Gilberto Valle III (Facebook)

Alleged 'cannibal cop' Gilberto Valle, lately of the 26th Precinct, is accused of using the Internet to plan flesh-eating exploits with like-minded friends. Mr. Valle is awaiting trial on charges related to allegations he planned on kidnapping, torturing, cooking and eating up to 100 women. Where are his buddies? The New York Post reported Tuesday that Mr. Valle's lawyers would like to know.

While the Post noted that court papers mentioned names from Mr. Valle's extensive online conversations including "Michael Vanhise," "Moody Blues" and "Ali Khan," the former cop's attorneys said in filings that knowing the names of at least 20 other supposed would-be cannibals might  "corroborate that [Mr. Valle and others] were engaging in fantasy role play with no intention" of actually slow-cooking a victim much less eating them at all.

Mr. Valle has pleaded not guilty to charges that he plotted kidnapping, conspiracy and that he illegally used a federal law enforcement database.

During the 9 o'clock hour on Friday morning, at least one black-clad male entered Sandy Hook Elementary, a K through 4 school in Newtown, Connecticut. Police believe he was armed with two semi-automatic handguns. He opened fire on students and faculty and, according to reports coming from major media outlets already at the scene, the shooter killed at least 27, including 18 children.

Reuters and WABC reported that the shooter was 24, carrying up to four weapons and wearing a bulletproof vest.

An Associated Press report in the Hartford Courant states that "one entire classroom was unaccounted for" as authorities attempted to determine who had survived the shooting.

The school is home to grades K through 4, with students no older than ten years of age.

Local media published photos of crying children locked hand-in-hand being led away from the school by uniformed officers and teachers with panicked expressions. In an interview with a Connecticut TV station, one of the children described how upon hearing the gunfire, students "went into a total panic." In another interview with the teen brother of a Sandy Hook student, the young man spoke of his sister hearing gunshots over the school's public announcement system.

Newtown, population 27,000, is a small, picturesque town located in western Connecticut, about 90 minutes north of New York City. In 2005, it was a contender for one of CNNMoney's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.

The gunman was reportedly dead at the scene, but early afternoon reports via CNN and MSNBC indicated another man was under arrest in connection with the massacre.

CBS News reported that a second body was found in the gunman's home.

This is a developing story, updates will be added to this post as needed.

Update, 2:12 p.m. CNN reports that the deceased gunman was named Ryan Lanza, of Newtown and also Hoboken, New Jersey. NBC indicates the dead body found in his home may be one of his parents.

Update, 2:20 p.m.  Moments after his name was reported Ryan Lanza's apparent Facebook profile was being widely shared over social media, including via Slate's Twitter feed.

Update, 2:29 p.m. Here is video that appears to be of the alleged shooter, Ryan Lanza, discussing The Daily Show while a student at Quinnipiac. Mr. Lanza also appears to have been quoted in a Quinnipiac student newspaper article from 2006 about love and relationships. "I prefer relationships," he said. "That’s just how I roll.”

Update, 2:35 p.m. Reports are now flying on Twitter that the Facebook profile that was widely circulated is not of the alleged shooter, Ryan Lanza. Slate has retracted their report, as has BuzzFeed. A supposed Facebook friend of Mr. Lanza's, Andrew Fletcher, posted a screenshot on Twitter showing Mr. Lanza updating his profile saying, "Everyone shut the fuck up it wasn't me."

"I had to unfriend Ryan because I was getting a ton of friend requests," tweeted Mr. Fletcher. "I won't be able to provide any further information."

There is no confirmation either way if the Facebook profile is fake or not, but Facebook users are still sharing the profile at an alarming rate.

Update, 2:47 p.m. President Obama is giving a statement at 3:15 p.m., according to New York Mag.

Update, 2:59 p.m. This story previously included a screenshoot of a Facebook profile at one point thought to be Mr. Lanza's, along with a YouTube video and a link to a newspaper article matching the personal specifics of the profile holder. These have been removed pending further investigation.

Update, 3:49 p.m. The New York Post is reporting that the shooter was actually Adam Lanza, age 20:

Adam Lanza, 20, shot his mother dead and targeted her kindergarten class at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., sources sais. Sources also told The Post that Lanza's mother was a teacher at the school and he "had a dispute with her."

Additional reports from several media outlets indicate at least two of Lanza's friends may be missing. Reuters reports that Connecticut police have identified only one shooter.

Tabber Benedict (photo courtesy of Patrick McMullan)

As November ended, Tabber Benedict, a "Gatsbaby" featured in a June, 2012 report in The Observer, pleaded guilty in a Suffolk County court to ten charges related to a drunk-driving incident on July 4, 2011. According to a report in Newsday, Mr. Benedict, a 35-year-old corporate attorney, will lose his law license and will serve time in jail.

Suffolk County D.A. Thomas Spota issued a statement about Mr. Benedict's plea that called the penalties "completely proportional" to the crime.

Mr. Benedict was driving his black 2011 GMC Acadia on Montauk Highway around 8 a.m. that July 4 when he struck Steve Dorn, age 44. Mr. Dorn, a lifeguard and teacher, was taken to a nearby medical facility in critical condition at the time.

Some of the charges that could send Mr. Benedict to prison for a maximum of ten years include aggravated vehicular assault and leaving the scene of an accident.

Mr. Benedict will be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2013.

Stephen Baldwin

Stephen Baldwin was arrested on Thursday for alleged repeated failures to file his New York state personal income tax. Mr. Baldwin, an actor, conservative Christian and younger brother to 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin, allegedly failed to file taxes for three years--2008 through 2010--and he may owe the state over $350,000.

CBS New York quoted a statement from Rockland County, N.Y., D.A. Thomas Zugibe, who said Mr. Baldwin's "repetitive failure to file returns and pay taxes over a period of several years" was just another element contributing to "the sweeping cutbacks and closures in local government and schools."

The actor, well-known for both his family name and his role in The Usual Suspects, is an outspoken conservative. Mr. Baldwin has appeared on Fox News as a political commentator. He once famously claimed in an interview with Fox that he'd "leave the country" if Barack Obama became president.

Mr. Baldwin has also had previous brushes with the law, most recently in August, 2012, when he was arrested in Harlem for driving with a suspended license.

If he is found guilty of evading taxes, Mr. Baldwin could go to prison for four years.

Subway suspect arguing with the victim. (Screengrab)

The N.Y.P.D. may have a person of interest in the tragic subway homicide that occurred at the 49th Street N/Q/R Midtown station Monday afternoon.

Queens resident Ki-Suck Han died Monday when witnesses say another man pushed him onto the subway tracks after a confrontation. Mr. Han attempted to climb back on the platform but couldn't make it and died from injuries suffered after he was struck by the Q train.

Just before the incident, a bystander captured what appeared to be a confrontation between Mr. Han and a dreadlocked man in his twenties. A New York Post photographer snapped chilling and controversial photos of Mr. Han as he struggled to get out of the train's way.

Witness reports indicate the attacker was a medium-height black male with a medium build in his twenties. He may have been talking to himself before the confrontation.

On Tuesday the Wall Street Journal posted the brief video (below) of the encounter between the suspect and Mr. Han. The younger man appears agitated and angry.

CBS New York reports there is a $12,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case.

(Getty)

Reports from the scene indicate a man struck by the N train in Midtown on Monday may have been pushed. The incident occurred in the 49th Street and 7th Avenue subway station around 12:30 p.m., after the victim fell from the platform. He tried to climb to safety but didn't make it. He was transported to Roosevelt Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

The station was evacuated after the incident and N, Q and R trains from all directions directed to bypass the 49th Street Station.

Witnesses say the man may have fallen onto the tracks during a confrontation. According to Gothamist, some witnesses "were so traumatized by what they saw" that they too were taken to the hospital.

CBS New York reports police are studying security video from the scene in addition to interviewing witnesses.

They are seeking a 20-something person of interest the CBS affiliate describes as "a black male, who was wearing a white t-shirt, a down coat and a beanie-style cap."

Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis (Google+)

Bangladeshi national Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, age 21, pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges today in a Brooklyn federal court. Mr. Nafis is facing allegations he attempted to use a weapon of mass destruction and offered support to a terrorist organization.

The N.Y.P.D. and the F.B.I. arrested Mr. Nafis on October 17 after he allegedly tried to detonate a van he thought was loaded with a half-ton of explosives. The car-bomb was a dud; Mr. Nafis was targeted in a sting planned after authorities say they were made aware Mr. Nafis was planning a terrorist act.

In online communications prior to his arrest, Mr. Nafis allegedly told informants he didn't want to do anything "small," but wanted to commit an act that would "shake the whole country" and "make one step ahead for the Muslims."

Bloomberg reports that Mr. Nafis may be in the process of negotiating a plea with the government.

Julie Patz, on the Today show, two years after her son Etan's disappearance.

A New York grand jury has indicted Pedro Hernandez in connection with the 1979 death of Etan Patz. Mr. Hernandez, a 51-year-old resident of Maple Shade, N.J., has been charged with murder in the second degree. He was arrested in May 2012 after reportedly confessing to killing the little boy.

Etan Patz was on his way to school when he vanished from Soho on May 25, 1979. His disappearance became national news, his image eventually appearing on milk cartons across the country.

At the time, Mr. Hernandez was a stock clerk at a bodega near the Patz residence. According to a statement from NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, Mr. Hernandez said he lured Etan into the basement of the bodega by promising the boy a soda.

The New York Post reports that some investigators don't believe the state can win its case against Mr. Hernandez, and they have good reasons:

Hernandez has been described by his defense lawyer as bipolar and suffering from auditory and visual hallucinations. A six-month investigation has yielded no additional evidence beyond Hernandez's four, original arrest confessions plus the word of six of Hernandez's church and family members, who have told cops that Hernandez made incriminating statements about having killed a child or "done something bad" in the past, according to sources.

Mentally stable or not, Mr. Hernandez may have been confessing to the crime since Etan Patz disappeared. Detectives investigating the case in 1979, however, dismissed those confessions as the ravings "of a lunatic" at the time.

We still don't know just how deep inside the fuzzy red muppet this story goes. We do know that this is certainly not the first whiff of scandal in children's entertainment.

Here's a handful of other scandals that range from darkly funny to frankly terrifying.

Paula Broadwell and David Petraeus together on a plane. (Photo: PaulaBroadwell.com)

Slate's Fred Kaplan reports that David Petraeus resigned as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency after he had an affair with one of his biographers, author Paula Broadwell. Ms. Broadwell co-authored a glowing portrait of Mr. Petraeus titled, All In: The Education of General David Petraeus.

According to the biography of Ms. Broadwell on the website of her book, she is a "a research associate at Harvard University's Center for Public Leadership and a PhD candidate in the Department of War Studies at King's College London" who spent most of a year in Afghanistan with Mr. Petraeus working on the book. Her site, which was deleted sometime this evening, described the book as having built on her two-year doctoral dissertation, which was "a study in transformational leadership and organizational innovation influenced by U.S. Army General David Petraeus."

In addition to her studies of Mr. Petraeus, the book site describes Ms. Broadwell as having "graduated with academic and leadership honors from the United States Military Academy at West Point." It also notes her devotion to physical fitness and outdoor activities saying she, "graduated at the top of her class in physical fitness" after running on the prestigious military academy's outdoor, indoor and cross country track teams.

Paula and Scott Broadwell in Paris. (Photo: Facebook)

Ms. Broadwell's book site also identifies her as being married to Scott Broadwell, an interventional radiologist with whom she has two children.

"They love to run, ski, and surf together," the site says of the couple.

In a reading at a Washington, D.C. bookstore in February, Ms. Broadwell described how she met Mr. Petraeus while a graduate student at Harvard:

"He came to Harvard University where I was a graduate student and wanted to speak with students about the merits of [the] counter-insurgency approach to fighting the Iraq War, which we were losing at the time....I went up to him and said I'm writing my thesis on negotiating with terrorists and I think it could help your team win and you should really read it and he was kind of enough to indulge me and take the paper and give me his business card. We kept in touch via email for a couple years, and I was still a graduate student. Two years later, I reached out to him if he would speak to students at Harvard...He agreed to do a video teleconference from Baghdad. I asked him if I could use him as a case study in my doctoral dissertation, and he agreed."

At that same interview, Ms. Broadwell said that, while writing her book, "I got to know his family." Mr. Petraeus' wife, Holly, became the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Office of Servicemember Affairs. In that capacity she works to protect members of the military and their families from predatory loans and financial scams. They have two children together, Stephen and Anne, who writes a food blog where she often discusses her family.

In a February, 2012 video interview with Arthur Kade [see below], Ms. Broadwell went into greater detail about her military background. She also described the process of writing her biography of Mr. Petraeus, which involved extensive interviews, phone conversations and emails.

"It's not a hagiography, I'm not in love with David Petraeus, but I think he does present a terrific role model for young people, for executives, for men and women. No matter what, there's a great role model there," Ms. Broadwell said in her interview with Mr. Kade.

Though Ms. Broadwell refuted the notion her book was overly flattering, it certainly presented a complimentary picture of Mr. Petraeus. Daily Show host Jon Stewart noted this fact when Ms. Broadwell appeared on his program in January.

"The most controversial thing is--I would say that the real controversy here is, is he awesome or incredibly awesome? It's very--it's a nice portrait," Mr. Stewart quipped.

"I have a detail I can share with you, he can turn water into bottled water," Ms. Broadwell responded.

In that same interview, the television host asked Ms. Broadwell if Mr. Petraeus, who had been rumors as a potential running mate for Mitt Romney, would ever consider running for president himself.

"My husband wants me to say he is, cause it will sell more books," Ms. Broadwell said. "I'm sorry honey, I couldn't do it."

The Associated Press reported Friday evening that the alleged affair between Ms. Broadwell and Mr. Petraeus came to light during an FBI investigation into her knowledge of the former general's email correspondence. The Observer has called phone numbers listed to the Broadwells and Ms. Broadwell's co-author Vernon Loeb, but, as of this writing, we have yet to receive a response.

Additional reporting by Colin Campbell 

 Updated with additional information 8:18 p.m.