Illinois: One-time suspect in wife’s death faces new charges
BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A southwestern Illinois man once ordered confined to a mental-health center in his wife’s stabbing death now faces charges he assaulted the mother of his infant baby.
Madison County prosecutors have charged John Grinston in the alleged attacks on his 4-month-old child’s mother. A judge in neighboring St. Clair County judge has ordered Grinston to return to the mental hospital amid those charges.
That judge found Grinston not guilty by reason of insanity in 2000 in the 1997 slaying of his wife in East St. Louis. Grinston was confined to an Alton mental hospital. He was placed on conditional release in 2006.
A message left Monday with his attorney was not immediately returned.
Georgia: State’s top court throws out man’s murder conviction
ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia Supreme Court threw out the murder conviction of a man who has served seven years in prison for killing his brother, saying the prosecution produced insufficient evidence.
In a unanimous ruling Monday, the court upheld a lower court’s ruling in an appeal by Joshua Hames. Hames was convicted of felony misuse of a firearm while hunting and felony murder in the killing of his brother in Walton County in 2002.
Hames said he had thought he was shooting an animal, and his brother was not wearing safety orange clothing.
Hames’ convictions were upheld on appeal. He challenged his convictions on his own, and a Baldwin County court set them aside in 2009.
The Supreme Court agreed that the state failed to produce sufficient evidence to authorize the jury to convict Hames.
Massachusetts: Wellesley woman indicted in death of another’s fetus
BOSTON (AP) — A 25-year-old Wellesley woman is headed to court to face a manslaughter charge for allegedly killing a pregnant woman’s fetus.
Prosecutors say Ayanna Woodhouse will be arraigned on charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault Monday in Suffolk Superior Court.
Authorities allege Woodhouse punched and kicked a woman several times in the stomach during a dispute at a Dorchester nail salon in April. The fetus was delivered by emergency Cesarean section, but did not survive.
The two woman each other through Woodhouse’s cousin, who was the baby’s father.
Messages were left Sunday for Woodhouse and her public defender.
Washington: Seattle lawyer may represent ‘Barefoot Bandit’
SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle lawyer who has been contacted by the mother of Colton Harris-Moore said Monday that he hopes criminal charges against the 19-year-old who was captured in the Bahamas are consolidated in federal court in Seattle.
A consolidation from various jurisdictions for Harris-Moore, the so-called “Barefoot Bandit,” “makes the most sense” and would be “better for everybody,” attorney John Henry Browne told KIRO-TV.
U.S. officials in the Bahamas checked on Harris-Moore on Sunday and found him physically fine but depressed at his capture, Browne said. He also said Harris-Moore had called an aunt, but not his mother who lives on Camano Island, about 40 miles north of Seattle.
The mother, Pam Kohler, contacted him about representing her son but he has not yet been retained, Browne said.
It’s possible Harris-Moore could stand trial in jurisdictions from Western Washington, the Midwest and the Bahamas, Browne said, but he said charges should be consolidated.
“It seems to me it would make a lot of sense to get him from Bahamas to Seattle and get other jurisdictions to allow Seattle federal court to handle the matter,” Browne said. “The best thing would be to get it to Seattle — better for everybody.”
Wisconsin: Firm collaborates on video games for civics project
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Madison-based company has worked with retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to create video games that promote knowledge about government.
Filament Games says it has created several titles for the iCivics project, which aims to remedy civics ignorance among middle-school students.
The games include one that involves the operation of a fictional law firm, and another that casts players as attorneys arguing landmark court cases. Others teach about the three branches of government, the legislative process and democracy.
The games were unveiled at the Games for Change festival in New York recently, and O’Connor has promoted them widely.
Connecticut: Man accused of killing Yale doc back in court
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — An unemployed doctor charged with killing a Yale University physician is due back in court.
Lishan (LE’-shan) Wang is accused of shooting Vajinder (vah-JIN’-der) Toor on April 26 outside Toor’s home in Branford. Police say he also fired at Toor’s pregnant wife but missed.
Wang is scheduled to return to New Haven Superior Court on Tuesday.
The 44-year-old Wang has a right to a hearing within 60 days of his arrest at which prosecutors must prove they have enough evidence to justify the charge. Wang waived that deadline so his attorney has more time to prepare.
A history of confrontations with Toor and other colleagues at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in New York led to Wang’s dismissal two years ago.
Alabama: New law expands domestic abuse protection orders
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A new law allows Alabama residents who are dating to seek court protection if they are abused by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
The legal change effective July 1 permits anyone who has been dating for more than six months to seek a protection from abuse order from the state court system, said J.B. Ward, a domestic violence court advocate for Crisis Services of North Alabama. The victim must be romantically involved with the abuser.
Before that change, abuse victims had to be married or previously married to their alleged abuser or have children with them before seeking court help.
Ward said that about 35 percent of victims of domestic violence are in dating relationships.
“I’m thrilled with this change because I have about 15 calls a day I have to turn down because they’re in a dating relationship,” Ward said.
Under the law, information such as addresses and work locations of the plaintiffs will not be publicly available.
