Police Stun Gun Kills Teen

"Police tried to calm the teen, but Holyfield became combative, according to the statement. Officers fired the stun gun at him after he ignored their warnings, then fired again when he continued struggling, police said. "

Heavy Handed

Can the FBI bring finesse to a solve a minor situation? Apparently not.

A doctorate student who is studying computer security read about a long known flaw in airport security. It has long been known that people can make fake boarding passes. So what does the guy do? He proves the theory and sets up a web page with script so that anyone can use it.

He puts a link to it on his blog and gets all sorts of publicity. The FBI came by and ordered him to take it down. By the time he could get somewhere to do it the government had already killed the site.

Okay, up to this point the reaction is proportionate.

The next thing the FBI did was raid the student's house in the middle of the night. The student was spending the night elsewhere so he doesn't know when it happened exactly (the FBI broke in), but the warrant was signed at 2 am. They took all the computers in the apartment and tossed the apartment.

Why? Is this guy such a terrible threat that the FBI needed to hit his house at night? Aren't there drug dealers or others (ooh, say real terrorists) for which they could reserve that tactic? Granted, the kid could have destroyed "evidence" (it's not like he denied doing this) but if he were going to do that he could have easily destroyed all his hard drives between the 7 pm when they let him go and the post 2 am raid. If there was going to be evidence it would have been there when they dropped by the next afternoon.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program

Sorry I haven't put anything up for a couple days. I spent from Sunday morning until about 7 pm Monday in bed sleeping in a fevered state. A half pound of BC powder later, I think I'm better today. If I collapse at work today I'll make sure to let ya'll know.

The Country's Most Dangerous Cities...

The AP has posted the findings of a ranking of America's MOST (and least) DANGEROUS cities.

"The list starts with the safest cities and ends with the most dangerous. Only cities that reported crime rates were included in the list. For example, New Orleans was not included this year because its police department did not report figures."

Richmond, VA (my hometown) is listed at #357 out of 371. Take THAT, Camden, NJ!

Is just being ‘Snoop Dogg’ enough to give police probable cause to search?

There is a gap in this story about why the police searched the Rapper. Police initially approached him about a parking violation and then the story says, ‘"An investigation revealed him to be in possession of marijuana and a firearm.” What? I suspect this ‘revelation’ had to do with a search initiated on the grounds that he is a known pot user and glorifies it.

Judiciary Under Fire

O'Connor: Don't call us 'activist judges'

Wanna see what crime takes place around the White House?

Here's a map which breaks it all down.

With credit to the Washington Post.

Drug Dealers with Top Secret Docs

It's good to know that drug dealers are now taking part in our national security.

Proof that Elmo is evil. He's a drug mule.

Nurse anesthetist poisoned rival because she stole her boyfriend back in high school some 30 years ago

Bitterness from high school that lasts 30 years is amazing. Still, it’s not unbelievable, high school does things to people.

Woman convicted of Midlothian hit-and-run death

"It was an accident -- a tragic accident"

This is just one the saddest stories I’ve read in a while. On one hand you have the poor 51 year old man that was hit and died on the side of the road. On the other hand you have the alcoholic woman that did the slaying. There is some stuff in this story that makes me feel bad for this woman, but in the end she really should be in jail.

Sheriff's department confirms the presence of Shaquille O'Neal at mistaken child porn raid

So Shaq wants to be a police officer in Bedford County, Virginia? Holy hell, criminals beware. Now, I imagine Shaq wont be working at the basic street level, but can you imagine getting pulled over and Shaq comes to the window and asks for your license and registration? It would be like seeing a ghost or the loch ness monster.

Disturbing Things You Hear in a Courthouse

I was in the hall outside the primary felony courtroom on the day probation violations are being heard. I can see a man in an orange suit standing in front of the judge. He's pretty obviously getting tagged hard.

There's a maybe 4 year old kid in the hall who is fussing and making noise. The mother is trying to quiet the kid and looking exasperated. Finally, she almost yells at the kid "You know what the judge is doing to your father because of how you're acting?"

Every time I think I've seen how low humanity can descend someone comes along and proves me wrong. How do you do that to a kid?

Pressuring the Coach

My favorite new TV show this year is Friday Night Lights. It's about a brand new high school football coach who got the job at a program which was a shoe in for the Texas State championship and what happens when the quarterback who was going to take them to it is seriously and permanently injured, leaving the team in chaos. The show's on NBC, Tuesday night at 8 pm or you can see the latest episode at NBC.com. It's a shame that NBC isn't offering all the episodes because you really need to watch it from the beginning.

Anyway, you ask, what's that got to do with criminal law? I'm glad you asked.

The coach in Friday Night Lights is under crushing pressure but nobody has drawn a gun on him like one parent did to this coach. I guess they take their football a little more serious in Pennsylvania than they do in Texas.

'Catch me before I kill again,' suspect taunted

I might be wrong on this, but doesn’t the killer in the Dirt Harry movie “The Dead Pool” use the same line?

Fire chief, 3 volunteers charged with arson

Anyone that lives in a town with volunteer firefighters knows this is a danger. This actually happened a few years ago in my hometown. I remember riding by the fire station after work and watching all the volunteers just setting around, waiting for something to happen. And when it didn’t, they started burning down abandoned barns. What else is there to do on a Friday night?

Boy can make circumcision decision

See, I knew O.J. didn’t do it – it’s those damned underpaid backlogged LA forensic analysts.

LAPD backlogged on DNA samples and fingerprint analysis.

Stealing Coke’s secret formula: If Coke and Pepsi can get along, can’t we all?

It was Pepsi that brought the scheme to the attention of Coke and federal authorities.

40 year old man on his way from Seattle to Alberta ends up in Denver with no memory

This bizarre story is straight out of the Twilight Zone. This poor man wondered the streets of Denver with no idea about anything.

Don’t spit in a cop’s food – or don’t let him see you – just don’t do it

The offending spitter is a 19 year old named Homer Disher and he has confirmed my worst fears about Waffle House.

John Hinckley Jr. can visit aged parents

another famous ‘outlaw’

Exhuming the remains of Billy the Kid

Famous American outlaws inspire fascination we all want to condemn. We want to condemn them because we know there were real people (who we don’t remember) that were victimized by these ‘legends.’ It seems we realize this without wanting to really acknowledge it. Our culture edges right up to the line of fascination that borders on praise, but then restrains in the name of good taste. I suppose we have always been this way – Why?

“If one can't be a great artist or a great soldier, the next best thing is to be a great criminal.” Edgar Jepson and Maurice Leblanc

Prosecutor Wants a Retrial on a Guilty Finding

Here is a truly interesting case wherein a man is sentenced to death by the jury, the defense asks for a retrial and shows that a juror knew about the defendant's prior murder conviction, the prosecutor then joins the motion for a new trial, the defense then withdraws its motion, the judge finds the juror in contempt and changes the death sentence to life in prison, and finally the prosecutor tries for a new trial.

Cameras on Tasers

A good idea.

Can anybody find the video for this?

Speech by a Murderer

I saw a video segment about this guy's speech on Lexington's local news and have been looking for either a video or transcript of it. This channel claims to have it but when I click thru I get a neighborhood watch bit.

The whole thing looks interesting and I really want to see if he talks about confessing and recanting in order to get rid of his PD.

I know People Fall for These Things, But I Always Wonder Why

**********************************************
Part time Job Offer
************************************************

My name is Kayode Martin. I just came about your email address through an email listing affiliated with the US Chamber of Commerce and I would be very interested in offering you a part-time paying job in which you could earn allot without quitting your present Job or having problem with your employers.

I am a man with 4 kids all boys and the love of my life, my wife. I am a some what multitalented man and I do quite a lot of traveling and get to meet quite a lot of people.

I just resigned my job as a research scientist for ARINI (Agricultural research Institute of Northern Ireland ) but I still work as a freelance consultant for the institute which gives me very much time to do my own work which is basically being a freelance researcher who could be employed by research institutes to do research
projects anywhere in the world.

I reside in Ireland, Dublin even though I have lived most of my life in other parts of the world, I am fully residing in Ireland. Presently, I have just been granted a funding to head a research project in the tropical regions of West Africa regarding rare and vulnerable plant species and this would be commencing very soon.

However my funding were by my American counterparts who send me the bunch of payments mostly in US based money orders. Getting an accountant in the states or opening an account would have been my best choice but I have a deadline to meet and taking any of those choices would cost me time and a whole lot of other requirements. I am not ready to deal with, as I would be traveling a lot in the meantime.

So presently, assuming you would be able to deal with cash, I would be willing to employ you on contract basis to be my payment representative back in the states, this way I could issue and make payments in form of Money Orders, Cashier's Check, etc out to you, you could then cash them easily, withdraw 10% of the total amount on these payment instruments as your commission and then send the rest back to me through wire transfer.

Please, bear it in mind that we would be dealing with quite a handful of cash and you a could be making up to $5000 just working with me in a short period of time within 1-2 weeks.

I would be glad if you accept my proposal and I intend to commence on starting as soon as you are ready. If you are interested, please email me back so we could make concluding arrangements.

Thank You

Kayode Martin

Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland

Hillsborough, Ireland BT12 3rd

+44 123456789

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

How can anybody read the passage I put in bold and not realize this is a scam?

For all you fans of the mob sagas

Fed Judge hits cop

Killer facing execution commits suicide 15 hours before he was supposed to die

Co-conspirator in the murder, David Vest, plea bargained and testified against his friend. Vest is now free.

Philly cheesesteak wars

Q: Do you swear to tell the truth? A: No

I think honesty about dishonesty is refreshing.

Feds Net 125 Nationwide In Kid-Porn Case

Your usual revolting child porn case….but what strikes me is the singling out of “Bible camp counselor” and “Boy Scout leader.” This seems to be a trend among these news stories. I suppose the point is to let us know, “it could be anyone.” But, why not say the other 123 are who you would expect, like “creepy gas station attendant” or “shifty eyed ice cream man.” I can single out these two jobs because I have done both and know some of my fellow workers were weird. Hopefully not child porn weird, but at least dungeons and dragons weird.

This Lady is Cool as a Cucumber

She talked to emergency services by pretending she's talking to a friend while she offered a drink to the armed man in her house to keep him calm while she was 8 months pregnant.

That's just plain impressive.

You Too Can Win a Federal Trial

All you have to do is die before the appellate process is finished.

Ken Lay died so his convictions are done away with.

A family is upset that the judge hasn't done anything in a murder trial for over a year.

"Convicted murderer Robert Wayne Holsey either has a sophisticated vocabulary and an adequate IQ or a record of school failure and a drunk lawyer who failed to point out his client's deficiencies when Holsey was on trial for his life."

Skimming an Article = Reading

Or at least that's what the defense will say if they lose the trial and you (a juror) admit to skimming an article about the defendant's prior record.

In the modern world, can you truly expunge your record?

If you find the abandoned drug money first . . .

. . . before the cops or the druggies, you get to keep it (at least in Washington).

Turkey and Eggs

Throw eggs at the Turkish Prime Minister and you will spend 15 months in jail. Not worth it if you didn't even hit the guy.

Fake Doctor / Go-Go Dancer

Killed a patient and got 20 years.

Prosecutor in Trouble

For selling a police docket to a policeman.

Docket must mean something different in South Africa. In Virginia it means a list of the cases to be tried on a specific date. You couldn't give that away to an officer here.

When You Give the Bond Money to the Chief of Police

You can usually count on it getting where it belongs - unless you live in Waverly Hall, Georgia.

Never Thought I'd See the Day

Kentucky is starting to ban tobacco from its prisons.

Jury in drunken driving case slowed down by “biblical understanding of the meaning of depravity”

Question of murder by depraved indifference.

Terrorist's Lawyer Gets Two-Years

Note to self: do not try to pierce someone’s navel

The Pacific becomes schizophrenic

First Australia passes new sedition laws - then New Zealand tells itself it should do away with all sedition laws.


[With thanks to markm, who was kind enough to point out the error I made when I wrote this while still half-asleep this morning]

Don't shoot kittens at school . . .

. . . even if you are the principal.

Ummm . . . If you have bars downtown . . .

. . . people are going to drink.

Agbar!!!

The new superdog!

If you intend to mug somebody . . .

. . . you should probably look around to see if there are any police present.

Wanna visit your man in jail?

Then you have to wear a bra.

Baby used as a weapon is in coma

Nurse sues for 'emotional distress' over ticket

I think the bumper sticker is borderline profane, but not close enough to warrant a ticket. Still, emotional distress for a $100 ticket? ACLU to the rescue.

Civil Rights Attorney gets 28 months for aiding terrorists

She said : "It takes unfair advantage of the climate of urgency and hysteria that followed 9/11 and that was relived during the trial. I did not intentionally enter into any plot or conspiracy to aid a terrorist organization."

Assistant U.S. Attorney said : "What she was doing was smuggling terrorism messages and smuggling out Abdel-Rahman's responses."

Family Group Activities Are Usually a Good Thing

But using your preteens as shoplifting agents just doesn't quite cut it.

Again I Say - The Japanese are Different

Two different people arrested for stealing children's used shoes.

It's Good To Be The Sovran

Especially if you have subpoenas for bills you don't want to pay.

It's Good To Be a Sport's Fan

And great if you follow baseball, but if you're going to give the game as an alibi you'd best make sure it was played.

Wanna destroy a fellow businessman?

You could always start sending emails in his name offering to sell local boys to the highest bidder.

Police cannot wear their uniforms . . .

. . . if they attend the murder trial of men accused of killing a fellow officer.

I'd say this is probably the right decision, but I wonder how useful it will be. When there are 30 guys sitting there with high-and-tight haircuts I think the jury will figure out who they are.

Another Man Cleared by DNA

11 years in prison later, after a second test confirms the first, a rape case is dropped.

Flags of Our Fathers

Another movie I'm looking forward to. The trailer is here.

The 300

Do yourself a favor and go watch the HD trailer. Amazing.

I really, really want to see this movie.

Ken found the worst mother of the year ……here could be the worst father of the year

Dad kept boy in prison for three years.

He "believed it was in the best interest of the child."

31 year old has 6 husbands

Pregnancy Exception to the Death Penalty?

A woman in solitary confinement in a Vietnamese prison, awaiting implementation of her death penalty, gets pregnant without anyone owning up to having sex with her.

Here's where I'd make some sort of joke about immaculate conception except I'm afraid Tom would probably take me to task about it and start quoting obscure 13th century encyclicals and Popes of old to tell me how wrong I was. ;-)

Sex slave ring in South Africa.

Police in California are trying to get paid for putting on their gear.

We don't have to show a motive . . .

. . . if we can prove you axe murdered your mother and grandmother.

If you make a false rape claim . . .

. . . and relate your story both in a book and on TV you deserve the time you get for statutory rape of your 12 year old cousin.

Oh, and she also dumped her baby in a trash bin.

Oops!

Somebody forgot to get immunity in the other sovereignty and is shocked, shocked I say, that an elected AG would pursue a high profile case.

Break Wind . . .

. . . and you might have to break rocks.

The Naked DA

While the rest of us were making jokes, Orin actually put some serious thought into this.

And then there are the times when your attorney dimes you out to the SEC (unethically?).

T-ball coach orders discipline on teammate

Coach promised $25 to one of his players if he beaned a ball at Harry Bowers Jr., 11, an autistic and mildly retarded teammate.

Anna Nicole Smith's lead attorney has withdrawn as counsel

I bet her attorney fell in love with her because she is so – uhhh- charming-

63 year old mans plan for retirement…....jail

He robbed a bank, then handed the money to a guard.

The Hard life of House-Boaters

Self inflicted racial vandalism

The wife in a biracial couple told police yesterday that she spray-painted racial epithets in their King and Queen County home.

The same thing happened in Powhatan County, Virginia in Feb.

It might sound cool at the time . . .

. . . but signing the letters outlining your escape plans in your own blood is just creepy and weird once you are in court.

If you are going to commit murder . . .

. . . don't do it with a gun with which you have previously shot yourself and left the bullet with the police officer.

No Cohabitation in Virginia

I think Steve wants us to start prosecuting all the baby's daddys, baby's mommas, and "fiances" out there in Virginia.

What happens when you are wrongly accused of a sexual crime you didn't do?

The Mob Made Me Do It

Either the mob made me give out drugs to people from my online pharmacy who shouldn't have gotten them, or the laws as written don't apply to me.

Buttons, Buttons . . .

We've all seen them before. Animal rights activists who show up in court wearing big buttons. People who show up in court wearing t-shirts with pictures of the victim. The day an entire platoon of marines showed up to fill the gallery of a jury trial in their semi-dress uniform (not kidding, I saw it).

What are they trying to do? Well, they're trying to influence the jury. Even worse, they may be tryiong to intimidate the elected judge (I've never seen these shenanigans in federal court).

The federal supreme court is going to decide whether they can do that.

Malvo. Why?

He's already got life in Virginia. Why are you wasting your taxpayers' dollars?

I thought this was a joke....

7-Eleven Strikes Deal with Chicago White Sox to Start Home Games at 7:11.

U.S. brings first treason case in over 50 years

California-born suspected al-Qaida operative.

‘Helpful leads’ on student missing in Vt.

Police chief steals windshield

I can relate. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been tempted to steal the WINDSHIELD OFF A GOLF CART-

Lawyer denies killing suspected molester

Cocaine Ain't

Eric Clapton let's us all in on the secret: "Cocaine" is actually an anti-drug song.

Reds Fandom

Don't worry Steve, the hole in the wall has already fixed and Chad's fist is healing nicely.

Another Competitor for the Anti-Mom of the Year

She beat her boyfriend with her baby. uggg.

Wonder where all your lost mail went?

Not Guilty

"McLaren eventually took $80 and returned with the drugs, but only after initially telling Sweet he didn't want to get involved."

Wanna lower your county's crime rate?

There's always the pink jail solution.

Japanese are Strange

Not work friendly. Not crimlaw related either. Just very different.

DNA Frees 21-Year Prisoner in Rape Case

The wonders of modern science.

Murderer has typical myspace.com profile

myspace is so big it seems to make its way into everything -

Search continues for student from Virginia

911 Tapes of Amish School Shooting

Another school shooting

Seems these school shooting stories come in groups. Is there a ‘life imitating news’ issue here?

The New Civil War

There's a low level civil war going on out West over - of all things - marijuana.

States are legalizing marijuana. Heck, even Virginia's code has exceptions for medical use of marijuana: § 18.2-250.1(A) It is unlawful for any person knowingly or intentionally to possess marijuana unless the substance was obtained directly from, or pursuant to, a valid prescription or order of a practitioner while acting in the course of his professional practice, or except as otherwise authorized by the Drug Control Act. News keeps coming out about how marijuana's active ingredient helps with diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't buy that the driving force behind the legalization movement is medical use. I'm old enough to remember when the push for marijuana legalization was because it made good rope and the world's most uncomfortable shirts. For some reason that rationalization never worked. Medical use has gained traction, but I remain dubious.

Over the last week or two the nexus of this conflict has been California (as usual) with a little bit of Nevada mixed in. Perhaps the most unusual story is out of Nevada where 33 clergymen called for people to vote in favor of a referendum requiring the sale of marijuana by the State government and legalizing possession of small amounts.

No mater the motivation behind legalization, States are beginning to bend to the will of the citizenry. Localities are not banning the substance out of hand. Instead, they are treating the clinics as zoning or licensing issues.

When local law enforcement moves against the marijuana growers and clinics it does so on the basis of filling bad scrip for healthy people or because of failures on the permit application. Even the feds, who have loudly proclaimed that it's still illegal even if the States and their citizenry say it isn't, are finding an extra act before moving on marijuana clinics. When the feds raided a marijuana clinic in Palm Springs and seized its stock they relied upon a claim that a worker from that clinic had illegally given some marijuana as a tip. Despite having its entire supply seized, the clinic reopened the next day.

I must say, I'm torn here. I don't believe that the number of clinics popping up and the number of "patients" being served is medically legitimate. I'd be much more convinced if the push was to prescribe some sort of THC pills. And it is clearly still illegal under federal law whether or not States or localities pass laws and ordinances legalizing it. I don't have any desire to see smoking marijuana legalized. However, even if I - and the citizens of Virginia - disagree with legalization, the citizenry out on the Left Coast is pretty clearly in disagreement with me. If they vote for legalization isn't that sort of thing supposed to be at the root of our federalist form of government?

Anyway, this low level conflict ne rebellion continues. Who will win? It's an interesting question. If the feds push too hard they are likely to drive a large number of the voting public into the hands of the legalization movement. If they don't push hard enough the clinics and infrastructure with them will become too firmly entrenched to remove without massive, and quite possibly self defeating (see option one), action. I suspect that the growing wave will soon be too much for even the feds to stem.

Imagine if They Were Burglars Instead of Greeks

Von meinem Bruder Scott

Man, 25, convicted in deaths of two

Remind Me Not to Park in Great Britain

Things are a little tougher over there

And, lest you think this is all about comedy sketches - here it is happening in reality:

Listen to the Dead, Prosecutor in Weller Trial Instructs Jurors

Good theme for the closing argument by the prosecutor.

Can she use the same theme in another trial now that it has been in the paper?

Teen sells shirts with likeness of Blacksburg killer

Donating some of the profits or not, this is sick. I saw a couple of these shirts at the VA Tech – GA Tech game last weekend and make no mistake, these shirts are glorifying Morva. He is being made out to be some kind of dark underground hero. And he isn’t. I knew this kid and he was just a bum that blamed "the man" for all his problems.

She didn't mean it when she threatened to kill a prosecutor

awww - of course she didnt...

Pacers' Jackson Fired Shots Outside Strip Club

Hard to see bad headlines about the Pacers and not think of the famed Pistons-Pacers riot. How can so much tension come from sweet old Indiana?

Navy corpsman pleads guilty

Tasers

Claims that a man was killed by taser use.

Louisville Law walks away from its mission

Louisville Law School has had a night school since the 50's for those who cannot go to school during the day. Now it appears as though it's trying to drop the program kind of on the sly. The Courier-Journal caught them at it.

The excuses given? The night time hours are needed for research. About half the night time students would prefer to go to school during the day. Declining interest.

The real reason? It's pretty obvious this is about ranking and reputation (which is, of course, denied). If you have a night school you aren't perceived as being as a superior school.

Because, y'know, it'd be a shame if an urban school was actually concentrating on giving people who work a chance to go to law school instead of worrying about how high it's ranked by a magazine.

The life of a police sketch artist.

If you go to a gym . . .

. . . put a lock on your locker.

Hamster neglect.

What to do with prior sex offenders

Well, you could pass laws making it impossible for them to live in a city and then set up colonies.

This is why our cops have guns

Think you have problems with your landlord…

Another posing as a police officer story

I suppose Halloween is approaching so there is lots of fake police equipment available -

Barry Bonds’ trainer released from jail because of a legal “snafu”

Sort of like the ‘snafu’ of Major League Baseball assuming the BALCO boys were just eating allot of humus in those Home Run years.

Ethics Lesson #1:Prosecutors Cannot Talk to a Defendant With an Attorney

The Bar frowns upon this.

Peter Sellers' daughter arrested as an illegal alien.

Some Prisons are Better Than Others

If you had money there was a wonderful place to stay in Guatemala - at least until the army raided it.

It's Still Possession

Whether it's only in your underwear or, uhhh, "internal."

I Don't Care How Hot She Is . . .

. . . if you are an immigration judge DON'T SLEEP WITH YOUR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MAID!!!!

No, I wasn't impersonating a cop

Listen here! I'm a 70 year old, somebody else pulled the car over before I got there, and that dome light you found in my car . . . ummmmm . . . it wasn't in the car until later.

Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket.

Don't like your daughter's fiance?

You could always kidnap her and make her miss the wedding. Of course, then the police charge you with abduction.

But, if you love her it's worth the years in prison. Isn't it?

Yikes!!!

Somebody take the pistol away from that deputy.

For a long time I was worried that the only publicity that the Catholic Church could get in the US was about pedophilia

But priest theft can make headlines too.

Hmmm . . . Making the job of law enforcement easy.

Amish school gunman left bloody scene

In spite of this terrible incident, their faith endures:

"We think it was God's plan and we're going to have to pick up the pieces and keep going," he said. "A funeral to us is a much more important thing than the day of birth because we believe in the hereafter. The children are better off than their survivors."

Another reason why I fear going to the doctor….

UVA Murder Suspect Eyed In Other Cases In 5 States

A murder suspect may have stalked the Southeast in a crime rampage that left one person critically injured and five dead, including a University of Virginia student.

Last Moments on Death Row

Ohio logs everything preceding the imposition of death sentences. It's kind of a ghoulish read and I gotta admit I got a little creeped out.

This is not a quote from Alabama

"In my experience, all right-thinking members of the community, regardless of race, are in favour of the death penalty. Government must take responsibility for ending the rampant crime wave engulfing our country... and it's now time something drastic is done about crime."

Another DNA Reversal

However, I must admit that its hard to feel too much sympathy for two guys whose defense is that they didn't kill her - they were just trying to commit fraud (and probably perjury) so that they could get a reward from the police.

Minnesota and the Great "Huh?"

The Minnesota Supreme has reversed a year after deciding that a man convicted of murder should get a new trial.

The transcript apparently shows a clear error. So what is the ground upon which the Supreme court reverses itself?

The trial judge says the transcript is wrong.

Here's an Interesting Question

Everywhere I've practiced a defendant gets to say his piece to the judge before he is sentenced. He does this after the prosecution and defense cases have been completed and without cross examination.

So what happens in States where juries sentence? I pretty much guarantee that he doesn't get to talk to the jury without cross examination anywhere. The question becomes - should he?

Have You Seen These Women?

LA is trying to find some information about a bunch of pictures a serial killer took.

MSNBC has compiled a list of 10 myths about high school shooters.

You Too Can Get Away With Murder

All you have to do is do it during elections in Brazil (the police are forbidden to arrest people).

Heroin and the life it leads to.

How heroin addiction is dealt with during pregnancy.

What's the Opposite of "Mom of the Year?"

A mother turns up hot for cocaine along with her 15 and 13 year old children.

Australia has been gearing up to fight crystal meth.

3 tons of cocaine intercepted in Nicaragua.

Heroin Birthday Present Fiasco.

Must Be a High Profit Margin

You know there has to be a lot of profit when the supplier is importing his heroin to Chicago from Ghana and Nigeria - through India.

Or, when people are trying to smuggle from Pakistan.

Life for dealing cocaine as a habitual offender.

Live by the Kink, Tie by the Kink

Ya gotta wonder how often this kind of stupidity happens at adult toy stores.

Gotti trial hangs - for the third time.

If Your Name is Naomi Campbell the Rules Must Be Different

Don't show up for court and the prosecution won't ask for a bench warant. However, the judge will promise that there will be one the next time you don't show up.

Tired of having convicts from your cases spend all their time in jail thinking up ways to file habeas motions and bar complaints? Encourage them to run for federal office.

Apparently, State restrictions against felons holding elected office are superseded because the federal constitution actually sets the conditions for holding the offices and it does not ban felons.

Leonard Richards, serving terms for killing his half-sister and his attorney, has run for a House seat twice. He tried to run for the Senate this time but prison officials appear to have interfered with his attempt. Now he's suing everybody who could have been involved. However, he has made an opening offer in settlement negotiations: "Defendants can reduce the extent of Plaintiff's loss and injury by issuing to Plaintiff a certificate of election allowing him to begin his six-year term in the Senate in January, 2007."

For Profit Prisons Suck

Duh.

Scoplaw has a terrible interview at a PD's office because he isn't snooty enough to play squash.

Many years ago I interviewed at a PD's office and had a bad experience for exactly the opposite reason. The guys interviewing me looked at my resume and asked how long a graduate of Washington & Lee Law School would stay around in their office. I promised three years and the main interviewer looked at me like he knew I was lying. Needless to say, the interview didn't go too well from that point on and I didn't get the job.

The Ongoing Battle for the Bed

This is my bed at 5:30 this morning when I made the mistake of getting up to go to the restroom. Unfortunately, this is a regular occurrence if I ever make the mistake of getting up at night.