Category: Criminal law

Killing Quinn: Disgruntled Gold Course Employee Shoots Pet in Protest

genthumbashxA border collie names Quinn was the pride and joy of the Turlock Golf and Country Club in Turlock, California. He was the perfect vehicle, therefore, in the twisted mind of Franco Garcia Aguilar, 21, to express his anger at being laid off as part of the maintenance crew. Aguilar allegedly shot Quinn three times with a 12-gauge shotgun in his kennel on December 16th.
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Who Will Rid Me of This Meddlesome Protester? Maine Bishop Bans Advocate for Abuse Victim From Services

bishopmalonePortland Bishop Richard Malone has issued a rare order banning an advocate for people abused by priests from his services and threatening to issue a rare Interdict — banning Paul Kendrick from the right of communion. The Maine diocese recently released the names of eleven priests in the state with credible allegations of abuse.
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“Tough-On-Crime” Legislator Pleads Guilty to

01people-ortloffFormer GOP state Assemblyman George C. ”Chris” Ortloff pleaded guilty in federal court this week to a felony charge stemming from his attempt to have sex with two sisters, ages 11 and 12. A former member of the state Parole Board, Ortloff, 61, now faces a minimum 10-year prison sentence and a maximum of life in prison. He was a staunch “tough-on-crime” legislator who called for severe sentences for sex offenders.

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Maryland Police Officer Kidnaps Man and Takes Him on High Speed Chase — With His Colleagues Chasing Him

story2Maryland State Police Officer Bruce Wrzosek, 22, has been far from a model officer. Earlier this year, he was suspended for misconduct. However, after returning to work, Wrzosek went a bit too far: driving his marked squad car while drunk, kidnapping a man from a Taco Bell restaurant, and then taking his colleagues on a high-speed chase.

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Toys for Cops: D.C. Police Officers Allegedly Caught on Tape Stealing From Toys for Tots

thumb_policeman_cartoonthumb_birthday_birthday-presentFour District of Columbia police officers have been put on desk duty after they were reportedly caught on a video tape, shown below, stealing from Toys for Tots. This appears to be a trend this month with police accused of stealing laptops and XBox from cars along the roads.

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The Curious Case of James Cialella, Jr.: Philadelphia Man Shoots Father in Front of Family for Talking in a Movie

122608_cialella_300A father and son were talking during the playing of the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button when James Joseph Cialella Jr., 29, became angry. Many people might sympathize with the complaint but Cailella threw popcorn at the boy and when the father objected he shot the father with a .380-caliber handgun. It was a horrific act in a movie with a tagline; “Life isn’t measured in minutes, but in moments.”
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Sequestered Sex: Convicted Murderer Demands New Trial After Disclosure of Sex Among Jurors and Deputies During Trial

thumb_election_scales1There is an interesting question raised in St. Louis in a capital murder case: is a defendant denied a fair jury and trial if two jurors has sex while sequestered as well as two sheriff’s deputies. Roberto Dunn, now 34, who was convicted in 2000 of killing his girlfriend’s mother and found out later that the trial was a real turn-on for the jurors and deputies.
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Self-Fulfilling Legal Prophesies: Bush Defenders Attempt to Use Entrapment by Estoppel To Fend Off Criminal Prosecution

torture -abu ghraibMy recent interview on Legal Times on prosecuting Bush Administration officials for crimes committed in the torture program and unlawful surveillance program has attracted the ire of some conservative law faculty. My colleague Orin Kerr has raised this question on the conservative legal website Volokh Conspiracy. It is not without a good faith basis for such academic debate but, in my view, it should not be a barrier to prosecution.

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The Turley Blog Leads in Vote on Best Law Professor and Legal Theory Blogs

thumb_election_ballot_box_2The voting continues on the top blogs. The Turley blog was selected as one of the 100 top legal blogs by the good people at the ABA Journal. It currently holds the number one spot for law professor and legal theory blogs. The tally shows the Turley blog with 387 votes with Mirror of Justice with 234 votes. The voting ends on January 2nd. You have done well Turley bloggers.
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“Smile: You’re Under Arrest: Arpaio Goes Hollywood

joe_aloneThe highly controversial sheriff from Maricopa, Arizona, Joe Arpaio may be facing serious charges of civil rights abuses and discrimination, but Hollywood considers him such a laugh that they are giving him his own reality show. He intends to use suspects as props for scenes written by comedy writers and staffed by actors. It is the latest sign of the decline of our criminal justice system as our judges, prosecutors, and sheriffs vie for notoriety on television and in the press.

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Missouri Police Officer Arrested for Bringing Laptop to Office for New Software — The Same Computer He Denied Stealing a Year Earlier

thumb_policeman_cartoonA Missouri police officer is charged with felony theft after he brought a laptap into the Sheriff’s office for the installation of new software. The only problem is that it was the same computer that Southwest City officer Andrew Cummings was accused of stealing a year earlier. He is an officer with the Southwest City police and, appropriately for the season, a reserve officer with the Noel police.

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