The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged Na Cola Darcel Franklin, age 32, with first-degree murder in conjunction with the death of her fiance, Billy Brewster, on their wedding day.

The defendant testified that she grabbed a large kitchen knife after Brewster came home drunk from an impromptu bachelor party at a strip club around 2 a.m., beat her and tried to take their 9-month-old baby f... More...   $0 (05-23-2013 - PA)

The State of Ohio charged Ricardo Woods, age 35, with murder with specification in violation of 2903-02A and B, felonious assault with specification in violation of 2903-11A1 of the Ohio statutes; having weapons while under disability in violation of 2923-13A2 of the Ohio statutes and having weapons while under disability in violation of 2923-13A3 of the Ohio statutes in conjunction with the shooi... More...   $0 (05-18-2013 - OH)

The State of Alabama charged Carlos Edward Kennedy, age 27, with first-degree capital murder in conjunction with the death of Zoa White, who was beaten to death in her home in June of 2010. Police identified Kennedy from palm and fingerprints at the scene of the crime in addition to his DNA in blood samples.

Section 13A-6-2 of the Code of Alabama provides: Section 13A-6-2 - Murder.

(... More...   $0 (05-17-2013 - AL)

The State of Oklahoma charged Desjuante Deceres Boyd, age 19, with first-degree murder in violation of 21 O.S. 701.1 and two counts robbery with a firearm in violation of 21 O.S. 801 in conjunction with the shooting death of Shawn Hunt on August 16, 2011 in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart Store in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ... More...   $0 (05-17-2013 - OK)

Michael Joseph Griffin appeals an order of the circuit court denying his motion to vacate his conviction for first-degree murder and sentence of death filed under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.851. Griffin also petitions this Court

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for a writ of habeas corpus. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(1), (9), Fla. Const. For the reasons explained below, we affirm the tr... More...   $0 (05-16-2013 - FL)

A jury convicted appellant Marvin Ariel Pagoada of capital murder for his role as a co-conspirator in a robbery that resulted in murder. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 7.02 (West 2011). Pagoada contends that extraneous-offense evidence was

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improperly admitted and that the evidence was legally insufficient to prove that he should have anticipated the murder. We affirm.

Backgrou... More...   $0 (05-16-2013 - )

The State of Hawaii charged Toby Stangel, age 30, with first-degree murder and attempted murder in conjunction with a shooting spree in Honolulu on June 3, 2011 when a mother of 10 was killed in her minivan. The shooting then continued onto the H-1 freeway where two other motorists were shot and wounded.... More...   $0 (05-16-2013 - HI)

The State of Texas charged Naim Rasool Muhammad, age 34, with the capital murder of his two sons in August, 2011. The State claimed that he killed the boys because he was angry with his ex-girlfriend and the mother of the boys, ages 3 and 5, for breaking up their relationship. Defendant abducted Ms. Sampson and the boys but Sampson was able to get out of the car. She flagged down a constable but... More...   $0 (05-16-2013 - TX)

Jonathan Armstrong appeals his convictions and sentences following a jury trial on multiple offenses related to a home invasion. After the merger of some charges, he was sentenced and convicted of nine offenses. He alleges ineffective assistance of trial counsel and insufficient evidence to sustain his convictions. We agree that counsel’s failure to object to flawed jury instructions on kidnappi... More...   $0 (05-15-2013 - IA)

Appellant Brian Alexander Clifton was convicted in September 2003 of premeditated first-degree murder for the shooting death of Steven Nix. We affirmed Clifton’s conviction on direct appeal. State v. Clifton, 701 N.W.2d 793, 801 (Minn. 2005). In this case, Clifton appeals the denial of his petition for postconviction relief. Because we conclude that the postconviction court properly denied Clift... More...   $0 (05-15-2013 - MN)

The State of Washington charged Byron Scherf, age 54, with first-degree aggravated murder in conjunction with the killing of Washington state corrections officer Jayme Biendl, age 34, who was killed in the prison chapel in Monroe, Washington in January 2011. It was not contested that Scherf strangled Biendl.... More...   $0 (05-15-2013 - WA)

The State of Oklahoma charged Scott Christopher Edwards, age 31, with first-degree murder in violation of 21 O.S. 701, first-degree manslaughter in violation of 21 O.S. 711-723 and accessory after the fact in violation of 21 O.S. 173 in conjunction with the death of Rickey Dean McClain, age 54, who was shot to death in his residence in Sapulpa, Oklahoma on April 15, 2012. The State claimed that De... More...   $0 (05-14-2013 - OK)

The United States of America charged James Paul Wright, age 23, with conspiracy to commit robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1951, attempted robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1951, two counts of possession of firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in violation of 18 U.S.C. 924 and carjacking in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2119. It also sought forfeiture of firearms pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 2461 in ... More...   $0 (05-13-2013 - OK)

The State of Illinois charged Anthony Triplett with two counts of first-degree murder in conjunction with the deaths o of Urszula Sakowska and Janice Ordidge. two young, vibrant Chicago women who should have had nothing to fear when they let the cable repairman into their homes for separate appointments in 2006, prosecutors say.

Anthony Triplett, the man they let in on routine service cal... More...   $0 (05-13-2013 - IL)

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged Dr. Kermit Gosnell with four counts of first-degree murder, one count of manslaugher, and other crimes associated with the operation by him of an abortion clinic. The State claimed that Dr. Gosnell killed viable fetuses after they were extracted from their mother's bodies by him.... More...   $0 (05-13-2013 - PA)

We consider in this case whether a district attorney acts as a local or a state official when establishing policy and training related to the use of jailhouse informants. We find that, as to the policies at issue here, the district attorney was acting as a final policymaker for the County of Los Angeles.

We thus reverse the district court’s grant of the motion for judgment on the pleading... More...   $0 (05-13-2013 - CA)

Abraham Lincoln told a story about a lawyer who tried to establish that a calf had five legs by calling its tail a leg. But the calf had only four legs, Lincoln observed, because calling a tail a leg does not make it so.1 Before us is a case about a lawyer who tried to establish that a company owned a

4 RIGHTHAVEN LLC V. HOEHN

copyright by drafting a contract calling the company the ... More...   $0 (05-13-2013 - NV)

The State of Louisiana charged Nakeith Sparkman, age 27, and Michael Shelby, age 28, with second-degree murder, aggravated burglary and illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in conjunction with the death of a marijuana dealer from whom the defendants were trying to steal the drug. The State's attorney claimed that Sparkman and Shelby went to the apartment of Randard "Deuce" Brown, ... More...   $0 (05-11-2013 - LA)

The State of Wisconsin charged Tarence A. Banks, age 32, first-degree murder in conjunction with the killing of a 12-year-old Marize Jones during a drive-by shooting in 2007.

Banks was one of five people charged in the shooting, described as retaliation for an earlier shooting the same day in an ongoing gang dispute. Three have been convicted, and the case against a fourth is still pendin... More...   $0 (05-10-2013 - WI)

The State of Ohio charged Marvin d. Clinton, age 47, with aggravated murder in violation of Ohio criminal code section 2903.1, displaying or brandishing a firearm in violation of section 2903.2 and tampering with evidence in violation of section 2921.12 in conjunction with a 2010 road-rage slaying. The State claimed that Clinton, of Stevens Avenue, shot Kesley R. Ellis, 34, on the ice-covered stre... More...   $0 (05-10-2013 - OH)

Michael Earl Smith (DOB 09/14/1983) was convicted today in Adams County District Court of first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder and sexual assault in the death of a woman at the Valli-Hi Motel in Adams County.

Krista Ann Boma, 34, was found severely beaten and strangled to death in a room at the Valli Hi on July 12, 2012. Smith strangled Boma with his hands and a belt.... More...   $0 (05-10-2013 - CO)

Defendant Dawn Quang Tran pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity (NGI) to a sexual offense and was committed to a state mental hospital for treatment. (Pen. Code, § 1026.5, subd. (a).)1 Before the commitment expired, the Santa Clara County District Attorney filed a petition to extend it. (§ 1026.5, subd. (b).) At that time, the trial court was required to “advise the person named in the peti... More...   $0 (05-10-2013 - )

Corey Wagner (DOB 07/06/1978) was convicted today in Adams County District Court
of first-degree felony murder, second-degree murder and burglary in the shooting death of a
man at a Halloween party in 2006 in Thornton. Wagner also was convicted of second-degree
assault and two counts of menacing.

He will be sentenced at 8:30 Wednesday in Division F.

Wagner shot Anthon... More...   $0 (05-09-2013 - CO)

The State of Oregon charged Byron Scherf, age 54, with the first-degree aggravated murder in conjunction with the killing of Jayme Biendl, age 34, at the Monroe Correctional Complex. Scherf was serving a life sentence for rape. Biendl was a guard at the facility.

Defendant denied that he intended to kill Biendl.... More...   $0 (05-09-2013 - OR)

The State of Arizona charged Jodi Arias with the first-degree murder of Travis Alexander who was shot and stabbed to death in 2008. The State maintained that Alexander’s murder was premeditated. On June 4, 2008, Arias drove from Yreka, Calif., to Mesa, Ariz., where she showed up at Alexander’s home. She’d rented a car, dyed her hair, turned off her cell phone—apparently to make her harde... More...   $0 (05-09-2013 - AZ)