Tracy Martin (L) and Sybrina Fulton, the parents of Trayvon Martin, participate in a candlelight vigil to mark the anniversary of the shooting death of their son in New York, February 26, 2013.
Credit: Reuters/Keith Bedford
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn death. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn death. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Thứ Sáu, 5 tháng 4, 2013
Thứ Hai, 1 tháng 4, 2013
Holmes faces death penalty in theater shooting - Washington Times
**FILE** Aurora, Colo., theater shooting suspect James Holmes and defense attorney Tamara ... more >
CENTENNIAL, Colo. | Prosecutors said Monday they will seek the death penalty for James Eagan Holmes in the deadly Aurora theater massacre, formally rejecting an offer last week to plead guilty if his execution could be taken off the table.
Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler said he reached the decision after his staff spoke with more than 800 victims and relatives of those killed in the July 20 shooting, which left 12 dead and 58 injured.
“In this case, for James Eagan Holmes, justice is death,” said Mr. Brauchler, who was elected district attorney of the state’s 18th Judicial District in November.
Mr. Holmes, 25, showed no reaction to the announcement, while his parents clasped hands and embraced.
Defense attorneys had sought a sentencing deal in which Mr. Holmes would have pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in exchange for a life sentence. The offer came a day after the state legislature nixed a bill that would have outlawed capital punishment in Colorado.
Those attending Monday’s hearing had mixed reactions to the prosecution’s decision. Marcus Weaver, who was shot in the arm at the theater, said the death penalty was appropriate, even though he would have preferred to see prosecutors seek a sentence of life in prison.
Mr. Weaver also urged Mr. Holmes to plead guilty and spare the public the anguish and expense of a lengthy jury trial.
“If death is your penalty, then so be it. Does it fit the crime? Yes,” Mr. Weaver told reporters outside the Arapahoe County Courthouse. “Would I like to have him receive life? Yes, I don’t want to be responsible for someone’s death, but it’s not entirely up to me … and now it’s not up to him, either.”
Bryan Beard, a friend of shooting victim Alex Sullivan, said his first reaction was, “Thank goodness, I am so glad this is happening.”
“I’ve said this once and this is the last time I’ll say it. The only way [there will be] justice when somebody murders somebody else — is death,” Mr. Beard told reporters. “I guess you fight fire with fire. It sounds awful, but I’m tired of being so politically correct.”
A trial date was set for Feb. 4, 2014. Chief District Court Judge William Sylvester said he would be unable to preside over the case as a result of time constraints stemming from his duties as chief judge, and reassigned the case to District Court Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr.
“The reality [is] that a final resolution of this case is now likely years away,” said Judge Sylvester in his order.
Given that it is not seriously in question that Mr. Holmes was the gunman in the theater that night, the defense is expected to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. That could delay the trial by another year as attorneys line up expert witnesses to debate Mr. Holmes‘ mental state at the time of the shooting.
“It does become a lengthy process,” said Philip Anthony, CEO of DecisionQuest in Los Angeles, a trial-consulting firm not involved with the Holmes case. “And courts have to be particularly careful when the death penalty is sought because the entire transcript will be subject to such scrutiny during the appellate process.”
Three inmates now sit on Colorado’s Death Row, all of whom were prosecuted in the 18th Judicial District. One of those, Nathan Dunlap, is awaiting an execution date after exhausting his appeals stemming from his conviction in the 1993 murder of four employees at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Aurora.
View Entire Story© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
Chủ Nhật, 24 tháng 3, 2013
Berezovsky death remains unexplained
23 March 2013 Last updated at 21:25 ET
Police with expertise in environments contaminated with chemical, biological and nuclear material are searching the house of the late exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky.
Mr Berezovsky, 67, was found dead on Saturday, and a Thames Valley police cordon remains in place as police investigate his unexplained death.
The body remains at the Berkshire house while the search - described as a precaution - takes place, police said.
They say the public is not at risk.
The ambulance service was called to the Ascot house of Mr Berezovsky at 15:18 GMT on Saturday.
Wanted manA Thames Valley police update said: "Specially trained officers are currently at the scene, including CBRN trained officers, who are conducting a number of searches as a precaution.
"This is to enable officers to carry out an investigation into the man's death."
Boris Berezovsky led a colourful and controversial life
Supt Stuart Greenfield said: "We are aware the cordon is causing disruption to local residents and we apologise for any inconvenience, but it is important we take all necessary measures to ensure a full and thorough investigation can be carried out.
"I would like to reassure residents that we are confident there is no risk to the wider community."
He said the property was part of a large estate, so a number of roads were closed "and will remain so for the time being".
Mr Berezovsky was a wanted man in Russia, and an opponent of President Vladimir Putin.
A former Kremlin power-broker whose fortunes declined under Mr Putin, Mr Berezovsky emigrated to the UK in 2000.
Last year, Mr Berezovsky lost a £3bn ($4.7bn) damages claim against Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich.
BBC world affairs reporter Richard Galpin said sources have told him that Mr Berezovsky was depressed after the loss of the court case and was under financial pressure.
The tycoon's wealth is thought to have considerably diminished in recent years, leaving him struggling to pay debts in the wake of costly court cases.
Thứ Năm, 21 tháng 3, 2013
Man in Texas shootout, possibly linked to Colo. prison chief's death, ID'd as ... - Washington Post
DECATUR, Texas — A man who led Texas authorities on a 100 mph car chase that ended in a shootout Thursday and may be linked to the slaying of Colorado’s state prison chief is a paroled prison inmate, officials said.
The Denver Post reported that the man is 28-year-old Evan Spencer Ebel. A federal law enforcement official confirmed that identity to The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the case and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Legal records show Ebel was convicted of several crimes in Colorado dating back to 2003, including assaulting a prison guard in 2008. He apparently was paroled, but Colorado Department of Corrections spokeswoman Alison Morgan said she could not release information on prisoners because of the ongoing investigation into Tom Clements’ death.
Ebel was driving a Cadillac in Texas that matched the description of the vehicle seen leaving the home of prisons chief Clements around the time he was shot Tuesday night.
Authorities in Texas said Ebel fired on them when they tried to stop his car. He was eventually shot by authorities who say he is essentially dead but is hooked up to equipment for organ harvesting.
Investigators were flying to Texas to see if Ebel was linked to Clements’ slaying and the killing Sunday of Nathan Leon, a Denver pizza delivery man. Denver police said there was a “strong connection” between that killing and the Texas situation but did not elaborate, other than to confirm their detectives were en route.
In Colorado, where Clements’ killing shocked the state, officials were hopeful.
“We don’t know yet exactly whether this is the guy,” Gov. John Hickenlooper told reporters Thursday afternoon. “There’s some indication. I hope it is.”
Denver police spokeswoman Raquel Lopez said detectives from Denver and Golden were working with El Paso County, Colo., sheriff’s officials, who are investigating Clements’ death, and she couldn’t comment on evidence from the car that crashed in Texas.
Montague County sheriff’s deputy James Boyd tried to pull over the Cadillac at about 11 a.m. Thursday, though officials wouldn’t elaborate on the reason.
The driver opened fire on Boyd, wounding him, Wise County Sheriff David Walker said at an afternoon news conference in Decatur. He then fled south before crashing into a semi as he tried to elude his pursuers.
Walker said Colorado investigators were heading to Texas to determine whether the man is connected to Clements’ killing. Boyd was wearing a bulletproof vest and is at a Fort Worth hospital, authorities said. Officials had said he wasn’t seriously injured but later said his condition was unknown.
Decatur Police Chief Rex Hoskins said the man appeared to be a white man in his 30s. The man shot at Hoskins four times as the chief tried to set up a road block to halt him. The man left his car after it crashed and opened fire on the authorities around him, Hoskins said.
“He wasn’t planning on being taken alive,” Hoskins said. In a brief interview, he added that the man had no identification on him.
Thứ Sáu, 1 tháng 3, 2013
SA police held over dragging death
1 March 2013 Last updated at 03:21 ET
South African police who arrested a Mozambican taxi driver before cuffing him to a police van and dragging him along the street have been suspended.
The incident was recorded by a member of the public and broadcast on TV.
Police Commissioner Ria Phiyega thanked people for revealing "callous and unacceptable behaviour".
The man is reported to have died in custody, and South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has already called the incident "horrific" and "unacceptable".
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