there's no friend in this industry, especially an industry in the spotlight. there's not a friend to you to have a person around you. a friend gives you the truth. and that's the thing that i think everyone can thank you for. >> that was good. after clarkson spoke, cowell gave a speech of his own, showing a softer side when he took the time to recognize his parents and his son, eric. >> one thing i was also thinking about today was who would have got the biggest kick out of this, and it was my mom and dad. and -- [ applause ] and they're not here. but i have a feeling they're looking down. and now i can look over

. >> the family's attorney says bart missed previous threats by the alleged killer john lee cowell. the attorney says witnesses told them they had threatening run-ins with cowell, each time he was said to be armed with a knife. a bart spokesman said they cannot comment on a current litigation. >>> safe injection centers for homeless drug addicts. abc 7 news reporter wayne freedman is live outside city hall joining us now with more. wayne? >> reporter: city hall seems like a logical place in a city that has a has been it of defying federal law. it was san francisco in this very building that performed same-sex marriages, it is san francisco that protects immigrants inside this city, and now they want to defy federal law again. in his daily process of giving help, paul harkin says he needs help. to resc them the evidence shows it does indeed work. >> it will do the work better if glide church opens a safe injection center inside its walls. it would take addicts off the street, keep w themafhile high and help them kick their habit. >> not only for safety, but abduction. >> reporter: si

john cowell is charged with murder and attempted murder for stabbing nia wilson and her sister he bart station july 22nd. >> she didn't do nothing to nobody, i didn't do nothing to nobody. and for this to happen is just outright crazy. >> cowell has been cited for fare evasion four days before he allegedly killed wilson. the family's attorney says "because of the lack of security at the turnstiles the suit will claim criminals freely enter the system and preventable crimes occur in stations on a daily basis." in an e-mailed statement bart says in the last several years it launched a multiprong approach, a new proof of payment ordinance, inspection teams and infrastructure changes to make it harder to by pass fare gates. arrests surged last year by nearly 40% due to the fact officers were in the right place at the right time. >> a lot of folks complain about what's transpired, we picked up our cross and did something different. >> reporter: he and his friends have been offering escorts to their cars. abc news legal analyst gill sofer says the case will hinge on the following. >> is ther

cowell was a fair evader.that fair evaders are more likely to commit crimes than paying passengers. >> bart refuses to stop fair evaders many who are criminals at the turn styles. >> bart said >> bart said . >> they want increased transparency and crime statistics posted at stations. a crack down on fair evaders and compensation to the family. >> there's a serious endemic public safety problem on bart and everyone who rides bart knows that. >> it starts with catching fair evaders. we watched as a dozen people entered and left without paying. this is happening feet away from bart police headquarters. bart has six months to review the claim. if they reject it the family will file a lawsuit. >>> up next, three young workers shot and killed during the robbery of a drugstore almost 40 years ago. >> they were innocent promising kids. >> we look at what's known as the pay less murders. one suspect was taken into custody and let go. >>> details on the funeral service for aretha franklin. ♪ ♪ can world-renowned artist

cowel is not charged with a hate crime.the da's office said there is no evidence to support it, but they are continuing to investigate. >> black lives are always, it's, so can'tly under attack. a lot of times it strikes apathy in our hearts. the fact it happened to one of our on and was so shaking to our whole community, we now we had to get up and get out there. >> reporter: some said, evening to they didn't know her personally, it was personality is their voices heard. family also announced this week their plan to sue bart for not doing enough to protect the with the women, saying bart hasn't done enough to stop the greg number of violent attacks on the trains. >> katie, is there any response from bart? >> reporter: so bart said it's taken several stems to reduce fare evasion and has working cameras on all cars, and has stepped up patrols using overtime. >>> new mandatory evacuation orders are in effect in lake county after winds picked up. the river fire scorched 35,000 acres in the western part of the county and destroy

john lee cowell of concord is expected to enter a plea. investigators say he killed nia wilson and injured her sister last month at the macarthur bart station in oakland. if convicted, cowell could face life in prison. >>> the district attorneys of six california counties plan to put joseph deangelo on trial in sacramento. yesterday more charges were added to the suspected golden state killer case including some in contra costa. nine rapes are linked to the case. charges for those crimes cannot be filed because of the statute of limitations. but kidnapping charges connected to four of those rapes can be filed. >>> president trump's former personal attorney is facing up to five years in prison. michael cohen pleaded guilty to 8 federal crimes. laura podesta records that charges including campaign finance violations that implicate the president. >>> reporter: michael cohen told a federal judge yesterday that he helped arrange hush money payments in the runup to the 2016 election at the direction of then candidate donald trump. cohen pleaded

cowell has a long criminal record. he was on parole at the time of the killing.ll will be at the alameda county superior courthouse. >>> one month since the car fire started in shasta and trinity counties. it is still just 91% contained. it has raced across three or 59 mi.2 and destroyed nearly 1100 homes. firefighters still cannot say when they will have that fire fully controlled. the mendocino complex fire is now 74% contained with only the northern section, the ranch fire, still growing. the ranch and river fires have burned 635 mi.2 and firefighters expect to have both of those fires fully contained by september 1. >>> the santa clara county fire department sent fire crews to battle the mendocino complex fire. there jobs were made harder when verizon significantly reduced their internet speed . the crews were sending back information about firefighting services and crew locations and a say they were using more bandwidth than usual. the fire department told verizon about that problem and he says verizon suggested a more expensive plan. instead fire crews used

the alameda county district attorney added a special charge of lying in wait against john lee cowell. if convicted, that could make him eligible for the death penalty. cowell is accused of killing nia wilson and injuring one of her sisters at a bart station in oakland last month. wilson's family attorneys have filed a claim against bart blaming the transit agency for lax security. >>> a strike team from santa clara county is helping find the mendocino complex fires. the task force was redeployed to lake county after already being there for two weeks. steep terrain and dry brush are hampering the firefight, as well. flames have consumed nearly 565 square miles. the fire is 67% contained. >>> seattle's space needle normally provides breathtaking views but the skyline now shows a city choked with smoke and ash. that's because of the wildfires burning from california all the way to canada. it's having a huge impact on air quality in that city. it's so bad, experts say that spending the day outside is equivalent to smoking 8 cigarettes. the wind will change direction later this week and bl

cowell is thein master behind many successful shows including american idol., never b afraid brutally honest. kelly clarkso spoke in cowell's honor and was quick to defend his mean reputation. take a look. >>ranted i was the only one he was never mean to. i'm still waiting. but no, he was never mean to me. but it was more the thing that i never found it being mean. i always fou iteing constructive. there's no friend in this industry, especially in the industry in the spotlight. it's not a friend to have a yes person around you. it's a friend to have you somebody that actually gives you their truth. that's the thing thathi everyone can thank you for. >> that was good. after clarksonlpoke cowave a speech of his own showing a softer side when he took the time to recognize his parents and his son eric. >> oneo thing i was a thinking about today was who would have got the biggest kick out of this and it was my mom and dad. they're not here but i have feeling they're looking down. now i can look over to my son eric and say maybe one day you'll get one of these as we

cowell was on parole at the time of the killing. this morning at 9:00 cowell will be at the alameda county superior court house. >>> stanford university police investigating an alleged rape on the campus. a woman reported she was sexually assaulted on the main campus sometime between sunday night and monday morning. so far no suspects have been identified. even though school hasn't started at stanford yet a warning has been sent to student . undergrad students will start their class at stanford in late september. >>> a former student at cal state monterey bay is headed to prison for sexually assaulting a woman in a dorm. 22-year-old ruben rodriguez was given a 14 year sentence for assaulting a female student two years ago. he slipped into her apartment, removed a screen door. she fought him off but then he went back an hour later. he fled the campus the next day, but was captured by u.s marshall's in chico. along with a prison sentence rodriguez has to stay away from that woman for the next 10 years and also register as a sex offend

they say cowell was lying in wait for neah and latifah wilson. that charge would make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted. the attorney for nia wilson's family approves of the idea. the public defender's office is upset about this extra charge. >> there is no evidence of that. i have to say i'm deeply concerned that they are nopossi. mental illness. >> we support them 100% and are very confident that the process will work the way it supposed to. tell us lawyer told us cowell did seek mental health treatment while he was in prison on earlier charges. and after he was released her family members and friends of the victims say if cowell is mentally ill he should not have been released from prison without medical treatment. >>> the alameda county coroner's office is investigating the death of a man who was in the custody of limon police officers arrested the 42-year-old man at the fry's electronics store tuesday afternoon. he was taken to police headquarters face charges of theft and fraud. officers say they noticed he had trouble breathi

abc 7 was at the courthouse at the hearing for john lee cowell.e number of wilson's family members showed up for the proceedings. prosecutors added a special circumstances enhancement. that now means if cowell is convicted he would be eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole. cowell did not enter a plea yesterday >>> breaking news from the abc 7 live desk. >>> and that breaking news, isis, the islamic state group, claiming responsibility this morning for a deadly knife attack in a suburb of paris. french officials say a man stabbed two women to death this morning. the victims are identified as the attacker's mother and his sister. a third woman was also injured in this attack. police say she was just a passerby. the suspected stabber was killed by police. he is reported to be a 36-year-old taxi driver >>> this morning investigators say mollie tibbetts and her accused killer lived in the same iowa town, but it's unclear whether they knew each other. hundreds gathered for a memorial at the university of iowa where mollie was a

cowell has a long criminal history and was on parole at the time of the killing.o appear at the alameda courthouse in an hour. >>> the city of oakland has seen a drop in violent crime over the past six years. oakland police and community leaders say the decline is due in large part to the cease fire program. ktvu's allie rasmus is here to explain it to us. >> reporter: how the cease fire program works, members of the oakland police department, clergy members host regular meetings with people who live in at risk areas, areas that had problems traditionally with gang violence. they have the one-on-one meetings with some of the people and they put them in touch with some job services, social services, ged programs and the drug and alcohol addiction services. these one-on-one meetings are supposed to help build trust with the community and also help the people who are enrolled in the program. cease fire started back in 2012 and six years later, oakland police are touting the results of a report that shows that the program has played a role in bringing down the violent

john cowell was arrested and accused of killing a young woman on a platform. the lawsuit says he should have been banned from bart because he was caught for not paying his fare just days earlier. he is accused of stabbing 18-year-old nia wilson to death and police say it appears to be a random attack with no motive. nia's family is suing bart saying the attack was foreseeable and preventable. bart has stepped up police pa patrols in the last year, has installed working cameras on all trains, and has cracked down on fare evasion. a statement from a spokesperson at bart goes on to say, our hearts break for the wilson family. their grief must be unbearable. bart as an agency will continue to do all we can to ensure a safe trip for our riders. nia's funeral is scheduled for 11:00 in the morning tomorrow. amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> thank you. >>> this morning thousands of firefighters are continuing to battle 19 wildfires across california. >> close to home, crews are struggling to gain ground on the mendocino complex fires which consist of the ranch and river

at cowell's heart strings. >> i don't think america's ever seen you that emotional. >> announcer: melcameras. how her family is rallying around in time of crisis. >> whatever help she needs, i'm always there to help her. >> announcer: new details on ben affleck's downward spiral. not eating or showering. the new reports about ben's rock bottom before jen garner pushed him into rehab. controversy at the u.s. open. why is a female player taking he f

john lee cowell is in jail, but now, there may have been information that could have prevented this. >> one was a 728-year-old woman. attorney robert arns says it happen two days before the killing at the civic center b.a.r.t. platform. >> she said "i'm not afraid of you." and he motioned, i'm going to slit your thrown. >> reporter: he says a weak earlier, another woman spotted cowell waving a knife at a train. they both went up to the station to report it to the station agents. there were no stagele station agents. >> reporter: one of the women ended up calling police. the attorney said that b.a.r.t. should have known and done something. the suspect is a fare evader. fare evasion is a a huge problem in the system. mass transit crimes most often committed by those who don't pay. >> you have to nip it in the bud at the turn styles. if b.a.r.t. had stop the criminal fare evaders, nia would be alive. >> reporter: they are filing the claim against b.a.r.t. saying it failed to protect passengers from nia. the family is asking three things from b.a.r.t. transparency, data about evasion at

her older sister was injured, and the suspect john cowell was arrested. the family is now suing the agency saying it didn't do rtas rpoaygnthan her. e tyf our rids and a spokesperson also sd eir hearts break for the wilson family. her funeral will be held tomorrow, and service begins at 11:00 a.m. it is open to the public. >>> crime in oakland just one of the many issues facing mayor shaft. >> as the mayor libby shaft just filed paperwork to run for re-election and she says she thinks the biggest issue facing oakland going forward is affordability. she walked into the clerk's office this morning and was greeted by a room full of supporters who also say they planned to help her get re-elected. we did ask her about safety on t was just filed on behalf of the family of nia wilson who was just stabbed to death on a b.a.r.t. platform. she says while the mayor dpuz not have direct authority over b.a.r.t., she does offer her partnership. >> every public agency that goes through a trauma, and i certainly know this from experience, is really responsible for learni

part should have done more to keep cowell off the train the fact he was a fair elevator -- was shot and killed last weekend. paul chamber spoke with the family. >> described as the mother of three who lived for her kids. >> she didn't do drugs. she was an honest woman. >> saturday afternoon her life ended. officers heard shots being fired. once on scene the police found jackson sitting in the passenger seat of a car riddled with bullets. >> my sister was just caught up with the crossfire of a war that's going on between no richmond and south richmond and central. >> police don't believe jackson was the intended target. the family believes it was gang- related. >> they are going blood for blood. >> jackson's sister has questions and very few answers. >> the girls, they are planning the funeral. they are 18 and 19. this is the first adult thing they are doing in life. >> there's a growing memorial. >> my sister probably never held a gun in her life. ers and this. >> the driver of the car is okay they are rooking for a four door newer model gray infinity. >>> the national park service said

john lee cowell of concord will enter a plea today. he is accused of stabbing and killing nia wilson and injuring one of her sisters. that attack happened last month at a bart station in oakland. cowell could face life in prison if convicted. >>> during the largest wildfire in state history, verizon slowed the speed of santa clara county fire department's data plan. that's according to its chief. he said: he says verizon knew that the throttling impacted the firefighters' response but did nothing. brieat 22 n made this claim in state attorneys general filed in a lawsuit. it wants to overturn the repeal of net neutrality rules. >> our concern would be the public's ability to access the information that we are providing to them via the internet. we rely on the internet as a tool. if the it's throttled on blic eo download the information is impacted. >> verizon says that the fire department was subscribed to an unlimited data plan for government agencies that reduces speeds after a certain allotment. their statement reading in part: at le

her sister was also stabbed, but survived. 27-year-old suspect john cowell is charged with her murder. so far police have no motive, but some believe it was racially motive. >> i don't think anything like this ever ends. >> reporter: bart officials say wounds to both men are considered non-life threatening and no arrests have been made. in oakland, cornell barnard, nbc news. >>> an, mobile funeral for nia. melanie woodrow shows us how family and friends said good-bye. ♪ ♪ >> a tribute fit for nia wilson. >> gold roiyalty. white, pure is what she was. >> the 18-year-old taken from those who loved her most including her first niece. >> do you promise to come visit me in my dreams. >> and her sister who was also stabbed in the attack. >> you may not have no sense of direction. that feeling of protection. >> reporter: as well as her parents who stood up to look at the crowd gathered. congresswoman barbara lee attended nia's funeral. >> we stand with you today in this outpouring of love and condolences. >> along with oakland city council member rebecca capland. >> our african-american youn

celebration of a life senselessly cut short back on june 22nd, 2018 by the accused murderer john cowell who allegedly stabbed nia to death on a bart train at the macarthur station. on this day nia's family, friends, oakland clergy, oakland politicians and the community at-large all came together to honor her memory, pay respect and say her namesot<"nia wilson my favorite cousin. you called me your ride or die. even though you are physically no longer with us, you spirit will never die">sot<"nia's love, my nia's love, so honest and true, baby girl shine bright and big sister promise we will get justice for you">the call for justice was very prominent among those in attendancesot sot sot it was an emotional moment when the audience came to their feet when n

investigators believe john cowell randomly attacked wilson last week. >> number five the tsa consideringuld eliminate security screenings at more than 150 small and medium-sized airports. according to cnn, the plan would affect commercial planes with 60 seats or less. no final decision has been made. >> number six, we have been dealing with a sig alert in the south bay for the last hour and a half or so that did clear around 15 minutes ago. southbound 101 before de la cruz. all lanes are back open. pretty quickly on the southbound side, i should say, backup remains heading northbound. >>> number seven, mcdonald's cooking up a special coin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the big mac starting today at lunch time, you can buy a big mac and get a coin. later you can take the coin back and they will give you another big mac. buy one get one. >> i have one for you. >> oh. >> oh. >> oh, man. >> mike. >> jessica. >> yes. >> i'll keep all of these for me. >> what? >> i'm the official hamburger >>> good morning, america. russia investigation showdown. special counsel robert mueller insists on