It is not given to every man to take a bath of multitude; enjoying a crowd is an art; and only he can relish a debauch of vitality at the expense of the human species, on whom, in his cradle, a fairy has bestowed the love of masks and masquerading, the hate of home, and the passion for roaming.
Multitude, solitude: identical terms, and interchangeable by the active and fertile poet. The man who is unable to people his solitude is equally unable to be alone in a bustling crowd.
The poet enjoys the incomparable privilege of being able to be himself of someone else, as he chooses. Like those wandering souls who go looking for a body, he enters as he likes into each man's personality. For him alone everything is vacant; and if certain places seem closed to him, it is only because in his eyes they are not worth visiting.
The solitary and thoughtful stroller finds a singular intoxication in this universal communion. The man who loves to lose himself in a crowd enjoys feverish delights that the egoist locked up in himself as in a box, and the slothful man like a mollusk in his shell, will be eternally deprived of. He adopts as his own all the occupations, all the joys and all the sorrows that chance offers.
What men call love is a very small, restricted, feeble thing compared with this ineffable orgy, this divine prostitution of the soul giving itself entire, all its poetry and all its charity, to the unexpected as it comes along, to the stranger as he passes.
It is a good thing sometimes to teach the fortunate of this world, if only to humble for an instant their foolish pride, that there are higher joys than theirs, finer and more uncircumscribed. The founders of colonies, shepherds of peoples, missionary priests exiled to the ends of the earth, doubtlessly know something of this mysterious drunkenness; and in the midst of the vast family created by their genius, they must often laugh at those who pity them because of their troubled fortunes and chaste lives.
Charles Baudelaire
From: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/crowds/
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique- 5th Movement
Fifth movement: "Songe d'une nuit de sabbat"(Dreams of a Witch's Sabbath)
From Berlioz's program notes:
He sees himself at a witches’ sabbath, in the midst of a hideous gathering of shades, sorcerers and monsters of every kind who have come together for his funeral. Strange sounds, groans, outbursts of laughter; distant shouts which seem to be answered by more shouts. The beloved melody appears once more, but has now lost its noble and shy character; it is now no more than a vulgar dance tune, trivial and grotesque: it is she who is coming to the sabbath… Roar of delight at her arrival… She joins the diabolical orgy… The funeral knell tolls, burlesque parody of the Dies irae, the dance of the witches. The dance of the witches combined with the Dies irae.
The return of the idée fixe as a "vulgar dance tune" is depicted with a prominent E-flat clarinet solo. There are a host of effects, including eerie col legno playing in the strings, the bubbling of the witches' cauldron to the blasts of wind. It is important to remember that Berlioz's use of the word "orgy" pertains to a cultic gathering and not the more modernized meaning. The climactic finale of the symphony combines the somber Dies Irae melody with the wild fugue of the Ronde du Sabbat (Sabbath Round).
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphonie_fantastique#Fifth_movement:_.22Songe_d.27une_nuit_de_sabbat.22.28Dreams_of_a_Witch.27s_Sabbath.29
From Berlioz's program notes:
He sees himself at a witches’ sabbath, in the midst of a hideous gathering of shades, sorcerers and monsters of every kind who have come together for his funeral. Strange sounds, groans, outbursts of laughter; distant shouts which seem to be answered by more shouts. The beloved melody appears once more, but has now lost its noble and shy character; it is now no more than a vulgar dance tune, trivial and grotesque: it is she who is coming to the sabbath… Roar of delight at her arrival… She joins the diabolical orgy… The funeral knell tolls, burlesque parody of the Dies irae, the dance of the witches. The dance of the witches combined with the Dies irae.
The return of the idée fixe as a "vulgar dance tune" is depicted with a prominent E-flat clarinet solo. There are a host of effects, including eerie col legno playing in the strings, the bubbling of the witches' cauldron to the blasts of wind. It is important to remember that Berlioz's use of the word "orgy" pertains to a cultic gathering and not the more modernized meaning. The climactic finale of the symphony combines the somber Dies Irae melody with the wild fugue of the Ronde du Sabbat (Sabbath Round).
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphonie_fantastique#Fifth_movement:_.22Songe_d.27une_nuit_de_sabbat.22.28Dreams_of_a_Witch.27s_Sabbath.29
Accused killer scattered body parts, prosecutors say
A man who was charged Friday with killing his ex-girlfriend earlier this month asked a friend to drive him around a rural area of Snohomish County so he could dispose of the victim's dismembered body, according to prosecutors.
By Christine Clarridge
Seattle Times staff reporter
A man who was charged Friday with killing his ex-girlfriend earlier this month asked a friend to drive him around a rural area of Snohomish County so he could dispose of the victim's dismembered body, according to prosecutors.
The friend led police to numerous places around the Reiter Road gravel pit, east of Gold Bar, where the body parts were recovered by investigators, prosecutors said in court documents. Some had been buried and some had been left on the ground, according to court documents.
Eric Christensen, 40, of Gold Bar, was charged in Snohomish Superior Court on Friday with first-degree murder in the slaying of his 35-year-old girlfriend, Sherry Harlan.
Prosecutors say Harlan was killed sometime between the Jan. 2 and 3 after Christensen found a text message from another man on Harlan's cellphone.
Christensen told police the text message was evidence Harlan had broken a "Wiccan blood oath" she'd made to break off a relationship with the other man, prosecutors allege.
Harlan was reported missing Jan. 5 by a co-worker after she failed to show up at work at JC Penney at the Alderwood mall.
Responding officers found blood and an overwhelming smell of bleach in her apartment south of Everett. Her car was missing.
Harlan's friends and neighbors told police she had been afraid that Christensen would beat her to a "bloody pulp" if she tried to break up with him, prosecutors say.
Harlan's burned-out car was found Jan. 7 on Reiter Road, off Highway 2.
Two days later, a friend of Christensen's called police to say he'd helped him dispose of Harlan's dismembered body. The friend led police to the places where Christensen had left the remains.
Prosecutors said it's unlikely the friend will face charges.
Prosecutors said they are seeking a $5 million bail for Christensen, a Level 1 sex offender with convictions for domestic violence, assault and forgery, who is being held in Snohomish County Jail.
Christensen was charged earlier this month with second-degree murder in Everett District Court, but the charge was upgraded when the case was moved to Superior Court.
From: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010932539_harlan30m.html
By Christine Clarridge
Seattle Times staff reporter
A man who was charged Friday with killing his ex-girlfriend earlier this month asked a friend to drive him around a rural area of Snohomish County so he could dispose of the victim's dismembered body, according to prosecutors.
The friend led police to numerous places around the Reiter Road gravel pit, east of Gold Bar, where the body parts were recovered by investigators, prosecutors said in court documents. Some had been buried and some had been left on the ground, according to court documents.
Eric Christensen, 40, of Gold Bar, was charged in Snohomish Superior Court on Friday with first-degree murder in the slaying of his 35-year-old girlfriend, Sherry Harlan.
Prosecutors say Harlan was killed sometime between the Jan. 2 and 3 after Christensen found a text message from another man on Harlan's cellphone.
Christensen told police the text message was evidence Harlan had broken a "Wiccan blood oath" she'd made to break off a relationship with the other man, prosecutors allege.
Harlan was reported missing Jan. 5 by a co-worker after she failed to show up at work at JC Penney at the Alderwood mall.
Responding officers found blood and an overwhelming smell of bleach in her apartment south of Everett. Her car was missing.
Harlan's friends and neighbors told police she had been afraid that Christensen would beat her to a "bloody pulp" if she tried to break up with him, prosecutors say.
Harlan's burned-out car was found Jan. 7 on Reiter Road, off Highway 2.
Two days later, a friend of Christensen's called police to say he'd helped him dispose of Harlan's dismembered body. The friend led police to the places where Christensen had left the remains.
Prosecutors said it's unlikely the friend will face charges.
Prosecutors said they are seeking a $5 million bail for Christensen, a Level 1 sex offender with convictions for domestic violence, assault and forgery, who is being held in Snohomish County Jail.
Christensen was charged earlier this month with second-degree murder in Everett District Court, but the charge was upgraded when the case was moved to Superior Court.
From: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010932539_harlan30m.html
Conviction angers anti-abortion militants
By ROXANA HEGEMAN and DAVID CRARY, Associated Press Writers
Saturday, January 30, 2010
(01-30) 13:18 PST Wichita, Kan. (AP) --
Those living on the virulent edge of the anti-abortion movement pinned their hopes on Scott Roeder.
Testifying in his own defense, a remorseless and resolute Roeder insisted he had committed a justified act for the defense of unborn children by killing Dr. George Tiller, one of the country's few physicians to offer late-term abortions. It was a bold legal strategy that, if successful, had the potential to radically alter the debate over abortion by reducing the price for committing such an act of violence.
When it failed, those who share Roeder's passionate, militant belief against abortion were outraged: One said they are getting tired of being treated as a "piece of dirt" unable to express the reasons for such acts in court. So while relieved at the outcome, abortion-rights advocates worry a verdict that should be a deterrent will instead further embolden those prone to violence.
"Many of those who came here in his support will be key to making (Roeder) a martyr for their cause — all in furtherance of advocating deadly violence," said Kathy Spillar, executive vice president of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
Roeder faces a minimum sentence of life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years in prison when he's sentenced March 9, although prosecutors will ask the judge to require the 51-year-old Kansas City, Mo., man to serve at least 50 years behind bars before he is eligible for parole. His attorneys plan to appeal, arguing jurors should have been allowed to consider the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, requiring proof that Roeder had an unreasonable but honest belief that deadly force was justified.
The Rev. Donald Spitz, of Chesapeake, Va., who runs the Army of God Web site supporting violence against abortion providers, said the rejection of that argument has upset those who view Roeder as a hero.
"I know there is not a lot of good feeling out there — everybody is pretty angry," he said.
Spitz was the spiritual adviser to Paul Hill and was with him at his 2003 execution for the killing of a Florida abortion provider and a clinic escort in 1994, an event that led to a lull in violence at abortion clinics. While saying he knows nothing of impending plans by others against abortion doctors, Spitz scoffed at suggestions that Roeder's conviction will have a similar effect.
"Times change," Spitz said. "People are not as passive as they have been. They are more assertive."
Such comments terrify abortion-rights advocates, who say they'll continue to press the Obama administration for deeper protections, such as buffer zones around clinics, to protect doctors against others who might follow in Roeder's steps. Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, said her group had noticed a rise in anti-abortion violence over the past year.
"We used to have members report incidents once a month — now it's every day," Saporta said. "Every time, we forward it on to Justice Department task force, and they report it to FBI so nothing slips through the cracks."
Others are demanding a federal investigation and prosecution of what they claim is a network of extremists, citing Roeder's testimony that he talked to others about justifiable homicide of abortion doctors.
"To see each murder as an isolated attack by one individual misses the fact there are these connections," said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights. "It's of extreme concern that some anti-choice fanatics will want to see themselves martyred in similar ways. It is a frightening possibility there will be copy cats."
Spitz said he has twice been subpoenaed to testify before grand juries in the past and FBI agents have been to his house several times. He disavows the existence of any organized conspiracy.
"We don't have a group," he said. "It is a belief system."
At least one Justice Department official attended the trial, along with agents from the FBI. Justice officials in Washington declined to comment Friday. But in the wake of Tiller's death, the Justice Department increased security around women's health facilities and opened an ongoing investigation to try to determine if Roeder had accomplices.
Among the other spectators at the trial was Randall Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue, which organized the 1991 "Summer of Mercy" protests that included attempts to block Tiller's Wichita clinic and led to more than 2,700 arrests. As the jury was deliberating in Wichita, Terry said he believed that no matter the outcome of Roeder's trial, more violence was inevitable.
"The blood of these babies slain by Tiller is crying for vengeance," he said. (What a fucking moron.)
From: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/01/28/national/a145848S92.DTL
Saturday, January 30, 2010
(01-30) 13:18 PST Wichita, Kan. (AP) --
Those living on the virulent edge of the anti-abortion movement pinned their hopes on Scott Roeder.
Testifying in his own defense, a remorseless and resolute Roeder insisted he had committed a justified act for the defense of unborn children by killing Dr. George Tiller, one of the country's few physicians to offer late-term abortions. It was a bold legal strategy that, if successful, had the potential to radically alter the debate over abortion by reducing the price for committing such an act of violence.
When it failed, those who share Roeder's passionate, militant belief against abortion were outraged: One said they are getting tired of being treated as a "piece of dirt" unable to express the reasons for such acts in court. So while relieved at the outcome, abortion-rights advocates worry a verdict that should be a deterrent will instead further embolden those prone to violence.
"Many of those who came here in his support will be key to making (Roeder) a martyr for their cause — all in furtherance of advocating deadly violence," said Kathy Spillar, executive vice president of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
Roeder faces a minimum sentence of life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years in prison when he's sentenced March 9, although prosecutors will ask the judge to require the 51-year-old Kansas City, Mo., man to serve at least 50 years behind bars before he is eligible for parole. His attorneys plan to appeal, arguing jurors should have been allowed to consider the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, requiring proof that Roeder had an unreasonable but honest belief that deadly force was justified.
The Rev. Donald Spitz, of Chesapeake, Va., who runs the Army of God Web site supporting violence against abortion providers, said the rejection of that argument has upset those who view Roeder as a hero.
"I know there is not a lot of good feeling out there — everybody is pretty angry," he said.
Spitz was the spiritual adviser to Paul Hill and was with him at his 2003 execution for the killing of a Florida abortion provider and a clinic escort in 1994, an event that led to a lull in violence at abortion clinics. While saying he knows nothing of impending plans by others against abortion doctors, Spitz scoffed at suggestions that Roeder's conviction will have a similar effect.
"Times change," Spitz said. "People are not as passive as they have been. They are more assertive."
Such comments terrify abortion-rights advocates, who say they'll continue to press the Obama administration for deeper protections, such as buffer zones around clinics, to protect doctors against others who might follow in Roeder's steps. Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, said her group had noticed a rise in anti-abortion violence over the past year.
"We used to have members report incidents once a month — now it's every day," Saporta said. "Every time, we forward it on to Justice Department task force, and they report it to FBI so nothing slips through the cracks."
Others are demanding a federal investigation and prosecution of what they claim is a network of extremists, citing Roeder's testimony that he talked to others about justifiable homicide of abortion doctors.
"To see each murder as an isolated attack by one individual misses the fact there are these connections," said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights. "It's of extreme concern that some anti-choice fanatics will want to see themselves martyred in similar ways. It is a frightening possibility there will be copy cats."
Spitz said he has twice been subpoenaed to testify before grand juries in the past and FBI agents have been to his house several times. He disavows the existence of any organized conspiracy.
"We don't have a group," he said. "It is a belief system."
At least one Justice Department official attended the trial, along with agents from the FBI. Justice officials in Washington declined to comment Friday. But in the wake of Tiller's death, the Justice Department increased security around women's health facilities and opened an ongoing investigation to try to determine if Roeder had accomplices.
Among the other spectators at the trial was Randall Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue, which organized the 1991 "Summer of Mercy" protests that included attempts to block Tiller's Wichita clinic and led to more than 2,700 arrests. As the jury was deliberating in Wichita, Terry said he believed that no matter the outcome of Roeder's trial, more violence was inevitable.
"The blood of these babies slain by Tiller is crying for vengeance," he said. (What a fucking moron.)
From: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/01/28/national/a145848S92.DTL
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The House on Sorority Row (1983)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe House On Sorority Row is a 1983 low budget American slasher film directed by Mark Rosman. The film has become a cult classic among fans of the slasher genre. The story concerns seven sorority sisters who want to have a graduation party but the house mother refuses to let them have it. On the day of their planned party, the girls decide to play a practical joke on the housemother that results in her death. They hide her body in the sorority's unused swimming pool, but that evening as the party begins, someone starts killing the sisters one by one. It was released in cinemas on January 21, 1983.
Plot
Katey, a graduated sorority sister, is pressured by her six sorority sisters into pulling a prank on their strict house mother, Mrs. Slater, who is known for carrying a sharp walking cane. The prank goes awry and Mrs. Slater is shot. The girls all agree to hide Slater's body in their dirty swimming pool until a graduation party being held in the house is finished. As the party begins, a guest wanders around the pool and is subsequently impaled through the neck by an unknown figure, wielding Slater's cane, and dragged away.
When other guests attempt to throw Jeanie in the pool, they are stopped by the sorority sisters. Later, to prevent the pool lights from coming on revealing Slater's body, Stevie, one of the sorority sisters is forced to go into the power room of the house located in the basement. While doing so, she is repeatedly stabbed by Mrs. Slater's cane. Sorority sister Katey meets her date for the party, Peter, with whom she neglects as the other girls worry why Stevie hasn't returned from the power room yet.
Vicki orders the girls to search around the house for Mrs. Slater. Morgan, enters Mrs. Slater'sroom and begins to sort her cloathing when a body falls on top of her. The sisters then find Slater's body which has mysteriously been moved to the attic, from whence it falls. Morgan, an attractive yet not-so-bright sister, hides in her room where she is lured to the door and stabbed. Having found Slater's body, the sisters decide to bury it in a nearby graveyard. Meanwhile Katey explores the attic of the house and discovers several children's toys. Diane, one of the sisters, is killed while waiting in her van for the other girls. Jeanie, the most nervous member of the group, is also attacked while running back into the house but manages to escape. However, after informing Katey about the attack, Jeanie is chased into the upstairs bathroom and is decapitated.
The party goers finally depart, leaving Katey and Peter in the house. Katey tells Peter to go home and finds a number on a chain she found near the gate. The chain has the phone number for a Dr. Beck who soon arrives and asks Katey where Slater is. The two discover the bodies of Stevie, Morgan and Diane in the pool. Meanwhile, Vicki, the mean unofficial leader of the sisters and her lackey Liz attempt to bury the body in the graveyard. Vicki orders Liz to bring the car around. While doing so, Liz has her throat slashed and Vicki is hacked to death in the process. Katey and Dr. Beck arrive at the graveyard only to discover their bodies.
After giving her a sedative, Dr. Beck reveals to Katey that Mrs. Slater had a son named Eric who was horribly deformed and mentally underdeveloped. Eric had actually been living in the Sorority House's attic and witnessed the shooting death of his mother. Katey is used as bait to lure Eric out of the attic so Dr. Beck can shoot him with a tranquilizer gun. However, the plan backfires when Peter comes through the door and is shot and Dr. Beck is viciously hacked to death by Eric who pushes him over a flight of stairs.
Katey grabs the hand gun that was used on Mrs. Slater and flees from the clown-costumed Eric, which is when she discovers Jeanie's severed head in the toilet. After a fight in the attic, Katey stabs Eric, and he falls through the attic hatch to the floor below. Katey peers down, and thinking that he is dead, is relieved. Katey lays in the floor and falls asleep. However, Eric then opens his eyes as the film ends.
Directed by Mark Rosman - Produced by John G. Clark - Written by Bobby Fine, Mark Rosman - Starring Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Janis Ward, Robin Meloy, Harley Jane Kozak - Music by Richard Band - Cinematography Tim Suhrstedt - Editing by Paul Trejo, Jean-Marc Vasseur - Distributed by Film Ventures International (FVI) - Release date(s) January 21, 1983 - Running time 92 min - Country United States - Language English - Budget $425,000
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_on_Sorority_Row
Leader slaughters goats to ward off evil?
Wed Jan 27, 10:47 am ET
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has a black goat slaughtered at his house almost every day to ward off "evil eyes" and protect him from "black magic," a newspaper reported Wednesday.
A spokesman for the president told the Dawn newspaper the goats were slaughtered as an act of Sadaqah -- meaning "voluntary charity" in Islam whereby one gives out money or the meat of a slaughtered animal to the poor to win Allah's blessing and stave off misfortune.
"It has been an old practice of Mr Zardari to offer Sadaqah. He has been doing this for a long time," the spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, told the paper.
Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim country where many of the well-off offer Sadaqah. Though Muslim, many people also follow certain superstitious practices.
Hundreds of goats had been sacrificed at Zardari's house since he was sworn in September 2008, the Dawn newspaper reported.
It said Zardari's detractors would see in his "new-found religiosity" a sign of nervousness in the face of growing woes.
Zardari, who rose to power after the assassination of his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, in late 2007, has become increasingly unpopular and faces a range of problems from Islamist militancy to a stagnant economy and political rivalry.
A Supreme Court ruling last month throwing out an amnesty for Zardari, several top aides and thousands of political activists and government figures triggered a political storm and expectation that Zardari was on his way out.
From: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100127/od_nm/us_zardari
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has a black goat slaughtered at his house almost every day to ward off "evil eyes" and protect him from "black magic," a newspaper reported Wednesday.
A spokesman for the president told the Dawn newspaper the goats were slaughtered as an act of Sadaqah -- meaning "voluntary charity" in Islam whereby one gives out money or the meat of a slaughtered animal to the poor to win Allah's blessing and stave off misfortune.
"It has been an old practice of Mr Zardari to offer Sadaqah. He has been doing this for a long time," the spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, told the paper.
Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim country where many of the well-off offer Sadaqah. Though Muslim, many people also follow certain superstitious practices.
Hundreds of goats had been sacrificed at Zardari's house since he was sworn in September 2008, the Dawn newspaper reported.
It said Zardari's detractors would see in his "new-found religiosity" a sign of nervousness in the face of growing woes.
Zardari, who rose to power after the assassination of his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, in late 2007, has become increasingly unpopular and faces a range of problems from Islamist militancy to a stagnant economy and political rivalry.
A Supreme Court ruling last month throwing out an amnesty for Zardari, several top aides and thousands of political activists and government figures triggered a political storm and expectation that Zardari was on his way out.
From: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100127/od_nm/us_zardari
Bear chases man after being shot with tranquilliser dart
A man who shot a marauding bear with a tranquilliser gun had an almighty scare when the beast awoke as he approached, and proceeded to attack him.Published: 11:00PM GMT 29 Jan 2010
The female bear had been injected with a sleep-inducing drug after it appeared near the village of Chorzow in Poland.
Unfortunately for the rangers tasked with capturing the animal, it woke up from its apparent slumber as they came near and gave chase to the man who had shot it.
Thanks to the efforts of both men, the bear was eventually brought under control. Reports said authorities plan to take it to a local zoo.
The same bear had reportedly been released in a nearby wood three weeks ago, after it was captured near a school in Przemysl.
It is believed that the bear had broken free from a Ukranian wildlife park 25 miles away.
From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7107266/Bear-chases-man-after-being-shot-with-tranquilliser-dart.html
Pastor accused of pulling gun on son at church
Fri Jan 29, 6:29 pm ET
ALCOA, Tenn. – The son of a well-known Alcoa pastor has taken out an order of protection against his father, claiming he was threatened with a gun during an argument at a church over his lack of church attendance. The order of protection was filed by 32-year-old Michael Louis Colquitt against 60-year-old Joe Colquitt, pastor of St. John Missionary Baptist Church.
The younger man told police his father pulled out a handgun when they met at the church to discuss church attendance. He told officers his father pointed the gun at him and threatened to kill him, his wife and family.
Joe Colquitt declined to comment when contacted by The Daily Times of Maryville.
A Feb. 4 hearing was set in Blount County General Sessions Court.
From: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100129/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_gun_in_church;_ylt=AitgUXwIz0LXFg0zmUP5tsPtiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJsMWFmcHZqBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMTI5L3VzX29kZF9ndW5faW5fY2h1cmNoBGNwb3MDMwRwb3MDNgRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3J5BHNsawNwYXN0b3JhY2N1c2U-
ALCOA, Tenn. – The son of a well-known Alcoa pastor has taken out an order of protection against his father, claiming he was threatened with a gun during an argument at a church over his lack of church attendance. The order of protection was filed by 32-year-old Michael Louis Colquitt against 60-year-old Joe Colquitt, pastor of St. John Missionary Baptist Church.
The younger man told police his father pulled out a handgun when they met at the church to discuss church attendance. He told officers his father pointed the gun at him and threatened to kill him, his wife and family.
Joe Colquitt declined to comment when contacted by The Daily Times of Maryville.
A Feb. 4 hearing was set in Blount County General Sessions Court.
From: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100129/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_gun_in_church;_ylt=AitgUXwIz0LXFg0zmUP5tsPtiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJsMWFmcHZqBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMTI5L3VzX29kZF9ndW5faW5fY2h1cmNoBGNwb3MDMwRwb3MDNgRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3J5BHNsawNwYXN0b3JhY2N1c2U-
Argument over cigarette led to Antioch slaying
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff WriterSaturday, January 30, 2010
Police have arrested a suspect in the Antioch slaying of a man who was shot after he refused to give a cigarette to the alleged killer's friend, investigators said Friday.
Clarence Johnson Jr., 21, was arrested Thursday night at a home in Oakland in the shooting death of 32-year-old Howard Brooks Jr. of Antioch, said police Lt. Leonard Orman.
The chain of events that led to the shooting started about 8 p.m. Sunday when Johnson's friend asked Brooks for a cigarette outside a market on West 10th Street in Antioch, Orman said.
Brooks refused to give him one, police said. About 15 minutes later, the men ran across one another on the 900 block of K Street near the Contra Costa County fairgrounds.
Words were exchanged, and Johnson shot Brooks three times, Orman said. Brooks was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Johnson is being held without bail at Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez.
From: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/30/BAU21BPKCG.DTL
Swift murder conviction in abortion doctor's death
By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER, Associated Press Writer
Saturday, January 30, 2010
An activist who confessed to gunning down one of the only U.S. doctors to offer late-term abortions faces a sentence of life in prison after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder.
Jurors took just 37 minutes Friday to convict Scott Roeder for putting a .22-caliber gun to Dr. George Tiller's forehead and pulling the trigger in the foyer of a church.
Roeder's attorneys had hoped to argue for a lesser conviction of voluntary manslaughter, based on the defendant's belief that the killing was justified to save the lives of unborn children. But the judge threw out that defense, leaving jurors to choose between a murder conviction or acquittal.
Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Mo., admitted his actions on the witness stand. Defense attorney Mark Rudy described his case as "helpless and hopeless."
"I've never seen anyone lay himself out as much as Mr. Roeder did," Rudy said after the verdict.
Prosecutors carefully sidestepped the abortion debate as they painted Roeder as a cold and careful killer who methodically planned his attack. But both sides of the abortion debate lined up to respond to the verdict.
Abortion-rights advocates said the decision would send a message to the militant fringe of the anti-abortion movement.
Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, said she hoped the verdict would be a "deterrent to those that that are considering following in Roeder's footsteps."
"While the verdict won't bring back Dr. Tiller, it was very important justice was done today for the safety and security of other abortion providers across the country and women's ability to access abortion care," Saporta said.
Troy Newman, president of Wichita-based Operation Rescue, said "pro-life was not on trial. An insane man doing an insane thing was on trial."
Roeder could be considered for parole after 25 years. But prosecutor Nola Foulston said she would seek to ensure that he serve at least 50 years before being eligible. Sentencing was set for March 9.
Tiller's family held hands and fought tears as the verdicts were read. Tiller's widow, Jeanne, later released a statement saying the jury had "reached a just verdict."
The family said it wanted Tiller to be "remembered for his legacy of service to women, the help he provided for those who needed it and the love and happiness he provided us as a husband, father and grandfather."
In a November interview with The Associated Press, Roeder admitted shooting Tiller in the foyer of the Wichita church where the doctor was serving as an usher. On the witness stand, he testified he felt that Tiller placed unborn children's lives in "immediate danger."
During closing arguments Friday, Rudy urged the jury to reject the murder charge. "No one," he said, "should be convicted based on his convictions."
Rudy mentioned leaders who stood up for their beliefs, including Martin Luther King Jr. They were "celebrated individuals (who) stood up and made the world a better place."
"They leave their marks based on their words and deeds," Rudy said.
But prosecutor Kim Parker said Roeder was "simply guilty of the crime he has been charged with."
Prosecutor Ann Swegle told jurors to use their "common sense" and find Roeder guilty based not only on the state's case but also on Roeder's own testimony in which he described how he killed Tiller in a "planned assassination."
"There could be no other verdict in this case," she said.
Wearing a dark suit with a red tie, Roeder sat expressionless as the verdict was read. He moved his head toward the judge and to the jury as each juror confirmed the decision.
Tiller's Wichita clinic was the focus of many protests and had been under investigation by a former state district attorney who accused the doctor of skirting Kansas' abortion laws. In 2009, Tiller was acquitted of misdemeanor charges of violating Kansas restrictions on late-term abortions.
Roeder, the sole defense witness, testified Thursday that he considered elaborate schemes to stop the doctor, including chopping off his hands, crashing a car into him or sneaking into his home to kill him.
But in the end, Roeder told jurors, the easiest way was to walk into Tiller's church and shoot him.
"Those children were in immediate danger if someone did not stop George Tiller," Roeder told jurors.
But after hearing Roeder testify, District Judge Warren Wilbert ruled his lawyers had failed to show that Tiller posed an imminent threat and the jury could not consider a manslaughter verdict.
Roeder also was convicted of aggravated assault for threatening two church ushers who tried to stop him from fleeing.
From: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/01/28/national/a145848S92.DTL
Saturday, January 30, 2010
An activist who confessed to gunning down one of the only U.S. doctors to offer late-term abortions faces a sentence of life in prison after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder.
Jurors took just 37 minutes Friday to convict Scott Roeder for putting a .22-caliber gun to Dr. George Tiller's forehead and pulling the trigger in the foyer of a church.
Roeder's attorneys had hoped to argue for a lesser conviction of voluntary manslaughter, based on the defendant's belief that the killing was justified to save the lives of unborn children. But the judge threw out that defense, leaving jurors to choose between a murder conviction or acquittal.
Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Mo., admitted his actions on the witness stand. Defense attorney Mark Rudy described his case as "helpless and hopeless."
"I've never seen anyone lay himself out as much as Mr. Roeder did," Rudy said after the verdict.
Prosecutors carefully sidestepped the abortion debate as they painted Roeder as a cold and careful killer who methodically planned his attack. But both sides of the abortion debate lined up to respond to the verdict.
Abortion-rights advocates said the decision would send a message to the militant fringe of the anti-abortion movement.
Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, said she hoped the verdict would be a "deterrent to those that that are considering following in Roeder's footsteps."
"While the verdict won't bring back Dr. Tiller, it was very important justice was done today for the safety and security of other abortion providers across the country and women's ability to access abortion care," Saporta said.
Troy Newman, president of Wichita-based Operation Rescue, said "pro-life was not on trial. An insane man doing an insane thing was on trial."
Roeder could be considered for parole after 25 years. But prosecutor Nola Foulston said she would seek to ensure that he serve at least 50 years before being eligible. Sentencing was set for March 9.
Tiller's family held hands and fought tears as the verdicts were read. Tiller's widow, Jeanne, later released a statement saying the jury had "reached a just verdict."
The family said it wanted Tiller to be "remembered for his legacy of service to women, the help he provided for those who needed it and the love and happiness he provided us as a husband, father and grandfather."
In a November interview with The Associated Press, Roeder admitted shooting Tiller in the foyer of the Wichita church where the doctor was serving as an usher. On the witness stand, he testified he felt that Tiller placed unborn children's lives in "immediate danger."
During closing arguments Friday, Rudy urged the jury to reject the murder charge. "No one," he said, "should be convicted based on his convictions."
Rudy mentioned leaders who stood up for their beliefs, including Martin Luther King Jr. They were "celebrated individuals (who) stood up and made the world a better place."
"They leave their marks based on their words and deeds," Rudy said.
But prosecutor Kim Parker said Roeder was "simply guilty of the crime he has been charged with."
Prosecutor Ann Swegle told jurors to use their "common sense" and find Roeder guilty based not only on the state's case but also on Roeder's own testimony in which he described how he killed Tiller in a "planned assassination."
"There could be no other verdict in this case," she said.
Wearing a dark suit with a red tie, Roeder sat expressionless as the verdict was read. He moved his head toward the judge and to the jury as each juror confirmed the decision.
Tiller's Wichita clinic was the focus of many protests and had been under investigation by a former state district attorney who accused the doctor of skirting Kansas' abortion laws. In 2009, Tiller was acquitted of misdemeanor charges of violating Kansas restrictions on late-term abortions.
Roeder, the sole defense witness, testified Thursday that he considered elaborate schemes to stop the doctor, including chopping off his hands, crashing a car into him or sneaking into his home to kill him.
But in the end, Roeder told jurors, the easiest way was to walk into Tiller's church and shoot him.
"Those children were in immediate danger if someone did not stop George Tiller," Roeder told jurors.
But after hearing Roeder testify, District Judge Warren Wilbert ruled his lawyers had failed to show that Tiller posed an imminent threat and the jury could not consider a manslaughter verdict.
Roeder also was convicted of aggravated assault for threatening two church ushers who tried to stop him from fleeing.
From: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/01/28/national/a145848S92.DTL
Friday, January 29, 2010
A Pact with the Devil
A Pact with the Devil and a Nobleman in Pignerole in 1676.1. Lucifer, you are bound to deliver to me immediately 100,000 pounds of money in gold!
2. You will deliver me the first Tuesday of every month 1,000 pounds.
3. You will bring me this gold in current money, of such kind that no only I, but also all those to whom I may wish to give some, may use it.
4. The foresaid gold must be not false, must not disappear in one´s hand, or turn to stone or coals. It should be metal stamped by the hands of men, legal and valid in all lands.
5. If I need a considerable sum of money, no matter when or for what purpose, you are duty bound to deliver to me secret or buried treasure. Nor need I fetch it myself from wherever it may be hidden or burried, but you must deliver it into my hands, without any trouble to me, to wherever I happen to be at one time, to dispose of according to my own wishes and pleasure.
6. You are bound to cause no injury to my body and limbs, and do nothing to weaken my health, but preseve me from human illnesses and injury for 50 years.
7. If, contrary to our expectations, I should happen to become ill, you are bound to procure for me profed remedies to help me regain my previous good health as soon as possible.
8. Our agreement is to begin on this date.. in the year 1676, and to end on the same day in 1727. You are not to tamper with this period or encroach on my rights, or make a false reckoning (as you have often formerly accustomed to do).
9. When my time has finally run out, you are to let me die like all other men, without any shame or disgrace, and be honorably buried.
10. You are bound to make me loves and accepted by the King and all the aristocrats, by high and low, men and women, so that I may always be assured of good will and affection, and that everybody will grant without question what I may desire of them.
11. You are bound to transport me (and any other) without injury to the ends of the world, wherever I desire, no matter how far distant. You are to make me immediately so expert in the language of that place that I shall be able to speak it fluently. When I have satisfied my curiosity sufficiently, you will bring me back again, uninjured, to my home.
12. You are bound to protect me from all harm from bombs, firearms, and other weapons, so that nothing may strike me and injure my body or limbs.
13. Your are bound to assist me in my dealings with the King and help me prevail over my special enemies.
14. You are bound to provide me with a magic ring so that whenever I put it on my finger I shall become invisible and invulnerable.
15. You are bound to give me true and thorough information, without distortion or ambiguity, about any question I ask of you.
16. You are bound to give me advance warning of any secret plot against me, and to give me ways and means to thwart those plots and to bring them to naught.
17. You are bound to teach me whatever languages I may desire to learn so that I can read, converse, and express opinions as perfectly as if I had known them thoroughly from childhood.
18. You are bound to endow me with good sense, understanding, and intelligence, so that I can discuss all problems logically and can give an informed opinion about them.
19. You are bound to protect and look after me in all courts of justice and council chambers of King, Bishop or Pope, before whom I might be summoned.
20. You are bound to protect me and my household from injury, whether domestic or foreign, from theft, and from harm.
21. I am to be permitted to lead my life in outward appearance like a good Christian, and to attend divine service without your interfering.
22. You are bound to teach me how to prepare medical prescriptions and the correct use and administering of them in dosage and weight.
23. If one any occasion, skirmish or fight, I should be attacked or set upon, you are to take up the challenge for me and produce help and assistance against all enemies.
24. You are bound to prevent anyone, no matter whom, for konwing about your accord and compact.
25. As often as I desire your presence, you are to appear to me in a loving and ageeable form, never in a frightening or horrible shape.
26. You are to see that each and every person shall do my bidding.
27. You are to promise me and bind yourself to kepp unbroken these clauses, individually and collectively, and to comply assiduously wiht all of them. If you fal me in the slightest degee or display any negligence, then this pact and accord is null and void and of no force whatever.
28. In return for the foregoing promises, I swear and vow to deliver into your power several men and women. Furthermore, I renounce God, the most Holy Trinity; I wholly renounce the vows made for me at baptism. I step forward with you in a new alliance and submit myself to you both in body and soul, forever into eternity.
From: http://www.satansheaven.com/pact_with_the_devil.htm
Good luck...(!)
J.A.C.
‘Devil’ made man firebomb Lanarkshire house
George Johnstone claimed Satan was behind the attack in broad daylight in Viewpark.26 January 2010 19:11 PM
A man who firebombed a Lanarkshire house in broad daylight has claimed the Devil made him do it.
The High Court in Glasgow heard that 58-year-old George Johnstone armed himself with a hammer and jars filled with petrol before targeting a house in Burnhead Street, Viewpark, Uddingston, on August 23 last year.
Johnstone first off all set fire to a car parked in the driveway and then smashed the double glazed windows with the hammer and began lobbing the petrol bombs into the living room.
Goerge Martin, 28, and his girlfriend Jillian McLean, who were inside the house, heard Johnstone shouting: "I'm going to kill you."
Prosecutor Paul Kearney said: "The incident took place at 12.30pm. Mr Martin noticed the accused, who was the son of friends of Mr Martin's parents, standing outside the house.
"After a minute he wondered why the accused hadn't knocked and looked out to see his girlfriend's car ablaze. The accused had a hammer in his hand. He smashed through the double glazing and threw a petrol bomb, followed by three or four others."
The court was told that Mr Martin managed to throw the first petrol bomb into the back garden, but suffered minor burns to his hands. When he returned there were three or four areas of the living room on fire. The accused then threw petrol over Mr Martin and tried to light it, but his lighter wouldn't work.
Mr Keaney said: "When the police arrived Mr Johnstone was asked to put down the hammer and he told them: 'The Devil made me do it. The Devil told me to do it at 2am, God told me not to. That's why I did it during the day.'
In court Johnstone admitted assaulting Mr Martin and Ms McLean to the danger of their lives. He was originally charged with attempted murder, but the Crown accepted his plea to the reduced charge.
Johnstone also pleaded guilty to wilfully setting fire to the house at 120 Burnhead Street and the car. The court was told that Mr Martin and Ms McLean were extremely upset by the incident. Two doctors said that Johnstone was fit to plead and had not been insane at the time.
Judge Lord Turnbull placed Johnstone on an interim compulsion order and ordered him to be detained at the Rowanbank Clinic in Glasgow. He will be sentenced in April.
From: http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-central/153315-devil-made-man-firebomb-lanarkshire-house/
It's suicide by slay
Motivational speaker 'did a Kevorkian'By LAURA ITALIANO
Last Updated: 10:28 AM, January 28, 2010
Posted: 3:04 AM, January 28, 2010
It was too crazy to be true -- a motivational speaker from Long Island, bent on suicide, drives to East Harlem, announces, "I want to do a Kevorkian," and is stabbed to death in his car by a helpful passer-by.
But in a stunning turnaround, prosecutors now think the admitted stabber's wacky explanation for the July 16 death of tragic Jeffrey Locker may actually be what happened.
The account is substantiated by Locker's huge debts and recent life-insurance purchases and computer searches for funeral arrangements, Manhattan prosecutors said in a dramatic filing made public yesterday.
"It makes sense now," said one law-enforcement source, speaking on condition he not be named.
"[Locker] was deeply in debt. The guy had bought like $18 million worth of life insurance. He was researching Jewish funerals and cemeteries."
Still, ex-con and admitted stabber Kenneth Minor remains on the hook, facing at least a charge of manslaughter if not outright murder.
"Regardless of whether it's true or not," notes the source, "You don't get to kill someone just because they want you to."
The shocking development was revealed yesterday when Minor, 36, was brought in cuffs to court on a routine appearance.
He remains, for now, accused of brutally stabbing and robbing Locker as the Valley Stream, LI., dad of three sat in his 2007 Dodge sedan at First and Paladino avenues on a Wednesday night, shortly after stopping at a deli to buy condoms. Minor insists Locker gave him his ATM card in payment for the suicide assistance.
Yesterday, his lawyer, Daniel Gotlin, told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Carol Berkman that he wants the top charge -- first-degree murder, carrying a maximum of life without parole -- dropped. He also asked that a second grand jury be impaneled to vote a lesser charge of manslaughter, which carries a maximum of up to 15 years.
The revelations shook loose some previously sealed court documents -- including the gripping police notes from Minor's confession.
"I tried to choke him with the wire, but it was old and kept breaking," Minor told cops. "He told me to use the knife. He said to hold it against the steering wheel with the blade facing him. I did that, and he leaned forward into the knife three to four times while I held it . . . He then told me to move the knife over to the other side where his heart is.
"I moved the knife over and he leaned forward into it a couple of more times. At that point, he was alive and breathing heavily. I got out of the car and threw the knife."
Locker had no luck with money -- telling Minor that he'd lost $400,000 in a "Ponzi scheme" and had even been swindled by the first "Kevorkian" he tried to hire.
"He told me that he had no cash on him because he paid a guy on the West Side to kill him, but the guy beat him."
From: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/motivational_speaker_did_kevorkian_PnwuA8PtvxTpOMlmkSTibN
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Devil Times Five (1974)
By George R. ReisHorror films concerning children behaving badly, either under supernatural or psychological circumstances, have always been fascinating and sometimes controversial in nature. Unsung and rather overlooked by the masses, DEVIL TIMES FIVE (also known as THE HORRIBLE HOUSE ON THE HILL, the title seen here) is one of those films that could only have been made during the glorious grindhouse days of the 1970s, complete with catfights, nudity a colorful cast of characters and assorted killings carried out by an unlikely bunch of pint-sized assailants. With a troubled production history that can now be told, Code Red gives this neglected gem the DVD release it deserves.
A small bus passing through some snow-filled mountains overturns, injuring the driver. The five passengers on the bus – all children en route to a mental institution – escape unharmed, and proceed to take off on foot. The kids consist of David (Leif Garrett) who fancies himself a child actor, military-obsessed Brian (Tierre Turner), pyromaniac Susan (Tia Thompson), albino nun wannabe “Sister” Hannah (Gail Smale) and little Moe (Dawn Lyn) who tugs around a plush fish. They eventually make their way to a large cabin house owned by wealthy industrialist Papa Doc (Gene Evans), there for a weekend gathering with his sex-starved wife Lovely (Carolyn Stellar) his daughter and her boyfriend (Joan McCall and Taylor Lacher), a boneless doctor and his inebriated wife (Sorrell Booke and Shelley Morrison), and Lenny-like mentally retarded handyman Ralph (John Durren, who also wrote the original screenplay). The adults have no choice but to take the innocent-seeming kids in for the night, but when bodies are found dead in inexplicable, gruesome circumstances, they question the innocence of their strange little visitors.
Originally filmed as “People Toys,” DEVIL TIMES FIVE takes the “killer kids” genre to a chilling, disturbing level without having to resort to the paranormal to explain their psychotic, sporadic behavior. The film’s low budget is evident (you’ll notice more than a few continuity flubs), but adds to the effective minimalism that 1970s drive-horror often thrives on. On first view, the film appears to take a while to really connect and convey the appropriate mounting tension, but the latter half explodes into a rewarding experience. The childrens' initial attack on a victim in a dark cellar is shown in brown tinted black and white and is unspooled in slow mo, dragged out to six minutes! Whether it was meant to pad the running time or not, it certainly sets up the dark mood of things to come. The subsequent inventive death scenes (including piranhas being tossed on a naked woman in a bathtub!) lead to a twisted, unpredictable ending which was probably meant to set up a sequel. 
Tough guy character actor Gene Evans (as the humorless, constantly grumpy Papa Doc) heads a decent cast of characters. TV veteran Sorrell Booke, proving he was more than just a hickish slob on “The Dukes of Hazzard,” stands out as a cowardly little man who has to finally confront and stand up to his boss, and Shelley Morrison (a busy TV actress who in recent years landed it big as a regular on “Will and Grace”) is also memorable as his lushy, unaffectionate wife. The child actors all perform their parts unflinching and believable. Most of them had vast experience before this outing: Future teen idol Leif Garrett around the same time was playing Felix’s son on “The Odd Couple”, and sibling Dawn Lyn had just been on the final few seasons of “My Three Sons” (it must have been pretty shocking for theatergoers of the time to see them in an R-rated feature of this sort). Keeping it in the family, actress Carolyn Stellar is their real-life mother.Transferred from original 35mm elements, Code Red presents DEVIL TIMES FIVE anamorphic in an appropriate 1.78:1 ratio. The image looks quite clean and good, with very bright colors, vivid detail and very few blemishes. The mono audio has some hissy parts, but is still a strong enough track.
Supplements include an audio commentary with producer Michael Blowitz, co-director David Sheldon, actors Joan McCall (GRIZZLY) and Dawn Lyn. According to Blowitz, the original director’s cut only ran 38 minutes, and director Sean MacGregor was more than a disappointment. Months later, the cast was brought back to shoot new footage, mostly directed by Sheldon (this explains why Garrett is seen wearing and removing a very bad wig in several scenes). All this is addressed in the commentary, as well as just about everything else about the production, and moderator Darren Gross does a fine job, throwing out all the right questions to keep things interesting. The participants from the commentary are joined by actor Tierre Turner for an anecdote-filled featurette, and three Easter Eggs will lead you to even more candid interview footage! Other extras include a poster/video cover gallery, alternative opening credits, the original trailer, and trailers for other Code Red DVD titles (BEYOND THE DOOR, SWEET SIXTEEN, WELCOME TO SWEET SIXTEEN, SCHOOLGIRLS IN CHAINS, DON’T GO IN THE WOODS and LOVE ME DEADLY). From: http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/a-d/deviltimesfive74.htm
Dog massacre charges pending
By DELWYN DICKEY and CLIO FRANCIS - Rodney Times
Last updated 16:57 28/01/2010
The SPCA has described a "haunting scene of death and destruction" at the site where 33 dogs were killed as the society decides what charges it will lay.
Police said today they would seize the rifles after the dogs were shot dead in a Northland row on Monday between Rowan Hargreaves and his neighbour Russell Mendoza, who owns the dogs, near Wellsford.
The SPCA said at a press conference this afternoon that they would lay charges, while the inspector who discovered the massacre described the "haunting scene of death and destruction".
"I arrived at the property and was confronted by a scene not unlike a masacere," SPCA inspector Sacha Keltie, said as the emotion took its toll.
The dead dogs had been piled on top of one another, inside the cages, she said.
"The way they were positioned, indicated to me they had gone into the corners to try to shield themselves."
SPCA executive Bob Kerridge said that in his many years with the society he had seen an untold number of atrocities against animals. "But the share size of this puts it in a completely different league."
The dogs had been healthy, well looked after, and much loved, he said.
The SPCA has already been offered the services of high profile lawyer John Haigh QC, but still has to complete its investigation before charges can be formalised.
It appeared some of the dogs had not died instantly, Ms Keltie said. "I have never ever seen anything this horrible in my life.
"It was a haunting scene of death and destruction."
Mr Hargreaves, who saw the dogs he called "his family" shot dead, is also being counselled by close friends, said police.
Mr Hargreaves said earlier that he had been told two of his dogs had been identified as mauling a neighbour's family pet fox terrier, which subsequently died.
He agreed to destroy the two dogs that matched the description of the offending dogs and shot them on his property "away from the other dogs and humanely", he says.
He acknowledged he had given permission for the remaining adult animals to be destroyed as well, but it is the manner in which the animals were killed, along with puppies, that Mr Hargreaves says were not part of the agreement. That has upset him and others.
It was "horrific and cruel", he says.
Friend and business partner Richard Hawkings says he was at the property with Mr Hargreaves when two men, one who he describes as a hunter, came on to the property to shoot the adult dogs.
But rather than taking the dogs out separately and shooting them away from the others, the man randomly started shooting the dogs with a .22 rifle, says Mr Hawkings.
There were seven dogs in one large cage and they started shooting at the dogs through the wire, he says.
The dogs were screaming, some trying to hide and others with skin coming off as they tried to climb through the wire, he says.
"I was in tears yelling at them to stop," says Mr Hawkings.
Mr Hawkings says a shotgun was then used, and both men started shooting puppies which were running free.
While he was able to hide six of the puppies, 22 others - including some as young as three weeks old - were killed, Mr Hawkings says.
"If I'd known they were going to do this I would never have agreed to it, or at least I would have done it humanely myself."
None of the dogs on the property were registered, says Rodney District Council communications manager David Anderson. He understands there had been complaints from neighbours about dogs worrying sheep in the area.
Mr Kerridge, SPCA's executive director, said animals instinctively knew when they were in danger.
"They may not know the purpose of it and they may not know what was going to happen but they are certainly aware of danger and there is no question they would have reacted in that way.
"You have not only got the aspect of the firing, you have got animals dying around them and you have got the sound. From what we understand the sound was horrendous of these dogs crying in agony. That will communicate a message to all the other dogs, without a doubt."
Mr Kerridge said he had been promoting animal welfare for many years but when he heard of the slaughter he was "absolutely amazed. I have been in the game for a long time but we have never had anything like this."
Mr Kerridge said the SPCA was still investigating whether anyone should be charged over the incident.
Police are also investigating the shooting, including the possibility one of the gunmen did not have a firearms licence.
From: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3269732/Neighbour-dispute-leaves-33-dogs-dead
Last updated 16:57 28/01/2010
The SPCA has described a "haunting scene of death and destruction" at the site where 33 dogs were killed as the society decides what charges it will lay.
Police said today they would seize the rifles after the dogs were shot dead in a Northland row on Monday between Rowan Hargreaves and his neighbour Russell Mendoza, who owns the dogs, near Wellsford.
The SPCA said at a press conference this afternoon that they would lay charges, while the inspector who discovered the massacre described the "haunting scene of death and destruction".
"I arrived at the property and was confronted by a scene not unlike a masacere," SPCA inspector Sacha Keltie, said as the emotion took its toll.
The dead dogs had been piled on top of one another, inside the cages, she said.
"The way they were positioned, indicated to me they had gone into the corners to try to shield themselves."
SPCA executive Bob Kerridge said that in his many years with the society he had seen an untold number of atrocities against animals. "But the share size of this puts it in a completely different league."
The dogs had been healthy, well looked after, and much loved, he said.
The SPCA has already been offered the services of high profile lawyer John Haigh QC, but still has to complete its investigation before charges can be formalised.
It appeared some of the dogs had not died instantly, Ms Keltie said. "I have never ever seen anything this horrible in my life.
"It was a haunting scene of death and destruction."
Mr Hargreaves, who saw the dogs he called "his family" shot dead, is also being counselled by close friends, said police.
Mr Hargreaves said earlier that he had been told two of his dogs had been identified as mauling a neighbour's family pet fox terrier, which subsequently died.
He agreed to destroy the two dogs that matched the description of the offending dogs and shot them on his property "away from the other dogs and humanely", he says.
He acknowledged he had given permission for the remaining adult animals to be destroyed as well, but it is the manner in which the animals were killed, along with puppies, that Mr Hargreaves says were not part of the agreement. That has upset him and others.
It was "horrific and cruel", he says.
Friend and business partner Richard Hawkings says he was at the property with Mr Hargreaves when two men, one who he describes as a hunter, came on to the property to shoot the adult dogs.
But rather than taking the dogs out separately and shooting them away from the others, the man randomly started shooting the dogs with a .22 rifle, says Mr Hawkings.
There were seven dogs in one large cage and they started shooting at the dogs through the wire, he says.
The dogs were screaming, some trying to hide and others with skin coming off as they tried to climb through the wire, he says.
"I was in tears yelling at them to stop," says Mr Hawkings.
Mr Hawkings says a shotgun was then used, and both men started shooting puppies which were running free.
While he was able to hide six of the puppies, 22 others - including some as young as three weeks old - were killed, Mr Hawkings says.
"If I'd known they were going to do this I would never have agreed to it, or at least I would have done it humanely myself."
None of the dogs on the property were registered, says Rodney District Council communications manager David Anderson. He understands there had been complaints from neighbours about dogs worrying sheep in the area.
Mr Kerridge, SPCA's executive director, said animals instinctively knew when they were in danger.
"They may not know the purpose of it and they may not know what was going to happen but they are certainly aware of danger and there is no question they would have reacted in that way.
"You have not only got the aspect of the firing, you have got animals dying around them and you have got the sound. From what we understand the sound was horrendous of these dogs crying in agony. That will communicate a message to all the other dogs, without a doubt."
Mr Kerridge said he had been promoting animal welfare for many years but when he heard of the slaughter he was "absolutely amazed. I have been in the game for a long time but we have never had anything like this."
Mr Kerridge said the SPCA was still investigating whether anyone should be charged over the incident.
Police are also investigating the shooting, including the possibility one of the gunmen did not have a firearms licence.
From: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3269732/Neighbour-dispute-leaves-33-dogs-dead
'Guardian angel' Lemar Martin guilty of allowing tot slay
BY Scott Shifrel
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, January 28th 2010, 4:00 AM
A city housing guard who claimed he was a 3-year-old boy's "guardian angel" was convicted of murder Wednesday for doing nothing as his girlfriend beat the child to death.
Lemar Martin, 27, now faces a life sentence and will serve more time than his girlfriend, Nymeen Cheatham, who pleaded guilty in exchange for a 20-year sentence.
"He tried to call himself Kyle's guardian angel and yet he did nothing," Kyle's father, Elliot Smith, said after the verdict, wiping tears from his eyes.
"I really don't know what to say. I'm gratified for it.
"I just wish there was some way of giving her more time than 20 years. But I'll take whatever they give me right now."
Cheatham, 32, who admitted battering the 28-pound boy for misbehaving after the funeral of a cousin, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
She and Martin had been caring for Kyle for several months while his mother, a drug addict, sought treatment.
Prosecutors said Martin set the fatal beating in motion when he made Kyle do pushups and jumping jacks and then "popped him on the arm" for acting out.
His defense was that he slept through the thrashing.
"The man sleeps the sleep of the dead," defense lawyer William Martin told jurors at the beginning of the Brooklyn Supreme Court trial.
Martin took the stand and said he "loved" Kyle as if he were his own son.
"I just thought I was being a guardian angel like my stepfather was for me when I was 8 years old," he told jurors.
But jurors, who saw gruesome pictures of Kyle's body almost completely covered in black and blue, didn't believe anyone could sleep through such a horror.
"It was hard to even look at those pictures," said one woman. "We were very sure. Justice was done."
From: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/01/28/2010-01-28_guardian_angel_guilty_of_allowing_tot_slay.html
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, January 28th 2010, 4:00 AM
A city housing guard who claimed he was a 3-year-old boy's "guardian angel" was convicted of murder Wednesday for doing nothing as his girlfriend beat the child to death.
Lemar Martin, 27, now faces a life sentence and will serve more time than his girlfriend, Nymeen Cheatham, who pleaded guilty in exchange for a 20-year sentence.
"He tried to call himself Kyle's guardian angel and yet he did nothing," Kyle's father, Elliot Smith, said after the verdict, wiping tears from his eyes.
"I really don't know what to say. I'm gratified for it.
"I just wish there was some way of giving her more time than 20 years. But I'll take whatever they give me right now."
Cheatham, 32, who admitted battering the 28-pound boy for misbehaving after the funeral of a cousin, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
She and Martin had been caring for Kyle for several months while his mother, a drug addict, sought treatment.
Prosecutors said Martin set the fatal beating in motion when he made Kyle do pushups and jumping jacks and then "popped him on the arm" for acting out.
His defense was that he slept through the thrashing.
"The man sleeps the sleep of the dead," defense lawyer William Martin told jurors at the beginning of the Brooklyn Supreme Court trial.
Martin took the stand and said he "loved" Kyle as if he were his own son.
"I just thought I was being a guardian angel like my stepfather was for me when I was 8 years old," he told jurors.
But jurors, who saw gruesome pictures of Kyle's body almost completely covered in black and blue, didn't believe anyone could sleep through such a horror.
"It was hard to even look at those pictures," said one woman. "We were very sure. Justice was done."
From: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/01/28/2010-01-28_guardian_angel_guilty_of_allowing_tot_slay.html
Queens killer Huang Chen ripped out victim Qian Wu's heart and lungs, cops say
BY Rocco Parascandola, Lisa L. Colangelo and Wil Cruz DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Originally Published:Thursday, January 28th 2010, 4:00 AM
Updated: Thursday, January 28th 2010, 6:49 AM
A Queens murder took a macabre turn Wednesday as cops revealed they are searching for a heart and lungs carved from the victim.
The accused killer, Huang Chen, is in custody - but what he did with Qian Wu's organs after the vicious slaying is a mystery, police said.
"The victim's heart and lungs were ripped from the body and apparently have not been recovered," NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.
Wu, 46, was bashed with a hammer and knifed as she returned home with a gallon of milk on Tuesday evening, sources said.
Chen, 47, was charged with murder, stalking, weapons possession and tampering with physical evidence. An undocumented Chinese immigrant, Chen had been tormenting Wu for years, apparently because the employment agency she ran with her husband couldn't find him work.
"For whatever reason, he felt slighted," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Wednesday. "And he went back and began this series of harassment, basically threats."
After he choked and punched Wu in 2006, he was sent to El Paso, Tex., for deportation proceedings. Instead of throwing Chen out of the country, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement put him on supervised release, a source said.
He returned to New York last week and confronted Wu, who had numerous court-issued orders of protection against him.
Wu's grief-stricken husband, Yung Wei Guo, said he gave the loon $200, telling him: "My wife is scared of you. Don't come again."
The couple reported Chen's menacing return to the 109th Precinct, filing a harassment complaint Friday.
But the intimidation campaign came to a grisly end about 5 p.m. Tuesday after Chen followed Wu from a store to her building on 40th Road in Flushing.
He followed her inside and, as she opened her apartment door, hit her with the hammer 18 times and stabbed her over and over.
"This individual ... stabs her very viciously, assaults, eviscerates her body," Kelly said.
Chen then went to his apartment in the same building and changed out of his bloody clothes, Browne said. His landlady, Wenxin Zhang, 54, helped him clean up blood, according to a criminal complaint.
Still wearing bloody sneakers, Chen was caught on surveillance video leaving the building with Zhang, who was holding a bag.
Chen dumped the bag - filled with bloody clothes, a hammer and a knife - at a nearby park. He then headed to New York Hospital Queens, where he claimed he had been robbed and sought treatment for leg and hand wounds. Zhang was charged with tampering with physical evidence.
Wu's husband broke down last night as he recalled how his "generous and compassionate" wife had gone out to buy him groceries. He was sleeping because he had to go to work early the next day. "She felt bad I had to go out of town to work," he said through an interpreter. "I told her not to go, but she insisted."
From: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/01/28/2010-01-28_qns_killer_ripped_out_womans_heart_lungs.html
Priest accused of shoplifting butter, sofa cover
Last updated January 27, 2010 10:12 p.m. PT
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WEST CITY, Ill. -- A Roman Catholic priest was accused of shoplifting butter and a sofa cover at a Walmart in southern Illinois. Police arrested 41-year-old the Rev. Steven Poole on Friday. He's charged with two felony theft counts. Investigators said Poole failed to scan a $3.22 container of butter and a $60 sofa cover at a self-checkout. Poole then allegedly went to the store's bedding section, picked up a memory foam mattress and switched the pricing bar code. That caused the $145 item to be scanned for $31.
Allegedly, Poole also possessed a stolen laptop computer power pack.
He's the priest for St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Christopher and St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sesser.
Poole does not have a listed home telephone number, and messages left for him at the churches were not returned.
From: http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1120ap_us_odd_priest_shoplifting.html?source=mypi
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WEST CITY, Ill. -- A Roman Catholic priest was accused of shoplifting butter and a sofa cover at a Walmart in southern Illinois. Police arrested 41-year-old the Rev. Steven Poole on Friday. He's charged with two felony theft counts. Investigators said Poole failed to scan a $3.22 container of butter and a $60 sofa cover at a self-checkout. Poole then allegedly went to the store's bedding section, picked up a memory foam mattress and switched the pricing bar code. That caused the $145 item to be scanned for $31.
Allegedly, Poole also possessed a stolen laptop computer power pack.
He's the priest for St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Christopher and St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sesser.
Poole does not have a listed home telephone number, and messages left for him at the churches were not returned.
From: http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1120ap_us_odd_priest_shoplifting.html?source=mypi
Charge: Parents didn't want 'fat' baby, so they starved her
This is why we need Eugenics and Birth Control... Morons should NOT REPRODUCE!!!
J.A.C.
By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
Last updated January 26, 2010 9:06 p.m. PT
Accused of starving their newborn daughter to the point of emaciation, a Bellevue couple now faces felony charges on allegations they were more worried about their infant's appearance than her health.
In charging documents, King County prosecutors contend Brittainy and Samuel Labberton continued trying to force the child to lose weight months after the girl had been pulled from their home.
Following a visit with the Labbertons in January 2009, the infant's foster parents found that the then-5-month-old girl had been returned with a bottle that "smelled very fishy," according to charging documents. Testing of the bottle, a pediatrician determined the bottle was likely filled with a laxative -- a frequently used weight-loss technique.
Bellevue police were first notified of the neglect in May, seven months after child welfare officials removed the girl from her parents. Charges followed earlier this month.
Child welfare workers had pulled the girl from the Labbertons' home weeks after she was born, Bellevue police Detective Ellen Inman said in court documents. But police had not been told of neglect allegations until the child's foster mother contacted them.
Reviewing child welfare reports and medical records, it became clear that the girl was underweight when she was born, Inman said in court documents.
Emaciated at birth, the infant needed to be fed every few hours during her first weeks, Inman said. Though they were given those instructions, the Labbertons allegedly failed to do so and the girl was returned Seattle Children's Hospital less than two months after she was born.
Questioned by hospital staff and Department of Social and Health Services investigators, the couple allegedly blamed the girl's weight loss on stress in the home and "the fact that (she) was fussy and threw up her food."
Despite their claims, the girl thrived while hospitalized and immediately began putting on weight, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Carol Spoor told the court. Told of her child's progress, Brittainy Labberton was not pleased.
"Instead, Brittainy complained, 'Oh my God she's fat' and 'I have a fat baby,'" Spoor stated, recounting the December 2008 interview. "Brittainy insisted that (the girl) should be under the 50th percentile in weight, not over it.
"She indicated that her husband has a weight problem and she does not want her girls to be fat."
Spoor told the court social services workers took custody of the couple's other child, a two-year-old girl, the following day after Brittainy Labberton said she felt she would kill herself and the child. Arriving at the foster home, the older girl was "ravenously hungry," eating so fast that she nearly choked on her food.
Contacted by police in August, the mother appeared emaciated herself, Spoor said. Standing 5-foot-5, the 21-year-old weighed 90 pounds.
"Brittainy expressed no remorse for not feeding the baby and admitted to hardly feeding (the infant) for many days," Spoor said. "She also indicated she wanted to have 12 children."
Allowed to see the girl three times a week since she was removed from the home, Brittainy Labberton described her daughter as "very fat and overfed," Inman said. The detective added that the woman believed her daughter was much healthier before she was pulled from the home.
Samuel Labberton, 24, complained to detectives that his 9-month-old daughter had "gained so much weight that now she is fat," according to court documents. He remained convinced he and his wife had behaved appropriately.
"Samuel told me that he would not change anything if he could go back," Inman said. "He does not believe that he and Brittainy did anything wrong."
In court filings, Inman noted that Brittainy Labberton was diagnosed with postpartum depression with psychotic tendencies following her second daughter's birth.
"Brittainy had thoughts about harming herself and her children," Inman said in court documents. "Brittainy was prescribed medication to help control these thoughts and feelings … but had a severe reaction to it."
The mother refused to feed the girl even as she cried for food, Inman said. All the while, the officer added, Samuel Labberton lived in the home and failed to feed the child.
Charged with third-degree criminal mistreatment, the Labbertons are scheduled to be arraigned Monday in King County Superior Court, said Dan Donohoe, a prosecutor's office spokesman. Neither is currently in custody.
From: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/414685_starve26.html
J.A.C.
By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
Last updated January 26, 2010 9:06 p.m. PT
Accused of starving their newborn daughter to the point of emaciation, a Bellevue couple now faces felony charges on allegations they were more worried about their infant's appearance than her health.
In charging documents, King County prosecutors contend Brittainy and Samuel Labberton continued trying to force the child to lose weight months after the girl had been pulled from their home.
Following a visit with the Labbertons in January 2009, the infant's foster parents found that the then-5-month-old girl had been returned with a bottle that "smelled very fishy," according to charging documents. Testing of the bottle, a pediatrician determined the bottle was likely filled with a laxative -- a frequently used weight-loss technique.
Bellevue police were first notified of the neglect in May, seven months after child welfare officials removed the girl from her parents. Charges followed earlier this month.
Child welfare workers had pulled the girl from the Labbertons' home weeks after she was born, Bellevue police Detective Ellen Inman said in court documents. But police had not been told of neglect allegations until the child's foster mother contacted them.
Reviewing child welfare reports and medical records, it became clear that the girl was underweight when she was born, Inman said in court documents.
Emaciated at birth, the infant needed to be fed every few hours during her first weeks, Inman said. Though they were given those instructions, the Labbertons allegedly failed to do so and the girl was returned Seattle Children's Hospital less than two months after she was born.
Questioned by hospital staff and Department of Social and Health Services investigators, the couple allegedly blamed the girl's weight loss on stress in the home and "the fact that (she) was fussy and threw up her food."
Despite their claims, the girl thrived while hospitalized and immediately began putting on weight, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Carol Spoor told the court. Told of her child's progress, Brittainy Labberton was not pleased.
"Instead, Brittainy complained, 'Oh my God she's fat' and 'I have a fat baby,'" Spoor stated, recounting the December 2008 interview. "Brittainy insisted that (the girl) should be under the 50th percentile in weight, not over it.
"She indicated that her husband has a weight problem and she does not want her girls to be fat."
Spoor told the court social services workers took custody of the couple's other child, a two-year-old girl, the following day after Brittainy Labberton said she felt she would kill herself and the child. Arriving at the foster home, the older girl was "ravenously hungry," eating so fast that she nearly choked on her food.
Contacted by police in August, the mother appeared emaciated herself, Spoor said. Standing 5-foot-5, the 21-year-old weighed 90 pounds.
"Brittainy expressed no remorse for not feeding the baby and admitted to hardly feeding (the infant) for many days," Spoor said. "She also indicated she wanted to have 12 children."
Allowed to see the girl three times a week since she was removed from the home, Brittainy Labberton described her daughter as "very fat and overfed," Inman said. The detective added that the woman believed her daughter was much healthier before she was pulled from the home.
Samuel Labberton, 24, complained to detectives that his 9-month-old daughter had "gained so much weight that now she is fat," according to court documents. He remained convinced he and his wife had behaved appropriately.
"Samuel told me that he would not change anything if he could go back," Inman said. "He does not believe that he and Brittainy did anything wrong."
In court filings, Inman noted that Brittainy Labberton was diagnosed with postpartum depression with psychotic tendencies following her second daughter's birth.
"Brittainy had thoughts about harming herself and her children," Inman said in court documents. "Brittainy was prescribed medication to help control these thoughts and feelings … but had a severe reaction to it."
The mother refused to feed the girl even as she cried for food, Inman said. All the while, the officer added, Samuel Labberton lived in the home and failed to feed the child.
Charged with third-degree criminal mistreatment, the Labbertons are scheduled to be arraigned Monday in King County Superior Court, said Dan Donohoe, a prosecutor's office spokesman. Neither is currently in custody.
From: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/414685_starve26.html
Mom: Son, daughter got along before he allegedly killed, raped her
By KORIE WILKINS
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
These were the words of Jennifer Spencer, who testified today in the first-degree murder trial of her son, Steven Kelsey, who is accused of killing and raping his teenage sister.
Spencer took the stand in the trial, which started this morning with jury selection, before Oakland County Circuit Judge Edward Sosnick. Kelsey, of Highland Township, could face life in prison if convicted. Police and prosecutors say Kelsey, 20, was home on leave from U.S. Army basic training when he stabbed and raped his sister, Jesika Kelsey, 17.
In her testimony, Spencer said Jesika and her brother generally got along but had typical sibling squabbles. In the days that Steven was home from basic training, Spencer said the family got along really well and had a good Christmas.
“It was the most pleasant two weeks we ever had as a family,” she said.
Spencer described finding her daughter’s bloody and partially nude body Jan. 1 and her 911 tape was played for the jury. There was also testimony from one of the first Oakland County sheriff deputies on the scene and Matthew Hammond, Jesika’s former boyfriend, who had been texting with the girl until about 4:20 a.m. the morning of her death.
In her opening statements this afternoon, assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Hala Jarbou said the evidence in the case was “overwhelming, compelling and disturbing.” She said Jesika’s last words were: “Steven, why?
“Jesika didn’t get an answer to her question,” Jarbou said. “She died not knowing.”
In his opening statement, defense attorney Michael McCarthy said his client is responsible for his sister’s death. But he asked the jury to carefully consider whether Kelsey is guilty of first-degree murder by deciding whether he planned to kill his sister.
“It all boils down to … did he make a conscious decision, ‘Do I want this person to die?’”
In the coming days, there is to be testimony from other law enforcement officers, the medical examiner and crime scene technicians. A taped confession by Steven Kelsey will also be played.
The trial could wrap up by late Thursday or early Friday, with the jury beginning deliberations.
From: http://www.freep.com/article/20100125/NEWS03/100125035/1319/Jury-picked-for-mans-trial-in-sisters-slaying
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
These were the words of Jennifer Spencer, who testified today in the first-degree murder trial of her son, Steven Kelsey, who is accused of killing and raping his teenage sister.
Spencer took the stand in the trial, which started this morning with jury selection, before Oakland County Circuit Judge Edward Sosnick. Kelsey, of Highland Township, could face life in prison if convicted. Police and prosecutors say Kelsey, 20, was home on leave from U.S. Army basic training when he stabbed and raped his sister, Jesika Kelsey, 17.
In her testimony, Spencer said Jesika and her brother generally got along but had typical sibling squabbles. In the days that Steven was home from basic training, Spencer said the family got along really well and had a good Christmas.
“It was the most pleasant two weeks we ever had as a family,” she said.
Spencer described finding her daughter’s bloody and partially nude body Jan. 1 and her 911 tape was played for the jury. There was also testimony from one of the first Oakland County sheriff deputies on the scene and Matthew Hammond, Jesika’s former boyfriend, who had been texting with the girl until about 4:20 a.m. the morning of her death.
In her opening statements this afternoon, assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Hala Jarbou said the evidence in the case was “overwhelming, compelling and disturbing.” She said Jesika’s last words were: “Steven, why?
“Jesika didn’t get an answer to her question,” Jarbou said. “She died not knowing.”
In his opening statement, defense attorney Michael McCarthy said his client is responsible for his sister’s death. But he asked the jury to carefully consider whether Kelsey is guilty of first-degree murder by deciding whether he planned to kill his sister.
“It all boils down to … did he make a conscious decision, ‘Do I want this person to die?’”
In the coming days, there is to be testimony from other law enforcement officers, the medical examiner and crime scene technicians. A taped confession by Steven Kelsey will also be played.
The trial could wrap up by late Thursday or early Friday, with the jury beginning deliberations.
From: http://www.freep.com/article/20100125/NEWS03/100125035/1319/Jury-picked-for-mans-trial-in-sisters-slaying
Teacher With Bible Divides Ohio Town
By IAN URBINAPublished: January 19, 2010
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — Most people in this quiet all-American town describe themselves as devoutly Christian, but even here they are deeply divided over what should happen to John Freshwater.
Mr. Freshwater, an eighth-grade public school science teacher, is accused of burning a cross onto the arms of at least two students and teaching creationism, charges he says have been fabricated because he refused an order by his principal to remove a Bible from his desk.
After an investigation, school officials notified Mr. Freshwater in June 2008 of their intent to fire him, but he asked for a pre-termination hearing, which has lasted more than a year and cost the school board more than a half-million dollars.
The hearing is finally scheduled to end Friday, and a verdict on Mr. Freshwater’s fate is expected some months later. But the town — home to about 15,000 people, more than 30 churches and an evangelical university — remains split.
To some, Mr. Freshwater is a hero unfairly punished for standing up for his Christian beliefs. To others, he is a zealot who pushed those beliefs onto students.
“Freshwater’s supporters want to make this into a new and reverse version of the Scopes trial,” said David Millstone, the lawyer for the Mount Vernon Board of Education, referring to the Tennessee teacher tried in 1925 for teaching evolution. “We see this as a basic issue about students having a constitutional right to be free from religious indoctrination in the public schools.”
Mr. Freshwater, who declined to be interviewed, has said he did not mean to burn a cross on any student’s arm. Instead, he said he intended to leave a temporary X on the skin using a device called a Tesla coil during a science demonstration. He says he had done that, with no complaints, hundreds of times in his 21 years as a teacher at Mount Vernon Middle School.
In a radio interview in 2008, he said he had been a target for removal since 2003, when he proposed that the school board adopt a policy to teach evolution as theory, not proven scientific fact. “I ruffled some feathers,” he said.
Married and a father of three, Mr. Freshwater, 53, was popular among students, always willing to stay after school to tutor or listen to students who needed someone to talk to.
In testimony at the board hearing, his supporters said he had consistently received positive evaluations from superiors and won distinguished teacher awards at least twice.
But school officials and former colleagues presented a different picture.
One high school teacher said she consistently had to reteach evolution to Mr. Freshwater’s students because they did not master the basics. Another testified that Mr. Freshwater told his students they should not always take science as fact, citing as an example a study that posited the possibility of a gene for homosexuality.
“Science is wrong,” Mr. Freshwater was reported as saying, “because the Bible states that homosexuality is a sin, and so anyone who is gay chooses to be gay and is therefore a sinner.”
A third teacher testified that Mr. Freshwater advised students to refer to the Bible for additional science research.
School officials said Mr. Freshwater’s science classroom was adorned with at least four copies of the Ten Commandments and several other posters that included verses from Scripture.
Mount Vernon is not a place accustomed to controversy and news media attention. It is proud of its wholesomeness. Wooden porches are adorned with American flags. A Civil War hero sits atop a tall obelisk in the center of the impeccably preserved town square. Tour guides brag about the Woodward Opera House, which is billed as the oldest freestanding opera theater in the country.
“The whole issue has been an embarrassment,” Ann Schnormeier said as she sat with 10 other women at a religious study meeting at First Congregational United Church of Christ near the center of town. She said her grandson, like many students, adored Mr. Freshwater.
“People have faith here in this town,” she said, “but Mr. Freshwater was crossing the line, and the school board has rules. There are laws, and he needs to leave his teaching position.”
Mr. Freshwater, who is currently suspended without pay, does not see things that way.
Last June, he filed a federal lawsuit against the school board seeking $1 million in damages, and in April 2008, he called a news conference at the town square to say that while he was willing to remove posters and other religious materials from his classroom — as instructed by the school board — he was drawing the line on removing his Bible.
The reaction was immediate.
Students held a “bring your Bible to school” day. Others started wearing T-shirts with “I support Mr. Freshwater — God” on the front. As the case dragged on, producing more than 5,000 pages of transcripts and more than 30 days of oral testimony, some Freshwater supporters vowed to broaden the fight.
Callers to local talk radio said that if Mr. Freshwater lost his job, they would look for indiscretions by other teachers and lobby for their removal.
Among those attending school board meetings were members of a local group called the Minutemen.
“This case woke a lot of people up around here,” said Dave Daubenmire, the founder of the group, which he named Minutemen because they “are a group of Christian guys who will show up on a minute’s notice to peacefully show support for their faith.”
In town, pastors are divided.
“I support Freshwater as a man of faith, but he is not supposed to be conveying these views in school,” said the Rev. R. Keith Stuart, pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ.
Miles away, Mr. Freshwater’s pastor, Don Matolyak, posited that the criticism of Mr. Freshwater was part of a larger trend toward bigotry against Christians.
“If he had a Koran on his desk, he’d be fine and no one would say a word to him,” Mr. Matolyak said. “If he had ‘Origin of Species’ on his desk, they would celebrate that.”
The family of Zachary Dennis, one of the two students who say they were branded by Mr. Freshwater, said they were eager for the matter to be closed. “We are religious people,” Jennifer Dennis, Zachary’s mother, said in an interview. “But we were offended when Mr. Freshwater burned a cross onto the arm of our child.”
After teachers and students criticized Zachary for speaking up, she said, the family sold its house and moved.
“We are Christians,” she said, “who practice our faith where it belongs, at church and in our home and, most importantly, outside the public classroom, where the law requires a separation of church and state.”
From: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/education/20teacher.html
Rapist spared, victim lashed
Sunday, January 24, 2010
And again justice is being served...(!)
J.A.C.
Eight months after being raped, a 16-year-old at Khargor of Kasba upazila in Brahmanbaria had to receive 101 lashes as "punishment".
A village arbitration found her guilty and issued the 101 lashes fatwa (religious edict) but amazingly left alleged rapist Enamul Mia, 20, untouched.
The arbitration also fined the victim's father Tk 1,000 and issued another fatwa that her family would be forced into isolation if he failed to pay up.
Village matbar (local leader) Delwar Hossain alias Ullashi executed the durra (lashes) on January 17.
Family sources said Enamul Mia of Gabbari used to eve-tease the girl on her way to Sathgram Advocate Haroon-or-Rashid High School. He raped her April last year. Fearing the shame, the girl did not disclose the incident.
The girl's family had married her off to a man of neighbouring Ghatiara village but after a month into the marriage medical test discovered she was seven months pregnant.
She was divorced and she had to live at her father's place after an abortion. Following her return, a group of so-called matbars led by Manik Mia declared that her family is to be isolated until punished.
On January 17, the influential group arranged the arbitration at the yard of the victim.
At one stage of the inhuman torture, the girl collapsed and fainted. She regained her sense after two hours.
Ullashi presided over the arbitration while Wahid Mia, Basu Mia, Manik Mia, Shahjahan Mia, Dulal Mia, Maulana Md Kawser Mia, Imam of Gupinathpur Baro Mosque, Maulana Md Ishaque Mia, Imam of Khargor Jame Mosque, and a few others played key roles.
"Enamul has spoiled my life. I want justice," said the girl as tears rolled down from her eyes.
Talking to The Daily Star, neighbours spoke in favour of the girl and blamed Enamul. They did not dare to say anything against the so-called village arbitration.
The girl's father said members of the influential group are now keeping a watch on them so that they could not move or seek legal action.
Wahid Mia said they executed the 101 lashes on the girl following the religious edict and they did not call Enamul during the arbitration as he belongs to another village.
A team of human rights activists led by advocate Mili Chowdhury visited the spot.
Their organisation will help the victim file separate cases against the culprits, Mili said.
Kasba Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Jahirul Islam Khan said they would take appropriate action if the victim files a case in this regard.
Three women were whipped as a result of fatwas in the district during the last six months.
From: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=123248
And again justice is being served...(!)
J.A.C.
Eight months after being raped, a 16-year-old at Khargor of Kasba upazila in Brahmanbaria had to receive 101 lashes as "punishment".
A village arbitration found her guilty and issued the 101 lashes fatwa (religious edict) but amazingly left alleged rapist Enamul Mia, 20, untouched.
The arbitration also fined the victim's father Tk 1,000 and issued another fatwa that her family would be forced into isolation if he failed to pay up.
Village matbar (local leader) Delwar Hossain alias Ullashi executed the durra (lashes) on January 17.
Family sources said Enamul Mia of Gabbari used to eve-tease the girl on her way to Sathgram Advocate Haroon-or-Rashid High School. He raped her April last year. Fearing the shame, the girl did not disclose the incident.
The girl's family had married her off to a man of neighbouring Ghatiara village but after a month into the marriage medical test discovered she was seven months pregnant.
She was divorced and she had to live at her father's place after an abortion. Following her return, a group of so-called matbars led by Manik Mia declared that her family is to be isolated until punished.
On January 17, the influential group arranged the arbitration at the yard of the victim.
At one stage of the inhuman torture, the girl collapsed and fainted. She regained her sense after two hours.
Ullashi presided over the arbitration while Wahid Mia, Basu Mia, Manik Mia, Shahjahan Mia, Dulal Mia, Maulana Md Kawser Mia, Imam of Gupinathpur Baro Mosque, Maulana Md Ishaque Mia, Imam of Khargor Jame Mosque, and a few others played key roles.
"Enamul has spoiled my life. I want justice," said the girl as tears rolled down from her eyes.
Talking to The Daily Star, neighbours spoke in favour of the girl and blamed Enamul. They did not dare to say anything against the so-called village arbitration.
The girl's father said members of the influential group are now keeping a watch on them so that they could not move or seek legal action.
Wahid Mia said they executed the 101 lashes on the girl following the religious edict and they did not call Enamul during the arbitration as he belongs to another village.
A team of human rights activists led by advocate Mili Chowdhury visited the spot.
Their organisation will help the victim file separate cases against the culprits, Mili said.
Kasba Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Jahirul Islam Khan said they would take appropriate action if the victim files a case in this regard.
Three women were whipped as a result of fatwas in the district during the last six months.
From: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=123248
Police failed to help woman who dialled 999 twice before she was murdered
A mentally ill woman who was bludgeoned to death by her neighbour and his 13-year-old friend rang 999 twice during her ordeal, but police failed to respond to both calls, a report has found.By Lucy Cockcroft
Published: 7:30AM GMT 27 Jan 2010
Joanne Butler, 38, was discovered dead in her burned out flat in Earl Shilton, Leicestershire, shortly after she made the calls.
She had been murdered by Sean Wilson, then 37, a man with a history of violence, and the teenage boy, who had used a sock filled with rocks and a metal bar to beat her about the head before butchering her with an axe.
This was despite Miss Butler dialling 999 twice and her pleas for help being graded top priority as a possible incident of domestic violence.
Details of the police failings have been published in a report by East Midlands Strategic Health Authority, which disclosed a previously confidential review conducted by Leicestershire Constabulary into Miss Butler's case.
It showed that in her first call at 5.04pm on January 3, 2006, the operator heard someone scream ''you -------'' in the background. Ten minutes later she phoned again but the line went dead.
All the BT operator heard during the second connection were ''noises and a scream''.
The call was labelled as a ''possible domestic'' and the details were passed on to the police operators who deploy officers.
But, despite repeated requests from the operators, there were no officers available to attend Miss Butler's flat and the emergency request was listed as a ''duplicate incident'' and closed.
The internal police review also found police had regular contact with Miss Butler, who suffered from psychotic symptoms and depression, having dealt with her 20 times in the ten months before she died.
Police also knew Wilson, now 41, an alcoholic and suffered from depression, regularly attacked his ex-wife, once holding a hacksaw to her throat.
The boy was a known pyromaniac and ''enjoyed setting fire'' to things while he was detained in a young offenders' institution in 2005.
But despite the volatile characters and histories of the three, police were unable to send an officer to their flats as they were all busy.
To further compound the failures, it was disclosed that Mr Wilson himself had called police within minutes of Miss Butler's calls, in which he described her as the ''psycho woman'' in the flat above his own.
Officers then received a fourth call from a neighbour in the flats claiming his car had been damaged by Miss Butler.
But the calls were not linked and the operator decided to pass the complaint on to an officer working the next day while Wilson was told to ring back if he had any more problems.
In total, police were rung four times from the flats in just 15 minutes but not one officer was deployed.
The health authority published part of the force's review within an independent investigation into the care provided by mental health workers to Miss Butler.
In the police's internal report, the force admitted its mistakes. It concluded: ''The reviewing officer acknowledges that attendance by the police as a result of these calls had the potential to defuse the situation and possibly resolve the problems being encountered by the parties concerned.''
Wilson was jailed for life in November 2006. His minimum term of 12 years behind bars was increased to 15 after prosecutors appealed against the original sentence. The boy was ordered to be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure for at least nine years.
From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/7080609/Police-failed-to-help-woman-who-dialled-999-twice-before-she-was-murdered.html
Manchester dancing girl hanged herself accidentally
Last updated at 20:17 GMT, Tuesday, 26 January 2010A 10-year-old girl accidentally hanged herself with a dressing gown cord as she danced around her bedroom, a coroner told her inquest.
Megan Williams was taken to hospital after being found by her brother at their home in Harpurhey, north Manchester, in May 2009.
She died despite resuscitation efforts by her mother and paramedics.
Coroner Nigel Meadows said he hoped the case would highlight the dangers of playing with ropes and cords.
He recorded a verdict of accidental death at Manchester Coroner's Court on Tuesday.
"It is an illustration of the significant dangers of playing around with things you put around your neck," he said.
"I am entirely satisfied that Megan had been messing about. She had been dancing, listening to music, and she put her head through the loop.
"She was playing about without knowledge of the risks."
From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/8481941.stm
Anti-gay religious group wants Twitter to 'serve god'
Everyone's favorite anti-gay, anti-Jew, anti-military, anti-Lady Gaga, anti-hockey, anti-basketball zealots are coming to San Francisco. The Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church -- notorious for picketing funerals of fallen soldiers -- plans various protests here and across California. Among its stops is Twitter headquarters in SF on Thursday (4:30 p.m.), reports NBC Bay Area's Jackson West. According to the church's site, they want to remind the company of its heavenly obligation:"They (Twitter) have a duty to God just like every other person to serve God and to use ALL their resources in their service to him. So we come with hearts of love and joy to humbly suggest they GET ON THAT TASK!"
Megan Phelps-Roper, granddaughter of church founder and preacher Fred Phelps, explained in her tweet:
Don't be silly! We're not protesting Twitter as a platform; that's like picketing television! =) We're picketing the people who run @Twitter, who don't use their position & voice to warn a generation of rebels of the consequences of their rebellion. Same goes for those at Foursquare & Gowalla (tho I personally find their products useless -- at least relative to Twitter. =)
The Thursday tour of SF includes the Contemporary Jewish Museum (12:15 p.m.), the Anti-Defamation League (1:10 p.m.), Jewish Community Center (1:50 p.m.), Lowell High School (3:20 p.m.), and Golden Gate Theatre's "Fiddler on Roof" (7:20 p.m.)
On Friday, the group moves on to Gunn High School in Palo Alto (7:25 a.m.) to protest the spate of suicides and Stanford University's Taube Hillel House (8:10 a.m.). Counter-protests are planned for both events. Westboro returns to SF, spreading its good cheer at Congregation Beth Israel & Day School (10 a.m.), the Jewish news weekly (11 a.m.), the U.S. District Court (11:45 a.m.) -- battleground for Prop. 8 -- Jewish Community High School of the Bay (2:10 p.m.), George Washington High School (3 p.m.), and "Rent"at the Randall Museum Theater the Randall Museum Theater's production of "Rent" (6:50 p.m.). They're also targeting "Rent" at the Sacramento Community Theater next month.
Members will demonstrate in Texas before turning their attention to California again. Pickets culminate at the Oscars, where the group will condemn the worship of the golden idol and denounce all gowns made of tulle, mesh or credit cards.
From: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/scavenger/detail?entry_id=56122
Bunch o' sheep fuckin' Godwhores...
J.A.C.
Self-described wolf woman severed lost dog's head
By Brian Chasnoff - Express-News Wolfie Blackheart is not an ordinary 18-year-old.She believes she is a wolf — technically, a werewolf — and so she wears a tail. She also wears a harness in case someone special wants to drag her around.
And last week, she used a pocketknife in her kitchen to decapitate a dog — already dead, according to Wolfie — that had been missing since Jan. 5.
“I severed the head, boiled the head,” Wolfie said. “People make the mistake of hacking the spine, which will fracture the skull.”
She added, “You also have to put (the head) outside for the brains to leak out.”
Before the teenager carted the cranium to the woods, someone held it up and snapped a photograph of it inside her Northwest Side house — a shot that ended up on the Internet.
Within days, the photo had spurred an aggressive animal cruelty investigation by Animal Care Services and the San Antonio Police Department.
It also inspired at least one so-called troll — a savvy, anonymous Internet user — to hack into Wolfie’s personal accounts, engage in amateur sleuthing and issue threats to those deemed responsible for the dog’s fate.
Bearing the brunt of these attacks, Wolfie — born Sarah Rodriguez — says she’s guilty of nothing more than an abiding love for taxidermy.
“I would never kill a canine,” she said. “I am a canine.”
Lisa Rodriguez, Wolfie’s mom, said she supports her daughter’s career goal.
“I say, ‘Don’t sever heads in front of me,’” she said. “She usually does it in the woods.”
Wolfie cares lovingly for two huskies in the backyard.
Her room is a cluttered den plastered with posters of anime characters and howling wolves. On a high shelf, she collects heads, including the cleaned skulls of a coyote, ram and wild boar.
When a car ran over Pixie — her “best friend” — Wolfie cut off the chihuahua’s tiny head, cleaned it and placed it in a jar.
“I get requests on cats and stuff,” she said.
Wolfie also has collected more than a dozen swords, including a “two-handled war sword” made of carbon steel and a katana blade from Japan.
She said investigators knocked on her door Friday with a search warrant.
“When they saw her room, they had to call every single cop to her room,” said her mother, who lives in the home. “The spots on the wall, they thought it was blood. It’s catsup. The kids had a fight. They’re teenagers.”
She added, “Wolfie does have a bloody refrigerator, but they’re all dead animals.”
Crime scene investigators swabbed the walls. Authorities confiscated the dog’s head. No one could find the body.
‘The sweetest dog’
A friend dropped off a stray dog last year at the Northwest Side house of Kathy Silva, and the mother of four wasn’t enthralled.
“Don’t get too used to him,” she told her daughters.
But the black-flecked chow mix won the family members’ hearts. They named him Rigsby, after the road on which he was found.
“He started being real protective of the kids and our house,” Silva said. “He was the sweetest dog ever.”
Her 14-year-old daughter promised to care for the new pet. She even offered her own birthday money to pay for the dog’s shots.
But on Jan. 5, Rigsby went missing from the family’s backyard.
Two weeks later, on Jan. 20, a teenager — likely a troll — stopped Silva near her home. Clutching a crumpled piece of paper, he told her he was conducting a survey on dogs in the neighborhood.
“We used to have a dog,” Silva told him, “but he ran away.”
That same day, a neighbor showed Silva a Web site with the photo of a dog’s severed head. That site and others included inflammatory and convoluted theories about who had done it.
“My heart pretty much sank,” Silva said, “because when I saw that picture, I said, ‘That’s Rigsby.’”
She called police.
Investigators studied the Web site, noting a post from a user who wrote that the dog had been hit by a car and “it would be fun to desecrate the corpse,” according to an affidavit for a search warrant.
Authorities also noted the criminal history of Wolfie, whose name appeared on the site.
A dropout since ninth grade, Wolfie walked onto a campus in the Northside ISD a year or two ago with a “large curved blade” that “looks like it’s used to cut someone’s head off,” according to the affidavit.
She was arrested and charged with possession of the weapon.
“I can explain that,” Wolfie’s mother said. “That was a skinning knife.”
‘Road kill’
Wolfie has Tourette’s syndrome, which causes her to yip — a result of head trauma suffered in a car crash about a decade ago, her mother said.
And she’s into a lifestyle that involves bondage, which necessitates a dog collar.
“The collar means I belong to someone,” she said. “It’s not a fashion statement.”
She’s also a member of a “wolf pack.”
“I’m a wolf, and I have a group of other friends who are canines,” she said. (No you're not, you're an idiot, and your friends are retards.)
Wolfie said a friend called her last week and asked her to decapitate a dog that had been hit by a car.
“He was gone. His tongue was dried,” she said. “The cause of death, I’m almost 100 percent sure, was blunt trauma.”
Wolfie placed the animal on her kitchen counter and severed the windpipe, tendons and spine. She said a friend photographed the head while she was boiling the water that would melt off the skin.
“I wouldn’t have allowed” the photo, Wolfie said.
Her friends left with the body, Wolfie said, and she put the head in the woods.
Lisa Norwood, an ACS spokeswoman, said the investigation is ongoing. It’s not illegal to cut off the head of a dead dog, she added.
“You can prove that a number of ways forensically,” Norwood said.
At home, Wolfie and her mother are dealing with online smears, threatening phone calls and obscene text messages.
“The Internet’s gone crazy,” Lisa Rodriguez said. “We thought somebody was on our roof last night.”
But she said the wrath is misdirected.
“Wolfie would never harm an animal,” she said. “She likes road kill.”
From: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/Self-described_wolf_woman_severed_lost_dogs_head.html