KPCC: Law News

Second defendant sentenced in Westside ATM murder

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:09:03 -0800

A 23-year-old Inglewood woman convicted of the murder of a federal employee at a Westside ATM during an ATM robbery was sentenced to prison today.

Man faces murder charges for Lake Forest drive-by shooting

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:57:45 -0800

Edgar Calvillo, 21, Santos Escamilla, 21, and Alfredo Cruz, 23, have been charged with murder for a drive-by shooting in Lake Forest after a dispute regarding the Cruz's girlfriend. Calvillo's trial begins Monday; Escamilla and Cruz are scheduled to be tried in January.

California attorney general investigates scam targeting black churches

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:46:33 -0800

State Attorney General Jerry Brown Friday said he’s investigating whether 30 African-American churches in Southern California were the target of a computer scam.

Hard Lessons From Two Mass Killings In Texas

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:49:00 -0800

The Senate is conducting hearings into the recent shootings at Fort Hood - a tragedy that took place just miles from the site of a deadly 1991 attack. That episode, in which a gunman killed 23 people at Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, reshaped how police, medical and psychological personnel respond to such tragedies.

Man arrested in San Jacinto home-invasion robbery

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:40:18 -0800

A 47-year-old man was arrested in connection with a home-invasion robbery on Appian Way in San Jacinto.

Marine faces murder charges in high-speed crash

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:17:53 -0800

The Orange County District Attorney's Office announced today the beginning of the trial of a marine who allegedly killed a man in a high-speed car crash while under the influence of alcohol.

Sen. Kerry's daughter arrested in LA on DUI

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:10:58 -0800

The daughter of Sen. John Kerry has been arrested in Hollywood for allegedly driving drunk. Los Angeles police say 36-year-old Alexandra Kerry was stopped by officers on a Hollywood street at about 12:40 a.m. Thursday and failed a sobriety test.

Do Long Island Police Ignore Hate Crimes?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:37:00 -0800

With the Latino population booming in Suffolk County, N.Y., so is anti-immigrant sentiment. Illegal immigrants see a rise in violence but often won't report it for fear of the police and deportation. Now the Justice Department is probing whether local police are turning a blind eye.

Trying Sept. 11 Suspects In U.S. A Political Gamble

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try the alleged Sept. 11 conspirators in federal courts has elicited sharply divided responses from Capitol Hill, the American public and victims' families. Holder says his decision is driven by evidence, not politics.

Pressure continues for answers in LAPD fatal crash

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Friends and family of a woman who died after a police cruiser ran into her car plan to gather in Venice for a vigil and march 6:30 p.m. Thursday as an official police report on the crash is expected next week. They will call for an investigation into whether the police car was speeding without lights at the time of the crash.

Police have asserted that the cruiser was responding to an emergency call but was not speeding and that it had its headlights and taillights on.

Ruling May Spur More Katrina Flood Lawsuits

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:38:00 -0800

For the first time, the government has been found at fault for damage caused during Hurricane Katrina four years ago. A judge has awarded more than $700,000 to five plaintiffs. Attorneys say the ruling opens the door for some 100,000 people and thousands of businesses to sue the government.

US ship repels pirates with guns and sound blasts

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:08:23 -0800

Guards aboard the Maersk Alabama used guns and a sound blaster Wednesday to repel the second pirate attack in seven months on the U.S. vessel at a time when ships are increasingly hiring armed security teams to thwart hijackings.

Obama, Holder predict conviction in 9/11 case

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:06:04 -0800

From opposite ends of the globe, President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder firmly rejected criticism Wednesday of the planned New York trial of the professed Sept. 11 mastermind and predicted Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would be exposed as a murderous coward, convicted and executed.

Sen. Lieberman: panel will probe Fort Hood lapses

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:49:11 -0800

Sen. Joseph Lieberman says his Homeland Security Committee will investigate the lapses that led to the deadly shooting at the U.S. Army post in Fort Hood, Texas. Lieberman acknowledges it will be difficult to proceed without the Obama administration's cooperation, but he says he is confident the issue can be resolved.

New perils in Mexico for U.S.-bound migrants

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:15:03 -0800

The U.S. economic downturn and tighter border security has not deterred migrants from Central America seeking to enter the United States. But they are being abused in new and alarming ways. Tens of thousands of them are robbed, kidnapped and even killed attempting to cross Mexico.

Hasan's supervisor warned Army in 2007

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:05:05 -0800

In a May 2007 letter obtained by NPR, Nidal Hasan's top supervisor at Walter Reed outlined "serious concerns" about Hasan's "pattern of poor judgment" and "lack of professionalism." The memo says Hasan proselytized to his patients, mistreated a homicidal patient and hardly did any work.

Holder: 'We Need Not Cower' From Terrorism Trial

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:25:00 -0800

Attorney General Eric Holder appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to defend his decision to put alleged Sept. 11 terrorists on trial in New York. He says the public and the nation's intelligence secrets can be protected during a public trial in civilian court.

Spy Agencies' Quest: What Makes A Terrorist?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:53:00 -0800

Investigators are still trying to determine whether alleged Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan was a radical Islamist ideologue or an alienated loner. The U.S. has focused significant intelligence resources on the question of radicalization in recent years, but they admit the dynamics are still not well understood.

South Africa's war on crime claims innocent victims

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:38:16 -0800

An aggressive anti-crime policy is being blamed for the recent shooting death of a 3-year-old boy.

First US trial of 9/11 case was full of surprises

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:25:09 -0800

Zacarias Moussaoui was a clown who could not keep his mouth shut, according to his old al-Qaida boss, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. But Moussaoui was surprisingly tame when tried for the 9/11 attacks - never turning the courtroom into the circus of anti-U.S. tirades that some fear Mohammed will create at his trial in New York.