Tag Archives: justice

Courthouse News reports: A federal court in Louisiana rules that four prison guards may face sanctions and punitive damages because they “lost” video scans that supposedly justified fruitlessly searching an inmate suspected of inserting contraband in his rectum for four days. The scans they produced were not of the inmate, which the court could tell because there are major differences …

The BBC reports: The authorities in Ghana are investigating after a man was mauled to death by a lion after he climbed into a zoo enclosure in the capital, Accra. The man, described as middle-aged, died from his injuries after Sunday’s attack, officials say. Wildlife authorities suspect he may have planned to steal two rare white lion cubs which have …

USA Today reports: A herd of breeding elephants trampled a suspected poacher to death while he tried to flee from South African park rangers. The encounter happened April 17 after three people ran from the rangers in Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest game preserves, according to park officials. Rangers, using dogs and aircraft, captured one of the suspects, …

The Telegraph reports: At least three suspected poachers who were apparently hunting for rhinos have been mauled to death and eaten by lions on a game reserve in South Africa, the owner said on Thursday. The men entered the Sibuya Game Reserve on the southeast coast armed with a high-powered rifle and an axe in the early hours of Monday …

Agence France-Presse reports: A suspected poacher was mauled to death and eaten by a pack of lions close to the Kruger National Park in South Africa, police said Monday, adding that little was left of the victim’s body. The remains were found at the weekend in the bush at a private game park near Hoedspruit in the northern province of …

The HuffPost reports: A D.C. judge has tossed out a jury’s conviction of a protester who laughed during Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ Senate confirmation hearing, finding on Friday that the government had improperly argued during the trial that her laughter was enough to merit a guilty verdict. The judge ordered a new trial in the case, setting a court date …

All that rosary-waving and Catholic voodoo failed former New York state Sen. Pedro Espada today when he finally pleaded guilty to multiple felony counts of tax fraud related to the government-funded health clinics his family operated. He faces over seven years in prison and is free until sentencing is finalized. Espada was at the center of the two most tumultuous …

Nine anti-gay preachers were arrested Saturday as they protested at Southern Decadence. Patrick O’Connell, 45, Rolando Igleasias, 31, Cesar Chavez, 22, Daniel Hoogerhuis, 26, Danny Guevera, 20, Larry Craft, 52, Montes Diego, 32 and Gary Brown, 33 were arrested on suspicion of aggressive solicitation, a city law passed last October. The ordinance prohibits “any person or group of persons to …

Former Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shivrell has been ordered to pay a gay man $4.5M in damages after waging a vicious homophobic internet campaign against him. The U.S. District Court jury ruled in favor of Christopher Armstrong, who claimed he suffered distress after a blog created by Andrew Shirvell accused him of enticing minors with alcohol and recruiting people …

Finally we have some (partial) resolution in the case of Lisa Miller, the “ex-gay” mom who kidnapped her daughter to Nicaragua rather than obey multiple court orders that awarded custody to her former partner. Via the Hartford Courant: A Mennonite minister was found guilty on Tuesday of aiding and abetting international kidnapping by helping a woman flee to Nicaragua with …

Infamous Maryland-based televangelist Robert Freeman, known on television as Dr. Shine, has been sentenced to prison for doing what all televangelists do. Robert J. Freeman, a.k.a Dr. Shine, is going to jail for 27 months and was ordered to pay $630,000 to four church members. The Washington Post reports that the ‘Gods Top Gun of deliverance’ pastor lied to bankruptcy …

Monsignor William Lynn was sentenced to three to six years in prison today by a Philadelphia court for his role in hiding years of child molestation by priests under his command. Lynn is the first-ever American Catholic official ordered to prison for shielding pedophiles but not committing any abuses himself. “You knew full well what was right, Monsignor Lynn, but …

Despite his rejection by Virginia General Assembly, openly gay prosecutor Tracy Thorne-Begland has been appointed to the district court bench. Thorne-Begland, whose appointment by Richmond Circuit Court judges will begin July 1, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, “I am humbled by the circuit court’s decision.” “I look forward to serving the citizens of the city of Richmond as a jurist and, …

George Zimmerman’s wife was arrested today and charged with perjury for collaborating with her husband to shield the couple’s finances from the court. According to an affidavit, Shellie Zimmerman transferred more than $74,000 to her personal account days before the bond hearing. Taped phone calls between the couple revealed that they had discussed the money transfers in code to hide …

Waving a rosary to ward off “evil spirits” proved useless for former New York Sen. Pedro Espada, who was today found guilty of embezzling over $500,000 from the Bronx health clinic he managed. Espada sat stone-faced when he was found guilty of ripping off the clinic. His wife, Connie, looked stricken and appeared near tears. Before the verdict was read, …

Two of the teenagers charged in the nation’s first-ever federal anti-gay hate crime case pleaded guilty today in a Kentucky court. Alexis Leeann Jenkins and Mable Ashley Jenkins, who goes by Ashley, pleaded guilty to one charge of kidnapping and one charge of aiding others in causing bodily injury to Kevin Pennington of Letcher County because he is gay. The …

Charlotte television is reporting that local police took the actions of Shotgun Boy extremely fucking seriously. Just posted by WSOC-ABC Channel 9: If Wiles was looking for attention, he got it. The video was spotted by opponents of the amendment who shared the link on Twitter. Then, dozens of sheriff’s deputies showed up at his home. “Our biggest concern was …

Texas is responsible for one-third of all executions since 1976.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature have agreed to expand the mandatory collection of DNA samples to include both felons AND those convicted of misdemeanors. New York will be the first and only state to demand such samples from those convicted of petty crimes. The bill Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to sign passed overnight Wednesday in the …