RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia death row inmate who came within two days of being executed before his sentence was commuted decades ago amid questions about his guilt was granted parole. The Virginia State Parole Board on Monday approved Joseph Giarratano’s release, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported . Giarratano, now 60, was convicted of … Continue reading
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — She was a promising young journalist, tested in trouble spots throughout the world, reporting on a Danish inventor famed for building what was thought to be the world’s largest private submarine. The story seemed to present little danger, but it cost Kim Wall her life. The Swedish journalist’s dismembered, naked torso … Continue reading
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The widow of a man killed in a workplace shooting in Maryland said Thursday that her husband was so concerned about the gunman’s explosive temper that he brought it up in church prayer sessions. Bayarsaikhan Tudev was one of three people shot and killed Wednesday at a granite manufacturer in Edgewood, … Continue reading
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma prosecutor said Thursday that he isn’t surprised or disappointed that a jury convicted a white former police officer of manslaughter instead of murder in his fourth trial for killing his daughter’s black boyfriend. Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said he’s just relieved there was a conviction after former … Continue reading
MILAN (AP) — Maltese authorities faced mounting pressure Thursday to ensure an independent investigation into the slaying of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was known for her fearless reporting on corruption in the small Mediterranean island nation. The 53-year-old journalist’s three grown sons called on Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to resign, saying he … Continue reading
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A judge may be close to a ruling in the case of a white former St. Louis police officer charged with first-degree murder in the 2011 death of a black man who was a drug suspect, and Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens said he has put the National Guard on standby in … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli banks are contributing to the proliferation of West Bank settlements by providing loans and mortgages for construction there, violating their human rights obligations, Human Rights Watch said in a report Wednesday. The report said that Israeli law does not require banks to provide such services to the settlements, and urged them … Continue reading
LUCASVILLE, Ohio (AP) — The Latest on scheduled execution of a contemned Ohio killer (all times local): 10:59 a.m. Ohio has executed a man convicted of killing two people in back-to-back robberies in suburban Cleveland in 1992. Death row inmate Gary Otte (OH’-tee) was put to death Wednesday at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in … Continue reading
CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — The teenager suspected of killing two people and injuring four others in a public library had been searching for “inner peace” shortly before the shooting, the youth’s pastor said. Nathaniel Jouett, 16, started attending Living Word Church of God three months ago and appeared to be turning his life around … Continue reading
CHICAGO (AP) — Police say a man and woman have been found dead with gunshot wounds on the Chicago Skyway, prompting an early-morning closure of part of the expressway that connects the city with Indiana. Chicago Fire Department spokesman Walter Schroeder says crews responded to reports of a shooting around 4:15 a.m. Wednesday. A statement … Continue reading
BROOKHAVEN, Miss. (AP) — A man who got into an argument with his estranged wife over their children was arrested in a house-to-house shooting rampage in rural Mississippi that left eight people dead, including a sheriff’s deputy. “I ain’t fit to live, not after what I done,” a handcuffed Willie Corey Godbolt, 35, told The … Continue reading
BOSTON (AP) — Jury selection has begun in the murder trial of a man charged in the killing of a 2-year-old girl whose body washed up on a Boston Harbor island. Michael McCarthy is charged in the 2015 death of Bella Bond. The girl was known only as Baby Doe for months as authorities struggled … Continue reading
ESTACADA, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon father is struggling to try to understand why his adult son allegedly decapitated his mother on Mother’s Day and then showed up at a grocery store with her head, stabbing a clerk there until workers overpowered the man and police arrested him. David Webb said his 36-year-old son, Joshua … Continue reading
HONG KONG (AP) — A British banker was convicted of murder Tuesday, Nov.8, for killing two Indonesian women in Hong Kong, torturing one of them over three days while using cocaine in a gruesome case that shocked the Chinese financial hub. The nine-person jury returned unanimous verdicts against Rurik Jutting after a two-week trial in … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — A former hip-hop and rap promoter serving a life prison term will get a new trial on charges that he ordered the killing of a rap group associate, an appeals court ruled Tuesday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said a judge made errors that affected the fairness … Continue reading
HIGHLAND SPRINGS, Va. (AP) — A woman has been charged with killing her girlfriend in their Highland Springs townhouse in Henrico County. Local news outlets report that Richmond police say 33-year-old Sheena Yolonda Wilson is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Ava Latae Tucker. Police say Wilson walked into their police department … Continue reading
The man who authorities say fatally shot a former co-worker and wounded three others before killing himself at a rail car factory in Virginia was described by neighbors as a good friend and hard worker who showed no signs of violence. Police say Getachew Fekede, of Kenya, opened fire at the FreightCar America facility in … Continue reading
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A Charlottesville judge has denied a request to pause the wrongful death lawsuit against George Huguely V, a former University of Virginia student convicted of second-degree murder in the slaying of his girlfriend, Yeardley Love. Media outlets report attorneys for Sharon Love — Yeardley Love’s mother — asked the judge on … Continue reading
INDIO, Calif. (AP) — A California gang member pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder charges in the killing of two Palm Springs police officers in what authorities called an ambush during a domestic dispute call. John Hernandez Felix entered the pleas in a Riverside County courtroom, where he appeared with shackles on his legs and … Continue reading
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Four Hampton Roads men have been charged with five murders and five additional shootings in a single month in 2015. Federal authorities have charged Antonio “Murdock” Simmons, Anthony “Bull” Foye, Nathaniel “Savage” Mitchell and Alvaughn “LB” Davis with racketeering, murder, attempted murder, distribution of narcotics and other charges. Authorities say the … Continue reading
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The murder of film director Leon Serment and his producer wife’s subsequent death are believed to have been contract killings arranged by their son for the equivalent of about $5,200 per victim, Mexico City’s top prosecutor said Friday. Prosecutor Rodolfo Rios alleged at a news conference that the unnamed son and … Continue reading
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) â Two former sailors convicted of rape and murder nearly two decades ago are innocent, a federal judge said Monday, adding the “no sane human being” could find the men guilty. U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. said in an opinion that “by any measure,” the evidence shows Danial Williams and … Continue reading
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Four people convicted in the slaying of a Waynesboro reserve police officer are set to be sentenced. Shantai Shelton, Mersadies Shelton, Daniel Mathis and Kweli Uhuru were found guilty by a Roanoke jury in February of murder and kidnapping in the death of 45-year-old Waynesboro Reserve Police Capt. Kevin Quick. They’re … Continue reading
CHICAGO (AP) — The biggest street-gang trial in recent Chicago history starts in earnest Wednesday, with months of testimony expected to provide a rare look inside the gangland activity fueling deadly gun violence in the nation’s third-largest city. On trial for federal racketeering charges are six purported leaders of the Hobos gang who prosecutors say … Continue reading
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia Tech student charged in the kidnap-slaying of a 13-year-old girl called her co-defendant a “sociopath” and referred to herself as a “sociopath in training” a police detective testified Friday. Also, prosecutors in the case against David Eisenhauer and Natalie Keepers introduced text messages taken from Eisenhauer’s cellphone speculating … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 