Attorneys for Ariel Castro, the man accused of kidnapping and imprisoning three women and a child for periods ranging from six to eleven years, say he will plead not guilty to the kidnapping and rape charges he faces. Strangely, they also seem to admit that Castro fathered the six-year-old child found with Amanda Berry and two other women last week, telling WKYC-TV that Castro loves his child “dearly.” (Photo via The Guardian) source
Dr. Kermit Gosnell was found guilty of murder on Monday, for killing three babies during supposed late-term abortion procedures he performed at a clinic which serves low-income women in Philadelphia. He was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, and 21 counts of performing an abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Gosnell faces the death penalty for his crimes, and sentencing is expected next week. (Update: Clarified wording based on newer version of the story. — Scott @ SFB; Photo via MicahFries.com) source
Editor’s Note — We’ve updated the post to include official figures from the Pentagon’s report. — Scott @ SFB
They don’t find people who go missing, you know. I’m at a loss for words.Cleveland resident Kayla Rogers • Expressing utter surprise that a childhood friend of hers, Gina DeJesus, was found—alive—along with two other women who went missing during the period between 2002 and 2004. DeJesus, the youngest of the three women, went missing when she was just 14. Amanda Berry was only 17 when she went missing after her shift at Burger King, and Michelle Knight, then 22, was last seen at a cousin’s home. The three women, now 23, 27 and 32, respectively, were found in the home of 52-year-old Ariel Castro, who was arrested in the wake of the discovery. Police found the women after Berry called police Monday afternoon. Too soon to know all the details, but this has some serious shades of the Jaycee Dugard story.
A North Korean court has sentenced the US citizen Kenneth Bae to 15 years’ hard labour after finding him guilty of unspecified “hostile acts” against the state, in a move possibly intended to force concessions from Washington.
Bae was arrested in November 2012 in Rason, a special economic zone in North Korea’s far north-eastern region bordering China and Russia. His trial at the country’s supreme court began on Tuesday, according to the official KCNA news agency, which referred to Bae as Pae Jun-ho, the North Korean rendering of his name. The sentence was announced on Thursday.
Bae, a tour operator who lives in the Seattle suburb of Lynnwood, was accused of attempting to overthrow the government, a crime that carries a possible death penalty. In its latest dispatch KCNA did not state the exact nature of his alleged crimes.
Though he was born in South Korea, Bae is a naturalized U.S. citizen who has apparently made several trips to North Korea in the past via his travel agency Nation Tours. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.
Three new suspects were taken into custody in the investigation of last month’s deadly Boston Marathon bombing and will face charges of interfering with the probe, not planning or carrying out the attack, police and a U.S. law enforcement source said on Wednesday.
Two of the suspects were university classmates of 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who has been criminally charged with planting homemade pressure-cooker bombs at the marathon finish line on April 15 along with his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
The U.S. law enforcement source said that two of the suspects are being held by immigration officials for violating the terms of their visas. The source said they are likely to face charges related to obstruction of justice and with making false statements to investigators.
Big new development in the criminal investigation of last month’s Boston Marathon bombing.
The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) is currently investigating Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann’s 2012 presidential campaign, on suspicion of improper usage of campaign funds, according to a new report from The Daily Beast. While Rep. Bachmann is not believed to have personally committed any criminal actions, investigators are trying to ascertain whether or not Bachmann was aware of under-the-table payments to several advisers and, if so, when she became aware of the cash transfers. While OCE has no real enforcement powers of any kind, the board does make direct recommendations to the House Ethics Committee, though we don’t suspect the threat of censure (a.k.a a stern talking to from Congress) particularly frightens Rep. Bachmann. (Photo via Gage Skidmore) source
The Indian Parliament’s lower house passed a landmark law Tuesday that sets tougher penalties for rapists and police who refuse to file a woman’s complaint of rape, as well as criminalizing sexual offenses such as stalking, voyeurism and acid attacks.
The amendments to the existing law incorporate some of the sweeping changes that were demanded after the fatal gang rape of a young paramedical student in New Delhi in December, an incident that sparked a nationwide outcry against the lack of safety for women.
Despite the unprecedented protests that galvanized tens of thousands of Indians, the number of incidents of sexual assault has not diminished.
Those convicted of sexual assault in India will now face the death penalty in cases where their victim(s) dies or is left in a permanently vegetative state, and mandatory minimum sentences have been raised to 20 years in prison (formerly 7-10 years). Government approval will no longer be needed to pursue charges against policemen, government officials, politicians, or judges either; however, the legislation fails to address cases of marital rape or sex crimes committed by members of the Indian military. Still, it’s pretty hard not to look at today’s changes as signs of progress.
Women who report domestic violence are exposing themselves to arrest under a new NYPD directive that orders cops to run criminal checks on the accused and the accuser, The Post has learned.
The memo by Chief of Detectives Phil Pulaski requires detectives to look at open warrants, complaint histories and even the driving records of both parties.
“You have no choice but to lock them up” if the victims turn out to have warrants, including for minor offenses like unpaid tickets, a police source said.
We’re not entirely certain who thought this up, but definitely count us among the crowd of folks who think this is a terrible idea. We understand that situations like these might seem like excellent opportunities to catch elusive criminals, but giving people any reason to second-guess calling for help in domestic violence situations doesn’t sound like a particularly great idea. Traffic tickets don’t hold the same value as people’s lives. Thoughts?
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Despite high expectations that his defense team would enter a “not guilty by reason of insanity” plea, Judge William Sylvester was forced to enter a “not guilty” plea on behalf of James Holmes on charges related to last summer’s Century 17 theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado. While Holmes’ attorneys objected to the judge’s decision, prosecutors welcomed the plea, saying that Holmes and his team “had eight months to get to this point.” Prosecutors will announce on April 1 whether or not they intend to seek the death penalty, and the trial is currently scheduled to begin August 5, 2013. (Photo via RJ Sangosti/Denver Post) source
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is reviewing a lieutenant general’s decision to overturn a guilty verdict in a sexual assault case.
Hagel wrote in a letter to Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) that he told the Air Force secretary and Pentagon lawyers to review the case after Lt. Col. James Wilkerson’s guilty verdict was dismissed by Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin.
While he’s called for a review of the case, Sec. Hagel was also quick to remind reporters that he has no legal authority to overturn the decision himself; however, many on Capitol Hill are hopeful that this will be a first step towards overhauling the Pentagon’s existing policies for investigating/prosecuting cases of sexual assault.
Lawyers acting for George Zimmerman, who shot dead the unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin on a Florida housing estate, have abandoned their attempt to have his murder charge thrown out on the grounds of self-defence.
Neighbourhood watch leader Zimmerman, 29, had been expected to claim immunity from prosecution at a hearing in April under the state’s stand-your-ground law, which allows for the use of deadly force when a person feels their life is in danger.
But in a surprise move, his lawyer, Mark O’Mara, told a judge that the defence would take its chances at Zimmerman’s trial in June for second-degree murder. He said he still intended to pursue the argument that his client was acting in self-defence in February 2012 under a violent onslaught from 17-year-old Martin.
To be clear, Zimmerman is maintaining his innocence, saying that the death of Trayvon Martin was an act of self-defense; however, he will now face a jury trial instead of potentially being granted immunity by Judge Debra Nelson. George Zimmerman’s trial is scheduled to begin on June 10, 2013.
Ridiculous Story of the Day: A California high school student set up a sting operation to catch a locker thief at Linden High School, only to discover one of her teachers was actually the one guilty of taking students’ money. Naturally, after she showed the footage to her principal, he asked her to delete the footage. Yes, really. (ht Gawker) source
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