Judge declares mistrial

Judge declares mistrial
McKINNEY, Texas -- A judge declared a mistrial Saturday in the murder trial of a woman accused of fatally cutting the arms off her 10-month-old daughter. Jurors deadlocked during the fourth day of deliberations in the case of Dena Schlosser, 37, who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. "Any further deliberations would be pointless," the jury said in a note to Judge Chris Oldner after nearly nine hours of discussions Saturday. Police arrested Schlosser in November 2004 after finding her baby Margaret, known as Maggie, dying in her crib, and Schlosser covered in blood, holding a knife and listening to a hymn. The prosecution argued that she knew what she was doing, but psychiatrists testifying for the defense told jurors of multiple psychotic episodes Schlosser detailed to them, including how she felt commanded by God to cut off Maggie's arms, followed by her own limbs and head. The jury said on the second day of deliberations that it was deadlocked, but the judge ordered them to continue. Jurors requested numerous rereadings of testimony, with one even asking Oldner to define the term "deliberation" and the precise role of a juror.
Ricin found in roll of coins
AUSTIN -- A University of Texas student found a substance in a roll of quarters that tested positive for ricin, a potentially deadly poison, but more tests were needed, officials said Saturday. Kelly Heinbaugh, a 19-year-old freshman kinesiology major, who said she unwrapped the powder in her dormitory room Thursday, and her roommate were checked at a hospital, although neither had any symptoms, officials said. Because people with ricin poisoning develop symptoms within a few hours of exposure, university officials were confident all the students would be fine, said Dr. Theresa Spalding with university student health services. The university said preliminary test showed the substance to be ricin.
Mine air too toxic
SAN JUAN DE SABINAS, Mexico -- Toxic gas levels inside a northern Mexican coal mine are too high for any of the 65 miners trapped inside to have survived an explosion nearly a week ago, the mining company said Saturday. The government and scientists previously said there was little hope any of those missing would be found alive. But a new analysis of underground air showed it was too poisonous to breathe, said Javier Garcia, a spokesman for mine owner Grupo Mexico SA de CV. Teams of experts drilled holes into the mine Saturday to release toxic gases, and a team of foreign experts -- including 10 from the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration -- helped to analyze the results. Conditions inside the Pasta de Conchos mine aren't expected to be safe enough to recover the bodies at least until today, Garcia said. A pre-dawn explosion Feb. 19 caused by gas built up inside the mine left the miners trapped. Rescuers were careful not to trigger further explosions as they dug for about six days in hopes of finding survivors or the remains of those killed.
Carnival thieves cash in
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- Taking advantage of the chaos of a Carnival parade, four thieves slipped into an art museum and stole paintings valued at tens of millions of dollars, even stripping visitors of cell phones, digital cameras and wallets before fleeing. The heist of the high-value art was a brash crime at a celebration known more for its wallet-thieving pickpockets. As a samba band performed outside Friday, the thieves overpowered security guards at the Chacara do Ceu museum and stole Pablo Picasso's "The Dance," Salvador Dali's "The Two Balconies," Henri Matisse's "Luxembourg Garden" and Claude Monet's "Marine." The museum was open for visitors at the time, and the thieves took cell phones, digital cameras and wallets from at least eight patrons. Local media estimated the paintings' worth at around $50 million. The thieves escaped, taking advantage of the droves of people outside following the Carnival band. Authorities in the country's airports and ports were put on alert.
Police nab fugitives
LANSING, Kan. -- A prison volunteer and the murderer she is accused of helping escape were nabbed in a chance encounter with police, who were in a Tennessee mall parking lot discussing strategy for the capture when the couple walked out a bookstore, police said Saturday. The arrests of Toby Young, 48, and John Manard, 27, on Friday night came nearly two weeks after authorities say Young drove out of Lansing Correctional Facility with Manard hidden in a dog crate. Young ran a dog rehabilitation program at the prison and a guard did not check her van because he trusted her, authorities said. Authorities got a tip Friday that Young -- using a false name -- had bought a pickup truck in Missouri in the days before the escape, said Kansas Corrections Department spokesman Bill Miskell. The receipt included the address of a remote cabin in Alpine, Tenn.
Combined dispatches