March 06, 2013
Zimmerman Cancels 'Stand Your Ground' Hearing
In a move that surprised prosecutors, attorneys for the man accused of shooting Trayvon Martin cancelled a scheduled pre-trial hearing on issues surrounding Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. George Zimmerman's lawyers said they do not have time to prepare for the pre-trial hearing and the up-coming June 10 jury trial too. The move, however, could signal a shift in strategy for Zimmerman's defense team. Read more...
Killer Wyoming Teens Denied Bail
Two Wyoming teenagers who police say stole guns then murdered a family while trying to steal a car will be held in jail without bail. Stephen Hammer, 19, and Tanner VanPelt, 18, made their first appearance in court Tuesday after being apprehended in connection with a triple murder in Clark, a small community near the border with Montana. Circuit Judge Bruce Waters ruled that due to the severity of the charges – 11 felonies in all, including premeditated murder, murder during a robbery and using a firearm to commit a crime – the two men would be held without bond. Read more...
Arias Accuses Boyfriend of Pedophilia
Jodi Arias has resumed testimony in her Arizona death penalty case discussing her accusations that the victim had sexual desires for young boys. The 32-year-old is charged in the June 2008 killing of her lover in his suburban Phoenix home. She says it was self-defense, but police say she planned the attack on Travis Alexander in a jealous rage. Arias initially told authorities she had nothing to do with Alexander's death, then blamed it on masked intruders before settling on self-defense. Arias' attorney worked again to portray the victim as a sexual deviant. As questioning resumed, Arias read from journal entries noting, without specifically citing, her concern for his deviancy. Read more...
March 05, 2013
Judge Rejects Whitey Bulger's Immunity Claim
Gangster James "Whitey" Bulger cannot present evidence to a jury about his claim that he was given immunity for future crimes, including murder, a federal judge ruled Monday, calling Bulger's contention that he had a license to kill "beyond the pale." U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns found that an immunity agreement "cannot as a matter of public policy license future criminal conduct." "The court concludes that any grant of prospective immunity to commit murder was without authorization and is hence unenforceable under any circumstance," Stearns wrote. Read more...
Casey Anthony Appears in Federal Court
Casey Anthony said in bankruptcy court Monday that she doesn't pay rent or utilities, and she hasn't received any offers for book, movie or TV deals. Anthony made her remarks at a meeting with creditors in her bankruptcy case in Tampa. She also said she was unemployed. "I don't pay rent. I don't pay utilities. I guess you could say I'm living free off the kindness of others," she said. Read more...
March 02, 2013
Aurora Shooter to Plead Insanity?
James Eagan Holmes, the man charged with killing 12 people and wounding 58 others in a crowded Colorado movie theater last year, may seek to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, his lawyers indicated in court documents. Holmes, 25, allegedly stormed a theater in Centennial, Colo., showing the premiere of "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" on July 20 and opened fire with an armament of legally acquired weapons. He is charged with 166 counts of murder, attempted murder and other offenses. Read more...
Woman Sentenced in Septic Tank Case
A newly unsealed confession shows a woman told authorities her son accidentally strangled his estranged wife before his parents helped hide the body in a southeast Ohio septic tank. Sandra Inman told an investigator in 2011 she wanted to see her grandchildren more, so she and her husband and son forced her daughter-in-law, Summer, into a car in Logan to discuss the issue. Inman said her son bound his wife's wrists with plastic zip ties and unintentionally strangled her with one around the neck. Inman said they panicked and hid the body. A week later, Inman told authorities where it was. Read more...
March 01, 2013
Cop Killer Gets 45 Years
A man convicted of firing the shot in a botched robbery that killed a New York City police officer has been sentenced to 45 years to life in prison. Lamont Pride was convicted this month of second-degree murder in the death of Officer Peter Figoski. He was acquitted of a more serious murder charge. The courtroom was crowded with police officers and Figoski's family during sentencing. Read more...
February 26, 2013
Prosecutor Questions Honesty of Jodi Arias
Jodi Arias calmly tried to explain away her lies Monday as a prosecutor in her Arizona murder trial hammered her about not being honest with authorities, friends or family, even sending the victim's grandmother flowers after she killed him, all in an attempt to throw off suspicion and avoid being charged. Arias said she lied because she was ashamed of having killed her lover, Travis Alexander, in self-defense. Arias also said she didn't want details of their raunchy sexual relationship to be revealed. Read more...
Evidence Detailed in Ohio Craigslist Trial
The alleged mastermind of a deadly plot to lure victims with phony Craigslist job offers, a scheme that led to three deaths and the wounding of a fourth man, went on trial Monday for murder, with prosecutors outlining motives of robbery and identity theft. "He wanted a new identity and he got it," prosecutor Emily Pelphrey told jurors as she outlined the evidence against Richard Beasley, 53, an ex-convict who slumped in his wheelchair without looking at Pelphrey. Beasley has back problems. Read more...
February 22, 2013
Jodi Arias Cross-Examination Heats Up
A woman charged in the stabbing and shooting death of her Arizona lover traded barbs with a prosecutor under a withering cross-examination as she struggled to explain why she can recall precise details of her life from years earlier, yet can't remember crucial aspects of the murder case against her. Jodi Arias, 32, was testifying for a ninth day as the prosecution began its cross-examination, hammering her with questions about her apparent selective memory. Questioning grew so heated Thursday that the judge admonished Arias and prosecutor Juan Martinez to stop talking over each other. Arias smirked at times while Martinez stammered in frustration. Read more...
More Charges in Jessica Ridgeway Case
Colorado prosecutors have added a sexual exploitation charge against an 18-year-old accused of killing and kidnapping a suburban Denver school girl. He's also charged with murder, kidnapping, sexual assault and robbery in the October killing of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway, of Westminster, and accused of attacking a runner. Read more...
Drew Peterson Gets 38 Years
A former Illinois police officer has been sentenced for the death of his third wife, which was originally ruled as an accident. Drew Peterson was sentenced to 38 years in prison for the death of Kathleen Savio after screaming in court, "I did not kill Kathleen!" Peterson was convicted of Savio's 2004 murder on September 6, 2012. Read more...
February 21, 2013
Jodi Arias Says She Doesn't Remember
A woman charged with killing her lover testified Wednesday that she has no recollection of stabbing him, slitting his throat or even whether she shot him during a fight at his Arizona home nearly five years ago. Jodi Arias, 32, has spent nearly eight days on the witness stand recounting in precise detail one event of her life after another, but when pressed Wednesday about how she killed Travis Alexander, she drew a blank, noting there was a "huge gap" in her memory from that day in June 2008. She remembers getting in a fight with Alexander, shooting at him as they tussled, putting a knife in the dishwasher and disposing of the gun in the desert as she drove from Arizona on her way to see a friend in Utah. Read more...
February 19, 2013
Peterson Lawyers Take Fight to Court
A lawyerly war of words between Drew Peterson's former lead trial attorney and current lawyers is heading to court. Jurors in September convicted the former suburban Chicago police officer of murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio. He also is a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. A judge will hear arguments from current attorneys that Peterson deserves a new trial on grounds that lead trial attorney, Joel Brodsky, botched the initial trial. Brodsky left defense team in November and denies the allegations. Read more...
February 18, 2013
Former Ms. Washington Sentenced
Peggy Sue Thomas, a former Ms. Washington, was sentenced to four years in prison for her role in the murder of a former colleague's husband. Thomas accepted a plea bargain in January, one week before she was due to stand trial on a first-degree murder charge. She pleaded guilty to rendering criminal assistance in the first degree and prosecutors recommended a four-year sentence in exchange for a guilty plea. In the case, prosecutors alleged that Thomas and her then-boyfriend, James Huden, lured Russel Douglas into a remote area so Huden could shoot him. Read more...
February 16, 2013
Speight Receives 5 Life Sentences
A man once ruled incompetent to assist with his defense, has pleaded guilty to charges connected to the shootings of eight people at his Appomattox home. Christopher Speight was sentenced to five life sentences plus 18 years for the January 2010 mass murders in rural Virginia. Speight pleaded guilty to three counts of capital murder, one count of attempted capital murder of a police officer and five firearms-related charges. Read more...
Woman Sentenced in Eye Drop Poison Case
A central Pennsylvania woman will spend two to four years in prison for poisoning her boyfriend with eye drops. Thirty-three-year-old Vickie Jo Mills, of McConnellsburg, was sentenced after she pleaded guilty to a count of aggravated assault. State police say Mills admitted putting eyedrops into Thurman Nesbitt's drinking water 10 to 12 times since June 2009. Read more...
February 13, 2013
Jodi Arias Says Lover Was a Pedophile
A woman charged with killing her lover in Arizona is set to continue testifying for a fifth day Tuesday, a day after she broke down in tears describing how her relationship with the victim included satisfying his "deviant" sexual urges and how he once beat her, kicked her in the ribs and broke her finger. Jodi Arias, 32, also claimed Monday that Travis Alexander was a pedophile, and said she once caught him masturbating with pictures of boys, including one of a 5- or 6-year-old boy in his underwear. She said he gave her little boy's Spider-Man underwear on Valentine's Day. Read more...
February 12, 2013
Inmates Plead Guilty to 2011 Crime Spree
Two inmates have pleaded guilty to kidnapping in connection with a crime spree through four states that began with an escape from a Louisiana jail and included the death of an Ohio man they took captive. Darian Pierce and Ricky Wedgeworth entered the pleas in federal court in Jackson. U.S. District Judge David Bramlette set sentencing for May 30. Prosecutors recommended each man be sentenced to the maximum of life in prison. Read more...
February 08, 2013
Closed Chandra Levy Hearings Continue
A judge has ruled that hearings in the 2001 Chandra Levy murder case will continue to be closed to the public and the news media. The hearings have been held behind closed doors over the last several weeks and could signal a problem with the prosecution. Ingmar Guandique, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was convicted of Levy's murder in 2010 and is serving a 60-year prison sentence. Read more...
Former Drew Peterson Lawyer Files Suit
A public quarrel between one former and one current attorney for Drew Peterson over who is to blame for the suburban Chicago police officer's murder conviction has escalated again. Joel Brodsky, Peterson's lead trial attorney who has since stepped down from the legal team, filed a 31-page defamation lawsuit this week that hurls bitter denunciations wrapped in legalese at Steve Greenberg, a co-counsel at the trial who is still representing Peterson. Peterson was convicted in September. Read more...
February 07, 2013
Jodi Arias Felt 'Like a Prostitute'
An Arizona woman charged with stabbing and shooting her lover to death - and whose graphic testimony has gripped viewers across the United States - described in court a relationship based around sex that left her feeling "like a prostitute." Lawyers for Jodi Arias, who could face the death penalty if convicted, argue she acted in self-defense when she killed her lover. He was found in the shower of his Phoenix valley home, shot in the face, stabbed 27 times and with his throat slit. Read more...
Judge Keeps Levy Hearings Closed
A Washington judge defended his decision to keep the public and media from hearing proceedings related to the 2001 Chandra Levy murder case and said information about them would be available soon. In court Wednesday, Judge Gerald Fisher said he reluctantly sealed prior proceedings after concluding it was necessary. He had previously cited "safety issues." Fisher gave no date when the information would be public. Read more...
February 06, 2013
Jodi Arias Back to the Stand
The tumultuous love affair between accused killer Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander began with such a rush of intensity that just days after meeting one another, Arias broke up with her boyfriend of four years and had her first sexual encounter with Alexander. Their relationship would turn out to be equally intense, as Arias and Alexander dated for a year and then broke up, but continued to sleep together until Alexander was killed a year later. She is now on trial for Alexander's murder and could face the death penalty if convicted. Read more...
Zimmerman Trial Not Delayed
On what would have been Trayvon Martin's 18th birthday, lawyers for his accused killer George Zimmerman were denied a request to delay this summer's murder trial. Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara claimed during an often heated one-hour hearing that he needed more time to prepare, and that the state was not being cooperative with key evidence. Read more...
February 05, 2013
Jodi Arias Testifies at Trial
The woman at the center of a sensational murder trial in Phoenix took the witness stand Monday, telling jurors how she endured an abusive childhood at the hands of her parents and contemplated suicide after the killing. The decision by defense lawyers to put Jodi Arias, 32, on the stand was a surprise move in a case that has become a daily fixture on cable news with its story of sex, betrayal and violence. Read more...
Murder Defendant Goes Berserk in Court
The Framingham man accused of killing his teenage wife and hiding her decaying corpse inside their apartment attacked her family members in court, briefly delaying his murder trial, officials said. Kyle Alleyne walked into the Middlesex Superior courtroom this morning before jumping over a railing toward the family, knocking over several boxes and making "some contact" with family members of Heather Alleyne. Read more...
February 02, 2013
Trial Spotlights Mormon Sex Rules
The murder trial of Jodi Arias has been filled with salacious details of phone sex, graphic text messages, and an erotic sexual relationship between her and her devout Mormon ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander. Arias, 32, converted to Mormonism when she began to date Alexander, then 29, in 2006. Though they were both outwardly devout, they immediately developed a sexual relationship. Read more...
Nickey Van Exel Gets 60 Years
A Texas jury sentenced the son of former NBA player Nick Van Exel to 60 years in prison in the shooting death of a longtime friend. Nickey Maxwell Van Exel, 22, received the punishment after his father wept on the witness stand and apologized to the family of the victim, Bradley Bassey Eyo. The same jury in Dallas County in North Texas found the younger Van Exel guilty of murder on Thursday. Prosecutors had sought a capital murder conviction. Read more...
February 01, 2013
Media Wants Access to Levy Hearings
Several media organizations are asking a Washington judge to hear their request to access transcripts and documents related to recent secret proceedings in the case of the man convicted in the 2001 killing of Chandra Levy. The group, which includes The Associated Press, filed a motion Wednesday asking Judge Gerald Fisher to hold a hearing Feb. 6 on the request. Read more...
January 31, 2013
Zimmerman Wants to Delay Trial
Attorneys for the former neighborhood watch volunteer charged with shooting Trayvon Martin to death want more time to prepare his case. Attorneys for George Zimmerman filed a motion Wednesday to delay the case. Spokesman Shawn Vincent says the attorneys want Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial to be moved from June to November. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty. A hearing in which Zimmerman will argue he was acting in self-defense is scheduled for April. The judge has said that hearing will be at least 45 days before the trial. Read more...
Roadway Shooting Suspect Found Competent
A man charged in a shooting spree that targeted motorists along a highway corridor in four Michigan counties has been found competent to stand trial. A forensic competency examination found Raulie Casteel fit for trial on charges brought by the state attorney general's office. The findings were discussed at a hearing Wednesday in Howell District Court. Read more...
January 30, 2013
Subway Pusher Not Mentally Fit
Defense attorneys for a woman accused of shoving a man to his death from a New York City subway platform are contesting a ruling that she is mentally fit for trial. The defense will have its own psychiatrist examine Erika Menendez. Her arraignment was postponed until Feb. 27. Her family was in court but didn't comment. Read more...
January 29, 2013
Judge Declares Mistrial in Murder Case
District Judge Ken Keeling declared a mistrial in the capital murder trial of John Ray Falk Jr. Brazos County jurors returned after 55 days of trial delay to hear closing arguments but instead were dismissed after Keeling explained he didn't believe they could remain impartial in reaching a verdict considering the highly unusual circumstances. "Asking jurors to return a verdict in a complicated case such as this places an impossible and unconscionable burden on them," Keeling said. Read more...
January 28, 2013
Former Beauty Queen Pleads Guilty
Two days after Christmas 2003: A man walking his dog through the woods on Whidbey Island in Washington state spots a yellow Chevy sports utility vehicle, its door open, its driver with a bullet in the head. The victim is Russel Douglas, 32, and when police search his cell phone records, according to court documents, they find that he has recently been in touch with Peggy Sue Thomas – a 6-foot-tall, single mother of two who was crowned Ms. Washington in 2000. On Thursday, a week before her first-degree murder trial was scheduled to begin, Thomas, 47, pleaded guilty to first-degree rendering of criminal assistance with three additional years for the involvement of a gun – a crime that will likely result in a four-year sentence. Read more...
Judge Drops Most Charges in Zumba Case
A judge dropped most of the charges against a figure in a prostitution scandal centered on a Zumba studio, prompting another appeal, more jury selection delays and defense accusations of prosecution "shenanigans." Justice Nancy Mills dismissed 46 of 59 misdemeanor counts against Mark Strong Sr., a day after the state's highest court ruled the closed jury selection process had to be opened to the public. Read more...
January 24, 2013
Crime Spree Leads to Long Sentence
It's hard to say exactly where Peter Cuddie's life went wrong, but on Wednesday all the bad turns led him straight to a long term in a prison cell. That's the day a judge sentenced him to more than 20 years in prison for burglarizing a house, fleeing the scene, crashing into another car and running away and leaving a hidden cache of drugs in his wrecked SUV. It's the day he listened for almost four hours as a prosecutor described him as a remorseless drug dealer who left a trail of wrecked and damaged lives in the wake of a one-day crime spree that ended with his arrest Oct. 24. Read more...
January 23, 2013
Trial Starts in Zumba Prostitution Case
The process finding a jury untainted by international news coverage of a prostitution scandal got under way in fits and starts Tuesday in the trial of the business partner of a Zumba instructor accused of using her dance studio as a front for prostitution. More than 140 potential jurors were called into the courtroom Tuesday before being dismissed to fill out questionnaires in the trial of Mark Strong Sr., who faces 59 misdemeanor counts including conspiring with Zumba instructor Alexis Wright. Read more...
January 22, 2013
Ex-NFL Cheerleader's Trial to Begin
A former Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader who had sex with her underage student is about to begin another court battle in a bizarre case stemming from sexually tinged, disparaging comments made about her on a website long before the scandal was revealed. Sarah Jones, a 27-year-old northern Kentucky woman, was convicted three months ago of having sex with a student who at the time was 17. She and the young man, who is now 18, are in a relationship, and she is suing a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based gossip website and its owner over lewd comments made about her online long before any accusations involving the teenager surfaced. Read more...
January 18, 2013
Officer Convicted of Killing Mistress, Baby
A Maryland jury has convicted a District of Columbia police officer of killing his mistress and leaving their baby daughter to die in hot car. The Prince George's County jury returned the verdict against Richmond Phillips on two counts of first-degree murder. Phillips was arrested in June 2011 after police found the body of 20-year-old Wynetta Wright in the Oxon Run Stream Valley Park. Her 1-year-old daughter, Jaylin, was found dead nearby in a car seat in Wright's car. Read more...
January 17, 2013
Woman Gets 24 Years for Stabbing Mother
An Orange County woman who lied to her boyfriend and family about being pregnant was sentenced to 24 years in state prison for stabbing a new mother and attempting to kidnap her infant child, prosecutors said. Gabriela Osorio, 30, pleaded guilty to one felony count each of attempted murder, kidnapping a child under 14 years of age, first-degree residential burglary, criminal threats, false imprisonment by violence and three felony counts of aggravated assault with a knife causing great bodily injury. Read more...
January 15, 2013
Arias Jurors See Bloody Photos
Jurors have been shown graphic pictures said to be taken moments before a suburban Phoenix man was killed in his home, allegedly by his girlfriend. Jodi Arias could become the fourth woman on Arizona's death row if she's convicted in the June 2008 killing of 30-year-old Travis Alexander of Mesa. The jury in Arias' murder trial was shown several photos of Alexander in his shower. One picture showed what appeared to be a bloody body on the shower floor. Read more...
Boy Guilty of Neo-Nazi Father's Murder
A California judge found that a boy was responsible for the second-degree murder of his white supremacist father when the defendant was just 10. Prosecutors argued the boy, now 12, knew what he was doing when he shot 32-year-old Jeff Hall — a regional leader of the National Socialist Movement — and the slaying was premeditated. Defense attorney Matthew Hardy said his client grew up in an abusive and violent environment and learned it was acceptable to kill people who were a threat. Hardy contended the boy thought if he shot his dad, the violence would end. Read more...
January 11, 2013
Theatre Shooter to Face Trial
A judge ruled that there's enough evidence for James Holmes to face trial on charges that he killed 12 people and injured 70 others in a Colorado movie theater last summer. Judge William Sylvester said prosecutors have established probable cause to proceed with 166 felony counts, including murder and attempted murder. Read more...
Murder Suspect: 'Please Kill Me'
An Alabama man accused of fatally stabbing his 2-year-old son wailed, banged his head on a table and asked a central Indiana judge for a rope during his initial court appearance. Micah William Harrison, 30, of Robertsdale, Ala., feared someone was trying to kill him Wednesday when he fatally stabbed his 2-year-old son, Michael, in the chest with a kitchen knife and in the forehead with a nail-pulling tool, Noblesville police said in a probable cause affidavit. Read more...
January 09, 2013
Rodney Alcala Gets More Prison Time
A prolific serial killer already facing the death penalty in California is now facing more prison time after pleading guilty to the murders of two more women in New York. Rodney Alcala was given two additional 25-years-to-life sentences by a tearful Judge Bonnie Wittner in Manhattan Criminal Court. He was sentenced for the murders of Cornelia Crilley in 1971 and Ellen Hover in 1976. Read more...
Bulger's Lawyers to Ask for Judge Removal
Lawyers for Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger are asking a federal appeals court to remove a judge who's scheduled to preside over Bulger's trial on murder charges. The defense is scheduled to argue Tuesday before the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. Bulger's attorneys say U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns has a conflict of interest because he was a federal prosecutor in the 1980s, when Bulger was an FBI informant. Bulger now claims he received immunity for his crimes while giving the FBI information on the Mafia, his gang's main rival. Read more...
January 07, 2013
DA Seeks Death Penalty in Tulsa Shootings
Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty against two Tulsa men charged in the April 2012 shooting rampage that killed three black people and left two others wounded. Jake England, 20, and Alvin Watts, 33, are charged with first-degree murder in the killings of William Allen, Bobby Clark and Dannaer Fields, who were shot over Easter weekend as they walked near their homes. England and Watts are due to be arraigned in district court. They also face hate crimes charges. Read more...
Man Gets 50 Years for 2002 Murder
A 34-year-old Woodbury man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing a Clarksboro woman more than a decade ago. Brian M. Mertz was found guilty of first-degree murder in October for attacking 22-year-old Jennifer Whipkey in May 2002. She was choked and beaten, and her body was stabbed and slashed more than 60 times, police said. Read more...
January 04, 2013
Man Sentenced for German Tourist Murder
A South Los Angeles man who went on the run for a decade was sentenced to 32 years to life in prison for a botched robbery that killed a German tourist. Paul Carpenter, 35, was sentenced for his role in the October 1998 killing of Horst Fietz near a Santa Monica hotel. Fietz, 50, a building supervisor from Lobau, Germany, was shot when he refused to hand over his wife's handbag to three robbers who fled without taking anything. A hotel security camera recorded the crime and police matched fingerprints found in the getaway car to two suspects who were arrested two months later. A third suspect was arrested in January 1999. Read more...
Detective Testifies Against Jodi Arias
A woman charged with killing her motivational speaker ex-boyfriend in a jealous rage in Arizona in 2008 calmly denied any involvement in the gruesome slaying in a recorded telephone call with a detective that was played for jurors. Jodi Arias, 32, could become the fourth woman on Arizona's death row if she's convicted of killing Travis Alexander. On the call, Arias denied being involved in the death and calmly told the detective that she had not seen Alexander, 30, in two months. Read more...
Pastor Declared Competent to Stand Trial
A mid-Michigan pastor charged with killing a young woman in her trailer has been declared competent to stand trial. The determination involving 55-year-old John D. White was made Wednesday by Isabella County Judge William T. Ervin following a psychiatric exam. A prosecutor plans to meet next week with defense lawyer Gordon Bloem to schedule when White will face a hearing to determine whether the case goes to trial. Read more...
January 03, 2013
Woman on Trial for Boyfriend's Killing
Attorneys in the trial surrounding the 2008 gruesome killing of a suburban Phoenix man painted opposing pictures of the victim in opening statements, with prosecutors describing him as a devout Mormon and a "good man," and the defense saying he was violent and abusive. On trial in the case is 32-year-old Jodi Arias, who could become the fourth woman on Arizona's death row if convicted. She is accused of shooting Travis Alexander in the face, stabbing him 27 times and slitting his throat, then leaving him in a shower in his Mesa home in June 2008. Read more...
December 26, 2012
Why Fort Hood Shooter Still Awaits Trial
A new judge in the case of Nidal Hasan, who's accused of screaming "Allahu Akbar" and gunning down fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, has decided to ignore an Army regulation. Col. Tara Anderson, replacing Col. Gregory Gross as judge, said that although the Army requires Hasan to be clean-shaven, she would not challenge Hasan's decision to disobey the regulation. "I'm not going to hold that against you," Anderson told Hasan.
Read more...
December 20, 2012
Man Gets 30 Years for 5 Slayings
A plea deal calls for a New Orleans man to be sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in five killings in 2007, including the shooting of an off-duty police officer. Steven Earl Hardrick is scheduled to plead guilty to five of the 17 counts he faced in a March indictment. A court filing disclosed the terms of his plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Read more...
Jeffrey Pyne Guilty of Killing His Mother
A Michigan jury found Jeffrey Pyne guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his mentally ill mother. Pyne, 22, a former high school valedictorian, star athlete and University of Michigan biology student, had been accused of killing his 51-year-old mother, Ruth Pyne, in the family's Highland Township, Mich., garage on May 27, 2011. Ruth Pyne had been bludgeoned and stabbed 16 times. Read more...
December 19, 2012
Man Sentenced for Bizarre Murder Plot
A Chambers County man who pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping and brandishing a firearm in a bizarre murder-for-hire plot involving a Ukrainian blonde has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield in Beaumont also ordered 49-year-old David Sartin, of Hankamer, to forfeit $50,000 cash, a handgun, stun gun, laptop computer and a truck. Read more...
December 18, 2012
Dougherty Gang Gets 35 Years
A federal judge ignored usual sentencing guidelines and threw the proverbial book at three Florida siblings who robbed a Georgia bank during a 2011 crime spree. Senior Judge Hugh Lawson sentenced each of the "Dougherty Gang" members to 35 years and 8 months in federal prison. Ryan Dougherty, Lee Grace Dougherty and Dylan Dougherty Stanley could be released in 30 years with time off for good behavior, the judge ruled. Read more...
December 12, 2012
More Charges for Sierra La Mar Suspect
Antolin Garcia Torres, accused in the alleged murder-kidnapping of missing Morgan Hill teen Sierra La Mar, also will face charges in the alleged attacks on three women in 2009. The district attorney's office filed an amended complaint against Torres to include three separate counts of attempted kidnapping in the commission of a carjacking, Deputy District Attorney David Boyd said. Santa Clara County Judge Jerome Nadler today said Torres will be arraigned Wednesday in Superior Court on murder and kidnapping charges in the LaMar case and the other charges related to altercations with three women in Morgan Hill in 2009. Read more...
Pastor to Stand Trial for Wives' Deaths
A retired Pennsylvania pastor accused of killing both of his wives was ordered Tuesday to stand trial in the first wife's 1999 death. District Judge Kim Wolfe found enough evidence at a preliminary hearing to send the charges against Arthur "A.B." Schirmer to trial. The former preacher was charged in September with killing Jewel Schirmer at their home in Lebanon County. Police and prosecutors re-opened the case after Schirmer came under suspicion in the 2008 death of his second wife, Betty Jean, in the Poconos. Read more...
December 11, 2012
Woman Guilty of Murdering Lottery Winner
A Florida woman was convicted of first-degree murder in the slaying of a lottery winner in central Florida. Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore showed no emotion as the verdict was read. Judge Emmett Battles sentenced her to mandatory life without parole for the murder and an additional minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years for using a gun in the commission of a felony. Battles called Moore "the most manipulative person" he had ever seen, describing her as "cold, calculating and cruel." Read more...
Arm Wrestler Convicted in Wife's Death
A champion arm wrestler from Massachusetts has been convicted in the death of his wife, who jumped out of a window to escape him. Forty-one-year-old Allen Stilkey of Worcester was convicted of manslaughter. His wife, Lisa, jumped from a second-floor window of their home in February during what authorities said was a violent argument. Prosecutors say Stilkey threatened to kill his wife first. They say he had recently taken out a $250,000 life insurance policy on her. Read more...
December 10, 2012
Elizabeth Johnson Sentenced to 5.25 Years
The woman who told investigators that she killed Baby Gabriel before changing her story has been sentenced to a total of 5.35 years in prison. Elizabeth Johnson was sentenced to 3.5 years for custodial interference followed by a consecutive sentence of 1.75 years on the charge of unlawful imprisonment. Before she was sentenced, Johnson told the judge that she deserved the maximum sentence. She received a sentence that was about half of the 9.5 years she could have received. Read more...
December 07, 2012
George Zimmerman Sues NBC and Reporters
George Zimmerman is suing NBC, claiming he was defamed when the network edited his 911 call to police after the shooting of Trayvon Martin to make it sound like he was racist. The former neighborhood watch volunteer filed the lawsuit seeking an undisclosed amount of money on Thursday in Seminole County, outside Orlando. The lawsuit claims NBC edited his phone call to a dispatcher last February. Zimmerman describes following Martin in the gated community where he lived, just moments before he fatally shot the 17-year-old teen during a confrontation. Read more...
December 06, 2012
Trial Postponed for Teen in Slidell Murder
The trial for a Slidell teen accused of driving her boyfriend and his friend to a woman's house so they could steal money and drugs, but ended up killing her, has been moved to February. Katelyn Marie Lusich, 18, was set to stand trial Monday, Dec. 10, on accessory after the fact to first degree murder and armed robbery charges, but Judge Allison Penzato agreed to delay the trial at the defense's request. Lusich, who pleaded not guilty at her arraignment in June, was in court with her defense attorney, Rachel Yazbeck. She faces up to five years in prison if convicted on the accessory charge and between 10 and 99 years if convicted of armed robbery. Read more...
Inmate Sentenced for Killing Guard
A Utah inmate covered in neo-Nazi tattoos was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole Wednesday for killing a prison guard during a doctor's appointment five years ago, then leading police on a high-speed chase that ended at a fast-food restaurant, where a customer wrestled a gun from him. Curtis Allgier offered a rambling statement that mixed apology and a tribute to his victim with a rebuttal of the evidence against him, while cursing and ranting against the court system and his lawyers. Read more...
December 04, 2012
Photo Shows Zimmerman's Bloody Face
A photograph taken on the night Trayvon Martin was shot to death shows shooter George Zimmerman with a bloody face and an apparent broken nose. The photo was taken by police officers at the scene of the Sanford, Florida shooting while Zimmerman was sitting in the back of a police cruiser. Earlier images from the night showed Zimmerman bleeding from the back of his head. Read more...
Feds Seek Life in Family Killings
New York prosecutors say a Florida woman convicted of arranging the killings of her husband and mother-in-law should spend the rest of her life in prison. The U.S. attorney's office filed its sentencing recommendation Monday in the case of Narcy Novack of Fort Lauderdale and her brother, Cristobal Veliz. Novack's husband was Ben Novack Jr., son of the founder of the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach. Read more...
December 03, 2012
Juvenile Trial Begins for 51-Year-Old
In more than three decades practicing law Edward Busichio has never seen a case quiet like this. His 51-year-old client, Carlton R. Franklin, is on trial in a juvenile court for a murder prosecutors say the man committed 36 years ago. Tuesday a judge accustomed to presiding over more minor crimes typically committed by teenagers, will hear one of the oldest cold cases in the history of the courthouse. Prosecutors say Franklin raped and killed 57-year-old Lena Triano, a secretary who lived alone on Ripley Place in a home which abutted Franklin's childhood home. Read more...
November 29, 2012
Zimmerman to Seek Expense Money
George Zimmerman plans to step up fundraising to pay for his expenses while he awaits trial for fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The former neighborhood watch leader's attorney said Wednesday that Zimmerman plans to launch the New George Zimmerman Defense Fund next month. Donors will receive "thank you" cards individually signed by Zimmerman. Read more...
Man Gets Life in Assault of 11-Year-Old
A jury has sentenced a Texas man to life in prison for his role in the attack of an 11-year-old girl who authorities say was sexually assaulted by 20 males. Jared Len Cruse was convicted of aggravated sexual assault in Liberty. The 20-year-old Cruse had faced a minimum sentence of 25 years. He was the second person tried in the case. Read more...
November 28, 2012
Man Pleads Guilty to Arson Murders
More than six years after two children burned to death in an SUV in Los Angeles, their father has pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. Dae Kwon Yun, 61, was sentenced to life in prison after entering the guilty pleas and admitted special circumstances of arson murder and multiple murders, according to the district attorney's office. Read more...
Mom Convicted of Murder of Her 2 Kids
A Colorado woman has been convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of her two children, who were smothered in May 2011. Kelli Murphy, of Castle Rock, was convicted of two counts each of first-degree murder after deliberation and first-degree murder of a victim under age 12. A judge immediately sentenced her to two life sentences without parole. Read more...
November 27, 2012
Venue Changed Denied in Jenkins Murder
A motion for a change of venue for one of the defendants charged with the first-degree murder of a popular Vermont teacher has been denied. The attorney for Patricia Prue requested the change due to media coverage of the Melissa Jenkins murder case. Patricia is being tried separately from her husband, Allen Prue, who planned the crime, according to police. Read more...
November 26, 2012
Casey Anthony Detectives Overlooked Searches
The Florida sheriff's office that investigated Caylee Anthony's death confirmed that it overlooked a computer search for suffocation methods made from the little girl's home on the day she was last seen alive. Orange County sheriff's Capt. Angelo Nieves said the office's computer investigator missed a June 16, 2008, Google search for "fool-proof" suffocation methods. The agency's admission was first reported by Orlando television station WKMG. It's not known who performed the search. The station reported it was done on a browser primarily used by the 2-year-old's mother, Casey Anthony, who was acquitted of the girl's murder in 2011. Read more...
November 21, 2012
Doug Kennedy Acquitted of Charges
A son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy has been acquitted on all counts in a trial stemming from a clash at a Westchester hospital in January. Douglas Kennedy never took the stand at the trial in which he faced child endangerment and physical harassment charges after a scuffle on the maternity floor of Northern Westchester Hospital. Kennedy was arrested after an altercation with nurses as he tried to remove his newborn from the maternity ward. According to a Mount Kisco, N.Y., police report, Kennedy took his baby from the hospital's newborn unit on Jan. 7, against the instructions of hospital staff who told him the infant needed to stay there. Read more...
Woman Sentenced to 80 Years for Day Care Fire
A Texas woman convicted of murder after a fire at her home day care resulted in the death of four children was sentenced to 80 years in prison. Last week, Jessica Tata was convicted of felony murder in the February 24, 2011, death of 16-month-old Elias Castillo. The child was among four kids who died after Tata left a group of children alone in a Houston home with a pan of oil cooking on a hot stove. She had gone shopping at a nearby Target store when the deadly blaze broke out. Three other children were injured. Read more...
November 20, 2012
Officer Pleads Not Guilty in Cannibal Case
A New York City police officer has pleaded not guilty to charges he plotted to abduct and cook women so he could eat their body parts. Gilberto Valle entered the plea in federal court in Manhattan. Authorities arrested the 28-year-old NYPD officer last month based on a tip from his estranged wife. Read more...
Son to Stand Trial in Mom's Dismemberment
A man accused of killing and then partially dismembering his mother in her Solana Beach home in 2010 will face trial for murder, a judge ruled. Testimony during Bryan Chang's preliminary hearing in Vista Superior Court indicated the 31-year-old suffers from mental illness. His attorney said Chang told his father that he has schizophrenia. Twice during the three years since the slaying Chang was ruled incompetent to stand trial and sent to a state mental institution. His preliminary hearing occurred after he was ruled competent. Read more...
Twin Murder Suspects Moved to Florida Jail
The twin brothers accused of killing a former journalist and then encasing the body in concrete have been returned to Florida, where investigators believe the man died. Christopher Lynn Cormier and William Joseph Cormier, both 31, had been in the Barrow County jail following their Oct. 8 arrests. That was the day information from Pensacola, Fla., police led Winder police to the home of twins' father. The Cormiers are accused of killing Sean Dugas, of Pensacola, possibly over some gaming cards, investigators have said. Read more...
November 17, 2012
Trucker Who Killed 4 Motorcyclists Gets 26 Years
An Arizona dump truck driver convicted of numerous charges for the 2010 deaths of four motorcyclists has been sentenced to 26 years in prison. Jurors returned guilty verdicts against Michael Jakscht (Jacks) on charges of manslaughter, aggravated assault and endangerment after an August trial. Jakscht plowed his 12-ton truck into a group of motorcyclists stopped at a north Phoenix traffic light on March 25, 2010. Four motorcyclists died and five others were injured in the fiery accident. Read more...
November 15, 2012
James Holmes 'Unable' to Appear in Court
A judge has postponed a hearing for Colorado movie-theater shooting suspect James Holmes after Holmes' attorneys claimed he was unable to attend, citing an unspecified condition they said he developed. Judge William Sylvester agreed to move the motions hearing to December 10, according to Rob McCallum, a Colorado Judicial Department spokesman. Read more...
November 12, 2012
Ohio Teen Sentenced To Life In Prison
A teenager was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole Friday for his role in a deadly plot to lure men desperate for work with phony Craigslist job offers. Judge Lynne Callahan sentenced 17-year-old Brogan Rafferty, who had been convicted on Oct. 30 of aggravated murder and attempted murder in the deaths of three men and wounding of a fourth. The sentencing was delayed from Monday amid talks on a deal for leniency in return for Rafferty's testimony against the alleged triggerman. Rafferty was looking to avoid a life sentence without hope of parole. Read more...
November 10, 2012
Last Dougherty Gang Sibling Pleads Guilty
The third sibling member of the "Dougherty Gang" has entered a guilty plea on charges related to a 2011 bank robbery in south Georgia. Dylan Dougherty Stanley, 27, pleaded guilty in federal court in Valdosta to charges of bank robbery and using a firearm during the commission of a crime. All three siblings - Dylan, Ryan and Lee Grace - will be sentenced Dec. 17. Read more...
NJ Schoolyard Killer Convicted
The final defendant in a New Jersey schoolyard attack that killed three college-bound friends and left a fourth seriously wounded has been convicted of murder. Gerardo Gomez was among six men and boys charged in the 2007 Newark schoolyard attack, which shocked the state's largest city and led to new anti-crime measures. Three others were convicted at trial and are serving multiple life sentences. Two others pleaded guilty. Read more...
'Whitey' Bulger Wins 3-Month Trial Delay
A federal judge agreed to delay the murder trial of former mobster James "Whitey" Bulger by three months, rejecting a defense request for eight months. U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns said he would put off Bulger's trial from March until June. He said jury selection will begin on June 6. Read more...
November 09, 2012
Jared Loughner Gets 7 Life Sentences
The Arizona man who pleaded guilty to a shooting rampage after he was forcibly medicated to make him competent has been sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences to be followed by 140 years in prison. Jared Lee Loughner will never be eligible for parole. The sentence came after an emotional sentencing hearing at which his victims, including U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords, were able to confront the killer for the first time. Read more...
November 08, 2012
Mobster 'Whitey' Bulger Back in Jail
Boston mobster James ''Whitey'' Bulger is out of the hospital and back in jail, where's he's awaiting trial for his alleged role in 19 slayings. The US Marshals Service confirmed that Bulger, 83, a former paid FBI informant, was back in custody at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility. The Marshals Service released no other information. Read more...
November 07, 2012
Prosecutors Dismiss Capital Murder Case
A capital murder case against a man accused of murdering a University of Utah theater student in 1999 was dismissed. Donald Eugene Younge, 46, was charged with capital murder and nine other felonies in connection with an Aug. 3, 1999, death of Amy Quinton, 22. Prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss all of the charges because of concerns about the evidence. Read more...
November 06, 2012
Boyfriend Guilty But Mentally Ill of Murder
A Lake County judge has found a Deerfield man guilty but mentally ill of killing his girlfriend's mother with a baseball bat in 2010. The judge convicted 24-year-old Daniel Baker of first-degree murder. He faces 20 years to life in prison. Prosecutors say Baker will receive treatment for mental issues while he is imprisoned. The ruling came after a seven-day trial. His defense attorneys had said he was insane at the time of 50-year-old Marina Aksman's death. Read more...
Ohio Teen's Sentencing Delayed
With a possible deal for leniency in the works, sentencing was delayed Monday for an Ohio teenager convicted in a deadly plot to lure men desperate for work with phony Craigslist job offers. Judge Lynne Callahan said sentencing for 17-year-old Brogan Rafferty would be held Friday, but she did not explain the reason for the change. The announcement during a brief court session came after a 90-minute delay as prosecutors and defense attorneys met privately in the judge's chambers. Read more...
Can Jurors Ask Witnesses Questions?
More and more jurisdictions are allowing jurors to submit questions for the witness to answer. In fact, a few states now require judges to ask jurors if they have any questions for the current witness. Proponents claim it gets the jury more involved, but others think the process has its drawbacks. Read more...
November 05, 2012
Whitey Bulger Hospitalized With Chest Pains
Notorious gangster James "Whitey" Bulger was taken to Boston Medical Center after complaining of chest pains, officials said. Plymouth Fire Department battalion chief Kevin Murphy said in a phone interview tonight that firefighters responded to the Plymouth County Correctional Facility at 1:48 a.m. and took Bulger to the hospital. Read more...
November 02, 2012
Whitey Bulger's Lawyers Wants Delay
A lawyer for mobster James "Whitey" Bulger asked a judge to delay his trial by eight months, while a prosecutor argued that Bulger has already received "a 16-year continuance" by fleeing Boston and staying on the run all those years. U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns didn't immediately rule on the defense request to move the trial from March until next November. Stearns said he expects to issue a written decision within the next few days. Read more...
Burglar Who Shot 90-Year-Old Convicted
A Marin County jury has convicted a burglar of two counts of attempted murder for breaking into the home of a 90-year-old man and shooting him in the jaw. Jurors needed only two days to also find Samuel Cutrufelli guilty of robbery, burglary and assault with a semiautomatic firearm. The 31-year-old Cutrufelli now faces the possibility of life in prison. No sentencing date has been set. Read more...
October 31, 2012
Teen Convicted in Fake Craigslist Ad Killings
A jury in Akron, Ohio found a 17-year-old guilty of aggravated murder and other counts for his role in the slayings of three men who were lured to the state by phony Craigslist job ads. Brogan Rafferty was convicted on all counts except Count 42, which was ID fraud. Authorities say Rafferty, of Stow, helped Richard Beasley, of Akron, lure four victims at separate times with bogus Craigslist job offers to a nonexistent cattle farm in rural Noble County in southeast Ohio; they say the motive was robbery. Authorities say Beasley shot and killed three of the men; the fourth victim was shot in the arm and survived. Read more...
October 30, 2012
Judge Denies Zimmerman Gag Order
A Florida judge is denying prosecutors' request for a gag order in the trial of a neighborhood watch leader charged with fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Circuit Judge Debra Nelson said in an order that there was no need for a gag order at this time to ensure a fair trial for George Zimmerman. The 29-year-old Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting last February. Read more...
Mental Health Care Provider Sued
The mother of a slain 9-year-old Missouri girl is suing a mental health clinic saying it was in a position to know and prevent the violent tendencies of the teenager who killed her daughter. Patricia Preiss filed the wrongful death lawsuit against Pathways Behavioral Healthcare, two employees and 18-year-old Alyssa Bustamante, who was convicted in Elizabeth Olten's death. Bustamante was 15 years old at the time of the October 2009 slaying in St. Martins, a small community just west of Jefferson City. She was sentenced in February to life in prison with the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to killing Elizabeth. Read more...
October 27, 2012
Judge Delays Zimmerman Gag Order
The prosecutor in the case of a former neighborhood watch leader accused of shooting an unarmed black teenager in central Florida called the conduct of the defense lawyer "a slippery slope" in pleading with the judge Friday to impose a gag order on all attorneys. Assistant state attorney Bernie de la Rionda wants the order imposed because he believes George Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, has been using a website and both social and news media to influence potential jurors in the racially charged case. Read more...
Craigslist Murder Case Goes to Jury
Jurors in the trial of an Ohio teenager accused in a murder plot that used a Craigslist ad to lure some victims began deliberations after closing arguments depicted the defendant alternately as either a willing accomplice or a youthful pawn. Prosecutors painted Brogan Rafferty, 17, as a knowing partner to Richard Beasley, the 53-year-old accused triggerman in the case. Both suspects are charged with the murders of three men found buried in shallow graves around Ohio last year. Read more...
October 26, 2012
Whitey's Lawyer Repeats Immunity Claim
A lawyer for James "Whitey" Bulger has identified the federal official who he says gave the Boston mobster immunity to commit crimes while he was an FBI informant. In court papers, attorney J.W. Carney says former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Jeremiah O'Sullivan granted Bulger immunity for past or future crimes. The revelation was made in a defense motion for Judge Richard Stearns to recuse himself from the case. Read more...
October 23, 2012
Judge Grants Motion for Trayvon's Records
The new judge in the Trayvon Martin case has granted a defense request to examine in detail the teenager's social media accounts, his cell phone records and his school records. Attorneys for George Zimmerman asked for the files to possibly show Martin's propensity for violent behavior. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old and is claiming he acted out of self-defense. Read more...
October 20, 2012
Zimmerman Defense to Get School Records
A Florida judge has ruled that George Zimmerman's defense team can have access to Trayvon Martin's school records and can subpoena his social media posts. Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, said that the defendant is entitled to inquire about the victim's propensity for violence and that videos of Martin involved in mixed martial arts-style fights exist online. Read more...
October 19, 2012
Baby Gabriel's Mom Guilty of Lesser Charge
The Arizona woman whose 8-month-old Baby Gabriel disappeared in 2009 has been found guilty of unlawful imprisonment and custodial interference. The jury found Elizabeth Johnson guilty of the lesser charge after they were not able to agree on the more serious charge of kidnapping. They also decided that there were aggravating circumstances involved with the imprisonment charge, meaning her sentence could be enhanced. Read more...
October 18, 2012
Trial Date Set in George Zimmerman Case
The new judge in the murder case of former Latino neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, has set a trial date -- though it's still unclear whether the case will actually go to trial. In her first hearing since taking over the case, Judge Debra S. Nelson said June 10 would be the start of Zimmerman's trial, though the date could change as both sides get prepared for what is expected to be a three-week trial. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the February shooting of the unarmed 17-year-old Martin. Zimmerman claims he was attacked and the shooting was self-defense. Read more...
October 17, 2012
Baby Gabriel Case Goes to Jury
The fate of 26-year-old Valley mom Elizabeth Johnson is now in the hands of a Maricopa County jury. In a day full of courtroom drama, prosecutors and Johnson's defense attorney presented their closing arguments in the high-profile kidnapping, conspiracy and custodial interference case. The two sides' summations came after defense attorney Marc Victor told Judge Joseph Kreamer that "the defense rests" without ever calling a single witness to the stand in Johnson's defense. Read more...
October 16, 2012
Zimmerman Attorney Wants More Discovery
Attorneys for former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman said in a motion Monday that prosecutors are dragging their feet on turning over evidence. Zimmerman's attorneys said prosecutors aren't turning information over in a timely manner and are providing some material in a format that's useless for defense experts to examine. They're asking for monthly hearings to manage the turnover of evidence from prosecutors to defense lawyers. Read more...
October 10, 2012
No Death Penalty in Slaying of Mother, Son
Maryland prosecutors have agreed not to seek the death penalty against a man charged with killing his estranged wife and her 11-year-old son, a defense lawyer said in court. Stefanie McCardle, a state public defender representing Curtis M. Lopez, revealed the decision during a pretrial hearing aimed at resolving disputes over evidence and witness testimony. Lopez, an ex-convict who spent more than a decade in prison, is charged with killing Jane McQuain inside her Germantown apartment last October and fatally beating her son, William, with a baseball bat. Read more...
Teen Headed to Trial in Craigslist Killings
The trial for an Ohio teen accused of being the co-conspirator in an allegedly phony Craigslist job scheme that resulted in the deaths of three men is underway with jury selection beginning today. Brogan Rafferty, 17, allegedly helped his mentor Richard Beasley, 53, lure victims to Ohio with the promise of a job on a cattle farm. The men were told to bring all their belongings because they would be living on the farm. Read more...
October 09, 2012
No More 'Flint Slasher' Trials?
A man accused of a series of stabbings in the "Flint Slasher" case may not face any additional trials in Michigan because he is already serving a life-without-parole sentence. Prosecutors cited the high cost of criminal trials in their decision not to try Elias Abuelazam on any additional stabbing charges. Abuelazam was found guilty in May for the stabbing death of 49-year-old Arnold Minor. Read more...
Man Guilty of Killing Pastor at Church
A convicted felon has been found guilty of killing a North Texas pastor in his church last year. Steven Lawayne Nelson faces the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Jurors in Fort Worth deliberated more than an hour Monday before finding Nelson guilty of capital murder in the March 2011 death of the Rev. Clint Dobson at Arlington's NorthPointe Baptist Church. Read more...
October 08, 2012
Judge Won't Delay 'Whitey' Bulger's Trial
A federal judge told Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger's lawyers in no uncertain terms that she won't delay the start of Bulger's trial. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler said the March 4 trial date remains firm, despite complaints from the defense that it will not be ready by then because of a huge volume of documents and other materials it needs to review before trial. Read more...
Man Gets 47 Years for Mutilating Friend
A judge has sentenced a Northern California man to 47 years in state prison for viciously mutilating and killing his friend after they consumed hallucinogenic mushrooms. Jarrod Wyatt of Crescent City was sentenced in Del Norte County Superior Court, where family and friends spoke about the impact of Taylor Powell's death. The 29-year-old mixed-martial artist pleaded guilty last month to first-degree murder involving mayhem for killing his 21-year-old sparring partner in 2010. Read more...
October 04, 2012
Prosecution Rests in Baby Gabriel Trial
Prosecutors have rested their case in the trial of an Arizona woman accused of kidnapping her 8-month-old son Gabriel in 2009, saving the most damaging evidence for last. The jury heard a recording of a telephone call in which Elizabeth Johnson told the baby's father that she had killed the child and put his body in a trash can. The trial will now recess for two weeks before the defense begins its case. Read more...
October 03, 2012
Baby Gabriel Baby Sitter Testifies
Day six in the trial of missing Baby Gabriel's mom Elizabeth Johnson started with prosecutors calling to the witness stand a couple of people from Texas who interacted with Johnson in late 2009 after the young mom fled with her infant son to San Antonio. "She basically said she needed a baby sitter," Analisa Urias told jurors. Urias said that, at the time, she advertised herself as a baby sitter on Craigslist and got a call from a woman identifying herself only as "Elizabeth" who was seeking a baby sitter for the following day at San Antonio's Home Gate Suites Hotel. Read more...
October 02, 2012
2 'Dougherty Gang' Siblings Plead Guilty
Two of the three siblings known as the "Dougherty Gang" have decided to take plea deals in their bank-robbing case in Georgia. Ryan Dougherty and Lee Grace Dougherty entered guilty pleas in a federal court in Valdosta. All three siblings had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges. Read more...
September 27, 2012
Baby Gabriel Trial Could End Early
The high-profile courtroom drama had been expected to run well into November, but prosecutors in Elizabeth Johnson's kidnapping and custodial interference trial are moving much faster than initial estimates and the case could be in the hands of jurors as early as the middle of next week. That word Wednesday from Superior Court Judge Joseph Kreamer as jurors heard a third day of testimony against the 26-year-old mother of missing baby Gabriel Johnson. Read more...
September 26, 2012
Baby Gabriel's Father Testifies
Baby Gabriel's father and grandfather testified in court for the prosecution in the kidnapping and custodial interference trial of the missing child's mother. Elizabeth Johnson broke down in tears during testimony Tuesday, just as she did during opening statements last week. Logan McQueary told the jury that Johnson told him she had suffocated the 8-month-old child and put his body in a trash bin. Read more...
September 25, 2012
Absalon Guilty of 1984 Murder
A man who confessed to murder during a drug treatment group therapy session 28 years ago will now spend the rest of his life in prison for that crime. Ryland Shane Absalon was found guilty of capital murder by a Texas jury last week. The life sentence he recieved was automatic, because prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. Read more...
September 24, 2012
Elizabeth Johnson's Trial Resumes
Trial continues at 10:30 a.m. Monday for the Arizona woman charged with criminal wrongdoing in her child's disappearance more than two years ago. Several police officers and detectives are expected to take the stand, as well as Baby Gabriel's father, Logan McQueary. Read more...
September 21, 2012
Man Convicted of Killing Family on Road Trip
Jurors convicted a suburban Chicago computer specialist of murder in the deaths of his wife and three school-aged kids during a road trip to a water park. Christopher Vaughn, 37, traveled to northwestern Canada a month before the slayings, and had compiled survival guides and posted wistful Internet messages about constructing a cabin and settling for good in the Yukon cut off from the world, state attorneys said. Read more...
September 19, 2012
Trial Begins in 1984 Stabbing Death
A trial is underway in Fort Worth, Texas which will feature a confession to murder made by the defendant when he was a teenager in a drug and alcohol group therapy session. Ryland Shane Absalon is on trial for the stabbing death of his high school friend Ginger Hayden in 1984. Hayden was stabbed more than 50 times in her bedroom and found by her mother on the day she was to begin college. Read more...
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Jury Selection Begins in Bianca Jones Case
Jury selection is set to begin in the trial of D'Andre Lane. Lane is accused of the murder of his daughter, 2-year-old girl Bianca Jones. Jones is still missing. According to CBS Detroit, Lane has pleaded not guilty to charges of child abuse and first degree murder in the disappearance of the toddler, whose body has still not been found. He faces a possible sentence of life in prison if convicted. Read more...
Chef Claims He Killed, Cooked Wife
A chef on trial for his wife's murder told sheriff's investigators that they couldn't find his wife's body because he had cooked it for four days in boiling water until little was left but her skull. Los Angeles Superior Court jurors heard David Viens make the statements in a recorded interview with sheriff's investigators that was played in court during his murder trial. "I just slowly cooked it and I ended up cooking her for four days," Viens could be heard saying on the recording. Read more...
September 15, 2012
Man Guilty in 1957 Murder of 7-Year-Old
A judge has convicted a 72-year-old man in the slaying of a 7-year-old Illinois girl in 1957 after snatching her from a small-town street corner where she was playing. Judge James Hallock pronounced Jack McCullough guilty in a crowded courtroom in Sycamore, 60 miles west of Chicago. McCullough was around 17 when second-grader Maria Ridulph went missing in the small town where they both lived. He later enlisted in the military, and ultimately settled in Seattle where he worked as a Washington state police officer. Read more...
September 14, 2012
Rapist Who Fled Trial Formally Sentenced
A man who was a fugitive for nearly two weeks after fleeing his trial a day before being convicted in the repeated group sexual assault of an 11-year-old Southeast Texas girl was told by a judge Thursday that he would spend nearly the next century in prison. Eric McGowen was formally sentenced to 99 years in prison without parole during a hearing in the same courtroom from which he had fled. He will now be transferred to the Texas prison system. Read more...
September 13, 2012
Drew Peterson Fires One of His Defense Attorneys
Drew Peterson has fired one of the member of his defense team who argued against calling Kathleen Savio's divorce lawyer as a defense witness, testimony that jurors later said convinced them to render a guilty verdict. Peterson notified attorney Steve Greenberg of his firing. Greenberg said he was shocked to learn he'd been fired days after jurors disclosed that divorce lawyer Harry Smith's testimony tipped the scales in the prosecution's favor. Despite Greenberg's and the rest of the defense team's objections, it was Peterson's lead attorney, Joel Brodsky, who ultimately called Smith to the stand. Read more...
September 12, 2012
South Dakota Lawyer Challenges Caylee's Law
A defense lawyer for a South Dakota woman charged under the state's new child death reporting law says it's unconstitutional because it violates his client's right against self-incrimination. It's one of the first attempts to question the validity of the new child death reporting laws that have been passed by several state legislatures following the high-profile death of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony in Florida. Read more...
September 08, 2012
Bulger Says Prosecutors Hampering Defense
Lawyers for mobster James "Whitey" Bulger have accused prosecutors of demonizing Bulger, while prosecutors said the defense is trying to influence potential jurors in his remarks to reporters. The two sides trading accusations during a feisty hearing Friday in U.S. District Court. Attorney J.W. Carney Jr. said prosecutors spent the nearly 17 years Bulger was a fugitive vilifying him. He said his comments to reporters have simply repeated what he has said in court during pretrial hearings. Read more...
Hearsay Evidence Swayed Peterson Juror
By the end of the first day of deliberations in the Drew Peterson murder trial, juror Ron Supalo says, there was just a single panelist preventing the group from making a unanimous decision -- him. "I wanted to sleep on it," he said. "I had to rethink everything I wanted to ask today in my mind and then research it the best I could." Supalo said he didn't get much sleep, and when he returned to the courthouse Thursday morning he spent the first part of the day reviewing his courtroom notes and discussing with the other jurors the approximately 10 nagging questions he had. Read more...
September 07, 2012
Drew Peterson Found Guilty
An Illinois jury deliberated almost 14 hours over two days before finding a former Bolingbrook police officer guilty of murder of his third wife. Drew Peterson, 58, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the death of Kathleen Savio. Savio's 2004 death was originally ruled a homicide after her body was found in a dry bathtub in her home. Read more...
Fort Hood Shooting Suspect Must Be 'Forcibly Shaved'
A judge ordered that Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist charged in a 2009 deadly shooting rampage at Fort Hood, must be forcibly shaved for further hearings, the Killeen Daily Herald reported. Judge Col. Gregory Gross had said he would deliver a definitive order this week on whether Hasan would be allowed to keep his beard, which he started growing while in jail earlier this summer. Gross barred him from appearing in military court, citing the Army's strict regulations regarding grooming standards. Read more...
September 06, 2012
Baby Gabriel Trial Set to Begin
Jury selection has begun in the trial of the mother of an infant who was 8 months old when he was last seen almost three years ago. But the Baby Gabriel case is not a murder case. Elizabeth Johnson is facing charges of kidnapping, custodial interference and child abuse only. No one has any idea if Baby Gabriel is alive or dead. Read more...
September 05, 2012
Attorneys in Peterson Trial Deliver Closings
Prosecutors in Drew Peterson's murder trial implored jurors to use common sense in assessing the circumstantial case against him, while the defense said the state fell far short of proving the former Illinois police officer killed his third wife. The attorneys delivered their closing arguments to jurors who will begin deliberating Wednesday in the trial for Peterson, who has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Kathleen Savio's 2004 death. Read more...
September 03, 2012
Final Pitches Readied for Peterson Jurors
After five weeks of testimony, head-scratching moves and blustering before TV cameras, the Drew Peterson trial comes to an end with closing arguments that carry extremely high stakes for both sides. Without any physical evidence linking the former Bolingbrook police sergeant to the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, the final soliloquies provide the only chance for attorneys to show jurors how several pieces of circumstantial evidence come together to either prove or refute Peterson's guilt. Read more...
September 01, 2012
Man Gets 92 Years in Frat House Shooting
A man has been sentenced to 92 years in prison for a shooting at a fraternity house in Ohio last year in which one man was killed and 11 others were wounded. 23-year-old Columbus Jones Jr. was sentenced after a being convicted of murder and other charges. Prosecutors say Jones left a frat party at Youngstown State after an argument on Feb. 6, 2011, then came back with a gun and started shooting. Read more...
August 31, 2012
Huguely Gets 23 Years for Murder
A former University of Virginia lacrosse player who beat his ex-girlfriend to death in an apparent drunken rage has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. George W. Huguely V was convicted in February for the murder of Yeardley Love, also a university student. The jury had recommended a 26-year sentence for Huguely. Read more...
New Judge Assigned to Zimmerman Case
A new judge has been assigned to oversee the case of George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer charged with killing Trayvon Martin. Debra S. Nelson, a 13-year judicial veteran, was assigned to Zimmerman's case Thursday. A day earlier, an appeals court granted his attorney's request for Judge Kenneth Lester to disqualify himself. Read more...
Jury to Get Peterson Case Tuesday
A judge sent jurors home after they heard the last testimony at Drew Peterson's murder trial on Thursday, saying they will return after Labor Day to hear closing arguments. The state called just two witnesses, both forensic pathologists, in a one-day rebuttal as they entered the last evidence against the former suburban Chicago police officer. Read more...
Missing Defendant Gets 99 Years
Jurors convicted a man of taking part in the repeated sexual assaulting a Texas middle school student and sentenced him to 99 years in prison. Eric McGowen wasn't in court when jurors found him guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child or later when they returned with the sentence. The 20-year-old had been free on bail and he skipped out during a break in proceedings Wednesday, the first day of testimony. Read more...
August 30, 2012
Zimmerman Judge Must Step Aside
Zimmerman Judge Must Step Aside
George Zimmerman's judge must step aside because of bias, a Florida appellate court ruled. The ruling means a new judge will soon preside over Zimmerman's second-degree murder case in the killing of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, according to a website set up by Zimmerman's defense team. Zimmerman's lawyer Mark O'Mara filed a motion in July to disqualify Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. But Lester denied the motion, finding it "legally insufficient." Read more...
Defense Rests in Peterson Trial
The defense at the trial of Drew Peterson, accused of killing his third wife, rested after the former Illinois police officer stood in a Joliet, Ill., courtroom and told the judge he had chosen not to testify. The statement came after Peterson's older son, Thomas, 19, testified that he never believed his father killed his mother, Kathleen Savio. Read more...
August 28, 2012
Peterson Lawyers Mount Defense
Drew Peterson's defense team began Monday to try to counter the state's portrayal of the former suburban Chicago police officer as a bully who was more than capable of slaying his third wife. Prosecutors rested their four-week, 30-plus witness case earlier on Monday, ending with a dramatic letter from the alleged victim, in which Kathleen Savio said she feared her spouse would kill her. Read more...
August 27, 2012
Drew Peterson's Defense Starts
Assuming the Drew Peterson prosecution rests Monday and the judge refuses to dismiss the murder charge — two highly likely, but not guaranteed, scenarios in this legal circus — the former Bolingbrook police sergeant's attorneys will launch a defense. Over the next few days, they are expected to call pathologists and law enforcement officials to help bolster their assertion that Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, died after accidentally falling in her bathtub and drowning in 2004. Prosecutors contend he killed her after a bitter divorce in which they battled over his pension and child support payments. Read more...
August 24, 2012
Drew Peterson Told Forth Wife to Lie
A pastor has testified that a former Illinois police officer accused of killing his third wife had told his fourth wife to lie to the police. Rev. Neil Schori said that Drew Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy, looked frightened and had tears streaming down her cheeks as she confided in him at a suburban Chicago coffee shop. Stacy Peterson went missing in 2007. Read more...
August 23, 2012
Peterson Offered $25K to Kill His Third Wife
A witness at Drew Peterson's murder trial says the former Illinois police officer offered him $25,000 to hire someone to kill his third wife and told him it was a secret he'd take to his grave. Jeff Pachter used to work with Peterson at a cable company. Pachter testified Wednesday that Peterson made the request months before Kathleen Savio was found dead in 2004. He says the code word to let Peterson know the hit happened was related to cookies, but he couldn't remember the word. Read more...
August 22, 2012
Widow Charged With Murder Conspiracy
A Georgia woman accused of conspiring with her boyfriend to kill her husband for his $2 million life insurance has been granted bail after being arrested for murder. A Dekalb County judge set bail at $500,000 for Andrea Sneiderman, accused of conspiring to kill her husband Rusty Sneiderman in November 2010. Her former boss, Nemy Neuman, was convicted of shooting Sneiderman outside a Dunwoody daycare center. Read more...
Drew Peterson Judge Allows Hit Man Testimony
The judge at Drew Peterson's murder trial says prosecutors can introduce potentially powerful testimony that the former suburban Chicago police officer once took steps to hire a hit man to kill his third wife. Judge Edward Burmila handed prosecutors the legal victory as testimony entered its fourth week. Prosecutors say Peterson asked a one-time co-worker to find someone to kill Kathleen Savio for $25,000. Prosecutors want to show Peterson plotted Savio's murder for weeks, although they allege he killed her himself. Read more...
August 21, 2012
Officer to Stand Trial in Teen's Death
An Oklahoma County judge ordered a Del City police officer to stand trial in the death of an 18-year-old who was shot following a vehicle pursuit earlier this year. The decision came at the end of a preliminary hearing for Capt. Randy Harrison, who is charged with first-degree manslaughter in the March 14 death of Dane Scott Jr. According to a police affidavit filed in the case, "Scott was unarmed and was not posing a threat of death of great bodily harm to the officers or any other person." Read more...
August 17, 2012
Pathologist: Drew Peterson's Third Wife Was Murdered
A pathologist who performed a second autopsy on Drew Peterson's third wife years after she was found dead in her bathtub says the only plausible explanation for her death is that she was murdered. Larry Blum described to jurors how Kathleen Savio had a gash on the back of her head and fresh bruises on her front. He says an accidental fall couldn't have caused injuries on both sides of her body. Read more...
August 16, 2012
Testimony Focuses on Peterson Threat
The trial of former Chicago-area police Sgt. Drew Peterson, accused of killing his ex-wife, focused on an incident in which he allegedly had threatened to kill her with a knife. Defense attorneys sought to discredit Kathleen Savio's account of the July 2002 incident, in which she had said Peterson pushed her down the stairs of her home, upset about their divorce proceedings, and told her to turn her head so he could kill her. Read more...
Wildfire Arsonist Guilty of 5 Heart Attack Deaths
A jury found a California man guilty of murdering five people who had heart attacks after he deliberately started a blaze that ballooned into a massive wildfire. Jurors in San Bernardino found 30-year-old Rickie Fowler guilty of setting the Old Fire in the foothills above San Bernardino in October 2003 that burned 91,000 acres and torched 1,000 buildings over nine days. Prosecutors charged Fowler with the murders of five men, ranging in age from 54 to 93, who died from heart attacks after their homes burned to the ground or as they rushed to evacuate. Read more...
August 15, 2012
Toxicologist: No Drugs, Alcohol in Savio's Body
Prosecutors at Drew Peterson's trial have begun addressing the central question of whether the former Illinois police officer's third wife was actually murdered. Forensic toxicologist Christopher Long was the first prosecution witness Tuesday. He told jurors about tests done on tissue samples from the body of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio. The defense has said Savio died from an accidental fall and suggested she have may have been under the influence of some substance. Read more...
August 14, 2012
Colorado Theater Rampage Records Sealed
A Colorado judge ordered that some key records remain sealed and others be released in the case against James Holmes in last month's deadly rampage at an Aurora movie theater. Arapahoe County District Chief Judge William Sylvester issued his order in response to requests by members of the media, including CNN, asking that a host of records be made public. The 24-year-old former graduate student is accused of opening fire during a midnight premiere of the latest Batman movie, leaving 12 dead and injuring 58 others. Read more...
Zimmerman Appeals Judge's Ruling
George Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, is pushing forward with his fight for a new judge to take over the case. O'Mara announced he will appeal the decision of Seminole County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. to stay on the case in which Zimmerman faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of Trayvon Martin. O'Mara filed a motion last month asking Lester to recuse himself, saying the defense had lost faith in the judge's objectivity because Lester reset Zimmerman's bond after finding out how much money his online defense fund had actually raised. Read more...
August 11, 2012
Savio's Boyfriend Testifies for Prosecution
The boyfriend of Drew Peterson's third wife testified that he saw no bruises on her body in the days before she was found dead, a possible boost to the prosecution's case that her death was not accidental. Savio's boyfriend, Steve Maniaci, was the first witness to take the stand on the eighth day of testimony. He said he began dating Savio around the time she and Peterson were getting divorced. Maniaci said he saw Savio naked three days before her battered body was found and that no marks had been apparent. Read more...
August 10, 2012
Zimmerman Wants 'Stand Your Ground' Hearing
During the 1980s, there was a tourism campaign in Florida that promoted the state by saying: "The rules are different here." Fast forward 30 years, and Florida's legal system is again proving that "rules are different" adage true. Florida was the first state to enact a "stand your ground" law in 2005; since then more than 10 other states have adopted similar laws. George Zimmerman, 29, charged in the second degree murder of Trayvon Martin, 17, may never go to trial because of Florida's law. Read more...
James Holmes Mentally Ill, Attorneys Say
At a court hearing in Centennial, Colo., lawyers representing movie theater mass shooting suspect James Holmes said their client is mentally ill. Holmes' lawyers made the disclosure at a hearing in which a coalition of news organizations argued for the judge to unseal documents related to Holmes, the suspected shooter in the July 20 rampage in an Aurora, Colo., theater that killed 12 people and injured 58. Read more...
August 09, 2012
George Zimmerman Case Continued
George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed Trayvon Martin in Florida, will probably not face trial until early next year, his lawyers said. The Zimmerman case was scheduled for a docket sounding, a pro forma court procedure in which the court is given an update on the progress in the proceedings. However, Judge Kenneth R. Lester granted a defense request to continue the matter - that is, push the docket sounding back - until Oct. 3. Read more...
Police Sergeant Testifies in Peterson Trial
A former state police officer who led the investigation into the death of Drew Peterson's third wife has told jurors he hadn't investigated a single murder before arriving at the home where the woman lay dead in her bathtub. The now-retired Illinois State Police sergeant, Patrick Collins, took the stand Wednesday morning as prosecutors continued their attempts to convince jurors the investigation of Kathleen Savio's 2004 death was bungled. Collins told jurors he was told by a subordinate about 10 minutes after he got to Savio's suburban Chicago home that her death appeared to be accidental. Read more...
August 08, 2012
Loughner Pleads Guilty in Tucson Shooting
The man who killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, during a shooting rampage in Tucson in January 2011, will not face the death penalty. Jared Lee Loughner was allowed to plead guilty today after a federal judge ruled him competent to make that decision. Loughner is expected to be sentenced to life without parole. Read more...
August 07, 2012
Whitey Bulger Will Testify
When the trial begins for a former Boston mobster who was on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list for years, he will testify in his own defense, his attorney announced. James "Whitey" Bulger will tell the jury himself that he was acting under immunity when he committed the crimes with which he is charged. Rather than file a motion to dismiss, Bulger will take his chances with a jury, J.W. Carney Jr., his attorney, said. Read more...
August 06, 2012
Loughner to Plead Guilty in Giffords Shooting
Jared Loughner, the man accused of shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killing six others, will plead guilty Tuesday, a source familiar with the deal told Fox News. A psychiatrist will testify that Loughner is competent to stand trial and understands what he did. It is up to a judge to decide whether to accept that Loughner is incompetent, and to accept the plea. Read more...
August 02, 2012
Judge Denies Peterson Mistrial
The judge in Drew Peterson's murder trial denied the defense team's request for a mistrial, enabling the trial to resume -- with first responders and a locksmith testifying about the night Peterson's third wife was discovered dead. The mistrial ruling by Will County Judge Edward Burmila during the trial in Joliet, Ill., follows several blunders by prosecutors, who are seeking to prove the 58-year-old former police sergeant killed Kathleen Savio, in 2004. Peterson also is a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, but has not been charged in her case. Read more...
Peterson Murder Trial in Jeopardy
A visibly angry judge said he will consider declaring a mistrial at Drew Peterson's murder trial after a second major blunder by prosecutors in as many days, once again illustrating how the high-profile case has been beset by problems from the outset. Judge Edward Burmila's blistering rebuke came after prosecutors' second witness suggested Peterson may have put a .38-caliber bullet in his driveway to intimidate him, which prompted Burmila to worry aloud in court whether the former police officer could get a fair trial. Read more...
Judge in Zimmerman Case Won't Step Aside
The Florida judge presiding over the murder case against a former neighborhood watch volunteer who killed an unarmed teenager refused a defense request to step aside. In a two-page order, Seminole County Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester said the July request by lawyers for George Zimmerman was "legally insufficient" for him to recuse himself. Zimmerman's lawyers had argued that their client feared he could not get a fair trial before Lester, who had revoked Zimmerman's bond and blasted the defendant for failing to completely disclose his assets at an earlier bail hearing. Read more...
August 01, 2012
Drew Peterson Trial Begins
Prosecutors asked jurors, in their opening statement, to rely on their common sense because there would be little hard evidence to prove that a former police officer killed his third wife during the expected month-long trial. Meanwhile defense attorneys used their opening to attack the character of Drew Peterson's wife Kathleen Savio, calling her "bonkers" and "crazy." Read more...
Suspect in Sierra LaMar Case Absent in Court
A man accused in the disappearance of a 15-year-old Northern California girl was a no-show during a scheduled court appearance. Antolin Garcia-Torres was expected to enter a plea to murder and kidnapping charges but did not appear in a Santa Clara County courtroom on Tuesday, the San Jose Mercury News reports. He is due back in court on Aug. 29. The 21-year-old Garcia-Torres is being held without bail since his arrest in May after the DNA of Sierra LaMar was found in his car and his DNA was found in her handbag. Read more...
July 31, 2012
Opening Arguments Set for Drew Peterson
Almost five years after the disappearance of his fourth wife, former Illinois police officer Drew Peterson will go on trial for the murder of his third wife. A jury of seven men and five women will hear opening arguments in the long-delayed trial on whether Peterson, 58, killed his then-wife Kathleen Savio in 2004 and made it look like an accident. Savio, 40, was found dead in a dry bathtub on March 1, 2004. Officials ruled the death an accidental drowning until Savio's body was exhumed as part of their investigation. They eventually changed the cause of her death from an accident to homicide and charged Peterson with murder. Read more...
July 30, 2012
Zimmerman's Wife Pleads Not Guilty to Perjury
The wife of Trayvon Martin's shooter has entered a written plea of not guilty on a perjury charge. Shellie Zimmerman will be arraigned in central Florida after a judge said she lied about her and husband George Zimmerman's finances during a bond hearing. Shellie Zimmerman was arrested June 12 and released on bond the same day. Read more...
Autopsy Confirms Arsonist Committed Suicide
An autopsy report confirmed Friday that Michael Marin, the former Wall Street trader who collapsed and died in court minutes after he was convicted of arson last month, committed suicide by taking cyanide. Authorities immediately suspected that Marin, 53, killed himself June 28 in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix by swallowing a homemade cyanide pill. Marin had just been convicted of burning down his mansion in 2009 when he went into convulsions at the defendant's table. He was declared dead at the scene. Read more...
July 27, 2012
Man Convicted of Murder in Police Officer's Death
An Arkansas man was convicted of capital murder for killing a police officer who begged him not to shoot. After deliberating for less than an hour, a jury found Jerry Lard, 38, guilty of killing Trumann police officer Jonathan Schmidt during a traffic stop in April 2011. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Lard. The sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin Friday morning in Paragould, about 35 miles north of Trumann. The trial was moved at Lard's defense attorneys' request. Read more...
July 25, 2012
William Balfour Gets Life Sentence
Jennifer Hudson's former brother-in-law, convicted in May of shooting to death her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew, has been given three life sentences plus 120 years in prison. Judge Charles Burns also denied William Balfour's motion for a new trial in the triple murder case. Illinois law does not allow death penalty sentences under any circumstances. Read more...
July 24, 2012
Drew Peterson Jury Selection Begins
After a final pre-trail ruling excluding some hearsay evidence against the defendant, jury selection began in the case of a former Bollingbrook, Illinois policeman accused in the death of his third wife. As the potential jurors filled the courtroom, Drew Peterson stood and introduced himself to the panel. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, I'm Mr. Peterson," he said. "Have a good day." Read more...
July 19, 2012
Ruling Could Delay Drew Peterson Trial
Will County Judge Edward Burmila touched off the clash, saying he still may bar from Peterson's trial crucial secondhand statements that prosecutors contend tie the former Bolingbrook cop to the 2004 drowning death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. When Assistant State's Attorney Colleen Griffin pressed the judge for a final ruling before jury selection begins, Burmila chastised prosecutors for raising the issue just three days before the trial. Then he ordered her to sit down. Read more...
July 17, 2012
Teen Convicted in Beating of 15-Year-Old Girl
A jury found a south Florida teenager guilty of attempted murder for the severe beating of a middle-school girl in 2010 that left her with permanent brain damage, rejecting his claim of insanity. Wayne Treacy, 17, faces up to 50 years in prison for the attack on then-15-year-old Josie Lou Ratley near Deerfield Beach Middle School. Jurors reached the decision after about four hours of deliberations. Read more...
July 12, 2012
Reputed Gang Member Convicted of 4 Slayings
A reputed New Jersey gang member has been convicted in the slayings of a woman and three teenage girls at an Irvington home nearly four years ago. A jury found 40-year Rolando Terrell guilty Wednesday of four counts each of murder and felony murder in the September 2008 slayings. Prosecutors said Terrell and another man robbed and shot the victims, then set their house on fire. Read more...
July 09, 2012
Zimmerman at 'Safe House' in Central Florida
The neighborhood watch leader charged with fatally shooting Trayvon Martin is in a safe house that is being protected by his security team. George Zimmerman was released after posting bail for the second time on a second-degree murder charge. His attorney said he was in Seminole County in central Florida. Read more...
July 06, 2012
Zimmerman's Defense Team Asks for Donations
The neighborhood watch volunteer who has been charged with the murder of Trayvon Martin has been given the opportunity to bond out of jail again by securing a $1 million bond. Judge Kenneth R. Lester Jr. set the bond after revoking George Zimmerman's previous $150,000 bond last month. Shortly after the bond was set, Zimmerman's defense team renewed their online plea for donations to his defense fund. Read more...
Attorney: Casey Anthony Rejected Early Plea Deal
Casey Anthony's attorney said he strongly considered early in the case whether she should plead guilty to a lesser charge to avoid the death penalty if convicted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, but Anthony adamantly insisted she had nothing to do with the toddler's death. In his just-published book "Presumed Guilty, Casey Anthony: The Inside Story," attorney Jose Baez said prosecutors offered in 2008 to allow Anthony to plead guilty to aggravated manslaughter of a child and serve up to 13 years in prison. Read more...
July 04, 2012
Judge Nixes Bathtub at Drew Peterson Trial
Jurors will probably not get to see the actual bathtub in which a former Illinois policeman claims his third wife drowned after a judge ruled on a series of pre-trial motions. Judge Edward Burmila ruled that prosecutors could not introduce the bathtub where Kathleen Savio allegedly drowned during Drew Peterson's murder trial. The long-awaited Peterson trial is scheduled to begin July 31. Read more...
July 03, 2012
Grandma to Be Tried in Killing Teenage Grandson
A 74-year-old Michigan woman accused of shooting her teenage grandson at their suburban Detroit home will stand trial on murder and firearms charges, a judge ruled after a police officer testified the woman emerged from the home screaming, "I murdered my grandson." Sandra Layne is accused of repeatedly shooting 17-year-old Jonathan Hoffman on May 18 at the West Bloomfield Township condo that she and her husband shared with the teen. Her attorney said she acted in self-defense. Read more...
June 30, 2012
Suicide by Poison Suspected in Arizona Court Death
As the word "guilty" filled the silence of a Phoenix courtroom, defendant Michael Marin closed his eyes, put his head in his hands and appeared to put something in his mouth. He then took a swig from a sports bottle. Minutes later, the 53-year-old Marin was dead. Now investigators are trying to confirm their suspicion that Marin popped a poison pill after the jury found him guilty of arson, a bizarre ending to a case that began in 2009 when he emerged from his burning mansion in scuba gear. Read more...
June 29, 2012
Trial for 1957 Murder Set for September
A Seattle man charged in the 1957 murder of a Sycamore girl will stand trial in September. At a hearing, DeKalb County Judge Robbin Stuckert set Sept. 10 as the start date for the trial of Jack McCullough. McCullough, 72, was charged last year with the abduction and murder of Maria Ridulph, a 7-year-old Sycamore girl who disappeared in December 1957. Read more...
June 27, 2012
'Flint Slasher' Gets Life Sentence
A man convicted of first-degree murder in the "Flint Slasher" case has been sentenced to life as expected. Elias Abuelazam will spend the rest of his life in prison for the stabbing death of 49-year-old Arnold Minor in August 2010. Under Michigan law, the life sentence was mandatory for a first-degree murder conviction. Read more...
Prosecutor Snubs Bulger's 'Immunity' Claim
The top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts expressed skepticism about mobster James "Whitey" Bulger's claim that the government allowed him to commit crimes because he was an FBI informant. U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said Bulger's former co-hort, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, who was also an FBI informant, used a similar defense, which was rejected by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "Being an informant in a criminal case does not in and of itself immunize you from crimes," Ortiz told reporters during a break at a civil rights symposium. Read more...
Baez Doubted Casey's Sanity
The Florida mother who was acquitted last year of murdering her 2-year-old daughter had mental health issues that contributed to her habitual lying, the lead attorney in her criminal case says in a new book. In "Presumed Guilty, Casey Anthony: The Inside Story," Jose Baez said detectives should have realized Casey Anthony had built a "fantasy world," and her lies weren't evidence of guilt but signs of someone with "serious mental health issues." Read more...
June 26, 2012
'Flint Slasher' Gets Life Sentence
A man convicted of murder in a 2010 stabbing spree in Michigan was sentenced to life in prison Monday, wrapping up the first in a series of cases against Elias Abuelazam. Michigan offers no parole to people convicted of first-degree murder, which means the 35-year-old Israeli immigrant will be locked up until he dies, unless he wins an appeal. Read more...
Bulger Claims He Had Immunity
The defense attorney for former Boston Mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger says he'll file a motion to dismiss the charges, claiming Bulger had immunity from prosecution for past and future crimes. J.W. Carney Jr. also said Monday he has asked the trial judge to recuse himself because he was a top federal prosecutor. Read more...
June 23, 2012
Sandusky Convicted of 45 Counts
Jerry Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse and faces spending the rest of his life in state prison. His attorney said he would appeal the verdict. Sandusky's attorney, Joseph Amendola, asked Judge John Cleland to allow Sandusky to be released on house arrest, but Cleland summarily rejected the request, saying: "Bail is revoked. Mr. Sandusky is remanded to the custody of the sheriff." Sandusky was immediately led out of the courthouse in handcuffs as a large crowd of onlookers cheered. Read more...
June 22, 2012
Video Shows Zimmerman's Account of Fatal Fight
George Zimmerman appears believable when he re-enacts for police what he says led to the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, but some of his statements are questionable, lawyers who reviewed the footage said. Even a detective who interrogated the neighborhood watch leader pointed out inconsistencies in his story, particularly Zimmerman's claim that Martin punched him and slammed his head onto the ground when the teenager had no prior history of violence. Read more...
Man Shoots Lawyer in Custody Dispute
Chesterfield County Police say a 41-year-old man accused of shooting at the opposing attorney in his child custody case faces attempted murder and other charges. Mark M. Low also is charged with abduction, use of a firearm in a felony and shooting into an occupied dwelling. He is being held at the county jail without bond pending a hearing Friday in General District Court. Read more...
June 21, 2012
Sanford Police Chief Fired
Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee, who came under fire for his department's handling of the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin, has been fired, City Manager Norton Bonaparte announced in a statement on Wednesday evening. "After much thoughtful discussion and deep consideration for the issues facing the City of Sanford, I have determined the Police Chief needs to have the trust and respect of the elected officials and the confidence of the entire community," Bonaparte said. "We need to move forward with a police chief that all the citizens of Sanford can support." Read more...
June 19, 2012
Tammi Smith Eligible for Probation
The woman who was the would-be adoptive mother in the Baby Gabriel case has narrowly avoided a mandatory prison sentence for conviction of two crimes related to the case. Tammi Smith is eligible to serve her sentence on probation as a result of a judge's ruling at a hearing Monday. Smith was convicted of forgery and conspiracy to commit custodial interference in May. Read more...
Zimmerman Spoke to Wife in Code From Jail
Speaking by phone from jail, George Zimmerman gave detailed instructions to his wife to conduct a series of money transfers and transactions in allegedly coded exchanges that were intended to hide from the court how much money had been raised to help pay for his legal defense, Florida prosecutors say. Transcripts of the phone calls, which were part of the evidence that the state had introduced in a request to get Zimmerman's bail revoked, were released by the court. Zimmerman's attorney called for a hearing to stop the release of more than 140 other calls. Read more...
June 16, 2012
Steven Powell Sentenced to 30 Months
The father-in-law of missing Utah woman Susan Powell was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison in a Washington state court for recording images of two young neighbor girls in their bathroom. Pierce County prosecutors had asked for an exceptional sentence of 10 years for Steven Powell. His attorneys sought zero to 12 months, saying it's not clear exactly when Powell took the pictures, and it could have been before the state made voyeurism a ranked felony in 2006. Read more...
Man Sentenced for Killing Biletnikoff's Daughter
A man has been sentenced to 55 years to life in prison for killing the daughter of former Oakland Raiders star Fred Biletnikoff in 1999. Mohammed Haroon Ali received the sentence in San Mateo County Superior Court after being convicted of first-degree murder in March for killing his then-girlfriend Tracey Biletnikoff. At the sentencing, the NFL Hall of Famer called Ali an "animal" and said his hatred for him would never go away. Read more...
June 15, 2012
Auburn Suspect's Attorney Seeks to Move Trial
An attorney for a Montgomery man accused of killing three people in a shooting at a party near Auburn University said she will ask that his trial be held outside of Lee County, where the school is located. Attorney Susan James said she was worried it would be difficult for Desmonte Leonard, 22, to receive a fair trial in Lee County because the slain included two former players, and a current player also was injured. Read more...
Stanford Gets 110 Years for $7B Ponzi Scheme
Former jet-setting Texas tycoon R. Allen Stanford, whose financial empire once spanned the Americas, was sentenced to 110 years in prison for bilking investors out of more than $7 billion over 20 years in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in U.S. history. U.S. District Judge David Hittner handed down the sentence during a court hearing in which two people spoke on behalf of Stanford's investors about how his fraud had affected their lives. Read more...
June 14, 2012
Jury Finds Ex-Police Officer Guilty of Rape
A former Westminster police detective who blamed the antidepressant Zoloft for his behavior was found guilty Wednesday of kidnapping and raping a waitress at gunpoint in a brutal attack, prosecutors said. A San Bernardino County jury will now have to determine whether Marine war veteran Anthony Nicholas Orban was sane at the time of the attack. Read more...
June 13, 2012
Casey Anthony Admits She Was 'Stupid Kid'
An "ashamed" Casey Anthony concedes that interviews given around the time of her arrest and trial make her look "absolutely horrible," but says "even then, that wasn't who I am." Speaking to CNN's Piers Morgan by telephone, Anthony said, "I've looked back at some of the interviews ... in the way that I've come across. It's horrible. It looks absolutely horrible. I'm ashamed in many ways of the person that I was. Because even then, that wasn't who I am." Read more...
Jury to Get 'Stand My Ground' Case
Attorneys for a Texas man who argued the state's version of a stand-your-ground law allowed him to fatally shoot a neighbor after a verbal confrontation at a 2010 party rested their case Tuesday without calling any witnesses. With the end of testimony, jurors had been expected to begin deliberating Raul Rodriguez's fate after closing arguments Tuesday afternoon. But state District Judge David Mendoza delayed closings until Wednesday to give lawyers more time to finalize instructions to the jury. Read more...
Man Found Guilty in Septic Tank Body Case
A jury has convicted a man of aggravated murder and other charges in the death of his estranged wife, who was found strangled in a septic tank in southeast Ohio last year. Hocking County jurors in Logan deliberated for about four hours before returning a verdict in the trial of 27-year-old William Inman II. He could face the death penalty when he's sentenced. His parents also are charged. They are being tried separately in the slaying of his 25-year-old wife, Summer. Read more...
June 08, 2012
Feds Seek 10 Year Sentence for Bulger's Girlfriend
The longtime girlfriend of mobster James "Whitey" Bulger should spend 10 years in prison because she knowingly protected one of the region's most violent criminals for more than 16 years, federal prosecutors said. In a sentencing memo filed in U.S. District Court, prosecutors say Catherine Greig hid Bulger's identity and handled the daily tasks necessary for them to keep a low-profile in Santa Monica, Calif., where the couple was captured last June while living in a rent-controlled apartment. Read more...
Roger Clemens' Wife Takes Stand
Roger Clemens' wife took the stand in her husband's perjury trial late Thursday afternoon, but the bulk of her testimony will take place Friday morning. Clemens is charged with lying to Congress in 2008 when he said he never took performance-enhancing drugs. His former strength coach, Brian McNamee, said he injected Clemens with steroids in 1998, 2000 and 2001 and HGH in 2000. Read more...
Man Gets Life for Killing 2 Men, 10-Year-Old
A Maine man convicted of killing two adults and a 10-year-old boy is going to prison for life. Thayne Ormsby was given three life sentences — one for each murder conviction — in Aroostook County Superior Court in Houlton. The judge added a 15-year sentence on top of the life sentences for Ormsby's arson conviction. Ormsby was convicted in April in the 2010 stabbing deaths of 55-year-old Jeffrey Ryan, his 10-year-old son, Jesse, and family friend Jason Dehahn at Ryan's home in the small northern Maine town of Amity. The jury rejected Ormsby's insanity defense. Read more...
June 07, 2012
Woman Gets Life for Strangling Toddler-Daughter
A central Florida woman has been sentenced to life in prison for strangling her toddler daughter with a bra. A Seminole County jury found 24-year-old Nioshka Bello guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder, and a judge sentenced the woman immediately after that. Authorities say Bello strangled 2-year-old Janessa Sandoval in September 2009 in a Casselberry home. Read more...
June 06, 2012
Prosecutor: Doctor Knew of Prior Drug Deaths
A prosecutor said a California doctor facing rare murder charges in the drug deaths of three men under her care said she knew three previous patients had died from drug overdoses. At a preliminary hearing set to resume Tuesday, Deputy District Attorney John Niedermann cited the other deaths, which he said would show a pattern of behavior by Dr. Hsui-Ying "Lisa" Tseng. Read more...
June 05, 2012
Van der Sloot's Extradition to U.S. Must Wait
Joran van der Sloot's extradition to the United States will not happen until after he serves his sentence for murder in Peru, the country's highest court has ruled. That could be as long as 28 years. But the decision by Peru's Supreme Court is not final, as Peru's justice minister and Cabinet must also approve it, van der Sloot's lawyer said. Read more...
June 04, 2012
George Zimmerman Back in Florida Jail
George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer charged with murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin, surrendered to police and was booked into jail after having his bail revoked two days earlier. Zimmerman's legal team said in a tweet that he was in police custody. Zimmerman's bail was revoked because the judge said he and his wife lied to the court about their finances so he could obtain a lower bond. The Seminole County Sheriff's Office said Zimmerman would be in a cell by himself, separated from the general population, because the case is so high-profile. Read more...
Sandusky to Face Accusers in Sexual Abuse Trial
Seven months after their wrenching allegations of childhood sexual abuse put Penn State University on a world stage, victims will face Jerry Sandusky in court this week. As many as eight young men will confront the retired Penn State assistant football coach from the witness stand in the coming weeks and deliver to a jury their accounts of the abuse they allege he committed over the course of 13 years. After jury selection, set to begin Tuesday and conclude later this week, prosecutors are likely to open their case with the most visceral testimony they have, lawyers familiar with the case say. Read more...
June 02, 2012
Judge Revokes George Zimmerman Bond
A judge has revoked the bond of the neighborhood watch volunteer charged with killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and ordered him returned to jail within 48 hours. Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester said Friday that George Zimmerman misled the court about how much money he had available when his bond was set for $150,000 in April. Prosecutors claim Zimmerman had $135,000 available that had been raised by a website he set up. Read more...
Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Role in Killing
A Maryland man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the shooting death of a Virginia handyman in 2010. Twenty-two-year-old Reynard Prather of Oxon Hill, Md., pleaded guilty in federal court in Alexandria earlier this year to teaming up with two others to try and rob a Centreville man at his home because they expected him to be carrying large sums of cash. When Prather and the other robbers arrived at the home, they ended up confronting a handyman who worked there -- Jose Cardona, a legal immigrant from Guatemala. During a struggle, Cardona was shot and killed. Read more...
June 01, 2012
Edwards Acquitted on 1 Count, Mistrial on Others
John Edwards was acquitted on one charge of campaign finance fraud and a mistrial was declared on five other counts when jurors said they couldn't decide if he illegally used money to hide his pregnant mistress while he ran for president. The monthlong trial exposed a sordid sex scandal that dashed Edwards' White House aspirations in 2008, and the jury's decision came on a confusing day. The judge initially called jurors in to read a verdict on all six counts, before learning that they had only agreed to one. About an hour later, the jury sent the note to the judge saying it had exhausted its discussions. Read more...
May 31, 2012
Judge Won't Delay Sandusky's Sex-Abuse Trial
A judge denied a request from former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky to delay the June 5 start of his child sex-abuse trial. Judge John Cleland, saying no trial date is perfect but that "some dates are better than others," said he would not give defense attorney Joe Amendola more time to prepare his defense. Cleland said starting jury selection on Tuesday would, on balance, protect Sandusky's right to a fair trial, the alleged victims' rights to their day in court, the state's obligation to prosecute promptly and the public's expectation of a swift proceeding. Read more...
May 30, 2012
Whitey Bulger's Defense Wants More Time
The lead attorney for James "Whitey" Bulger pleaded Tuesday to delay the start of his trial, saying the stress of trying to prepare in time to defend the former Boston mobster in November has taken a toll on his health. J.W. Carney Jr. told U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler that it will be "impossible" for him to read hundreds of thousands of documents turned over by prosecutors by Nov. 5, the scheduled trial date. Read more...
Edwards Jury Gets Stern Lecture From Judge
The judge in John Edwards' mistress-and-money trial appeared to scold jurors today, slightly delaying a seventh day of deliberations. Following the long weekend jurors here returned to a closed-door meeting with the judge. It is unclear what jurors did that Judge Catherine Eagles felt compelled to hold a closed door session with them, the second such hearing since Friday. When the court reconvened, Eagles gave a longer than normal speech to the jurors, reminding them to carefully choose their words, and not to discuss the trial in small groups or outside the jury room. Read more...
Dennis Rodman Sentenced in Family Court
Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman was sentenced in family court Tuesday to 104 hours of community service on four counts of contempt for failing to pay child support. Court Commissioner Barry Michaelson also placed Rodman on three years of informal probation. The sentence includes the condition that Rodman pay current child and spousal support obligations. Read more...
May 29, 2012
Tammi Smith Guilty in Baby Gabriel Case
An Arizona woman has been convicted of forgery and conspiracy to commit custodial interference in connection with the Baby Gabriel case. Tammi Smith, who wanted to adopt the child, can face up to 3.75 years each for her felony convictions. Elizabeth Johnson (pictured), the baby's mother, is being held without bond on kidnapping, child abuse and custodial interference charges stemming from the baby's December 2009 disappearance. Read more...
May 26, 2012
Accused Barista Killer Tries to Escape Court
A thump and then a chorus of screams are heard in an audio recording of an attempted escape from court by a man accused of kidnapping and killing an Alaska barista. Israel Keyes was quickly subdued with a stun gun in the federal courtroom in Anchorage after he somehow broke his leg irons Wednesday. But for a few moments, people can be heard screaming and shouting, "Get him!" One woman shouted, "Kill him!" Read more...
Edwards Juror Issue Arises
The judge in the John Edwards trial abruptly closed the courtroom to talk to attorneys about an issue with a juror and sent the panel home after six days of deliberations with a stern warning not to talk about the case. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Eagles did not indicate what the problem was after meeting with prosecutors and defense lawyers for about 35 minutes, but when she reopened the courtroom, she admonished the jury before dismissing them until Tuesday. Read more...
May 25, 2012
Zimmerman, Prosecutors Want Evidence Private
Both sides in the Trayvon Martin murder case want some evidence kept private until trial. Prosecutors and George Zimmerman's attorneys in motions asked a judge to keep statements Zimmerman gave detectives and the names and addresses of witnesses from being publicly released. Both items normally would be part of the public record under Florida law. Read more...
May 24, 2012
Man to Plead in Dittmeyer Case
The New Hampshire attorney general says one of three defendants in the disappearance and death of a Maine mother whose body was found in a ski area pond last year will plead guilty. Attorney General Michael Delaney says Ossipee resident Anthony Papile will enter a plea and be sentenced Thursday. Papile is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Portland, Maine, resident Krista Dittmeyer, whose car was found idling in a ski area parking lot in April 2011 with her 14-month-old child unharmed inside. Read more...
Girlfriend's Texts Blamed for Crash
A New Jersey woman who texted her boyfriend right before he got into a car crash could be held liable, as a judge prepares to rule whether to allow her to be named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a couple injured in the crash. David and Linda Kubert of Dover each lost a leg when Kyle Best, 18 at the time, hit their motorcycle head-on with his pickup truck in 2009 in Montville. The Kuberts' lawyer added Best's girlfriend, Shannon Colonna, to the their existing civil lawsuit against Best, accusing her of contributing to her boyfriend's negligence in the accident, despite not being with him in the car. Read more...
May 23, 2012
'Flint Slasher' Convicted of Murder
A man suspected in a series of fatal stabbings in the Flint, Michigan area has been found guilty of first-degree murder in one of those fatal stabbings. Elias Abuelazam was convicted of the August 2010 murder of Arnold Minor in the first of the cases to go to trial. Under Michigan law, Abuelazam faces life in prison without parole. Read more...
Competency Hearing Requested for Jared Loughner
Attorneys asked a U.S. judge to order a competency hearing for Jared Loughner, accused of killing six people and wounding 13 others including former U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords in a Tucson shooting rampage last year. Prosecutors and defense attorneys, in a joint filing, asked U.S. District Judge Larry Burns to set the status briefing for June 27, nearly three weeks after Loughner's confinement at a federal prison hospital in Missouri is set to expire on June 7. They also requested Loughner, who would not be present at the hearing, remain in custody in the meantime. Read more...
4 Witnesses Change Stories in Trayvon Case
At least four key witnesses have changed their stories about what they saw the night George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., the Orlando Sentinel reported. The report comes after state prosecutors released about half the evidence they have in their second-degree murder case against Zimmerman. The witnesses, known publicly only by numbers, first talked to Sanford police and later to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and state prosecutors. Read more...
May 22, 2012
Dharun Ravi Sentenced to 30 Days in Webcam Case
Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers University student convicted in a webcam spying incident that preceded his gay roommate Tyler Clementi's suicide, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail. Prosecutors and lawyers for Ravi, 20, plan to appeal the sentence. Until then, Ravi remains free. A jury in March convicted Ravi of 15 criminal counts including invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, and witness and evidence tampering. Read more...
Airline Exec Guilty in Child Porn Case
Jurors convicted the founder of a Texas cargo airline on child pornography charges, siding with prosecutors who said he had explicit online chats with undercover officers posing as young teenage girls and collected numerous illegal images. Robert L. Hedrick, who founded Pan American Airways, was found guilty of distribution and possession of child pornography, transfer of obscene materials to a minor, and attempted sexual exploitation of children. He spoke quietly with his lawyers after the verdict was read, but otherwise showed no reaction. Read more...
May 19, 2012
Flint Slasher Trial Testimony Ends
The prosecution wrapped up rebuttal testimony Friday afternoon in the murder trial for accused serial stabber Elias Abuelazam. Abuelazam is charged with murder in the August 2010 stabbing death of Arnold Minor in Flint. Psychologist Dr. Thomas Brewer testified that Abuelazam knowingly stabbed his victims. "There's not a sense of empathy for the victim. 'A person died, they didn't die, but I felt better'," Dr. Brewer testified, while paraphrasing what Abuelazam told him during a psychological evaluation. Read more...
Dershowitz: Drop Zimmerman's Murder Charge
A medical report by George Zimmerman's doctor has disclosed that Zimmerman had a fractured nose, two black eyes, two lacerations on the back of his head and a back injury on the day after the fatal shooting. If this evidence turns out to be valid, the prosecutor will have no choice but to drop the second-degree murder charge against Zimmerman — if she wants to act ethically, lawfully and professionally. Read more...
May 18, 2012
Drew Peterson Trial Set for July
When the trial of a former Illinois policeman for the death of his third wife begins at the end of July, prosecutors will not be able to mention that his fourth wife may also be dead. After three years of court battles, the trial of Drew Peterson for the murder of Kathleen Slavio is scheduled to begin July 23. Former Bolingbrook police sergeant Peterson is also suspected, but not charged, in the death of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. Read more...
'Evil Spirits' Drove the Flint Slasher
Accused serial stabber Elias Abuelazam told a state psychologist that he felt possessed and had to attack people to get "soul-sucking demons" out of him, according to testimony. Both the defense and prosecution presented their experts to say whether Abuelazam was criminally responsible for the attacks. The prosecution expert said Abuelazam was, while the defense expert said he was not. Read more...
Trayvon Martin Shooting 'Ultimately Avoidable'
Prosecutors made public a trove of evidence used to justify murder charges against Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman, including a police report that concluded "the encounter between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin was ultimately avoidable by Zimmerman." An initial review of the evidence, which was provided to Zimmerman's attorney early this week, uncovers documentation that will be helpful to both prosecutors and the defense. Read more...
$2.3 Million Armored Guard Theif Wants Free Lawyer
An armored car guard accused of killing his partner and making off with more than $2 million returned to Pennsylvania to face charges after his arrest last month in Florida. Kenneth Konias Jr., 22, appeared before a federal judge in Pittsburgh and asked for a public defender. He didn't enter a plea. Konias simply answered "yes" to questions from Judge Lisa P. Lenihan, who granted his request for a court-appointed attorney. Read more...
May 17, 2012
Steven Powell Convicted of Voyeurism
A 67-year-old Washington man has been found guilty of voyeurism in a case that was prompted by evidence found during an investigation into the 2009 disappearance of his daughter-in-law, Susan Powell. Steven Powell was convicted of 14 counts of voyeurism stemming from photographs he took of two little girls who were his next door neighbors. Susan Powell has not been seen since she disappeared from her Utah home in December 2009. Read more...
Closing Arguments to Begin in Edwards Trial
Closing arguments are set for Thursday in the corruption trial of John Edwards, after his defense team rested its case without calling the former Democratic presidential candidate's ex-mistress to testify. Attorneys for Edwards also chose not to call his eldest daughter, Cate, and prosecution star witness Andrew Young, a former Edwards campaign aide, before wrapping up their case. The government alleges Edwards "knowingly and willingly" accepted large amounts of money from wealthy campaign donors Fred Baron and Rachel Melon to hide former mistress Rielle Hunter and her pregnancy in an effort to remain a viable candidate in his 2008 presidential campaign. Read more...
May 16, 2012
Dougherty Gang Plead Not Guilty in Georgia
The three siblings accused of committing a cross-country crime spree that started in Florida and ended with a shootout in Colorado were hauled in to court in Georgia to face charges of robbing a bank for cash that helped fuel their escape. The three, 21-year-old Ryan Edward Dougherty, 26-year-old Dylan Stanley-Dougherty and 29-year-old Lee Grace Dougherty, pleaded not guilty to bursting into a Valdosta, Ga., bank and stealing $5,168 to fund their mayhem. Read more...
Doc: Zimmerman Had Broken Nose, Black Eye
A medical report compiled by the family physician of accused Trayvon Martin murderer George Zimmerman and obtained exclusively by ABC News found that Zimmerman was diagnosed with a "closed fracture" of his nose, a pair of black eyes, two lacerations to the back of his head and a minor back injury the day after he fatally shot Martin during an alleged altercation. Read more...
Trial Set for Man Charged in Teen's Death
An Arkansas man accused of killing a 16-year-old girl he met online is slated to go on trial this summer after authorities found her body in a blue, plastic barrel. During a brief hearing, court clerks say Lloyd Jones' trial is scheduled for the week of July 16. Jones has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Angela Allen's death this February. Read more...
May 14, 2012
Ex-Detective Sentenced in Murder Cold Case
A former Los Angeles police detective was sentenced to 27 years to life in prison for murdering the wife of her former lover 26 years ago. Stephanie Lazarus, 52, was found guilty in March of killing Sherri Rasmussen, a nurse who was bludgeoned and shot to death in the condo she shared with her husband of three months, John Ruetten. Rasmussen's mother, sister and widower spoke during the sentencing hearing about their pain and described the victim as a warm, caring and loving person. Read more...
Jurors Acquit Rapper Lil Boosie of Murder
Jurors have acquitted the rapper known as "Lil Boosie" in the 2009 slaying of a man gunned down in his home. They deliberated for an hour before returning the verdict Friday for the 29-year-old rapper, whose real name is Torence Hatch. Before the verdict was read, District Judge Mike Erwin warned those in the courtroom not to make any emotional outbursts. Still, many quietly sobbed after the verdict was announced. Hatch, who stood quietly, bowed his head and pumped his fist when he heard the decision from the 12-person jury. Read more...
May 12, 2012
Balfour Guilty in Hudson Murders
An hour after telling the judge they were split, a Chicago jury returned guilty verdicts against the former brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson for murdering three members of her family in 2008. William Balfour was found guilty of killing her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew. Under Illinois law, Balfour faces mandatory life without parole sentences for the multiple murders. Read more...
May 11, 2012
Hudson Trial: Day 2 Ends Without Verdict
A second day of deliberations ended Thursday evening without a verdict in the trial of a man accused of killing three of Jennifer Hudson's family members. The 12 jurors received the murder case Wednesday afternoon and stopped deliberating about five hours later. Read more...
May 10, 2012
'Flint Slasher' Trial Underway
Defense attorneys offered no opening statement as the murder trial of a man accused in a series of stabbings in the Flint, Michigan area in 2010 got underway. Elias Abuelazam is on trial for the stabbing death of Arnold Minor on Aug. 2, 2010. Minor was killed in front of a motorcycle shop on South Saginaw on Flint's south side. Read more...
Jury Begins Deliberations in Hudson Trial
Jurors began deliberating Wednesday in the trial of a man accused of killing the mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew of entertainer Jennifer Hudson. Heated closing arguments set a tense tone in the courtroom before the judge sent the 12-person jury into deliberations. The singer-actress kept her head down during much of Cook County prosecutor Jennifer Bagby's dramatic closing argument. Read more...
John Edwards Called Liar at Trial
The speechwriter called him a liar. The campaign flack did, too. Even John Edwards's own defense attorney repeatedly told a packed federal courtroom that his client had lied. The one person, though, who struggled most to come to grips with Edwards's mendacity was a headstrong woman who could not be there as prosecutors neared the conclusion of their federal election law case against the former presidential candidate: his wife, Elizabeth, who died of cancer in December 2010. Read more...
Zimmerman's Not Guilty Plea Accepted
George Zimmerman's not-guilty plea on a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin was accepted Tuesday afternoon at his Sanford, Fla., court arraignment, which the defendant did not attend. Judge Kenneth R. Lester set a date for a docket sounding 8:30 a.m., Aug. 8. That's when a trial date will be set unless Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, asks for a continuance. Zimmerman remains free after posting $150,000 bond. Read more...
May 07, 2012
Steve Powell's Porn Trial to Begin
The voyeurism and child-pornography charges Steve Powell is facing as his trial begins Monday in Tacoma have nothing to do with the horrific murder-suicide of his son Josh and Josh Powell's two young boys. Nor are they about the bizarre disappearance of Josh Powell's wife, Susan, from their Utah home in 2009. But Susan Powell's relatives hope the trial will shed light on those tragedies. Read more...
Judge Assigned Drew Peterson Case
Drew Peterson, a suburban Chicago police officer charged in the death of one of his ex-wives, left jail for the first time in almost two years for a court hearing in his long delayed murder trial. At the hearing, Peterson's case was assigned to Will County Associate Judge Edward Burmila. Brodsky said he expects to start the trial in the next 60 to 90 days. Read more...
May 04, 2012
Jury Selected in Flint Slasher Case
A jury has been selected in the first Michigan murder trial for a man accused of a deadly series of stabbings. After two days of screening candidates, lawyers and a judge returned to court Thursday and settled on 12 people and four alternates. Opening statements are set for Tuesday in the trial of Elias Abuelazam. The 35-year-old native of Israel is charged with killing Arnold Minor in summer 2010. He was the last stabbing victim before Abuelazam was captured at an Atlanta airport. Read more...
May 03, 2012
Balfour Asked Witness to Alibi Him
A witness in the Jennifer Hudson family murders trial said the accused killer asked her to provide him an alibi for the day of the shootings. Brittany Acoff Howard testified that William Balfour asked her to cover for him for Oct. 24, 2008, the day Hudson's family members were killed. Read more...
Edwards' Daughter Leaves Trial in Tears
John Edwards' daughter left the courtroom crying during testimony on Wednesday about a confrontation between her father and deceased mother over the one-time presidential candidate's extra-marital affair. Former Edwards aide Christina Reynolds was testifying about an argument Elizabeth Edwards had with her husband on the day in October 2007 that a tabloid published a story about his affair. As Reynolds was beginning the account about what happened at the Raleigh airport, Edwards turned to his daughter Cate, who was seated in the front row. Read more...
May 01, 2012
Dougherty Gang Gets Long Prison Terms
The three Florida siblings who launched a nine-day crime spree in an effort to help their sex-offender brother start a new life in another country will not be seeing daylight for many years. The 'Dougherty Gang' received long sentences in Colorado state court and will face even more jail time in Georgia and Florida. Lee-Grace Dougherty, 29; Dylan Stanley-Dougherty 27; and Ryan Dougherty, 22; were sentenced on multiple charges in Walsenburg, Colorado. Read more...
Drifter Heads to Trial in Michigan Stabbing Spree
An Israeli-born drifter goes to trial for the first time since Flint's shocking summer of 2010, when as many as 14 people were stabbed in the area, five fatally. Elias Abuelazam is charged with killing a 49-year-old man whose body was found in the middle of a busy street, one of three murders and six attempted murders he's accused of in Genesee County. Read more...
Zimmerman's Lawyer Wants to Delay Document Release
The lawyer for the neighborhood watch volunteer charged with second-degree murder for shooting Trayvon Martin wants to delay the release of documents in the case. Attorney Mark O'Mara said on his website Monday that he's concerned that making the documents public without certain protections for witnesses could pose a threat to their safety. Read more...
Judge Releases Jennifer Hudson's Sister's 911 Call
Moments after finding her mother's body, the sister of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson sobs as she pleads for help in a disturbing 911 recording released to the news media. "Oh my God.... Somebody's killed my mother," Julia Hudson says, while a dispatcher tries to get her to calm down and repeat her address. "She's on the floor and I see blood coming from her head." Read more...
April 26, 2012
William Balfour Appears to Cry in Court
William Balfour, on trial for the murder of Jennifer Hudson's family, appeared to cry Wednesday in court when prosecutors displayed graphic photographs of the youngest victim, Hudson's 7-year-old nephew. It was the third day of testimony in the trial and the first time Hudson's brother-in-law, William Balfour, has appeared to show any emotion. Balfour dabbed his eyes with a tissue in view of the jury as pictures of the blood-soaked body of Julian King appeared on a large courtroom screen. Read more...
April 24, 2012
Jennifer Hudson Testifies in Murder Trial
Actress and singer Jennifer Hudson broke down in tears as the first witness called in the trial of the man accused of killing her mother, brother and nephew. She told jurors that no one in her family wanted her sister to marry the defendant, William Balfour. Balfour is facing three charges of first-degree murder in connection with the October 2008 deaths. Read more...
George Zimmerman Back Into Hiding
George Zimmerman, who slipped out of jail on $150,000 bail in the early morning darkness, went back into hiding Monday and likely fled to another state to avoid threats as he awaits his second-degree murder trial for the killing of Trayvon Martin. Later Monday, the Sanford City Commission rejected by a 3-2 vote the resignation of Police Chief Bill Lee, who was roundly criticized for not initially charging Zimmerman and had stepped down temporarily in March he said to let emotions cool. Read more...
April 23, 2012
Video Shows Injuries to George Zimmerman's Head
Video purportedly shot minutes after George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin to death shows heavy bleeding on his scalp, lending possible credence to his claims he killed the teen in self-defense. ABC aired the exclusive video on "Good Morning America" hours before Zimmerman appeared before a judge who ruled he could be freed on bond while he awaits trial on a second degree murder charge. Read more...
Judge Sets Zimmerman Bond at $150,000
A Florida judge set bond at $150,000 for the release of George Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin. Judge Kenneth R. Lester, Jr. said Zimmerman would not be released immediately and that he would be monitored electronically via GPS. The terms of the bond include a curfew and no alcohol or guns. Also, Zimmerman must be in touch with authorities every three days. The judge wouldn't rule on whether Zimmerman would be allowed to leave the state. Read more...
Woman Going on Trial in 2009 Killings
Sneaky breast implants. Naked amputees. The Batmobile. There are plenty of bizarre elements in the murder case against Narcy Novack, 54, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. But they're unlikely to overshadow the grisly killings of her millionaire husband and his mother, which Novack allegedly orchestrated to get her hands on the family estate. Read more...
April 20, 2012
Judge Steps Down From Trayvon Case
Two judges have recused themselves from presiding over the murder trial of a Neighborhood Watch volunteer who is accused of shooting an unarmed teenager. Judge Jessica Recksiedler, who was assigned the case, stepped down citing a possible conflict of interest in the trial of George Zimmerman for the death of Trayvon Martin. The next judge in line to get the case, Judge John D. Galluzzo, also cited a conflict in recusing himself from the trial. Read more...
April 19, 2012
Judge Steps Down From George Zimmerman Case
The Florida judge who had been assigned to preside over George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial announced that she would recuse herself from the proceedings. Circuit Court Judge Jessica Recksiedler issued a statement saying that she would step down from the case. Earlier this week, Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, made a motion requesting the judge recuse herself based, in part, on her husband's professional relationship with Mark NeJame, a CNN legal analyst who has publicly commented on the case and was previously approached about representing Zimmerman. Read more...
April 17, 2012
Sentencing Date Set for George Huguely
The fate of convicted murderer and former University of Virginia lacrosse player George Huguely V will be decided in a formal sentencing on Aug. 30, a Virginia judge ruled. In February, a jury recommended that a judge sentence Huguely to 26 years in prison for the beating death of ex-girlfriend and classmate Yeardley Love. The judge can either confirm or lessen the sentence, but he cannot increase it. Read more...
Zimmerman Lawyer Asks for New Judge
The lawyer for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer charged with killing Trayvon Martin, has asked the judge in the case to step down, citing a potential conflict of interest. NBC News confirmed that Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, filed the request on Monday to disqualify Judge Jessica J. Recksiedler in Seminole County Circuit Court. Read more...
April 11, 2012
Jury Finalized in Hudson Trial
The suspect in the killing of singer Jennfir Hudson's family members tried to get a former girlfriend to provide him with a false alibi for the day that the murders occurred. According to court papers, William Balfour solicited the false alibi from Brittany Acoff-Howard, who now lives in South Carolina. Read more...
April 10, 2012
Jurors Seated in Hudson Family Murder Trial
The first full day of jury selection in the Chicago trial of the man accused of killing singer and actress Jennifer Hudson's family ended without the seating of a full jury. William Balfour is accused of killing Hudson's mother, brother and nephew. The 30-year-old Balfour faces a maximum life sentence if convicted. Fourteen people were selected to be among the 12 jurors and six alternates after nine hours of interviewing potential jurors one by one. Read more...
April 09, 2012
Jennifer Hudson Plays Key Role in Murder Trial
To sit in judgment of William Balfour, would-be jurors must reveal everything they know about singer Jennifer Hudson, including whether they watched her on "American Idol," saw her star-making turn in "Dreamgirls" or read her new book. They even must say whether they belong to Weight Watchers, the diet program for which Hudson has been a spokeswoman for several years. About 150 prospective jurors were asked to make such revelations in a 26-page questionnaire that will help the defense and prosecution select the people to decide Balfour's fate. Read more...
Jurors in Hudson Case Asked About Singer
Jennifer Hudson takes center stage in a questionnaire that potential jurors are being asked to fill out to determine if they will be allowed to decide whether or not a man is guilty in the slayings of the singer's mother, brother and nephew. Nine of the 66 questions released to The Associated Press and other media outlets dealt with Hudson's career in movies, television and as an author. Read more...
April 04, 2012
O.J.'s Lawyer Trying to Get Paid
A Las Vegas lawyer who represented O.J. Simpson in the Nevada trial that led to the celebrity football star's conviction on armed robbery and kidnapping charges is suing Simpson's Florida-based lead attorney in the case, claiming he was stiffed on promised fees. Gabriel Grasso alleges in a civil breach of contract lawsuit that he was promised $250,000 to serve as local attorney following Simpson's arrest in September 2007. But he said Yale Galanter only paid him $15,000. Read more...
March 30, 2012
Judge Delays Sandusky Sex-Abuse Trial 3 Weeks
The judge overseeing former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's child sexual abuse case delayed the start of the trial by three weeks to early June, and prosecutors filed a lengthy court document that said the case should not be dismissed. Judge John Cleland said the additional time was needed "to accommodate various logistical contingencies that have arisen," and the attorney general's office supported the postponement. Read more...
March 23, 2012
Killer of New Jersey Cop Gets Life
On the day a 20-year-old was sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing a New Jersey police officer, the slain patrolman's mother yearned for the kind of Old Testament justice New Jersey courts can no longer provide: an eye for an eye. "He should get the same treatment he gave Christopher," said Jane Calaio, whose son, Christopher Matlosz, was shot to death behind the wheel of his police cruiser on Jan. 14, 2011. Read more...
Lawyer Seeks Dismissal of Charges Against Sandusky
Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky asked a judge to throw out the child sex abuse charges against him, arguing some counts are not specific enough, evidence is lacking in others and the statute of limitations may have run out regarding eight of the 10 alleged victims. The catch-all pretrial motion also sought to delay the May 14 start of Sandusky's trial, saying more time was needed to prepare a defense. Read more...
Teen Planned to Rob British Tourists
Jurors in the trial of a Florida teen accused of killing two British tourists watched the teen mumble his way through an interview with police detectives and insist that he hadn't left his home the evening of the April 2011 murders. Shawn Tyson, 17, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Defense attorneys have said there was no evidence tying him to the crime and that witnesses testifying against him were not credible. Read more...
March 21, 2012
Sandusky Prosecutors Must Turn Over Contacts
Pennsylvania prosecutors were ordered to turn over to Jerry Sandusky's lawyer the phone numbers and addresses of those who have accused the former Penn State assistant football coach of sexually abusing them as children. That includes their phone numbers and addresses back when the crimes are alleged to have occurred. It was a pretrial win for Sandusky's lawyer Joe Amendola, who argued in a filing late last week that it would be very difficult for defense investigators to locate and try to interview them without first getting contact information from prosecutors. Read more...
March 17, 2012
Rutgers Student Convicted in Webcam Spying Case
A former Rutgers University student accused of using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate's love life was convicted of all counts in a case that exploded into the headlines when the victim of the snooping committed suicide by throwing himself off a bridge. Indian-born Dharun Ravi, 20, shook his head slightly after the guilty verdicts were read for all 15 counts, including bias intimidation, a hate crime, and invasion of privacy. Read more...
March 16, 2012
Gang Member Gets Death in Mistaken ID Killing
A San Gabriel Valley gang member has been sentenced to death for killing two people in Whittier, including a man who was stabbed in a case of mistaken identity. Thirty-nine-year-old Gabriel Ronquillo was sentenced for murder with special circumstances. Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Randy Fruto says the judge rejected a motion for a new trial. He says Ronquillo didn't make any statement to the court. Read more...
Trial Starts for NYC Cop Accused of Rape
Opening remarks have begun in the trial of an off-duty New York Police Department officer accused of raping a teacher in upper Manhattan. Prosecutors described how a drunken Michael Pena threatened the woman with his gun and sexually attacked her on the morning of Aug. 19. The defense admitted the assault happened, but said evidence did not prove that Pena had raped the victim. Pena is currently being held on Rikers Island on $500,000 bail. Read more...
March 14, 2012
Sandusky's Attorney Vows to Seek Dismissal
A lawyer for former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky vowed to seek a dismissal of child sex abuse charges against his client after a judge refused to force prosecutors to provide more details on the allegations. Judge John Cleland rejected attorney Joe Amendola's request for more information such as exact dates of the purported molestations, details that Amendola said were crucial to building a defense against 52 counts of sexual abuse. Read more...
March 13, 2012
Crime Boss's Companion to Admit Hiding Him
The longtime companion of James "Whitey" Bulger will change her plea to guilty and admit to helping harbor the alleged Boston crime boss as he evaded authorities for 16 years, according to court documents made public. Catherine E. Greig, 60 years old, is expected to say in court later this week that she helped Mr. Bulger avoid capture by using a variety of aliases and stolen identities, according to one of the court documents that was signed by Ms. Greig earlier this month. Read more...
March 10, 2012
Whitey's Girlfriend Rethinking Plea Deal?
The brother of one of reputed mobster James "Whitey" Bulger's alleged murder victims says he's been told by a representative for federal prosecutors in Boston that Bulger's girlfriend Catherine Greig is considering pleading guilty to helping Bulger evade capture. Steven Davis said a federal victim advocate told him that Greig's lawyers indicated she's considering pleading guilty without a plea bargain and prosecutors asked victims' relatives to meet with them Monday. Read more...
March 09, 2012
Ex-Detective Found Guilty in Cold-Case Murder
A former Los Angeles police detective was found guilty of the 26-year-old murder of the wife of her former lover in a case that hinged on a single piece of evidence — DNA from a bite mark on the victim's arm. The first-degree murder conviction came after a three-week trial that included testimony from a forensic expert who said the DNA was a match to defendant Stephanie Lazarus. Read more...
March 07, 2012
Casey Anthony's Civil Trial Delay Denied
A Florida judge has denied a request by Casey Anthony's attorneys to delay her upcoming civil trial for defamation. Judge Lisa Munyon rejected the delay motion and ordered the trial to begin on April 10 as scheduled. Anthony is being sued by a woman named Zenaida Gonzalez who claims her reputation has been ruined. Read more...
February 24, 2012
Judge Grants Gabe Watson Acquittal
Before the defense presented a single witness, a judge dismissed all charges against an Alabama man accused of killing his wife on a honeymoon diving trip to Australia. Judge Tommy Nail granted a defense motion for acquittal of the murder charges against Gabe Watson for the death of his wife Tina. In 2008, Watson pleaded guilty to Australian manslaughter charges and served time in prison in the same case. Read more...
February 23, 2012
Huguely Guilty of Yeardley Love Murder
Jurors deliberated about nine hours before finding a former University of Virginia lacrosse player guilty of murder. George Huguely V was found guilty of second-degree murder in the beating death of his former girlfriend Yeardley Love in her Charlottesville apartment. Love, a member of the Virginia women's lacrosse team, was found face down on a bloody pillow in her bed on May 3, 2010. Read more...
February 22, 2012
Jury to Get George Huguely Case
Jurors in former University of Virginia lacrosse player George Huguely V's murder trial will begin deliberations to decide the 24-year-old's fate and two legal experts have told ABCNews.com that it is possible that Huguely could be free by the end of the week. Huguely faces six charges, including first-degree murder, in the death of former girlfriend Yeardley Love. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. Read more...
February 17, 2012
Dougherty Gang Takes Plea Deal
The two brothers of the former fugitive Dougherty Gang have joined their sister in pleading guilty to reduced charges in connection with their failed high-speed attempt to avoid law enforcement in Colorado. Ryan Dougherty, 21, and Dylan Stanley-Dougherty, 26, entered pleas in Huerfano County court. A week ago, Lee Grace Dougherty, 29, pleaded guilty to lesser charges after prosecutors agreed to drop attempted murder charges. Read more...
February 16, 2012
Gabe Watson Weeps at Diving Murder Trial
As Gabe Watson struggled to save his wife during their fateful Queensland dive he thought other divers in the vicinity would think "something odd was going on", Watson told Townsville detectives. The police interview was played to the jury on the third day of Watson's murder trial in Birmingham, Alabama. He wept in court as he listened to a portion of the police interview where he recalled the moment he was told attempts to resuscitate his wife failed. Read more...
February 15, 2012
Yeardley Love Died of Blow to Head
University of Virginia lacrosse player Yeardley Love likely died about two hours after suffering a blow to the head that prosecutors say was inflicted by the young woman's former boyfriend, A brain expert testified. George Huguely V, 24, is accused of killing Love, 22, in 2010 in what authorities claim was the drunken culmination of a tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship between the fellow senior lacrosse players at the university. Prosecutors said Love suffered brain trauma when Huguely slammed her head against a wall. Read more...
February 11, 2012
Rockefeller Impersonator Pleads Not Guilty
Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a German-born man known for impersonating a Rockefeller, pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles County court to a charge of murder. He is accused of killing his landlady's son, who disappeared in the mid-1980s and whose bones were discovered nine years later in the backyard of what had been his mother's Southern California home. Read more...
February 10, 2012
Lee Grace Dougherty Pleads Guilty
One of three fugitive Dougherty siblings who were the focus of a nationwide search last summer will have to serve at least nine years in prison after pleading guilty in Colorado to reduced charges. Lee Grace Dougherty, 29, pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of attempted first-degree assault and two counts of felony menacing. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop 21 other charges. Read more...
February 07, 2012
Ex-Lacrosse Player Pleads Not Guilty
Jury selection is under way in the trial of a University of Virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, who played on the women's team. tHE 24-year-old George Huguely V of Chevy Chase, Md., pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges. Twelve jurors and three alternates are to be selected from 160 people. Read more...
February 06, 2012
Virginia Lacrosse Murder Trial Set to Begin
In the nearly two years since a University of Virginia lacrosse player was charged with killing his ex-girlfriend, it's become easier for possible abuse victims to get a restraining order and students must tell the school if they've ever been arrested. Those are the most concrete policy changes since the May 2010 death of Yeardley Love, who played on the women's lacrosse team. School officials and students also have tried to make the culture on campus one in which people look out for each other and aren't afraid to report relationship violence. Read more...
January 23, 2012
Katrina Officer Headed to Trial
Twenty New Orleans police officers have been charged in a series of probes by the Justice Department's civil rights division since 2010. A retired sergeant who was assigned to investigate deadly police shootings on a bridge after Hurricane Katrina will be the last of those officers to get his day in court. A trial is scheduled to start Monday for Gerard Dugue, who is charged with participating in a cover-up to make it appear police were justified in shooting six unarmed people, killing two, on the Danziger Bridge less than a week after the 2005 storm. Read more...
'Rockefeller' Jurors Hear About Bloodstains
A forensic scientist testifying in the murder case against a man who posed as an heir to the Rockefeller fortune said she found four bloodstains in the Southern California guesthouse where the suspect lived. Criminalist Lynne Herold gave the testimony in a preliminary hearing to determine whether Christian Gerhartsreiter should stand trial for the death of John Sohus, whose remains were found at his former home in San Marino in 1994, nearly 10 years after he and his wife vanished. Read more...
