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Tag: life sentence

  • Aaron Hernandez Will Not Get A New Trial, Judge Rejects Convicted Former NFL Star’s Request

    A judge has rejected Aaron Hernandez’s request for a new trial after an anonymous person hinted juror misconduct during the murder trial.

    According to recent reports, Bristol Superior Court Judge E. Susan Garsh rejected the request of Hernandez’s camp to release a subpoena for the records of Utah-based Internet service provider, Mstar.net LLC.

    A recent court filing revealed that an unknown person filled out a jury service survey claiming the jurors discussed the case amongst themselves. “Even though we weren’t supposed to talk about things with others, I find it humorous now that nobody knows we did talk amongst ourselves and you still believe we didn’t,’’ the unidentified person wrote. “I hope you pick us again so we can do it again to another thug.”


    The defense wanted to know if the person who completed the survey was one of the 12 people who convicted Hernandez.

    Judge Garsh found the claims insufficient as the form can be completed by anybody.

    “Apart from the fact that the survey, which can be completed by anybody regardless of whether he or she actually served on a jury, was completed by someone using a Utah-based Internet service provider,the defendant (has) not shown that an allegation that jurors may have talked amongst themselves during the trial merits inquiry,” Judge Garsh wrote.

    The former NFL star, 25, was found guilty and was convicted of first-degree murder for killing semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd in 2013. The court sentenced him to life in prison without parole. Hernandez was also indicted for the 2012 double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. He is currently being detained at the Souza-Baranowski maximum security facility.

    Garsh is thinking over another request from the defense. This time they are asking Garsh to hear out a tipster who claimed that one of the jurors who convicted the former NFL player defied court rules.

    An inquiry is scheduled on October 23, but it will be closed to the public.

  • Vybz Kartel, Dancehall Reggae Artist, Sentenced To Life In Prison

    Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel, born Adidja Azim Palmer, and three other associates were sentenced to life in prison for the 2011 murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams.

    During the 65-day trial, considered as one of the longest in Jamaican history, fans of the artist showed their support while standing outside the Kingston courthouse waiting for the judge’s verdict.

    Judge Lennox Campbell stated that Kartel must serve prison time for 35 years before he can be qualified for parole. That would mean that he will be 73-years-old by the time he gets out of prison on parole. Other associates who also received a life sentence were Andre St. John, Shawn Campbell, and Kahira Jones. A fourth associate, Shane Williams, was the only one who did not receive a guilty verdict from the jury, but is still facing a different murder case.

    In 2011, Williams was called to Kartel’s residence to be questioned for two missing guns that Kartel owned. He was beaten to death, but his body was never found. The most incriminating evidence that helped convict Kartel of murder was a text message that was retrieved from his phone. The message stated that William’s body has been chopped up into fine pieces and that it will never be discovered.

    The judge’s decision brought Kartel’s fans to a frenzy. One woman shouted, “Wickedness! They take away the ‘world boss,” calling Kartel by one of his nicknames.

    Kartel’s case is controversial and has been difficult for the victim’s relatives, witnesses, and even officers. Williams’ family has been receiving threats. Detective Sgt. Patrick Linton’s home was attacked with a fire bomb. He is one of the people who testified against Kartel.

    Williams’ murder is not the only case the 38-year-old artist is involved with. In 2011, he was arrested on drug charges, and just last year, he was involved in a case for Barrington “Bossy” Burton’s murder, which eventually collapsed due to lack of evidence.

    Even through Kartel has been in jail since 2011, he was still able to record and release new songs from his jail cell with the use of a smartphone. He was also able to co-write a book about his life entitled “The Voice of the Jamaica Ghetto.”

    Tad Dawkins of Tad’s Records, the label that released three of Kartel’s albums, said that Jamaica is saddened by the news, as Kartel has contributed a lot to reggae music. “We will support him in any way that we can,” he says.

    Tom Tavares-Finson, Kartel’s representative, said that they are planning to file an appeal.

    The Jamaica Gleaner reports from the streets of Jamaica

    Image via YouTube

  • Mickey the Pit Bull Gets Life Behind Bars

    Mickey the Pit Bull Gets Life Behind Bars

    A New York-based animal rights group has 30 days to find a rehabilitation facility for an Arizona dog.

    According to ABC 15 Arizona, Mickey the pit bull was sentenced to life in a shelter Tuesday following an outcry to save the dog from euthanasia.

    A Phoenix judge declared Mickey guilty in the Feb. 20 attack of 4-year-old Kevin Vicente-who was left with a broken jaw and torn eye socket while in the care of his babysitter.

    Municipal Court Judge Deborah Griffin demanded the dog be neutered, micro-chipped, and rendered dangerous so that “there would be absolutely no possibility of the animal ever doing this to someone again.”

    Now the dog’s owner and the Lexus Project animal activist group is in search of a center where Mickey would have to spend the rest of his life away from society.

    However, this verdict was good news for many dog lovers who have been on Mickey’s side since the story first reached major news coverage.

    YouTube video petitions, candlelight vigils, a Facebook page titled “Save Mickey,” and T-Shirts dedicated to the pit pressured the court in protecting Mickey’s life.

    The babysitter’s girlfriend, who initially filed a vicious-dog court petition, said that Mickey was instinctively aggressive and had killed one of her dogs before.

    Animal supporters nationwide believe that only two people were accountable for the attack.

    They argue that the owner-whose property displayed “Beware of Dog” signs-was responsible for Mickey’s vicious behavior and the babysitter was guilty of poor supervision.

    Judge Griffin too determined that both parties were to blame for the unfortunate events that took place that day.

    Kevin’s mother Floridalma Vicente told reporters through a Spanish interpreter, how disturbing it was to see people “[place] more value on an animal than on a child.”

    However, donations from around the world have been sent to the Vicente family in efforts to show support for the little boy who may have to face years of reconstructive surgery.

    As for Mickey, he’s currently locked away in a cage at the Maricopa County Animal Control and Care Center.

    Image via YouTube 

  • Amanda Berry and Fellow Captives Receive Awards

    Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight received Ohio Governor John Kasich’s annual courage awards during a ceremony on Monday night. The three women survived at least a decade of captivity at the hands of Ariel Castro, who kidnapped the three at separate times.

    Governor Kasich called the story of these three women one of “hurt beyond imagination.” He also said it wasn’t a story that ended with their kidnapping and abuse.

    “It is also a story of three women who found an inner strength and a courage that brought them through and sustained them,” Kasich said near the end of his annual State of the State speech. “No one rescued them, they rescued themselves_first by staying strong and by sticking together, and then by literally breaking out into freedom.”

    The three women were finally rescued when Amanda Berry pushed her way through a door and screamed for help. She and her 6-year-old daughter were helped to freedom by a neighbor who heard her screams.

    Amanda Berry was just 16 years old when she was kidnapped. Her 6-year-old is the biological daughter of Ariel Castro. He kept all three women chained in separate rooms, often without access to food or a toilet. He pleaded guilty in August 2013 to hundreds of charges. He told a judge at his sentencing that he suffered from addictions to both sex and pornography.

    “I’m not a monster. I’m sick,” he said.

    In September of 2103, Ariel Castro hanged himself in his prison cell after he was sentenced to life in prison, plus 1,000 years.

    Governor Kasich hugged all three women Monday night before entering the hall to give his speech. As he announced the awards he called Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight “three extraordinary women, who despite having the worst in this world thrown at them, rose above it and emerged not as victims, but as victors.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Daniel Villegas: Out On Bail After 19 Years In Prison

    An El Paso, Texas man who had been convicted of double murder and imprisoned for life was freed Tuesday, 19 years after being sent to prison. Witnesses, supporters and family members all maintain that he was wrongly sent to prison.

    Daniel Villegas, 37, has been serving a life sentence for the 1993 driver-by shooting of Armando Lazo, 17, and Robert Englund, 18, since 1995.  At the time, Villegas was a 16-year-old high school dropout.

    His conviction was mainly based on a confession he made at the time. Villegas later recanted, saying he was coerced to confess. According to Villegas, he was told that if he didn’t confess, he would be raped in prison and get the death penalty. There were several discrepancies in the confession that landed Villegas the life sentence. One discrepancy was when he claimed that he was driving a white car at the time of the shooting but the vehicle involved at the shooting was red. There was also no DNA evidence linking him to the crime.

    Witnesses also refuted the claim that Villegas was the one who committed the double homicide. In 2012, Jesse Hernandez, a witness to the killing, said he believes with all his heart that Villegas is innocent. “I always thought I knew who else might have done it from the beginning. I had never heard of Daniel before,” Hernandez told Fox News

    Villegas was released on a $50,000 bond, about an hour after the hearing ended. El Paso District Judge Sam Medrano made the release ruling at about 10:30 a.m. and Villegas was freed at about 11:30 a.m. he was greeted by a jubilant crowd of friends and family. He later went to St. Pius X Catholic Church to pray and celebrate his release.

    Prosecuting attorneys have a week to decide whether or not to dismiss Villegas’ case. Judge Medrano set a hearing for Jan. 21, if prosecutors remain undecided the case will go back to trial.

    Villegas drew support from hundreds of supporters who strongly believe he is innocent. Some supporters include ‘The Innocence Project,’ an organization by Northwest University Law School that advocates justice for youth who have been wrongfully convicted. According to Proclaim Justice Villegas even got support John Mimbela, an activist from El Paso, who donated over $200,000 to help him win back his freedom.

    Image via NDN video

  • Life Sentence For Pot: Jeff Mizanskey Seeks Support

    A Missouri newspaper tells us of a man named Jeff Mizanskey who was convicted of an intent to distribute about five pounds of marijuana charge in 1993.

    Today, Mizanskey seeks support to gain clemency from the resulting life sentence.

    Although this was his third marijuana offense, Riverfront Times tells us that Mizanskey has never been convicted of a violent crime. He says that he has been working a steady job in prison and being a model prisoner while violent offenders are being granted with parole chances not allowed to him.

    Mizanskey was caught in a deal arranged by police and civilian cooperatives. Police were targeting another dealer, who was arrested and given a 10-year sentence, and also picked up Mizanskey who merely handled a brick of marijuana briefly during the deal.

    That was 20 years ago; the now 60-year-old inmate knows that close to half of the United States allows the use of medical marijuana now, and how the overall climate of marijuana use is changing. This gives Mizanksey hope of clemency from the ancient Prior and Persistent Drug Offender statute found only in Missouri that allows a judge to order a ten-year to life sentence for anyone with any type of prior drug offenses.

    So, what do you think? Do you think that Mizanskey deserves to serve a life sentence for a marijuana offense? If you want to help Mizanskey, you can email the governor of Missouri to join the others who feel that Jeff Mizanskey should be set free.

    [image: vimeo]

  • Jennifer Mee, Hiccup Girl, Guilty Of Murder

    Jennifer Mee, who became famous her hiccuping, earning the nickname of “hiccup girl,” has been convicted of first degree murder. Mee is from Clearwater, Florida and burst onto the scene when her hiccups lasted for months in 2007. She is being charged in the 2010 murder of Shannon Griffin. A Pinellas County jury deliberated for four hours before delivering the verdict against the 22 year old girl.

    The hiccups that made Mee famous decided to make a return during her trial again. It was a very difficult time for her, as the result ended in a ruling that will send her to prison for life without parole. Mee burst into tears at times during the trial and pleaded her innocence, telling the court “I didn’t kill nobody,” Mee said. “…I set everything up. It all went wrong, Mom. It [expletive] just went downhill after everything happened, Mom.”

    The Huffington Post mentions that Mee lured Shannon Griffin, a 22-year-old Wal-Mart worker, to an abandoned home under the pretense of buying marijuana. From there, two of Mee’s friends robbed Griffin at gunpoint, but he struggled and was shot four times and killed. Her attorney, John Trevena, insisted that she did not orchestrate the incident and there was not enough evidence to convict her. However, the prosecutors said Mee did set everything up, and used police interviews and a taped jailhouse phone call between Mee and her mother as evidence.

    Whether she was directly involved in the robbery and murder of Griffin may never be clear, but she has been sent to life in prison for the incident anyway. Mee had also been diagnosed with schizophrenia in addition to her syndrome that caused her uncontrollable hiccups as a teenager, and her attorney explained that to the jury as well, according to People Magazine. She has recently been experiencing hiccups again while in jail and has been treated with a drug called thorazine, in order to control the hiccups. The judge ordered her to undergo pyschological evaluations, but she was later deemed competent and able to stand trial.

    ABC News says that experts testified to finding Mee’s DNA on the victim’s shirt. Despite their findings, the defense brilliantly pointed out that her DNA could have been transferred to the shirt by another person and a crime lab DNA expert agreed.

    Mee looked sadly at the potential jurors when the charge against her was read by the judge. It seems that her short media-filled life is coming to a close and while she does not face the penalty, she will be forced to live out her life in prison.

    Image via Youtube