Connecticut
Court rejects appeal of woman in murder-for-hire
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A court on Monday rejected the appeal of a Connecticut woman convicted in a 1994 murder-for-hire case that landed her in prison for life and was depicted in books and TV shows.
Three judges on the Connecticut Appellate Court disagreed with Beth Carpenter's argument that her trial lawyer made mistakes, including not securing a plea deal and not having an expert witness examine her before the trial.
Carpenter intends to appeal the ruling to the Connecticut Supreme Court, said her lawyer, Norman Pattis.
"The result is disappointing," Pattis said. "We remain hopeful that justice will, in the end, be done. Beth Carpenter does not belong behind bars."
Chief State's Attorney Kevin Kane, the state's top prosecutor, was not available for comment, a spokesman said.
Carpenter, now 53, was convicted of murder and conspiracy in 2002 for plotting with her lover and boss, Haiman Clein, to kill her brother-in-law, Anson "Buzz"Clinton. Carpenter and her parents believed Clinton, a onetime exotic dancer, was abusing his 3-year-old stepdaughter, who was Carpenter's niece. Clinton was shot to death in 1994 in East Lyme.
Carpenter, a former lawyer and Ledyard resident, fled to Ireland after the killing and was arrested there in 1997. Before her return to Connecticut, state prosecutors had to agree to not seek the death penalty because Ireland does not allow capital punishment. The state has since abolished the death penalty.
Clein, also a lawyer, was the key witness against Carpenter at her trial, testifying that it was her idea to kill Clinton. He said he was in love with Carpenter and believed her niece was being abused, so he paid Mark Despres to kill Clinton.
Despres, a drug dealer and one of Clein's clients, is serving 45 years in prison, and Clein is serving a 35-year sentence.
Carpenter said she had nothing to do with the plot and accused Clein of planning the killing without her knowledge because he loved her and wanted to impress her.
At least two books have been written about the case, "Murder: A Family Affair" by Ernest Dorling, and "Lethal Guardian" by M. William Phelps. It also has been the subject of several television true-crime shows.
Nebraska
Man loses challenges to law barring knife
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - An Omaha man has lost his federal challenge to the constitutionality of a Nebraska law that bars felons from possessing deadly weapons.
U.S. District Judge John Gerrard in Lincoln dismissed Wa'il Muhannad's lawsuit last week. Among other things, Gerrard found that Muhannad failed to present facts backing up his assertion that the law was too vague.
Muhannad's attorney, Travis Penn, said Monday that Muhannad was disappointed by the dismissal and was strongly considering an appeal. A spokeswoman for Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson declined to comment.
Muhannad became a felon in the 1980s following convictions on weapons charges and for filing false information to federal officials.
In 2006, he started a halal meatpacking business, which requires the slaughtering and processing of animals to meet Muslim standards. Penn said he discovered five years later that he couldn't legally have a knife with a blade longer than 3.5 inches because he's a felon. His lawsuit over the issue wasn't filed until July last year, however, because he'd been serving prison time since 2011 for false imprisonment.
Muhannad said in his lawsuit that the law regarding the knives was too broad and violated his Second Amendment right to bear arms. He also argued that the law infringed on his ability to practice his religion. Penn said the law didn't take into account legitimate uses for knives.
Gerrard rejected Muhannad's Second Amendment claim, in part, because "the Supreme Court's recent Second Amendment decisions do not cast doubt on the constitutionality of felon-in-possession statutes."
He also said Muhannad's practice of Islam may require him to eat halal food, "But he does not allege that to be an observant Muslim, he must operate a halal slaughterhouse."
Florida
Daughter's boyfriend accused of killing woman
PALMETTO, Fla. (AP) - Florida police say a 47-year-old who was reported missing by friends was killed by her daughter's boyfriend.
The Bradenton Herald reports 26-year-old Roy Nichols Jr. was arrested early Saturday in a West Virginia truck stop along with Tricia Freeman's daughter.
Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler said Sunday that Nichols Jr. faces a second-degree murder charge, and Freeman's daughter, Kayla Colyer, will be charged as an accessory to murder after the fact.
Tyler said during an interview, Nichols Jr. recounted how he'd gone to Freeman's Palmetto home Tuesday, and Freeman said something that "set him off."
Nichols Jr. and Colyer were apprehended Saturday in Cabell County, W.Va., when a clerk working at the store recognized them from a news broadcast and alerted authorities.
Alabama
Woman escapes from trunk of moving car
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - A woman who escaped a carjacker by jumping from the trunk of her moving car says she used the light on her insulin pump to find the latch that allowed her to flee.
Alabama nursing student Brittany Diggs told NBC's "Today" show Monday that the man who abducted her threatened to kill her repeatedly before she got away.
Police are still searching for the suspect who they say kidnapped the 25-year-old Diggs at gunpoint outside her apartment in Birmingham, Alabama, last Tuesday.
Diggs says the man forced her to drive and tried to withdraw cash from ATMs before putting her in the trunk.
Diggs says she jumped out as the car left a gas station, an escape captured by surveillance cameras.
Minnesota
Justice pans police response to black man's death
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A federal review of an 18-day standoff outside a Minneapolis police precinct following the fatal shooting of a black man in 2015 has found problems with the city's coordination and communication.
The Justice Department's review Monday came at the city's request after the shooting of 24-year-old Jamar Clark.
Clark's death in a confrontation with two officers sparked weeks of protests that were largely peaceful, though one on Nov. 18 included skirmishes between officers and demonstrators.
The review found the city didn't have a coordinated response to the occupation and didn't have a plan for managing a civil disturbance as it became a long-term event.
The county prosecutor and the U.S. attorney both declined to charge the two officers involved.
Published: Tue, Mar 21, 2017
