Man's final wishes on cellphone count as a will, court rules
ST. JOSEPH (AP) — The state appeals court says a young man’s final words written in electronic form can count as a valid will.
Before killing himself in 2015, a 21-year-old Berrien County man said he had written a “farewell” that was accessible on his phone. He gave instructions for how to get to it.
He expressed personal sentiments, requests for a funeral and instructions about how to distribute his possessions.
The man’s mother, who didn’t inherit anything, appealed after a judge said the electronic wishes would be considered a valid will.
The appeals court said last week evidence “strongly supports the conclusion” that the man wanted the note to be his will.
Detroit man gets probation in livestreamed killing
DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit man has been sentenced to three years of probation for accidentally shooting and killing a friend while they were streaming live on Instagram.
In addition to the probation, Dawone Cook must complete 100 hours of community service, which includes speaking to schoolchildren about the dangers of playing with guns and gun violence.
Cook accidentally shot his friend Dylan Hemphill in the head on April 2 as they were showing off weapons and money on Instagram.
Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Gregory Bill told Cook at the sentencing hearing last week he will have to live with the death for the rest of life and that Cook should remember Hemphill each time he speaks with students.
Cook pleaded guilty to the careless discharge of a firearm causing death.
Selfies snapped on stolen cellphone used to ID thief
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — A robbery suspect used a stolen cellphone to snap a selfie and, in the process, gave authorities his identity.
The Shreveport Times reports the victim of a July 10 robbery told police he was held up at gunpoint as he exited his car. The victim said he surrendered cash and two cellphones, and the robber fled.
Three days later, the victim told police the suspect had taken photos of himself that automatically uploaded to the victim’s cloud. The victim retrieved the photos, which investigators then released to the public. Two days later, a tipster gave a suspect’s identity via Shreveport Caddo Crime Stoppers.
Police say the 27-year-old man is being sought on an armed robbery charge.
Woman temporarily becomes millionaire after account mix-up
BOSTON (AP) — For a few minutes, a Boston woman says she was a millionaire.
Ellen Fleming, 26, says she received a voicemail from a TD Ameritrade financial consultant last week that a deposit had been made into her account.
She opened the company’s app on her cellphone and was surprised to find $1.1 million instead of the $50 that she had left a few months ago.
Fleming tells The Boston Globe she immediately thought about quitting her job and paying her student loans. Instead, she called the consultant back and informed them of the mix-up.
Fleming says the money was meant for a woman with the same name who lives in Florida.
She jokes that in her obituary she would like to be referred to as a “one-time millionaire.”
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