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Mom of missing girl indicted on murder charge

October 14, 2008

Mother of 3-year-old Caylee Anthony took months to report disappearance

ORLANDO, Fla. – The mother of a missing 3-year-old girl was arrested Tuesday and charged with killing her daughter, even though the child’s body has not been found during an exhaustive four-month search.

A grand jury indicted Casey Anthony on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter and four counts of lying to investigators about the disappearance of her daughter, Caylee, State Attorney Lawson Lamar said. The mother is being held without bond.

If convicted of first-degree murder she could face the death penalty or life in prison. Prosecutors said no decision has been made on whether the death penalty will be sought.

Read full story MSNBC

Marine fighting extradition, could delay trial

He fled to Mexico before being charged with killing pregnant fellow Marine

JACKSONVILLE, North Carolina – A Marine who fled to Mexico shortly before he was charged with killing a pregnant fellow soldier is fighting extradition in a move that prosecutors said could delay or endanger the chances of him going to trial in the United States.

A North Carolina prosecutor said Monday that Cpl. Cesar Laurean, 21, is appealing to the Mexican courts, arguing that North Carolina’s life-without-parole sentence for first-degree murder is barred under the countries’ extradition treaty.

Laurean is charged in the slaying of 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, who had worked with him at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune military installation and had accused him of rape. Lauterbach was eight months pregnant when she disappeared in December.

Read full story MSNBC

Wachovia Settles Telemarketer Suits for $200 Million

Wachovia Corp., the bank being bought by Wells Fargo & Co., agreed to pay $200 million to settle lawsuits claiming it profited by ignoring fraudulent telemarketers who used the bank to help them steal from consumers.

Victims of the telemarketing frauds sued in federal court in Philadelphia in 2007, claiming that Wachovia knew of claims the telemarketers were using “demand drafts,” or unsigned checks, to steal from their victims.

The suits were filed on behalf of all people in the U.S. who lost money to the telemarketers between June 2003 and February 2006. The settlement, which must be approved by the court before it can take effect, will reimburse $163 million they allegedly lost to the fraud, plus bank fees.

“This settlement presents the rare instance in which class members have the opportunity to be made whole from any losses resulting from defendants’ conduct,” lawyers for the victims said in papers filed today seeking approval of the settlement.

Read Article Bloomberg

EU warns youth: turn your MP3 players down!

Millions of youngsters across Europe could suffer permanent hearing loss after five years if they listen to MP3 players at too high a volume for more than five hours a week, EU scientists warned Monday.

The scientists’ study, requested by the European Commission, attacked the concept of “leisure noise,” saying children and teenagers should be protected from increasingly high sound levels — with loud mobile phones also coming in for criticism.

“There has been increasing concern about exposure from the new generation of personal music players which can reproduce sounds at very high volumes without loss of quality,” the Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said in a statement.

“Risk for hearing damage depends on sound level and exposure time,” it said. More and more young people were exposed to the significant threat that leisure noise posed to hearing, it said.

Read Article Reuters

Supreme Court after the Election

Once again, many groups are trying to figure out how either Presidential candidate will affect the composition of the U.S. Supreme Court. As most know, predicting the Supreme Court is nearly impossible at times. Law.com has a good article:

“Can McCain or Obama Turn the Supreme Court?”
Tony Mauro, Legal Times, October 14, 2008

Slowly but surely, the Supreme Court is creeping into the presidential election debate, with accessories included.

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights is offering palm cards for voters telling them how important this election will be to the future of the Court.

“If public schools in your community decide to adopt an integrated educational program, it may be considered unconstitutional. That’s the power of the Supreme Court,” the card warns.

Read Full Article Law.com

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