November 10th, 2009
I’m sure most of my readers remember the DC sniper case from back in October of 2002. John Allen Mohammad, along with his teen-aged disciple Lee Boyd Malvo shot and killed 10 people in the suburbs around Washington. Three others were injured but not killed. Mohammad was convicted of capital murder in Virginia, where tonight (9pm EST) he is scheduled to die by lethal injection.
The crimes themselves received a ton of press and sent the area into a state of complete panic. It seems the panic might have been justified — Mohammad later stated his intention to off 6 people a day for 30 days. After killing five people on the first day, they scaled back their plan believing it had become impossible to maintain those levels.
During his trial, Mohammad’s defense hinged on a claim of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of his time fighting in the first Gulf War. He also had brain scans showing he had brain damage which may have triggered schizophrenia. The prosecution claimed the killings were a smokescreen — Mohammad was hoping to kill his wife and gain custody of his children, in what can only be described as one hell of a bad idea.
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Tags: Sniper
Posted in Law and Procedure, Past Trial |
November 3rd, 2009
Faithful readers….my utmost apologies for the lack of posting. I am currently computer-less, a situation I hope to work out soon. Until then, I plan on loading my arsenal of interesting stories so we can all stay on top of the current cases.
Back soon!!
Tags: Personal
Posted in Uncategorized |
October 20th, 2009
I read about this case yesterday, and it reminded me of an interesting case I worked on a few years back. But before I get to the legal issues, let’s run down the facts, shall we?
Back in 2005, Carolyn Neville, an Orange County woman, was going about her day when an intruder who had entered her home murdered her in a particularly gruesome manner. Neville was stabbed over 70 times with several knives and a pair of hedge clippers (I’ll pause here for your collective [and well-deserved] groan)…..
The motive for the crime was pegged from day one as burglary. Apparently Neville had recently lost the keys to her house and routinely left the door unlocked. On the day of the crime, Neville had just returned home after taking her son to school when neighbors heard screams and called 911. When police arrived, a man ran out the back door of the home, getting a couple of houses away before the police caught up to him. The suspect, the unfortunately-surnamed Derlyn Ray Threats, was arrested with white socks on his hands that had been drenched in Neville’s blood. In his possession: a stun gun and the wooden handle to a hammer.
Forensic testing revealed a mixture of Neville and Threats’ DNA throughout the house. Neville’s DNA was also found under Threats’ fingernails.
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Tags: Supreme Court, Threats
Posted in Current Trial, Investigation, Law and Procedure, Law and Procedure, Past Trial |
October 20th, 2009
On October 20th
1967: Seven of eighteen defendants were convicted of conspiracy to deprive an individual of civil rights for the 1964 murders of three men working to register black voters in Mississippi. The murders were tied to the Ku Klux Klan, and the 7 defendants were sentenced to no more than 10 years for their crimes. No one served more than 6 years. For years, no one was handed a murder conviction for these crimes until 2005, when 80-year old Edgar Ray Killen was convicted of three counts of manslaughter. Killen allegedly planned and ordered the killings. Killen’s appeals were denied and he is currently serving three consecutive twenty year terms.
2000: Ali Mohamed, a U.S. citizen born in Egypt, who had served in the Army, pleaded guilty in New York to helping plan the deadly U.S. embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in 1998 that killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. Mohamed was a CIA operative who also had ties to al Qaeda and the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. In what amounts to an incredible and absurd string of facts, Mohamed managed to get special training from the US military, inform Hezbollah that he was acting as an American spy, still managed to get a US visa, marry an American woman, become a US citizen, join the CIA, and return to Afghanistan for al Qaeda training. He spent the next few years casing the US embassies in Africa and planning what would ultimately be a devastating attack.
2004: Ivan “Chip” Frederick pleaded guilty to abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Frederick was the highest ranking officer facing charges and was sentenced to 8 years for his crimes. Abu Ghraib, you will recall, was the site of some of the most horrific torture conducted by Americans. Detainees were subject to psychological, physical, and sexual abuse. Reports of rape and murder at Abu Ghraib also abound.
Tags: On This Day
Posted in Uncategorized |
October 19th, 2009
After hiatus, I’m happy to report that The Suspicious Mind is back in action. Over the next few days, it’ll be a return to form, and I hope to bring you some new, interesting stories. I’m well-rested and thrilled to bring you more tales of prosecution woes and defense strategy. As always, keep the comments coming.
Tags: Personal
Posted in Uncategorized |
October 6th, 2009
Faithful Suspicious Mind Readers — Just a quick programming note. I will not be posting again until late next week, while I enjoy a much needed visit with family. But I will be back with more exciting legal drama soon!
Tags: Personal
Posted in Uncategorized |
October 2nd, 2009
On October 2:
1980: Democratic Congressman and slasher-flick named Michael Myers of Pennsylvania was convicted of accepting a bribe and was expelled from the House. Myers was nabbed in the FBI’s ABSCAM investigation which ultimately resulted in the conviction of one senator and five members of the House.
1996: Former OJ investigator Mark Fuhrman is given three years of probation after pleading no contest to perjury charges stemming from his under-oath denial that he used a racial slur against Simpson.
2002: A man is shot in the parking lot of a grocery store in Wheaton, Maryland, the first of what would ultimately be 10 victims of the DC area sniper.
2006: A man entered an Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, killed five students, wounded five others before taking his own life.
Tags: On This Day
Posted in Uncategorized |
September 30th, 2009
I recently posted here about the failed attempt to execute Romell Broom for the rape and murder of 14-year old Tryna Middleton in 1984. Ohio attempted to perform it’s “totally humane” three drug protocol, but apparently could not locate a proper vein for the injections. Instead, executioners’ needles hit muscle and bone repeatedly over the course of two hours before Ohio Governor Ted Strickland pulled the plug on the execution.
Broom was given a ten day reprieve, and was rescheduled for execution yesterday. Once again at the last minute, the execution was called to a stop — this time by Federal District Judge Gregory Frost, who issued a second reprieve. Broom’s attorneys argued that the first attempt violated the 8th Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. A hearing in that case is now scheduled for November.
The execution of another Ohio inmate–Lawrence Reynolds–is scheduled for next week and Ohio public defenders have endeavored to put a halt to that execution as well. In briefs filed this week, lawyers argued that Broom’s botched execution and series of previous, botched executions warrant a temporary hold on all lethal injections. Predictably, the Ohio Attorney General has argued that Broom’s execution attempt was an isolated incident; his difficult veins made his execution unique and thus no conclusions can be drawn as to the overall efficacy of the lethal injection protocol as to other Ohio defendants.
Stay tuned for more on Broom’s case and the state of affairs of Ohio’s lethal injection scheme.
Tags: death penalty
Posted in Uncategorized |
September 25th, 2009
Otty Sanchez, a 33-year old San Antonio woman, has been declared competent for trial by the court-appointed psychologist. Sanchez is on trial for the murder of her three week old son, who she decapitated and dismembered, then ate parts of his body. Is that for real? Whoa. Sanchez claims the devil made her do it. I predict an insanity defense, how about you? Aiken Standard
Susan Atkins, Manson follower and Sharon Tate killer dies at 61. CNN
The American student Amanda Knox, on trial in Italy for the murder of a classmate, is having trouble remembering certain details surrounding the crime. Court neurologists argue Knox may have stress-induced memory lapses. AP
Krystle Weaver was found guilty this week of the stabbing death of Thomas Lorigan in Greenville, Ohio. Weaver’s boyfriend was also a suspect, but committed suicide before he could be tried. Weaver is set to be sentenced today. WFMJ
A new television obsession, Oxygen Channel’s lady-killer show “Snapped” has been running at near-marathon levels this week. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should check it out. It’s typically a half-hour to-the-point recap of women killers, the investigations and the trials. Spoiler — they are guilty like 95% of the time, but it’s still a fun show. Oxygen
Tags: RoundUp
Posted in Uncategorized |
September 25th, 2009
Two weeks ago, I blogged about Manson follower Susan Atkins’ final bid for parole in California. Atkins was, at the time, suffering from terminal brain cancer. She appeared at her parole hearing but slept through the proceedings and was generally unable to participate. Today comes news that Susan Atkins (aka Sadie Mae Glutz, Sexy Sadie) passed away at the age of 61. She is survived by her husband.
While I imagine few tears will be shed over Susan’s death, her passing certainly closes one of the chapters in the bizarre Manson killings. Atkins was, at the time of the crimes, one of Manson’s most devout followers, a young girl with a troubled background who fell for the Manson mantra wholeheartedly. Atkins was the first member to blab about the crimes and is largely credited with having set in motion the demise of the Family. Say what you will about Susan Atkins, but she has fascinated many for four decades, and will surely continue to do so in the future. Rest in peace.
Tags: Manson Family
Posted in Uncategorized |
