National Roundup

Ohio
Court upholds death sentence for killer of friend
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence for a condemned killer who argued his sentence was unfair because the man who fatally stabbed the victim received a life sentence.

Death row inmate Austin Myers was sentenced to die for the 2014 killing in southwestern Ohio of childhood friend Justin Back during a burglary.

Attorneys for Myers argue his death sentence is disproportionate because of the life sentence given to co-defendant Tim Mosley.

Records show the 22-year-old Myers held Back while Mosley stabbed him.

The court rejected Myers’ argument in a unanimous decision, saying he had a large role in the killing, from planning it to restraining the victim while he was stabbed.

Ohio
Teen to be tried as adult in slaying of woman, 98
MEDINA, Ohio (AP) — A Juvenile Court judge in Ohio has ruled that a 17-year-old boy accused of strangling a 98-year-old neighbor should be tried in adult court.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports a Medina County judge on Wednesday bound over the case of 17-year-old Gavon Ramsay in the death last month of Margaret Douglas. She was found by police inside a closet at her Wadsworth home.

Police believe Douglas was strangled April 6, three days before being reported missing.

Ramsay has denied juvenile charges of aggravated murder, murder, aggravated burglary and abuse of a corpse. Ramsay’s attorney asked Wednesday that the Wadsworth High School junior be given a reasonable bond.

Judge Kevin Dunn instead set bond at $1 million and said Ramsay should remain held in the county’s juvenile detention center for now.

Arizona
Court upholds life term in killing of Subway clerk
PHOENIX (AP) — A federal appeals court decision Wednesday upholds the life prison term imposed during the resentencing of a man convicted of murder for a 1994 killing by members of a Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

Riley Briones Jr. was resentenced in 2016 because he was under age 18 when a Subway restaurant clerk was gunned down during a 1994 robbery and the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled that juveniles couldn’t be sentenced to mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Briones asked for leniency during his resentencing, saying he had a dysfunctional childhood environment, wasn’t involved in prison gangs and didn’t shoot Subway clerk Brian Patrick Lindsay.

However, the resentencing judge again imposed a life term, ruling that Briones led a violent gang and wanted Lindsay killed.

Indiana
Judge sets hearing on request to block abortion law
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A federal judge has set a June hearing on Planned Parenthood’s bid to block a new Indiana law that requires medical providers who treat women for complications arising from abortions to report detailed patient information to the state.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Young will preside over the June 8 hearing in his Evansville courtroom.

He’ll hear arguments from attorneys for the state and Planned Parenthood over the group’s request for a preliminary injunction to block two provisions of the law that’s set to take effect July 1.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana sued the state on April 23 on behalf of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky.

The suit contends the new reporting rules and a separate provision requiring annual inspections of abortion clinics are both unconstitutional.

New York
Judge wants to ensure ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ is paying back
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in New York City says she wants to make sure real-life “Wolf of Wall Street” Jordan Belfort continues to pay back the nearly $100 million he owes in restitution.

The judge told Belfort’s lawyers Wednesday at a garnishment hearing that she’s focused on getting his roughly $97 million investor restitution “back on track” almost 20 years after his conviction. The Daily News reports Belfort pleaded guilty to securities fraud and money laundering in 1999.

Belfort has so far paid off about $13 million of an owed $110 million in restitution.

His attorney says she’s happy to get Belfort on a compensation schedule. He did not appear in court for the hearing.

Belfort was the subject of the 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street” starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Florida
Prosecutor will no longer seek bail for petty crimes
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Florida prosecutor who got into a legal fight with the governor for her blanket refusal to seek the death penalty is announcing another big change. State Attorney Aramis Ayala says her office will no longer request monetary bail bonds for defendants accused of low-level crimes.

Instead, her prosecutors will recommend releasing defendants on their own recognizance, for crimes such as possession of small amounts of cannabis, driving without a license, panhandling, disorderly conduct or loitering.

Her prosecutors will still seek bail in cases of domestic violence, stalking, firearms offenses and other dangerous felonies.

Federal courts and President Barack Obama’s Justice Department have said it’s unconstitutional to jail people just because they can’t afford to pay.

Callifornia
RBG documentary  shows it has box office muscle
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary “RBG “ is turning into a mini box office phenomenon. The film cracked the top 10 this weekend with $1.2 million from only 180 screens nationwide.
In just over two weeks of limited release it’s made over $2.2 million

Exhibitor Relations box office analyst Jeff Bock says documentaries don’t often enter the top 10 if they’re not politically charged or about cuddly animals, noting that “RBG” is neither. He says that for a documentary, “RBG” is essentially doing blockbuster business.

The film from directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West gives an intimate peek at the life of the famed Supreme Court associate justice from her childhood to her present day pop culture icon status and even her impressive workout routine.