3 family members of teen accused in murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller arrestedDeath investigation in Fort Myers after body is found in truck bed
CAPE CORAL 3 family members of teen accused in murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller arrested New details have emerged surrounding the arrest of a woman whose 16-year-old son is accused of being involved in the murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller, and now her husband and sister are also in jail.
FORT MYERS Death investigation in Fort Myers after body is found in truck bed Fort Myers Police confirm that there is a death investigation at the corner of Market Street and brown street.
NAPLES Naples ‘celebrity bartender’ stirring up new cocktails at LoLa 41 Michael Slabach often researches ideas, finding a new balance of layers, color, texture and selective glassware to turn his drinks into art.
FORT MYERS New affordable housing program in Fort Myers begins Affordable housing is a rare sighting these days, but one city is making it a priority.
NAPLES ‘Live simply and never give up’ – Motto for Naples couple needing a helping hand A husband wants nothing more than to share the world with his wife while she is suffering from an illness determined to keep them separated.
NAPLES Music teacher dilemma at Gulf Coast High School leaves students anxious Parents are outraged, and students are unsure what the future holds after one of their two beloved music teachers was told they will have to transfer.
FORT MYERS Mom celebrates first Mother’s Day with cancer-free daughter We have one of the best weekends ahead, a time to celebrate mothers everywhere, and as any mother knows, celebrating with your family matters most.
Glades County Should commissioners have to live in the District they represent? WINK Investigates why one commissioner doesn’t The Glades District 1 Commissioner was elected while living in that district. He has since moved. What does that mean for his position?
FORT MYERS Boats stuck since Hurricane Ian being removed from Centennial Park area Boats that have been stuck since Hurricane Ian are in the process of being removed from a messy yard next to Centennial Park and Joe’s Crab Shack.
CAPE CORAL Man accused of waving knife at Metro PCS workers in Cape Coral Two women try to help a customer and end up fearing for their lives. One man started waving a seven-inch knife in the faces of two Metro PCS workers.
Overloaded circuit sparks house fire in Jamaica Bay community A Jamaica Bay community home was damaged in a fire sparked by an overloaded circuit, according to the South Trail Fire & Rescue Service District.
LEE COUNTY Could Guardian Caps make their way to high school football games? With the NFL allowing Guardian Caps during regular season games, could we see Guardian Caps during high school football games?
Florida insurer fined $1M over Hurricane Ian claims The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation issued the seven figure fine to Heritage Property and Casualty Insurance Company for violating a number of Florida laws when handling some of its Hurricane Ian- related claims.
New treatment stops essential tremors and shaking More than ten million people experience shakes known as essential tremors, which can make everyday tasks like eating and talking challenging.
NAPLES Ex-wife faces new charges for involvement in near-fatal Naples shooting The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested the ex-wife of a shooting victim who nearly lost his life.
CAPE CORAL 3 family members of teen accused in murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller arrested New details have emerged surrounding the arrest of a woman whose 16-year-old son is accused of being involved in the murder of Kayla Rincon-Miller, and now her husband and sister are also in jail.
FORT MYERS Death investigation in Fort Myers after body is found in truck bed Fort Myers Police confirm that there is a death investigation at the corner of Market Street and brown street.
NAPLES Naples ‘celebrity bartender’ stirring up new cocktails at LoLa 41 Michael Slabach often researches ideas, finding a new balance of layers, color, texture and selective glassware to turn his drinks into art.
FORT MYERS New affordable housing program in Fort Myers begins Affordable housing is a rare sighting these days, but one city is making it a priority.
NAPLES ‘Live simply and never give up’ – Motto for Naples couple needing a helping hand A husband wants nothing more than to share the world with his wife while she is suffering from an illness determined to keep them separated.
NAPLES Music teacher dilemma at Gulf Coast High School leaves students anxious Parents are outraged, and students are unsure what the future holds after one of their two beloved music teachers was told they will have to transfer.
FORT MYERS Mom celebrates first Mother’s Day with cancer-free daughter We have one of the best weekends ahead, a time to celebrate mothers everywhere, and as any mother knows, celebrating with your family matters most.
Glades County Should commissioners have to live in the District they represent? WINK Investigates why one commissioner doesn’t The Glades District 1 Commissioner was elected while living in that district. He has since moved. What does that mean for his position?
FORT MYERS Boats stuck since Hurricane Ian being removed from Centennial Park area Boats that have been stuck since Hurricane Ian are in the process of being removed from a messy yard next to Centennial Park and Joe’s Crab Shack.
CAPE CORAL Man accused of waving knife at Metro PCS workers in Cape Coral Two women try to help a customer and end up fearing for their lives. One man started waving a seven-inch knife in the faces of two Metro PCS workers.
Overloaded circuit sparks house fire in Jamaica Bay community A Jamaica Bay community home was damaged in a fire sparked by an overloaded circuit, according to the South Trail Fire & Rescue Service District.
LEE COUNTY Could Guardian Caps make their way to high school football games? With the NFL allowing Guardian Caps during regular season games, could we see Guardian Caps during high school football games?
Florida insurer fined $1M over Hurricane Ian claims The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation issued the seven figure fine to Heritage Property and Casualty Insurance Company for violating a number of Florida laws when handling some of its Hurricane Ian- related claims.
New treatment stops essential tremors and shaking More than ten million people experience shakes known as essential tremors, which can make everyday tasks like eating and talking challenging.
NAPLES Ex-wife faces new charges for involvement in near-fatal Naples shooting The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested the ex-wife of a shooting victim who nearly lost his life.
FILE – In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, file photo, Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, reacts as he finishes a day of testimony to the House Oversight and Reform Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington. While Cohen’s testimony Wednesday is an unusual case, psychologists say people tend to believe informants because we have a “truth bias.” Psychologists say we don’t like to think people lie and we like remorse. Research shows that jurors sometimes even disregard their own biases when presented with the testimony of an informant. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) We tend to believe informants like Michael Cohen, studies show and psychologists say. It doesn’t matter if the person is behind bars or has confessed to lying, as Cohen has: Juries usually believe an informant, said Jeffrey Neuschatz, a University of Alabama psychologist who has studied jailhouse informants’ testimony for a decade. Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, pleaded guilty last year to lying to Congress. On Wednesday, he gave harsh testimony about Trump to a U.S. House committee, where he found a receptive audience from Democrats and drew the ire of Republicans who labeled him a felon and a liar. Trump, who had earlier called Cohen a “Rat” on Twitter, slammed the testimony as “fake.” Neuschatz said Cohen fits in with the informants he has studied. And “people almost reflexively believe confessions. In the case of Cohen, he’s given a sort of confession here,” Neuschatz said. “I think he came across as very credible, whether he is or not,” he added. The theory is that people tend to believe others — called “a truth bias” — unless they are given a reason not to, he said. “People tend to take what other people say at face value,” said Saul Kassin, a psychology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Jurors sometimes even disregard their own biases, Neuschatz said. He did studies with mock jurors who said they wouldn’t trust informants who repeatedly testify against defendants. The jurors were told the informants had testified as many as 20 times, and the panelists usually believed their testimony. Another of his mock jury tests showed convictions jumped from 30 percent to 62 percent with the addition of a jailhouse informant. Informants “acknowledge that they have done misdeeds and say ‘now you should believe me.’ That seems to me what Cohen did,” Neuschatz said. And then people think “no one would be admitting to doing something they didn’t do, so they must be telling the truth,” Neuschatz said. In court, when jurors think an informant has little to gain or even is hurt by coming forward, they are more likely to believe the person, the experts said. That’s why University of Massachusetts psychology professor Robert Feldman, who has studied everyday lying for 30 years, said he believes Cohen: “He doesn’t have much to gain by lying,” he said. He said when he evaluates people, his key question is: “What would the lie get you?” Cohen has already been sentenced to three years in prison, though he could have it reduced later at the request of prosecutors because of cooperation. There is one added confusing factor in the Cohen case: politics. With politics, Kassin said, “people see what they expect to see,” so Democrats will tend to believe Cohen and Republicans won’t. ___ Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears ___ This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.