National Roundup

Colorado Man convicted for murder freed by DNA evidence GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) -- Robert Dewey was 33 when he went to prison for the 1994 rape and murder of a Colorado woman. The 51-year-old walked away free Monday, after new testing of DNA evidence pointed to someone else as the suspect. At a court hearing Monday, a judge dismissed charges against Dewey and declared him a free man. Dewey flashed a small smile through his trim beard. He told reporters he just wants to kick back, ride his motorcycle and spend time with his family. "Contrary to popular belief, the world doesn't stop when you go to prison," said Dewey, wearing glasses and with his hair in two long braids. "There's a lot for me to catch up on." Dewey was sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without parole after he was convicted of killing 19-year-old Jacie Taylor, who was found dead in her bathtub in Palisade on June 4, 1994. DNA technology at the time gave jurors conflicting information to consider, according to news accounts at the time. At his sentencing hearing, Dewey had said there was still a killer out there. The Colorado Attorney General's Office's Justice Review Project, which reviews cases where post-conviction DNA testing could exonerate a person, took up Dewey's case last year. The advanced DNA tests that cleared Dewey have led to an arrest warrant being issued for Douglas Thames, who is accused of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault. Thames had lived near Taylor, and his DNA profile is linked to evidence found in Taylor's apartment, according to an affidavit. Thames told investigators in a prison interview that he didn't know Taylor but that his girlfriend at the time had gone to classes with Taylor at Palisade High School, The Daily Sentinel reported. Thames is already serving a life sentence for a 1989 murder in Fort Collins. On Monday, Dewey thanked his legal team and said DNA evidence should be reviewed in more old cases, noting inmates around the country have been freed by new testing. "Who else is out there?" Dewey said. Dewey said he tried to stay positive while behind bars. "It threw me into a dark tunnel," he said of his conviction. His first two years in prison, he didn't make his bed. Now, he's trying to understand why people text each other on their phones instead of just talking and where he might find work as he starts over. "There's going to be trials and tribulations out here too," Dewey said. Dewey added he wants to ride his motorcycle but has no specific plans for where. "As long as it's in the wind, I'm happy," he said. California Feds: San Diego man forgotten in cell for 5 days SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Federal authorities said they will review their detention policies after they left a forgotten 24-year-old college student in a holding cell for five days. The unidentified man and eight others were detained following a drug bust on April 21 that yielded 18,000 ecstasy pills, other drugs and weapons, according to U-T San Diego. Seven suspects were taken to county jail, and another was released, but the student from the University of California, San Diego, was somehow left behind, said Amy Roderick, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration. "Each suspect was interviewed in separate interview rooms, and frequently moved around between rooms and cells," Roderick said told the newspaper. "The individual in question was accidentally left in one of the cells." It wasn't clear if he had any access to food or water. Last Wednesday, paramedics were summoned to the cell and took the man to a hospital, where he was treated and released. Roderick said the man told agents he had used a white substance he found in the cell, which tested positive for methamphetamine. Kentucky Appeals court upholds convictions in fen-phen case LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A federal appeals court has upheld the convictions of two former attorneys serving prison time for scamming clients out of $94.6 million from a $200 million settlement over the diet drug fen-phen. The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that a trial judge did not err in the case of 61-year-old William Gallion and 57-year-old Shirley Cunningham Jr. The defendants had argued the errors denied them a fair trial. Gallion and Cunningham were convicted in 2009 of scamming more than 400 clients out of millions they had won against American Home Products, now known as Wyeth. Fen-phen was pulled from the market in 1997 after users had heart problems related to the drug They had been prominent attorneys in Lexington and were one-time owners of champion racehorse Curlin. Washington State Supreme Court asked to hear prayer death case WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) -- Appeals judges are recommending the Wisconsin Supreme Court hear the case of a Wisconsin couple convicted of reckless homicide in the 2008 death of their daughter. Dale and Leilani Neumann prayed for their daughter's recovery instead of getting medical help for complications of undiagnosed diabetes. The Neumanns were convicted in separate trials in 2009. The Neumanns argued their actions regarding their 11-year-old daughter, Madeline, were permitted under Wisconsin law. In a recommendation released Tuesday, the appeals court in Wausau says that since the case is unique in Wisconsin, it would be appropriate for the Supreme Court to hear it. The Neumanns were sentenced to six months in jail and 10 years of probation. The Wausau Daily Herald says the jail terms were delayed pending their appeals. California Girl Scouts leader arrested for cookie money theft ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) -- Investigators say the Southern California leader of a Girl Scouts troop had her hand in the cookie jar. Arcadia police Capt. Larry Goodman says 30-year-old Ana Isabel Juarez has been arrested and booked for investigation of felony grand theft. The investigation is continuing and Juarez is due in court on May 8. The Pasadena Star-News says more than $4,000 in profits from cookie sales was discovered missing from the account of the South El Monte-El Monte-based troop. Another $2,000 in troop money is also missing. Investigators say Juarez took the money by using a Girl Scouts debit card tied to the troop's cookie account during a six-month period ending in March Published: Wed, May 2, 2012