Copeland sentenced, NN City Center curfew, House passes bill to fund ICE, CBP: Sunrise Brief

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Top stories: Copeland sentenced, NN City Center curfew, House passes bill to fund ICE, CBP

1. Jermiah Copeland has been sentenced to 43 years in prison after pleading guilty on Monday to unpremeditated murder in the death of Petty Officer Angelina Resendiz.

   Jermiah Copeland sentenced to 43 years in prison for murder of Petty Officer Angelina Resendiz

   Copeland received a sentence of 528 months — or 44 years — with 365 days suspended for time served in pretrial confinement. Now, 21, he'll be 64 when he's released if he serves the full sentence. He pleaded guilty to the lesser included offense of unpremeditated murder, hiding Resendiz's body, lying to investigators, and several other offenses on Monday. During the two-day sentencing hearing, the court heard from Resendiz's family, friends, and fellow sailors from the USS James E. Williams, who described her as a ray of sunshine with a bubbly and fiery personality.

   Tuesday saw Copeland take the stand to apologize to Resendiz’s family, the Navy, and his own family. Speaking directly to Resendiz's mother, he told her he had “stolen the life of your daughter” and said he should have been someone she could trust as a fellow sailor. The defense also presented testimony from Copeland's mother and grandmother. In an emotional moment, Copeland’s grandmother asked to speak mother-to-mother with Resendiz's mother, Esmeralda Castle, expressing her condolences and apologizing to her.

   After sentencing, Castle said she's still pushing for change within the military and greater accountability for how cases like this are handled. With sentencing complete, Copeland will eventually be transferred to the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., where he'll serve the remainder of his sentence.
   

2. Newport News City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a temporary curfew for unaccompanied minors set for June 10, as well as Friday and Saturday nights at City Center.

   NN MINORS CURFEW

   The ordinance, sponsored by Councilman Rob Coleman, is intended to keep City Center safe and welcoming for the community and visitors, Mayor Jones’ office says. "Public safety is our top priority," Jones said in a statement. "We must take proactive steps to protect our community and ensure City Center remains a safe and welcoming destination for everyone."

   The 7 p.m. City Center curfew will apply on June 10, and Friday and Saturday until July 5. Jones clarified during the meeting that this is a "temporary emergency measure." The 11 p.m. city-wide curfew for unaccompanied minors has also been pushed forward an hour to 10 p.m. Jones’ call for a temporary curfew follows the arrest of 14 teens over the weekend after about 300 people gathered at City Center when multiple fights broke out.

   "We want to get in front of this. We have seen the trend not only here on the Peninsula, but here in Hampton Roads and the country, and as a council we want to be proactive," Coleman said. Across the water, Virginia Beach city leaders initially put in place a temporary “imminent threat” 7 p.m. curfew for minors after shootings at the Oceanfront back in March. Then in April, city council voted to implement an all-ages 9:30 p.m. curfew at the Oceanfront for two weekends. However, before the second weekend, a judge halted this stricter curfew from being implemented.
   

3. A bill to provide nearly $70 billion for immigration enforcement narrowly passed the House on Tuesday and now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature.

   House passes $70B immigration enforcement bill

   The bill passed by a vote of 214-212, over the objections of Democrats. The White House says the bill will provide $38 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26 billion for the Border Patrol and another $5 billion to cover unforeseen costs over the next three years. It frontloads routine annual funding, ensuring a virtually uninterrupted flow of money as the Trump administration seeks to deport some 1 million people per year.

   Republican Speaker Mike Johnson needed near-perfect attendance and unity on his side to complete weeks of action. The legislation got sidetracked over $1 billion for White House security, including for Trump’s new ballroom, and a $1.8 billion fund to compensate his allies who claim they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted. Those proposals proved politically toxic and were scrapped.

   The funding comes on top of the nearly $140 billion that the Republican-controlled Congress gave ICE and Customs and Border Protection last year as part of Trump's tax and spending cuts bill. Democrats objected to giving the agencies more money without significant changes in the way they operate, insisting that agents remove masks and be required to display their ID badges during enforcement operations and that they get a judicial warrant before entering private property. Instead, the funding will come with virtually no strings attached.
   

This morning's weather: Heat, humidity, and storm chances to end the week

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says warmer with more humidity today. Highs will climb to the upper 80s, about 10 degrees warmer than yesterday. With the humidity it will feel more like the mid-90s this afternoon. We will see a mix of partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered showers/storms possible.

Even more heat and humidity to end the work week. Highs will reach the mid-90s for Thursday and Friday with afternoon heat index values near 105. We will see a mix of mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies with a chance for scattered showers/storms each day. Some storms could be strong to severe with gusty winds and localized flooding.

For the latest weather updates, watch Myles live on News 3 This Morning here.

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