DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP) - A Kentucky National Guard member is facing manslaughter charges after the car he was driving crashed in North Dakota and two fellow guard members were killed.
Prosecutors say 23-year-old Christopher Brandt, of Kentucky, was driving recklessly at high speeds when his car crashed into a tree and rolled over late Wednesday or early Thursday in Devils Lake, N.D. Thirty-1-year-old Ronald Forsyth and 23-year-old Jason Burnette were killed. Brandt and 23-year-old David Duncan were injured. Both were treated and released from a local hospital.
All four were members of the Kentucky National Guard undergoing military engineering training at Camp Grafton, near Devils Lake.
The Jamestown Sun reports (http://bit.ly/OwvYBq) that Brandt faces two counts of manslaughter and a count of reckless endangerment.
Information from: The Jamestown Sun, http://www.jamestownsun.com
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Iraqis Outraged as Haditha Massacre Trial Ends in No Jail Time for Accused Marines. 1 of 2
democracynow.org - The last of the US marines charged in the 2005 Haditha massacre of 24 Iraqi civilians, Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, received no jail time after he pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty and avoiding charges of involuntary manslaughter. Under his sentencing, Wuterich now faces a maximum penalty of a demotion to the rank of private. The victims, including women and children, were killed when the marines burst into their homes and shot them dead in their nightclothes. Wuterich allegedly led the Haditha massacre and was the last defendant to face charges. Six other marines have had their charges dropped or dismissed, while another soldier was acquitted. "[Iraqi] outrage is perfectly understandable," says Tim McGirk, the Time magazine reporter who broke the story on the Haditha massacre. "Here is a case where so many Iraqis were killed, women and children, old men, and yet what's happened? Most of the charges have been dismissed, and Wuterich was basically given a slap on the wrist." Click here to watch part 2 of 2: youtu.be To watch the complete daily, independent news hour, read the transcript, download the podcast, and for the additional reports, visit www.democracynow.org. FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE Facebook: www.facebook.com Twitter: @democracynow Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com Listen on SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com Daily Email News Digest: www.democracynow.org Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy ...Video Rating: 5 / 5
For nearly six years, they were locked up facing a possible death sentence for a grisly 2001 triple homicide in Ypsilanti Township. On Friday, a federal judge dismissed the charges against Deondre Byrd and three other men after a federal prosecutor said new evidence came to light last Friday that prevented the government from taking the case to trial. It was the second time in three years that Byrd escaped murder charges. He has been imprisoned in recent years for both the triple homicide and the slaying of a 16-year-old girl in Ann Arbor, but he has been convicted on only a federal gun charge. "Obviously, I'm pretty upset that almost 11 years later, we still don't have any answers," said Christy Brown, 30, a close family friend of the victims of the triple homicide. She said she got a call from federal prosecutors Thursday saying the case was being dropped, but they wouldn't elaborate. "I was very surprised. I honestly thought they were making some...
FLINT, MI -- There have been 189 murders in the city since 2010. Below is a map of the locations of each murder in the last three years, as well as the names of the slain on Flint's battlefield. The spike in murders occurred almost immediately after large-scale layoffs in March of 2010. By year's end the city had set a record with 66 murders, breaking the previous mark of 61 set in 1986. Killing continued in 2011 with 57 murders. A look at the map shows the majority of the murders took place on the north and east sides, historically the most economically depressed areas of the city. Just 25 murders in the last three years occurred south of Court Street. The map is color-coded by year. Green markers denote 2012 murders while red markers are from 2011 and blue from 2010. 2012 No. 1: Jan. 11: Kevin Berger, 55, died Jan. 11 after a Jan. 10 double shooting at his home on Keller Avenue near Welch Boulevard around 10:15 pm. Darius McGee, 25, was also critically shot. He survi...
A manslaughter charge against a Marathon man accused of helping cause the death of a teenager by letting her drive drunk has been dropped due to what prosecutors say is lack of evidence. Michael Mearns, 26, the son of former Marathon Mayor Randy Mearns and grandson of former Marathon Councilwoman Margie Mearns, had been charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence following a Feb. 25, 2011, crash in which 17-year-old Amber Kogelis of Lower Matecumbe Key died. "You have to prove he knew she was drinking," State Attorney Catherine Vogel said Wednesday. "It's clear we do not have evidence of the impairment." That's even though an autopsy revealed Kogelis had a blood alcohol content of .125. In Florida, .08 is considered legally drunk. "It didn't rise to the level beyond a reasonable doubt," said Assistant State Attorney Paunece Ramage. "She wasn't stumbling, she wasn't holding herself up" in a video prosecutors re...
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