MetaFilter posts tagged with crime and trial

Sunny von Bulow Dies

amyms — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 23:49:47 -0800

Martha "Sunny" von Bulow died this weekend at a nursing home in New York City, nearly 28 years after being found unconscious at her Rhode Island estate (and subsequently falling into an irreversible coma) in December 1980. Her husband Claus, who obviously became a controversial figure, was found guilty of her attempted murder (the alleged method being an overdose of insulin), but his conviction was overturned on appeal and he received a second trial in which he was acquitted. The sensational case, which featured testimony from many notables including Truman Capote, attracted worldwide publicity and rocked high society. It spawned numerous books, television shows and a 1990 movie.

Mr. Police Dog, will you find my friends?

banishedimmortal — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 16:32:15 -0800

You know what? There ain't no doors outta Hell, babe. Before serial killer nurse Charles Cullen was sentenced to 11 life sentences in New Jersey, some of the families of his victims were allowed to read Victim Impact Statements (audio) (videos linked at left) in which they not only told the court about the effect of the murders on their lives, but also told Cullen what they thought of him. While state laws differ, Victim Impact Statements are often allowed to be considered in making sentencing decisions, and sometimes creep into the guilt phase of the trial. The trials of Terry Nichols, Scott Peterson, and Zacarias Moussaoui all included Impact Statements. Some have argued that Impact Statements are needed to properly assess harm and balance mitigating and humanizing evidence allowed on behalf of the defendant. Others call it nothing more than institutionalized revenge. Would you want the chance to say "Burn in Hell" to a person who harmed someone you cared about, or does such talk have no place in the courtroom?

I haven't read the Book of Job yet, but I'm about to...

banishedimmortal — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 13:56:18 -0800

Andrew Kissel, brother of murdered banker Robert Kissel was himself found murdered in the basement of his Greenwich, CT home yesterday. While the murder trial of Robert Kissel's wife, Nancy, provided a sordid look into the troubled life of an extremely rich Hong Kong expat investment banker, his wife, and her lover, the Andrew Kissel case has yet to unfold. Yet with a Andrew's criminal past, recent divorce, and speculation of a Mafia-style hit, this may turn out to be another interesting story of greed, abuse, and revenge.

Not guilty.

juliebug — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 17:09:49 -0800

Not guilty. It's been nearly 20 years since Air India Flight 182 crashed into the ocean off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people aboard, after a bomb went off in the luggage compartment. Today, the two main suspects in the case were acquitted. Families of the victims are upset, disgusted. Of the 329 victims, 82 of them were under the age of 12. Let's take a moment to remember them; victims of one of the worst terrorist acts prior to September 11th, 2001.

Above the Law? Maybe Not.

fenriq — Tue, 02 Dec 2003 15:51:57 -0800

Rep. Bill Janklow's Motorcycle Manslaugher Trial Continues
An excerpt, Janklow, a former four-term Republican governor of South Dakota, has pleaded not guilty to charges of speeding, failing to stop, reckless driving and second-degree manslaughter. Witnesses have said he didn't even slow down for the stop sign. First he lied about swerving to avoid a white car and then blamed low blood sugar for the lie.
Janklow has a long history of utter disregard for traffic laws but got off for years because he was the governor and then a congressman. More at Google News: Janklow

Justice, Las Vegas Style

dejah420 — Wed, 26 Nov 2003 10:35:17 -0800

Framed for defending herself. On August 28th, 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada a woman named Kirstin Lobato was sentenced to life in prison. She was the victim of an attempted rape in May 2001, and had defended herself against her rapist. prosecutors used this "confession" of self defense to convict her of a murder that happened months later and in a town where she didn't even live. How "innocent until proven guilty" can you be if prosecutors are willing to use known perjurers and refuse to allow expert testimony?

dwivian — Wed, 20 Jun 2001 13:35:51 -0800

Kill your five children, go to jail. So, what to do to a mother that decides not to be a mother any more?

ericost — Tue, 15 May 2001 10:40:04 -0800

"the toothy smile is usually related to cannibalism" -- This 7 minute real audio NPR story on Russell Weston is a must listen. Three years ago Weston killed two capitol police officers, but he hasn't even been arraigned on the charges yet due to his paranoid schizophrenia. For a fascinating glimpse into his mind, listen to this story which includes audio excerpts from a 1997 interview with the CIA wherein he details his paranoid delusions regarding the "Ruby Satellite System" time machine and a conspiracy of cannibals.

Steven Den Beste — Thu, 05 Apr 2001 09:41:35 -0800

Perry Wacker gets a 14 year sentence. For killing attempting to smuggle 60 people into the UK, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison. For killing 58 of them he was sentenced to a further 6 years. He should have gotten the death sentence, or at least life-without-parole. Why was he charged with manslaughter instead of murder?

mathowie — Tue, 07 Dec 1999 18:59:42 -0800

If you've seen Patrick Naughton's (former Infoseek Exec) FBI affidavit before, you can see that when he was arrested, he turned over his laptop, admitting to having numerous kiddie porn images on it, and he knew the person he chatted with was a woman (since they spoke to each other on the phone several times). In the chats, he also stated on several occasions that he messed around with several other young girls before. So now that his trial is beginning in LA, and he's facing up to 40 years in prision, his lawyers are claiming that the chats were pure fantasy and he never thought he'd actually meet a young girl. His lawyers are also claiming that the kiddie porn on his hard drive was unsolicited and he hadn't gotten around to deleting the unwanted images. Yeah, riiiiiight. I hate to say it, but this guy is so far beyond a doubt guilty that his defense sounds like a last-gasp effort to avoid the inevitable.