Oklahoma
Man convicted in the stabbing death of his wife
LAWTON, Okla. (AP) - A Lawton man accused of fatally stabbing his wife in 2014 has been convicted.
The Lawton Constitution reports that 54-year-old Herbert Haynes was convicted Wednesday of second-degree murder for the death of his wife, Irene Hayes. Prosecutors say the stabbing occurred following an argument over cocaine use.
Defense attorney Albert J. Hoch Jr. argued that Herbert Haynes acted in self-defense. Hoch cited a previous incident that he said ended with Irene Hayes allegedly stabbing her husband.
The defense also argued that a police investigation of her death lacked fingerprint evidence to prove Herbert Haynes killed his wife.
The jury recommended a sentence of life in prison, the maximum sentence for second-degree murder. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 4.
Haynes has also requested a pre-sentence investigation.
Connecticut
Statements made by man charged with killing baby ruled admissible
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut judge has ruled that statements made to police by a man charged with killing his 7-month-old son by throwing the boy off a bridge are admissible at trial.
The Courant reports that a judge ruled Wednesday that Tony Moreno was alert and displayed a normal decision-making process when he talked to police just hours after allegedly throwing Aaden Moreno off the 90-foot high bridge in July 2015.
Police say Moreno threw the boy off the Arrigoni Bridge over the Connecticut River between Middletown and Portland and then jumped off himself after arguing with the boy's mother.
Moreno's attorney argued that his client's medical condition prevented him from having sound enough judgment to waive his right to remain silent.
Testimony in Moreno's murder trial is scheduled to begin Friday.
New Jersey
Woman claims self-defense in beating with fire extinguisher
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey woman told a 911 operator she repeatedly hit her husband in the head with a fire extinguisher because he hit her with a chair and smothered her with a pillow.
On the tape supplied by Burlington County officials, a distraught Laciana Tinsley tells the operator she hit her 74-year-old husband, Douglas, "too many times" and he was bleeding. She was not sure if he was conscious.
"Please send somebody because he looks so still," she said.
Tinsley, 42, of Willingboro, was charged with murder in the Jan. 30 death.
She told the dispatcher she "blanked out" and was acting in self-defense, because he hit her with a chair.
"My husband, he was smothering me with a pillow," she said. "I just kept beating him in the head because he kept trying to get up and come after me."
A public defender representing Tinsley had asked that she be allowed to post bail, citing self-defense. A judge rejected the request.
Massachusetts
Travel agent who scammed people gets almost 4 yrs
BOSTON (AP) - A Massachusetts travel agent has been sentenced to almost four years in prison for using millions of dollars in deposits from cruise customers to support his gambling habit.
Federal prosecutors say about 400 customers were left in the lurch after paying Tom Harper Cruises nearly $3 million. They say Bret Gordon, a Waltham man who was the business' majority owner, took about $2.25 million of that.
Prosecutors say Gordon had exclusive control of the finances at the Newton business, which sold overseas river cruise vacations.
The 44-year-old was also sentenced Wednesday to three years of probation and was ordered to pay full restitution. He pleaded guilty in November to wire fraud and tax offenses.
The company declared bankruptcy.
Louisiana
Beyonce faces $20M copyright suit from YouTube star's estate
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The estate of a late New Orleans YouTube star has filed a $20 million copyright infringement lawsuit against Beyonce over the use of his voice in her song "Formation."
The estate of Anthony Barre, who went by the name Messy Mya on YouTube, claims in the lawsuit filed in New Orleans federal court Monday that Barre's voice is featured in the introduction to "Formation." The complaint alleges Barre's estate has received no payment or acknowledgment.
Barre was fatally shot in 2010.
Barre's estate is demanding at least $20 million in damages, royalties
Ohio
Judge tells village to pay back $3 million in tickets
HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) - A judge in Ohio says a village must pay back all $3 million paid by drivers for speeding citations from automated traffic cameras.
The Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News reports Butler County Judge Michael Oster issued his ruling Wednesday, saying the money was unjust enrichment of New Miami. A judge ruled in 2014 that the village's camera enforcement was unconstitutional.
The ruling is the latest round in appeals and disputes in the case, and the village has said it will continue to challenge the rule.
The village cited nearly 45,000 people in 15 months.
Its officers now use hand-held cameras to comply with state law requiring that an officer be present when camera enforcement is used.
A challenge by cities to that law is before the Ohio Supreme Court.
New York
John Gotti's grandson pleads guilty to selling oxycodone
NEW YORK (AP) - Mobster John Gotti's namesake grandson has pleaded guilty to selling oxycodone pills in Queens.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown says the younger John Gotti will be sentenced to eight years in prison following his guilty plea Wednesday to criminal sale of a controlled substance and other charges.
Brown says Gotti also has agreed to forfeit more than $250,000 in seized drug proceeds.
The 23-year-old Gotti was arrested in August 2016 at the Queens home where his late grandfather once lived.
Prosecutors say undercover officers bought a total of more than $46,000 worth of oxycodone from Gotti on 11 occasions. He's scheduled to be sentenced on March 2.
Published: Fri, Feb 10, 2017
