Jury: Confessed killer of Idaho boy can get death

Jury: Confessed killer of Idaho boy can get death

BOISE, Idaho — A federal jury on Friday deemed Joseph Edward Duncan III eligible for the death penalty for the 2005 kidnapping, torture and murder of 9-year-old Dylan Groene. The jury deliberated for two hours before issuing its unanimous ruling, to which Duncan showed no reaction.

When the hearing resumes next week, jurors must decide whether Duncan should be put to death or whether he can convince them instead to give him life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The jury’s sentencing recommendation is binding on U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge.

Duncan pleaded guilty to 10 federal felonies for the trauma he inflicted on Dylan and his then-8-year-old sister, Shasta, in May 2005 after murdering their older brother, their mother and her fianc in the Coeur d’Alene area. He also pleaded guilty to those three murders in state court, where he also could be sentenced to death. He took the two deep into the Lolo National Forest, where he abused and tortured them for weeks before shooting the boy point-blank in the head while his sister watched. He was arrested after returning with Shasta to Coeur d’Alene, where a waitress recognized the girl as the two ate at a Denny’s restaurant.

Spanish aviation official wants ‘glitch’ investigated

MADRID, Spain — Spain’s top aviation official said Friday that a seemingly minor glitch in an air temperature gauge that forced a Madrid jetliner to abandon its first takeoff attempt an hour before it crashed should be closely examined to see if it contributed to the accident, Spain’s worst airline disaster in 25 years.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Civil Aviation chief Manuel Bautista said a combination of failures — either technical, human or both — likely caused Wednesday’s crash, which killed 153 people, many of them children and families on vacation. Nineteen people survived.

An investigation is under way, with help from the United States and the airplane’s manufacturer.

The glitch occurred while the jet was taxiing on its first takeoff attempt, causing the pilot to turn the plane around. After a check by technicians, the gauge was turned off — an accepted procedure — and the plane cleared for takeoff, according to Spanair. It crashed on the second attempt at takeoff.

Ky. judge jails woman for wearing short shorts

LANCASTER, Ky. — A 28-year-old Lancaster, Ky., woman was ordered to serve three days in jail after a judge found her in contempt of court for inappropriate dress.

Kirstie Arnold was sent to the Boyle County Jail after wearing short shorts during a court appearance Monday before Garrard District Judge Janet Booth.Booth had warned Arnold about her clothes in two previous court appearances, even fining Arnold $50 at the last one for her attire.

Arnold would have been released Thursday except that she got into more trouble when she allegedly tried to conceal a drug from Lancaster Police Officer Allen Weston. She remained in jail Thursday afternoon. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Monday in Garrard District Court. If still an inmate, she will wear a bright yellow jail uniform.

Answering online ad gets woman job with mob

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says a Des Moines woman who answered an online job ad soon found herself caught up in a criminal enterprise with ties to the Russian Mafia.

Authorities says they’ve uncovered a reshipping scam involving Alexis Duncan and a company named Lithutronics, which operated out of Lithuania. Authorities don’t believe that Duncan knowingly participated in the scam. It is the second reshipping case they’ve investigated this summer.

The company offered people $20 per package to receive and reship packages. Authorities say the items, mostly high-grade electronics, were purchased online with stolen credit cards then shipped to Duncan, who then sent them to various locations in eastern Europe.

Duncan told authorities she had shipped between 35-50 packages since she started working for the company in May.

The U.S. Secret Service says that criminals tied to the Russian Mafia steal the credit cards and help set up online business fronts.

Associated Press