Daily News Roundup

THURSDAY, June 13.

The mother of five children killed by their father has stunned a US courtroom by asking the jury to spare her ex-husband’s life, according to news reports.

“He did not show my children any mercy by any means, but my kids loved him, and if I’m speaking on behalf of my kids and not myself that’s what I have to say,” Amber Kyzer said on the witness stand in South Carolina.

Under cross-examination by prosecutor Suzanne Mayes, she added: “I’ll respect whatever the jury decides.”

A jury convicted Timothy Jones Jr of five counts of murder last week for the killings in his Lexington home in August 2014.

The same jurors are deciding if he will get the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

Ms Kyzer said while she prayed for Jones and personally opposed the death penalty, there had been many moments watching the trial when she wanted to “fry him”.

“I hear what my kids went through and what they endured. And as a mother, if I could personally rip his face off I would. That’s the mum in me. That’s the mama bear,” Ms Kyzer said.

Ms Kyzer first testified last month about a brief phone call just before her children were killed and she dissolved into heaving sobs as she read a letter she wrote to her children apologising for not being there for them after the couple divorced.

On Tuesday, she wept again when recalling her children. But she also sounded adamant and aggravated as she described again how Jones hit her, spat in her face in front of their young daughter and threatened to chop her up and feed her to pigs during their marriage.

And Ms Kyzer responded to testimony about her over the four weeks of testimony, including that she rarely came to visit her children and she should not have let them live with Jones.

Ms Kyzer said Jones was a good father throughout their marriage and had an $80,000-a-year job as a computer engineer.

She said although Jones intentionally made it tough for her to visit her children by not accommodating her work schedule, she only missed two planned visitations and got her high school diploma and a job because she wanted to show she could support her children.

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The Duchess of Cambridge has charmed a group of people greeting her in Cumbria with an adorable response to a little girl disappointed because she did not look “princessie” enough.

On her way to a farm, the Duchess, Kate Middleton, looked chic in a casual – but stylish – ensemble.

But one little girl who was waiting to meet her in the crowds, wasn’t impressed by the 37-year-old’s dressed-down look.

In fact, she was disappointed and upset that the mum-of-three hadn’t turned up  wearing a Disney’s Princess Elsa (Frozen) costume.

According to People, while meeting royal fans, the little girl along with her sister presented Kate with a bouquet of flowers.

Their dad said: “It’s a princess. You love princesses!”

Turning to Kate, he added: “She wanted to know if you’d be wearing your Princess Elsa dress.”

Adorably, the Duchess took the opportunity to explain, revealing she’d worn jeans because she was “going to see some sheep”.

“I know. I’m sorry,” she said. “I came in my trousers and my coat because I’m going to see some sheep.”

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US President Donald Trump will send 1000 troops currently stationed in Germany to Poland in a move sought by Warsaw to deter political aggression from Russia.

Trump announced the troop deployment at a joint news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday, shortly after the two leaders signed a joint declaration affirming defence co-operation.

Duda, who is considering naming the US installation, to be constructed by Warsaw, Fort Trump, said the new influx of troops was needed because of Moscow’s past aggression against Poland and to help solidify his country’s ties to the West.

“Russia again is showing its unkind, unfriendly imperial face,” he said. “Russia is always looking out to take our territory.”

Trump said earlier the troop contingent could come from the US force in Germany, which he has accused of paying too little for NATO’s common defence.

The decision by Trump represents an effort to cater to the interests of Poland, a key NATO ally, while not overly antagonising Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Trump would like to have friendly relations.

He and Putin are to meet in Japan in two weeks.

“I hope that Poland is going to have a great relationship with Russia. I hope that we’re going to have a great relationship with Russia,” Trump said.

The US already has troops in Poland as part of a 2016 agreement with the NATO military alliance in response to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea from Poland’s eastern neighbour Ukraine in 2014.