National Roundup

Alabama
Parole denied for long-serving killer of girls
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A man convicted of killing two young girls and a teenager 50 years ago in Alabama has been denied parole.

Edward Seibold’s case went before the parole board Wednesday morning, the Opelika-Auburn News reports. Seibold, now in his 70s, will remain in prison at least another five years.

Seibold was convicted of the Sept. 6, 1967 murders of sisters Mary Lynn Sinclair, 9, and Elizabeth “Libba” Sinclair, 18; and Mary “MayMay” Durant, 8, a close next-door friend in their Auburn neighborhood. Seibold was angry over a denied romantic relationship with the oldest Sinclair sister, Cathey. The crime remains one of the most notorious in Alabama history.

Cathey Sinclair’s mother, Juanita, was shot in the arm with a shotgun, but survived and went for help. The two small girls were killed with a single blast in the bed they shared. Elizabeth Sinclair was in the hallway, and killed with a hatchet to her throat. Cathey Sinclair escaped through a window.

Cathey Sinclair told the three-member board that Seibold said “he planned to kill all the family,” even after his conviction. She pleaded with the parole board to spare her family from the fear that he might return and “finish the job.”

Parole board chairman Cliff Walker announced that Seibold’s next required parole hearing is set for 2022. Seibold was not allowed to attend the hearing, under prison and parole guidelines, and while the victims’ side of the room was full of their supporters, his side was empty.

Alabama law requires that Seibold be allowed a parole hearing every five years. Serving time in Elmore, Seibold is one of the longest-serving inmates in the Alabama prison system. He avoided execution by the electric chair after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the early 1970s.

Delaware
6 inmates plead not guilty after fatal prison riot
SMYRNA, Del. (AP) — Six inmates have pleaded not guilty in connection with a fatal Delaware prison uprising that occurred earlier this year.

The six inmates, who are among 18 prisoners indicted in the February riot, pleaded not guilty at arraignments on Tuesday. All six demanded a jury trial.

Five of the six, including two already serving time for murder, are among 16 inmates charged with first-degree murder in the death of corrections officer Steven Floyd.

Prosecution of the defendants is likely to prove costly for taxpayers, as none of the 18 defendants can be represented by a public defender, based on conflicts of interest. Instead, they will be represented by private attorneys who are paid $90 an hour.

Maryland
Guard acquitted of sexual assault against inmate
BALTIMORE (AP) — A Baltimore corrections officer accused of sexually assaulting an inmate has been acquitted of all charges.

Cpl. Ambrose Obinna-Warrior’s attorney, Hunter Pruette, told The Baltimore Sun a city jury acquitted the Baltimore Central Booking officer of 16 counts Wednesday after a five-day trial.

The Baltimore state’s attorney’s office had announced in June that Obinna-Warrior was charged with misconduct in office, assault and multiple sex offenses in connection with alleged abuse on three occasions in November 2016.

Prosecutors withheld the details of the case.

Obinna-Warrior posted the $50,000 bond after being charged and was free during the five months that preceded the trial. Pruette says his client’s name and reputation were tarnished by the accusations.

It’s unclear if Obinna-Warrior is still employed by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Maryland
Gang member admits to killing witness in 2013
BALTIMORE (AP) — A Baltimore gang member has admitted to killing a witness to prevent him from testifying against a fellow member of the Black Guerilla Family gang, which deals in heroin in the area.

A U.S. attorney’s office statement says 25-year-old Wesley Jamal Brown pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise.

As part of the agreement, prosecutors say Brown admitted to fatally shooting 22-year-old Moses Malone in Baltimore in 2013. Malone was due to testify against Norman Handy, who Malone said had robbed and shot him. Handy later pleaded guilty to robbery.

Prosecutors say they expect Brown to receive 30 to 35 years in federal prison when he is sentenced in February.

Brown is the half-brother of former University of Maryland running back Wes Brown.

Florida
Woman steals electronics worth $1,800 for $3.70
VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a woman tried to sneak more than $1,800 worth of electronics through a Florida Walmart’s self-checkout by switching the items’ price tags with those from clearance items.

Treasure Coast Newspapers reports that 25-year-old Cheyenne Amber West was arrested Monday and charged with felony grand theft and felony shoplifting.

An arrest report says a loss-prevention officer at the Vero Beach Walmart told a deputy he saw West and another woman select a computer, video game controllers and other merchandise from the electronics department. The report says West covered the bar codes with stickers removed from less expensive items that rang up to just $3.70.

West was free on $3,000 bail. Jail records didn’t list an attorney.
The woman who was with West wasn’t arrested.

Florida
Parents accused of neglecting girl’s rotten teeth
SOUTHPORT, Fla. (AP) — The parents of a Florida girl suffering from problems with 17 rotten teeth are facing child abuse charges for failing to get her treatment.

The 31-year-old father and 32-year-old mother appeared in court near Panama City in Florida’s Panhandle on Monday and were ordered not to have contact with the girl, whose age wasn’t available.

The News Herald reports Bay County Sheriff’s officials started investigating in January. Several times, school officials went to the home to offer transportation to tend to the girl’s dental needs.

A sheriff’s report says the child arrived at school in 2016 with “severely decayed teeth” and her adult teeth had “begun to grow in and overlap her rotten, ruptured teeth.”

Teachers told investigators the child complained daily about pain and had to eat soft foods.