Posts

In FX's 'The Bridge,' murder spans the border

Diane Kruger and Demian Bichir play two police detectives chasing a serial killer along the Texas-Mexico border in FX's 'The Bridge.' LOS ANGELES – Division and connection are at the heart of The Bridge. In the new FX drama (Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET/PT), investigators from opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexico border join forces when halves of two bodies, one a missing and seemingly forgotten Mexican teen and the other a prominent American judge with anti-immigration views, are found bisected by the borderline on a bridge over the Rio Grande. The two investigators, Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) of the El Paso, police department, and Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir) of the Chihuahua state police, are separated by their backgrounds and personalities. She is a seemingly aloof, by-the-book detective whose blunt style can appear unfriendly, and he is an outgoing charmer whose improvisational techniques can lead to recklessness. They clash, but the single woman and family man must learn to

Fort Hood massacre trial: Hasan goes on the defense

Image
Jury selection is set to begin in the court-martial of the Army psychiatrist charged in Fort Hood shooting rampage that killed 13 and wounding dozens more. The twist here: He'll defend himself. (Photo: AP) STORY HIGHLIGHTS Accused shooter will represent himself, question the wounded survivors Hasan, who was an Army psychiatrist, faces the death penalty if convicted Military trial called the most significant 'in the past 30 or 40 years' KILLEEN, Texas — Kimberly Munley has spent countless hours rehabilitating a shattered knee while trying to erase haunting images of a rampaging killer's 10-minute onslaught here four years ago. Now Munley faces another ominous challenge: the prospect of answering questions from her would-be murderer in a military courtroom. Munley, 38, is one of several dozen survivors of the shooting assault by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist accused of opening fire on soldiers and civilians at Fort Hood in 2009. Hasan

Analysis: George Zimmerman Probably Won't Be Convicted of Murder or Manslaughter -- Here's Why

Image
George Zimmerman leaves the courtroom at the Seminole circuit court in Sanford, Fla., June 27, 2013. orge Zimmerman Trial: Prosecution Rests Its Case I drew a legal conclusion on "Good Morning America" Saturday that would have surprised the Dan Abrams who covered the  George Zimmerman  case leading up to, and shortly after, his arrest. Now that the prosecution's case against Zimmerman is in, as a legal matter, I just don't see how a jury convicts him of second degree murder or even manslaughter in the shooting death of  Trayvon Martin. So what happened? How can an armed man who shot and killed an unarmed teen after being told by the police that he didn't need to keep following him, likely be found not guilty of those crimes? I certainly sympathize with the anger and frustration of the Martin family and doubt that a jury will accept the entirety of George Zimmerman's account as credible. But based on the legal standard and evidence presented by pr

Jimmy Mubenga's unlawful killing was a death waiting to happen

Image
Jimmy Mubenga's inquest has shed light on the murky world of the privatised deportation business A protest against the treatment of Jimmy Mubenga outside the Home Office in London. Photograph: Frank Baron for the Guardian The  inquest into the death of Jimmy Mubenga  uncovered a shocking story of a cruel deportation system, of racism and inhumanity, and of a state seemingly unwilling to prosecute those who abuse and misuse their powers. The verdict of unlawful killing is an honest reflection of the evidence heard. Mubenga died on 12 October 2010  on a British Airways flight bound for Angola, the country of his birth. He was being deported after being convicted of involvement in a pub fight, his first and only offence. He had been in the UK since 1994, and left behind a wife and five children, all of whom were born in the UK and are now British citizens. A committed family man, he was a regular at the school gates for the children. Mubenga died a terrifying death while b

Mom pleads not guilty in death of disabled daughter

Image
Daughter's decomposing body was found in New Jersey in May while the mother was in Reno. (Photo: Thomas P. Costello, Asbury Park (N.J.) Press) STORY HIGHLIGHTS Victim was a 32-year-old disabled woman Mother continued to receive daughter's disability and Social Security checks Mother is charged with aggravated manslaughter and neglect of a disabled adult TOMS RIVER, N.J. -- They came to give voice to  the woman they called Becky, a child-like woman  who loved dancing in her wheelchair to the Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block. "She was a happy girl," said Ele Hayes, 63, of Manchester, N.J. "She didn't deserve this. She could have had a long life." Hayes was among about a half-dozen Manchester residents who traveled to court Monday on behalf of 32-year-old Rebecca Wilson, whose decomposing body was found May 30 by Manchester police inside her home, and whose mother pleaded not guilty Monday to charges stemming from her death.

Shayana Jenkins wept when told Odin Lloyd was murdered while Aaron Hernandez was hostile to police

Image
ATTLEBORO — Shayanna Jenkins broke into tears when she was told that Odin L. Lloyd had been murdered, but her boyfriend Aaron Hernandez slammed the door in the face of police - and never asked them whose death they were investigating, according to court records released this afternoon. “Mr. Hernandez did not ask officers whose death was being investigated,” police wrote in one of several reports unsealed in Attleboro District Court today. “Mr. Hernandez’s demeanor did not indicate any concern for the death of any person.” The records total 156 pages and summarize the investigation into the death of Lloyd, whose body was found in an industrial park in North Attleborough on June 17, leading up to the arrest of Hernandez on June 26 for allegedly orchestrating Lloyd’s murder. The interplay between Jenkins and police came to an abrupt end when Hernandez called her on her cell phone and told her his “sports agent said she should not speak with police’’ without a lawyer present, a

Woman, 22, charged with drug-induced homicide

Image
Kristina L. Keating ( Illinois Department of Corrections photo ) By Dennis Sullivan Special to the Tribune 3:47 p.m. CST , March 6, 2013 A 22-year-old Romeoville woman serving time in the Illinois Department of Corrections on two Will County drug convictions has been charged with drug-induced homicide in the fatal heroin overdose of a 20-year-old Plainfield-area man in 2011. Will County Sheriff's Police spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said Kristina L. Keating, of the 2000 block of Whitmore Drive, provided Emelio R. Medina with heroin on Oct. 28, 2011, from a source in Chicago. Medina's mother and sister found him unresponsive in his bedroom around 1 p.m. the next day, Hoffmeyer said. Keating and two other friends told investigators they had been with Medina the previous night at his home, where he was restricted as the result of a residential burglary conviction, Hoffmeyer said. Medina was among 30 persons who died from drug overdoses involving heroin as t