Man says Charles Manson is his dad

My finger is hovering over the Shenanigans button ...

Maybe he's just not "boyfriend material"

In Long Beach, Calif., a man named Santiago Martinez has been sentenced to death for killing not one, but two girlfriend. He murdered the second one because she refused to help him hide the body of the first girlfriend.

Gangs of evil baboons terrorize South Africa

In Cape Town, authorities are trying to stop gangs of baboons that attack cars in an effort to get food. The animals know how to open car doors and will jump through car windows to get snacks, which they now associate with humans and cars because so many people have fed them. They're a protected animal, which means the most elegant solution -- i.e. shooting them -- isn't an option.

Image via AP

Census worker tried to make his suicide look like murder, police say

As we'd previously mentioned, police now believe that Bill Sparkman, a census worker found bound, naked and dead in a Kentucky forest, actually committed suicide. (Only now, they're saying it on the record.) Sparkman had the word "FED" scrawled on his chest, leading some to believe that he'd been killed out of anti-government hatred. But authorities say that he'd talked with an unnamed person about suicide, and he'd taken out two life-insurance policies, which wouldn't pay out if he killed himself.

Grain Valley investigating domestic-violence case

From Brian Burnes: Grain Valley police are investigating a domestic dispute that sent a woman to a hospital this morning. Early reports that the woman had been abducted proved to be untrue, Police Chief Aaron Ambrose said late this morning.

Say what you will about China ...

... but if somebody tries to get rich off a product that makes people sick, there are consequences. (Provided the people who got sick were in China.)

"It's a miracle!"

From The AP:

A convicted Mafia boss who got out of jail by faking paralysis and anorexia has been arrested at a restaurant after more than two months on the run, police in Sicily said Tuesday.

Officers arrested Carmelo Di Stefano on Monday as he dined at a seaside village near the Sicilian city of Catania, which he had reached at the wheel of a sports car.

Police official Giovanni Signer said when officers asked him why he was not in a wheelchair, Di Stefano answered: "It's a miracle!"

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Mad Matt in Mid MO!

Open Thread ... Tuesday

Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below.

As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments, and please avoid profanity, as well as racially and sexually abusive language. And when you sign your comments, please use only one nickname. If you need to reach me, just send an email to jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

More charges filed in pregnant woman's slaying

Calvin Boswell, 24, is facing charges of second-degree murder, among others, for last week's slaying of Ashley Thomas and her unborn child, Jackson County prosecutors say. Thomas was nine months pregnant, and her boyfriend was badly hurt in the shooting. Boswell is accused of being the gunman in the shooting.

Does the First Amendment protect this?

A blogger named Harold "Hal" Turner is facing criminal charges over things he wrote online, the National Law Journal reports:

"These Judges deserve to be killed," declared Harold "Hal" Turner on his Web site on June 2. He was attacking three federal judges who earlier that day had upheld Chicago-area bans on handguns.

... He wrote, "Their blood will replenish the tree of liberty." The next day, he posted the judges' names, photos, phone numbers and work addresses. He provided a photo and a map of the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago, where the court is located, with arrows pointing to "anti-truck bomb barriers." He added, "Behold these devils."

Prosecutors argue that Turner made a "true threat" against the judges. He's arguing that he didn't really make a threat "with intent" -- that he didn't really mean it and the charges were essentially hyperbole. And he says the charges are a violation of his First Amendment rights. He's supposed to go to trial on Dec. 1.

"Serial burglar" is probably a bear, police say

A lot of hate crimes aren't being counted, experts argue

Just a quick follow-up to yesterday's release of the 2008 hate-crime numbers. NPR has a piece quoting experts who think that a lot of hate crimes aren't reported. Some jurisdictions, for example, might not have the staff to go out and confirm that something really was a hate crime. In other cases, the victims don't want to get the police involved. Illegal immigrants, for example, aren't keen on drawing a lot of police attention. And some gay people don't want to broadcast their sexual orientation.

Gang members videotape beatings for entertainment, police say

Last week, Denver police arrested 32 people in a series of racially-motivated robberies and assaults, some of which were videotaped, the Denver Post reports. Gang experts say it's part of a trend they're seeing nationally, where black gang members will deliberately target white or Latino men in "tourist districts," taunt them with racial slurs and attack them. (It's usually a small group versus one victim.) The beatings are videotaped, then watched and sold for entertainment. In Denver, the incidents are being treated as bias crimes.

What's the defense strategy in Tiller murder?

Scott Roeder, the man who's charged with the murder of Dr. George Tiller, has argued that he was justified in killing the abortion provider because it would prevent abortions. His attorney had argued recently that, no, Kansas law wouldn't recognize that defense in court. But now? The attorney is fighting prosecution efforts to rule it out. Roeder's defense counsel says his client has an "absolute right" to the so-called necessity defense.

Employee accused of embezzling $500K at Andy Williams' theater

In Branson, a former employee with Andy William's theater business has been accused of embezzling, Kathee Baird reports at her crime blog. The estimated loss? Over $500K, a company spokesman tells the News-Leader.

"Nude" isn't the same as "lewd"

Back in August, a model was arrested for posing nude at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art -- in full view of visitors. (One of the charges was for public lewdness.) Yesterday, though, a judge dismissed the case. The defense attorney had argued that it was silly to arrest a nude model for making art in a building full of nude paintings.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak and Keith G in PV!

Were Jewish kids targeted at Fla. school?

First, it was kids with red hair. Now? In Naples, Fla., 10 students were suspended their from middle school because they allegedly participated in "Kick a Jew Day." Unlike the "ginger" case from California, the discipline is all being handled in-house -- the Naples News' story doesn't mention any police involvement. The local Anti-Defamation League, though, says the incident might be covered by Florida's anti-bullying law.

Hat Tip: Saw this via the Obscure Store

Suspect had creepy home decor, police say

In Kenosha, Wis., police say they found child pornography in a suspect's home ... and some very unusual decorations:

Other posters, printed computer images and framed photos of children in erotic or sexual poses, decorated the walls, cupboards and shelves in Derks’ apartment. Four mannequins — two adult females, two children — were posed in “tender” positions, the complaint says.

Derks also collected paraphernalia related to celebrity children, including:

— Underwear from the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen clothing line.

— A Hannah Montana lamp, which Derks embellished with a suggestive phrase.

— Photos of actress Dakota Fanning and kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart, which Derks kept next to his toy-covered bed.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!

Does the U.S. have too many laws?

There's a growing consensus among conservatives and liberals that our country has too many laws and that many of them aren't clear, the New York Times reports. Because the laws are so broad, it makes criminals of people who really weren't intending to defraud anyone -- who didn't, in fact, know they were breaking the law.

The story says that it's new that conservatives are coming around to this point of view. A lot of conservative thinkers, though, are starting to see the criminal-justice system as another example of "big government."

Then there are conservatives who worry about government seizure of private property said to have been used to facilitate crimes, an issue raised in Alvarez v. Smith, which was argued in October.

“A joint on a yacht, and the whole thing is forfeited,” said Paul Cassell, a law professor at the University of Utah and a former federal judge appointed by President George W. Bush.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith G in PV!

Like shooting fish in a barrel

KCPD did something pretty clever the other day. They had a team of officers waiting outside the courthouse, waiting for defendants whose licenses had just been revoked or suspended. If the defendants tried to drive themselves home, the police were there to catch them, Fox 4 reports.

Did subway police use excessive force?

In Oakland, a transit cop is accused of using excessive force after he reportedly slammed a mentally-ill man's face into a window with reinforced glass. (The window shattered.) The man's sister is upset because she says her brother, who is bipolar and schizophrenic, didn't need to be treated with a lot of physical force. Police say the man had been trying to get people to fight and was using racial slurs. I'm trying to lay hands on an embed of surveillance video -- will post as soon as I do!

If you steal a riding lawnmower, have you stolen a "motor vehicle"?

In Georgia, the state's Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a man who stole a riding lawn mower from a Home Depot in Dalton. The original charge was felony motor vehicle theft -- but the judge determined that lawn mowers technically aren't motor vehicles. They still say he can be charged with plain old theft, though.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!

KCK shooting victim should survive gunshot to the head

From KCKPD: On Monday, November 23, 2009 at about 2132 hours, the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department responded to the 1100 Block of Central Avenue on a reported shooting. Upon arrival, officers discovered a white male who had been shot. The victim was transported to an area hospital with life threatening injuries. The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department’s Major Case Unit is encouraging anyone with information regarding the incident to please call 913-573-6020 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

(The gunshot wound was to his head, but he's expected to live, Meredith reports. This all happened near Bethany Park Towers, a high-rise for senior citizens and disabled people. It was firefighters, driving past, who actually saw the guy with a gun to his head and who called police.)

Man might get $50K for flipping the bird

A Pittsburgh man is probably going to get a $50,000 settlement from the city. He sued them because he got cited for flipping the bird at two people, one of them a police officer.

Kids-for-cash judges are partly protected from lawsuits

In Pennsylvania, two judges -- now former -- are accused of taking millions in kickbacks for sending young defendants to privately run detention centers. (They'd pleaded guilty at one point, but the judge voided that because the defendants, in public statements, weren't taking responsibility for what they did. They've now pleaded NOT guilty.)

Anyway, those young people and their parents are looking to sue the fu-schnickens out of these guys. But a federal judge has ruled that, because they were acting as judges part of the time, the defendants still have some partial immunity from civil suits. This ruling won't have any impact on the criminal case, the AP reports.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith G in PV!