Craigslist-case jury recommends death

Craigslist-case jury recommends death

akron

A jury on Wednesday recommended the death penalty for a self-styled street preacher convicted of killing three down-and-out men lured by bogus Craigslist job offers.

The same jury that convicted Richard Beasley made its recommendation after hearing from his mother and other witnesses who testified on his behalf in the penalty phase of his trial. The judge set his sentencing for Tuesday.

Beasley, 53, was convicted of teaming up with a teenager in 2011 to lure men with offers of farmhand jobs in southeast Ohio and to rob them. Three men were killed, and a fourth who was wounded testified at Beasley’s trial.

Sheriff: Use ankle monitors for seniors

salt lake city

A northern Utah sheriff’s office is floating a unique and unproven idea for keeping seniors with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia safe: Give them ankle monitors normally used on criminals on house arrest or parole.

Davis County Deputy Sheriff Kevin Fielding says the monitors would allow deputies to quickly find a person who has wandered off. That would save lives and save taxpayer funds by avoiding long searches.

Al-Qaida claims wave of attacks in Iraq

baghdad

An al-Qaida in Iraq front group claimed responsibility Wednesday for bloody attacks that killed 65 people across the country a day earlier, underscoring the terror group’s potency a decade after the U.S.-led invasion that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.

In a statement posted on a militant website, the Islamic State of Iraq said it unleashed the car bombs and other explosions to avenge the executions and “massacres” of convicted Sunni inmates held in Iraqi prisons.

It made no mention of the start of the war, but the claim of responsibility came 10 years after the U.S.-led war began March 20 with an airstrike on Dora Farms in southern Baghdad in a failed attempt to kill Saddam.

Conn. players accused of assault

hartford, conn.

Two Connecticut high school football players have been charged in sexual- assault cases that, like a recent high-profile Ohio rape case, have led to online taunts directed at an accuser.

The two 18-year-old Torrington High School players, Edgar Gonzalez and Joan Toribio, were charged with felony second-degree sexual assault and other crimes last month in cases involving different 13-year-old girls. Toribio also was charged two weeks ago in another second-degree sexual assault case.

A state judge sealed details of the allegations from public view. Both teens have pleaded not guilty.

Transgender bill draws protesters

phoenix

A prominent Republican lawmaker in Arizona wants to link public-bathroom use to birth certificates in what civil-rights advocates are calling the nation’s toughest anti-transgender measure.

The bill would require people to use public restrooms, dressing rooms or locker rooms associated with the sex listed on their birth certificate or face six months in jail.

The proposal was scheduled for a vote Wednesday during a House of Representatives committee.

Transgender supporters crowded into the lobby of the House to protest the bill.

State Rep. John Kavanagh said he’d delay the debate on his bill because of a paperwork error.

Associated Press