In Robert Dahl’s essay, Lamb to the Slaughter, the wife kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb and then destroys the evidence by feeding it to the investigators. In Newark, N.J., 76-year-old Marlene Mackenzie was certainly as creative but not nearly as successful: she killed 80-year-old Robert Mackenzie by throwing a cocktail glass at his head.
Continue reading “Dial M for Martini: Women Charged With Killing Husband With Cocktail Glass”
Month: July 2008
National Enquirer reporters Alan Butterfield and Alexander Hitchen have filed a criminal complaint with the Beverly Hills Police Department against the security staff of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The paper is also not backing off from its story — virtually daring Edwards to file a defamation lawsuit.
Continue reading “National Enquirer Reporters File Criminal Complaint in Edwards Controversy”
Carnegie Mellon University professor Dr. Randy Pausch, 47, died of pancreatic cancer today. Pausch inspired the nation with his “last lecture,” a moving discussion of his life and his approaching death. This story became the subject of a best seller and his lecture below was viewed by millions.
Continue reading “Last Lecture: Professor Randy Pausch Dies”
Detroit politicians continue their almost daily contributions to the criminal blogs and blotters. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is now being investigated for allegedly assaulting a deputy accompanying an investigator for the Wayne County prosecutor at the home of the mayor’s sister. The officers were attempting to serve a subpoena on Bobby Ferguson, a city contractor and close friend of Kilpatrick. The mayor’s sister, Ayanna Kilpatrick, is married to Daniel Ferguson, a cousin of Bobby Ferguson.
Continue reading “Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Accused of Assault on Police Deputy”
In an extraordinary act of self-censorship, the Los Angeles Times has asked its bloggers not to discuss the Edwards story about his alleged affair and child with Rielle Hunter. The story was broken by the National Enquirer after allegedly catching Edwards at a hotel with the woman.
Continue reading “L.A. Times Bars Bloggers From Covering Edwards Affair Story”
Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin and the city of Memphis appear to have such excess of amounts of money and time that they have decided to pursue Internet bloggers critical of their work. They have filed to try to learn who has been filing critical entries under MPD Enforcer 2.0.
Continue reading “The Thin Blog Line: Memphis Police Chief Godwin Sues to Learn Identity of Anonymous Bloggers”
“Spam King” Edward ‘Eddie’ Davidson, his wife and 3-year-old daughter escaped recently from the minimum-security federal prison in Florence, Colorado. He has now been found dead after shooting his wife and three-year-old daughter.
Continue reading ““Spam King” Eddie Davidson Escapes from Jail Then Kills Wife, Daughter, and Himself”
There is the Flying Nun and now there is the Embezzling Nun. Sister Barbara Markey, 73, apparently was never quite comfortable with her vow of poverty. She pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $250,000 from the Omaha archdiocese. After she was sentenced to three to five years in prison by an irate Nebraska judge, she asked Judge Thomas Otepka let out of the plea and go to trial.
Continue reading “Bad Habit: Nebraska Nun Sentenced for Embezzlement; Seeks to Withdraw Plea”
The Bush Administration has released torture memos that reveal the extent to which officials laid the groundwork for a criminal defense in its torture program. The 2002 memos instructed interrogators in a good-faith defense for any claim that they were committing federal crimes.
Continue reading “The Bybee Memo: How to Torture and Avoid a Criminal Charge on Technicality”
Andrew Giuliani, son of Rudy Giuliani, has gone to court to fight for his right to golf on teh Duke University team. He was recently thrown off the team with little notice or explanation by its coach, O.D. Vincent. The filing is based on a loose theory of contract, even though decisions of eligibility are generally viewed as matter of discretion for university staff.
Formula One racing head Max Mosley has won a lawsuit in London alleging an invasion of privacy by News of the World for their release of pictures and a video of his sadomasochistic fantasy Nazi-themed party with prostitutes. He denied that the party had a Nazi theme, a view supported by the court. The newspaper was ordered to pay $120,000 plus his legal fees and costs.
Continue reading “Max Mosley Wins Privacy Action for Disclosure of Sadomasochistic Orgy”
A New Zealand judge, Rob Murfitt, has taken custody from parents of a nine-year-old girl so that he can chose a better name than Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii.” It is clear that these parents should be under psychiatric analysis, but there is an interesting question of whether you can lose custody, even briefly, for picking a bad name.
Continue reading “Plain Jane: Judge Orders Name Change for “Talula Does the Hula””
A very interesting decision has emerged out of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Former law school professor (and potential candidate for the Supreme Court) Michael W. McConnell wrote the opinion that the limitation to colleges other than those “pervasively sectarian” violates the Constitution as discrimination against certain religions.
Continue reading “Federal Court Strikes Down Colorado Law Limiting College Scholarships to Exclude “Pervasively Sectarian” Schools”
When Laslo Mujzer, 43, saw the donations in a Florida mall fountain, he clearly decided that he was a good candidate for charity. He took 42 cents before a woman alerted the mall security force. Now, Mujzer is facing a criminal charge of misdemeanor theft. Bail alone costs $500, leaving him $499.58 short.
Continue reading “Man Jailed and Criminally Charged for Theft of 42 Cents”
RoseMary Shell was not willing to become just another jilted bride. When Wayne Gibbs refused to be her husband, a personal injury lawyer was willing to say “I do.” Now a Georgia jury has awarded Shell $150,000 for the breaking of a marital contract by her former fiance. In the meantime, a Hindu family in Massachusetts is suing for a contractual breach in an arranged marriage when the girl proved unattractive.
Continue reading “Something Borrowed, Someone Sued: One Bride Wins $150,000 After Being Jilted While Another is Sued for Being Too “Ugly””