National Roundup

Oklahoma
Judge gives control of Joe Exotic’s zoo to Carole Baskin
WYNNEWOOD, Okla. (AP) — A federal judge in Oklahoma has awarded ownership of the zoo made famous in Netflix’s “Tiger King” docuseries to Joe Exotic’s chief rival.

In a ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge Scott Palk granted control of the Oklahoma zoo that was previously run by Joseph Maldonado-Passage — also known as Joe Exotic — to Big Cat Rescue Corp.

The Florida group was founded by Carole Baskin, who also featured prominently in the hit Netflix series. Maldonado-Passage is currently serving a 22-year federal prison term for killing five tigers and plotting to have Baskin killed.

Baskin previously sued Maldonado-Passage for trademark and copyright infringements and won a $1 million civil judgment against him. Palk’s judgment Monday found that ownership of the zoo was fraudulently transferred to Maldonado-Passage’s mother in an attempt to avoid paying the judgment.

The decision said the zoo animals must be removed from the property within 120 days but it does not detail what should happen to them.

Attorneys representing Big Cat Rescue Corp. did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Maldonado-Passage remains incarcerated in Fort Worth, Texas. In a handwritten letter posted Monday on Twitter, he repeated his plea for a presidential pardon.

Indiana
Judge orders release of man convicted in IU student’s death
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A man convicted in the killing of an Indiana University student in 2000 must be released from prison and remain free while his case is pending before an appeals court, a federal judge has ruled.

U.S. District Court Judge James Sweeney in Indianapolis ordered John Myers II released from prison on June 15, following a 14-day quarantine. Sweeney ruled Friday that Myers, 44, must stay at his mother’s house and will have to wear an electronic monitor.

Myers was convicted in 2006 in the killing of Jill Behrman and sentenced to 65 years in prison. Behrman, an IU sophomore, was 19 when she disappeared in May 2000 while on a bicycle ride near Bloomington. Her fate was a mystery until hunters found her remains in 2003 in Morgan County, north of Bloomington. She had been shot in the back of her head.

Investigators concluded that Myers, who lived in Ellettsville, a town about 7 miles (11 kilometers) from IU’s campus, killed Behrman out of anger over a failed relationship.

In September, Sweeney vacated Myers’ conviction after finding that his legal representation during his murder trial was so ineffective that his Sixth Amendment rights were violated. The judge’s order gave a 120-day deadline for his release, but that was later extended after the Indiana attorney general’s office appealed the order.

That appeal to the September ruling was heard in the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago last week.

Sweeney said in his order that it’s likely that the appeals court will uphold his decision to release Myers from prison based on the mistakes his lawyer made during trial that may have contributed to Myers’ conviction.

Myers’ appellate attorneys have argued that his lawyers made several mistakes that prejudiced the jury against him before he was convicted in Behrman’s death.

Myers had sought his release because a medication he takes weakens his immune system and leaves him more susceptible to the coronavirus, according to Sweeney’s ruling.

The order specifies that Myers must have no contact with Behrman’s family.

Her mother, Marilyn Behrman, said the order is upsetting and unbelievable.

“The timing couldn’t be worse,” she told the Indiana Daily Student on Sunday.

Brian Behrman, Jill Behrman’s brother, said in Facebook post on Friday that the case against Myers “was circumstantial” but he added that “there was a wide variety of evidence that led a jury of 12 peers to find Myers guilty.”

“Once again, our system silences victims. It silences those who care for those who are lost. My sister didn’t get to be present for my wedding. My children will never know their Aunt Jill’s voice or laugh. And the system doesn’t allow anyone to speak for her at this time,” he said in his post.

Kentucky
Lawmaker who ran for governor pleads not guilty to charges
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky lawmaker who ran for governor last year has pleaded not guilty after he was accused of choking a woman with an ethernet cable and trying to “hog tie” her during a domestic dispute, his lawyer said.

Attorney Conrad Cessna told the Lexington Herald-Leader on Monday that Republican state Rep. Robert Goforth denied the allegations. He is charged with strangulation, assault and terroristic threatening, according to court records.

Goforth was arrested on April 21 after a woman told authorities that he assaulted her while three small children were in the home. She told investigators she escaped after promising to unlock her phone, which sparked the altercation.

Goforth will have a preliminary hearing on June 9, according to court documents.

Goforth was a relative newcomer to the legislature when he decided to challenge then-Gov. Matt Bevin in an aggressive GOP primary campaign last year. He won nearly 40% of the vote, exposing Bevin’s political weakness despite the governor’s backing from President Donald Trump. Bevin never fully recovered from the lackluster showing, and he lost a close election to Democrat Andy Beshear last November.

New Hampshire
Man accused of social media post encouraging people to riot
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire man has been accused of authoring a social media post that encouraged people to riot and tip police cars, police said Tuesday.

Police in Manchester said they were made aware of the Facebook post on May 30 inviting people to protest racism and police brutality. It referenced “tipping police cars,” “graffiti,” and asking people to “take examples from riots in other cities.” The post has since been removed.

Police were able to determine the post had originated from a home in Ashland, New Hampshire, and arrested Daniel Zeron, 19. He was held on preventative detention and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday. His trial is scheduled for July 6.

Americans have been gathering to protest police brutality against black Americans following the killing of George Floyd, who was handcuffed and on the ground pleading for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck for several minutes.

Some demonstrations have turned violent, with people breaking into and stealing from businesses, smashing car windows and setting fires.