If the Weld County District Attorney makes the call, a jury could decide if the Colorado man accused of killing his pregnant wife and two daughters faces the death penalty if convicted of the crimes.

Christopher Watts, 33, is accused of killing his wife, 34-year-old Shanann, and daughters, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste. He has been formally charged with nine felonies: three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree murder of a person under the age of 12 while being in a position of trust, one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy and three counts of tampering with a deceased body. 

During a press conference Aug. 20 announcing the official charges against Watts, Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said his office had not made a decision on whether to seek the death penalty.

“(It’s) way too early to have that conversation,” Rourke said.

Here’s what Rourke and his office will likely be weighing as the case moves forward: 

Does the case against Christopher Watts qualify for the death penalty?

Watts has been charged with nine felonies, five of which are Class 1 felonies, the most severe type of crime.

In Colorado, the prosecution may seek the death penalty for Class 1 felonies — which include things like first-degree murder and treason — if they are able to prove at least one aggravating factor in the case and prove any aggravating factors outweigh any mitigating factors.

The district attorney’s office has 63 days after Watts’ arraignment, where he’ll plead guilty or not guilty, to file a statement of intent to seek the death penalty.

Watts’ arraignment hasn’t been scheduled yet.

► More: Christopher Watts and Shanann Watts: Their friends saw a ‘perfect’ family. What happened?

How does it work? 

When a district attorney seeks the death penalty, the jury must first find the defendant guilty of the qualifying charge(s).

Then, in a separate sentencing hearing, the same jury must unanimously agree that the defendant should receive the death penalty. 

During that sentencing hearing, the jury will listen to arguments on aggravating and mitigating factors for the defendant as described under state law.

Mitigating factors include any evidence presented that could show cause for a lesser sentence. These include things like age, mental status or emotional state when the crime was committed, among others.

Aggravating factors are any circumstances that increase the severity of the crime. Aggravating factors include, for example, intentionally killing an on-duty police officer or elected official, killing a pregnant woman or child under the age of 12, committing the crime for monetary gain, intentionally killing two or more individuals, among others.

If jurors unanimously agree that the aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating factors, then they could choose the death penalty. But, if they believe that the mitigating factors outweigh the aggravating ones or they can’t come to a unanimous decision, then the defendant would face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

More: Timeline: Key dates in investigation of deaths of Shanann Watts, 2 daughters in Colorado

History of capital punishment in Colorado

Capital punishment was reinstated in Colorado in 1975, but since then only one person has been sentenced to death. Gary Davis, who was convicted of murder and rape, was executed by the state in 1997. 

Since then, there have been a few notable cases where the state sought the death penalty, but the jury in the case returned a life sentence. 

After a lengthy trial in 2015, James Holmes was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora that killed 12 people and injured dozens of others. In that case, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty. 

There are three people on death row in Colorado right now:

• Nathan Dunlap, who was convicted in the shooting deaths of four people in a Chuck E. Cheese in 1993. 
• Mario Owenswas sentenced to death in 2008 for killing Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancee Vivian Wolfe, who were both prosecution witnesses in a murder trial involving Owens. 
• Robert Ray was convicted of ordering the killings of Marshall-Fields and Wolfe, who were set to testify against Ray and his co-defendant, Owens, in the shooting death of Gregory Vann. 

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.

 

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“40-year-old Virgin” actor Shelley Malil, who has spent the past eight years in prison for stabbing his girlfriend 23-times, was granted parole Tuesday.

The 53-year-old was convicted of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon after flying into a jealous rage against then-girlfriend Kendra Beebe a decade ago. He was sentenced in 2010 to 12 years to life behind bars for the crime.

Malil appeared at a rescission hearing at the Chuckawalla Valley State Prison on Tuesday, where a Board of Parole commissioners upheld a previous ruling that he should be granted parole, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The panel originally found Malil eligible for parole in January 2018, but California Gov. Jerry Brown recommended the board review the grant over concerns on how Malil’s “rage escalated so far out of control, and resulted in such a prolonged horror,” the San Diego Union Tribune reported.

But, the panel again agreed this week that Malil posed a low risk of committing violence in the future and didn’t rescind his parole. He will be released in two weeks and remain on supervised parole for five years, according to the paper.

In 2008, Malil stabbed his girlfriend Beebe more than 20 times in the backyard of her San Marcos, California, home. At his first parole hearing earlier this year, Malil admitted that a combination of jealousy and alcohol fueled his plans to “annihilate” the victim, the Union Tribune reported.

Bebee survived the attack and spoke at Tuesday’s hearing through video conference, saying she’s “still living in fear.” Malil insisted he is dedicated to his rehabilitation and that he “never wants to create another victim again.”

Malil is best known for paying Steve Carrell’s co-worker in the 2005 film “The 40-Year-Old-Virgin.” His other acting credits include “NYPD Blue,” “Without a Trace” and “Scrubs.”

More: Third hacker who stole photos from J-Law, Kate Upton gets jail time

Contributing: Associated Press

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England and Bath back Anthony Watson required a second operation on his Achilles tendon after re-tearing it during a commercial photo shoot.

The 24-year-old has not played since suffering the original tear playing for England in their Six Nations defeat by Ireland in March.

The original prognosis was that he would be out for six months.

But it has emerged Watson’s Achilles ruptured a second time during a photo shoot with NFL players six weeks ago.

BBC Sport understands the player took a couple of steps to catch a ball, causing his Achilles to tear again.

Bath say the player was “unlucky” to suffer further damage, with a reassessment of the injury showing the rupture had failed to knit after the initial surgery.

The club are confident the Achilles has now has been repaired and Watson’s agent says the player is on course to return at the end of the year or early January.

Speculation about tensions in Russian-Iranian relations after the collapse of the nuclear deal earlier this year has been circulating for a few months now. Tehran appears to be fearing a “betrayal”, as Moscow is trying to negotiate with the United States on a variety of issues, including recently imposed economic sanctions.

In an August 22 press conference during a visit to Israel, US National Security Adviser John Bolton appeared to suggest that Russian President Vladimir Putin approves of the withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria.

“President Putin… had said it to me three weeks before. …What he was saying was that Iranian interests in Syria were not coterminous with Russian interests in Syria and he would be content to see Iranian forces all sent back to Iran… we were talking about the complete return of both regular and irregular Iranian forces,” Bolton said.

The following day, Bolton met his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, head of Russia’s Security Council, and it turned out that after all there wasn’t such solid mutual understanding on the issue.

Following the five-hour meeting, Bolton told journalists that the issue, which had been previously discussed in Helsinki by Putin and US President Donald Trump, was brought up again but no major progress had been made. According to him, Patrushev offered the “geographic restriction of Iranian forces” in exchange for the suspension of oil sanctions on Iran; the offer was rejected outright by the Americans.

The two officials failed to sign a joint statement after the Russian delegation refused to include an admission that Russia had meddled in US elections – something Bolton had insisted on. In these and past discussions, Washington acted as if it had leverage over Moscow because it believes “the Russians are stuck [in Syria] at the moment”. The Russian leadership, on the other hand, refuses to be pressured and insists on negotiating on an equal footing with the US.

Apart from that, there are a number of other reasons why Moscow continues to reject the offers the US has made on Syria.

Russia is not ready to abandon Iran

As Russian senator Alexei Pushkov noted after the talks in Geneva, “the US administration is trying to get from Russia such a shift in positions that would mean a full turn on Syria.” And Washington, as it asks Russia to abandon its situational ally, Iran, refuses to clarify what it would give Moscow in return.

US assurances that concessions Russia makes on its position on Iran would lead to the easing of sanctions sound unconvincing to Moscow. The Kremlin is well aware that the lifting of sanctions is the prerogative of the US Congress and not the president. This means the signing of an agreement with Trump on Syria would not guarantee any progress on sanctions.

Moreover, the Russian leadership is not ready to burn all bridges with Iran. In addition to the Syrian crisis, Moscow and Tehran collaborate on a wide variety of issues – from energy to security in the Caspian region and the situation in Afghanistan. And it is not only Iran who wants these collaborations to continue but also Russia.

Finally, Russia still does not trust the US – and for good reason.

The Russian leadership has repeatedly used Iran as a bargaining chip in its negotiations with the US.

In June 1995, US Vice President Al Gore signed a secret agreement with then Russian Prime Minister Viktor S Chernomyrdin, calling for an end to all Russian sales of conventional weapons to Iran by the end of 1999. This agreement cost Russia $4bn.

In 2009, the administrations of Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama agreed on a “reset” in Russian-US relations, which required Russia to scale down its partnership with Iran. A year later, Russia stopped supplying Iran with S-300 missiles systems in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution 1929. The resolution had banned countries from supplying heavy weapons to the Islamic Republic over its nuclear programme.

However, in both cases, despite Russia holding up its side of the bargain, there was never a real “reset” or warming in relations between Moscow and Washington. Russia did not gain anything from using Iran as a bargaining chip. On the contrary, it suffered economic losses from interrupted contracts and risked losing the trust of its Iranian allies. 

Russia’s influence over Tehran is not unlimited

There are also some reasons preventing Russia from accepting US demands on Syria that are not entirely in Moscow’s control. The Russian leadership is likely not lying when it calls an Iranian withdrawal from Syria “unrealistic”. Russia remains a key actor in the Syrian conflict, but its influence over its “allies” is not unlimited.

After pro-Iran forces pulled out of Syria’s border region with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights earlier this month, Washington and Tel Aviv started to believe that Russia could facilitate Iran’s complete withdrawal from Syria. Russia, however, cannot meet such a high expectation for three reasons.

First, the withdrawal of pro-Iran forces from Syria’s southern border is not so much the result of Moscow’s pressure on Tehran, as it is a consequence of the Iranian leadership’s belief that it is in their own interest to do so.

The Kremlin managed to convince the Iranian establishment that the voluntary withdrawal of their militias from the border zone would not only minimise the risk of clashes with Israel, but also allow the Syrian government to retain influence over southern Syria. But it would be difficult for Russia to argue that the complete withdrawal of regular and irregular Iranian troops from Syria would help Tehran or the Assad regime.

Second, the complete removal of pro-Iran forces from Syria is not attainable under current circumstances. The nature of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) project in Syria is not one of dominating and taking over the system, but rather integrating so as to become an indivisible part of it. Throughout the seven-year civil war in Syria, the Iranians have so strongly integrated into the structure of the country’s armed forces that their elimination would entail the dismantling of the whole system. 

Third, on August 27, Iran and Syria signed a military cooperation deal, making the likelihood of Iran’s complete withdrawal from Syria even more impossible.

In light of all this, Washington can hardly count on Russia to force Iran out of Syria any time soon. 

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. 

A meteor seared over Australia on Tuesday night, lighting up the sky over Perth. 

According to the ABC, the local Department of Fire and Emergency Services received calls from “more than one concerned caller” who thought the meteor could be a UFO.

The meteor’s fiery descent was captured on several dash cams. 

CCTV footage shows how bright the meteor was — in the clips in this broadcast, it illuminates the entire frame. 

Perth residents weren’t sure if they actually saw the meteor’s fall on Tuesday. @goralphy thought he was caught speeding by a traffic camera.

Others took the opportunity to roast the city.  

As Lisa Barnes points out, if the meteor managed to make it to land, you probably shouldn’t grab souvenirs. Remnants belong to the state and any discoveries should be reported to Gravity Discovery Centre. 

Finding actual pieces of meteor is questionable — according to Professor Phil Bland, director of the Desert Fireball Network which studies the fallen space rocks, only about 2 to 3 percent of visible meteors make it to the ground. 

But Bland is hopeful. He told ABC that considering how bright it appears on camera, the object must have been large. Larger meteors have a greater chance of making it through Earth’s atmosphere intact. 

“So that is really exciting,” he said. 

ABC reports that the Desert Fireball Network should be able to pinpoint where the meteor landed by the end of the day. 

It’s official: Rodeo is being renamed Obama. 

OK, it’s not the world famous Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills, but Los Angeles has approved a move to rename Rodeo Road of the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw area for former President Barack Obama, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced in a tweet Tuesday. 

“We’re thrilled that Angelenos and visitors will forever be reminded of the legacy of President @BarackObama when traveling across L.A.,” Garcetti tweeted, after the city council voted in favor of naming the road Obama Blvd.

The 3.5-mile road runs through a predominantly African-American residential area and past Rancho Cienga Park, where Obama held a campaign rally on Feb. 20, 2007, in his historic campaign to the White House. 

L.A. City Councilman Herb Wesson, who proposed the name change in June 2017, noted that the proposal was approved on the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. Tuesday was also the anniversary of the day Obama became the first African-American presidential candidate for a major political party in 2008. 

The Los Angeles Times noted that Rodeo Road was not the first stretch of L.A. asphalt to be named in honor of the 44th president. In 2017, the California legislature passed a resolution renaming a portion of the 134 Freeway after Obama. 

 

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Prince Harry is officially off of the market these days, but an old crush has somehow resurfaced. 

Dorm room photos from his stint at Eton College in 2003 popped back up recently — only this time, some eagle eyes have noticed Halle Berry on the poster behind the grinning young prince. 

“Ok #PrinceHarry, I see you!” Berry wrote on Twitter after finding the image on W magazine. She tagged Missy Elliot because it’s practically blasphemous to discuss Halle Berry posters without referencing the iconic line “Don’t I look like a Halle Berry poster?” from “Work It.” 

There are two other figures on the poster, but unfortunately they are cut off. He’s also got a great assortment of mugs and family photos — including a framed portrait of Princess Diana on his desk.

Elliott hasn’t responded to the poster quite yet, but plenty of people have been talking about hilarious throwback on Twitter. 

Perhaps the poster lives on somewhere in Kensington Palace to this day.

A Dallas County jury sentenced former Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver to 15 years in prison and a fine of $10,000 Wednesday night in the murder of unarmed teenager Jordan Edwards.

The jury deliberated for more than five hours, starting at about 4 p.m. Wednesday after an emotional two days of testimony during the punishment phase of the trial.

The attorney representing the Edwards family, Daryl K. Washington, said they would have wanted a longer sentence, but said they believe it’s a step in the right direction. “We know that there are parents all over this country who would love to see the person who took the life of their kid spend the next 15 years in prison,” Washington said.

“This is the beginning and we hope soon that it will be the end to all the violence that we have. Little kids, adults should be able to look at police officers as individuals who have taken the oath to protect and serve.”

Dallas County Prosecutor Faith Johnson said they respect the jury’s verdict. “Keep in mind, we love our police. We trust them. We know that they are committed to making certain that the people of Dallas County are safe and secure, so we love them and support the police,” Dallas County Prosecutor Faith Johnson said. “However, we do not support bad apples. We want to say to people like Roy Oliver, if you go out and murder anybody, we’re committed to making certain that we prosecute people like that.”

“I want to thank the Edwards family for their nobility, their heroism during this case. They refused to engage in protests or any certain violent activity. They are wonderful people who have my deepest respect,” First assistant district attorney Michael Snipes said.

Oliver’s attorney, Bob Gill, said they plan to appeal the sentence. Oliver will be eligible for parole after serving seven and a half years behind bars.

The jury found Oliver guilty of murder on Tuesday. It was the first murder conviction of police officer in Dallas County in more than 40 years.

RELATED: ‘I hope he gets what he deserves:’ Key moments from Roy Oliver’s sentencing phase

Oliver fatally shot Edwards, 15, after responding to a party in Balch Springs on April 29, 2017. Edwards was in a vehicle that was leaving the party when Oliver fired his AK-15 rifle five times into the car, striking Edwards in the head, according to testimony at trial.

Oliver testified that he shot at the car because he feared his partner, officer Tyler Gross, was in danger. Body camera footage showed the car was moving away from the officers, and Gross testified that he wasn’t in fear for his safety.

In the punishment phase, Edwards family and supporters testified Tuesday that he was a good kid with a bright future.

RELATED: Watch: Judge reads guilty verdict in Roy Oliver murder trial

Jeff Fleener, Edwards’ football coach at Mesquite High School, broke down on the stand as he described how Edwards’ football locker has gone untouched since his death.

On Wednesday, Oliver’s mother and wife testified in the case, describing Oliver as a loving father of young boy with autism. “Consider his son,” Oliver’s mother, Linda Oliver, pleaded to the jury, asking for the minimum sentence of five years in prison.

Oliver’s half-sister, Wendi Oliver, testified against him, saying she hoped “he gets what he deserves because he took an innocent life.”

RELATED: The last Dallas Co. cop convicted of murder, four decades before Roy Oliver

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