National Roundup

Alabama Attorneys for teen say he was mentally ill HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- Court documents say a 14-year-old middle school student missed a ride home and walked more than four miles in the rain the night before he's accused of shooting a classmate. Hammad Memon was indicted on a murder charge by a Madison County grand jury. Prosecutors contend he went to Discovery Middle School in Madison on Feb. 5, 2010, with a .22-caliber pistol and shot 14-year-old Todd Brown in the head. His parents say he appeared to be drained of feeling after walking home. Memon is out on bond. Memon was certified last July to stand trial as an adult. His attorneys are appealing, arguing that the teen was suffering from mental illness. The first appeal was turned down by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. Memon's attorneys want a rehearing. Louisiana Prosecutors want judge to deny new trial MONROE, La. (AP) -- Prosecutors have asked federal judge to deny motions for a new trial for suspended Monroe City Councilmen Robert Stevens and Arthur Gilmore. The News-Star reports the U.S. Attorney's Office submitted the motion electronically Saturday. Defense attorneys for Stevens and Gilmore filed motions last month asking for an acquittal or a new trial based on new evidence that the prosecution's star witness, local businessman and developer Eddie Hakim, was being investigated for tax fraud during the same time he was reportedly recording meetings and phone calls with the councilmen. Prosecutors say Hakim did not know that the Internal Revenue Service was investigating him until the defense attorneys filed the motions last month. The two councilmen were convicted in May on charges of racketeering and bribery. California State Supreme Court rejects death row appeal SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The California Supreme Court has rejected a Santa Clara County man's effort to avoid the death penalty by claiming that jurors at his murder trial should have been told about his abusive childhood. The San Jose Mercury News says the panel ruled Monday that the evidence wouldn't have altered the outcome of the 1989 penalty phase of Mark Christopher Crew's trial. Crew challenged his death sentence on grounds that his attorney didn't present an adequate defense. His lawyers will now turn to the federal courts. Crew, who's 56, was convicted of murdering his wife, Nancy Jo, in 1982 as part of a plot to steal her money. Her body was never found. Authorities believe Crew shot her and that her body was dismembered and parts thrown off a bridge. Georgia 4 inmates claim they were beaten while handcuffed ATLANTA (AP) -- A civil rights group has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of four Georgia inmates who claim prison guards beat them while they were handcuffed. The lawsuit filed by the Southern Center for Human Rights on Tuesday claims Miracle Nwakanma, Cornelius Spencer, Eric Towns and Gregory Haines were beaten while handcuffed in August 2010 by officers at Hays State Prison. It says Nwakanma suffered splintered teeth, a fractured jaw and required oral surgery to repair damage to his face. The Georgia Department of Corrections did not immediately comment on the complaint. The alleged abuse prompted prisoners to plan a protest in December seeking better work and living conditions. Georgia prison officials locked down Hays and three other prisons for about a week after learning about the protest. Pennsylvania Dad of autistic man in Pa. van death files suit PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The father of a severely autistic man who died after being left alone in a hot van last year is suing a suburban Philadelphia care facility. The Philadelphia Daily News reports William Nevins filed a federal lawsuit last week against the residential facility where his 20-year-old son, Bryan, died last July. Caregiver Stacey Strauss was sentenced to at least 2 years behind bars earlier this year after authorities say she left the Oceanside, N.Y., man inside a locked van on a 97-degree day. Strauss allegedly was distracted by her cellphone. The suit says Wood Services previously disciplined Strauss for being inattentive and using her cellphone at work. Strauss is also named in the suit. Woods Services told The Associated Press on Tuesday it would not comment, citing the pending litigation. Florida Lawsuit: Chase Bank declared woman dead SANFORD, Fla. (AP) -- A central Florida woman says she's having numerous financial troubles because of a bank error that caused Chase Bank USA to declare her dead last November. Wrenella Pierre has filed a lawsuit and Chase officials said Monday they're investigating how the mistake happened. When Pierre and her husband built their home in 2007, they got two mortgages through Chase. According to the lawsuit, the bank notified credit-reporting agencies last year that Pierre had died. They sent a letter of condolence to the family, saying someone from the bank would be in touch about the mortgage. Pierre says she notified bank officials that she was alive and also went to a local branch to correct the mistake. A month later, the lawsuit alleges, credit agencies still reported her dead. New York NYC sisters sue over mom's burial in wrong plot NEW YORK (AP) -- Two New York City sisters have filed a lawsuit claiming their mother was buried in a different grave from the plot they had been visiting for 20 years. The Daily News reports that Evelyn Edwards and her sister Hortense purchased the plot at the Rosehill Cemetery in Linden, N.J., after their mother, Beatrice Williams, died in 1990. They learned that their mother was buried elsewhere in the cemetery after complaining last summer that the gravesite had fallen into disrepair. According to the cemetery website, there are seven Beatrice Williams buried at Rosehill. The $25 million lawsuit was filed in federal court in Brooklyn. The cemetery didn't return a call for comment. Published: Wed, Jul 13, 2011