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.

FBI needs help to solve killings from civil-rights era

Over the past few years, the federal government has shown more interest in resolving cold cases from the civil rights era, but it's been tough work because so many of the witnesses are dead, dying or losing their memories. (Alvin Sykes, a local activist, has been one of the leading voices in getting the feds to do more.) Today, the FBI announced that it has essentially hit a brick wall in 33 cases because they can't find victims' relatives. They're issuing a public call, in the hope that people will call them.

I wonder if, in some cases, it might already be too late to get justice. Either the killers are already dead -- that, or the people who get them convicted are.

Wash. woman accused of attacking boyfriend's ex-girlfriend

In Seattle, a woman named Patricia Lynn Crowl is accused stabbing her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend after using text messages to lure the woman to a parking garage. The ex-girlfriend lived. Police say this is the second time that Crowl has done something like this. Last time, back in the 1990s, she went to prison for killing her boyfriend's girlfriend.

I didn't murder my family -- my split personality did

A New York man is blaming his split personality for the murder of his wife and teenage son, the Daily News reports.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!

Fort Hood suspect is paralyzed, his lawyer says

Nidal Hasan, the man accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, is paralyzed from the chest down, his lawyer says. (Previous reports said the paralysis started at his waist.) Hasan is going to stay at his Army hospital for now, though he could be moved later to a different medical center or even jail. He had his first hearing on Saturday, in the intensive care unit of all places.

Man guilty of scaring elderly woman to death

In September 2008, a man named Larry Whitfield reportedly broke into the home of Mary Parnell, 79, while Whitfield was fleeing a botched credit-union robbery. That shock caused Parnell to have a heart attack, which killed her, medical experts testified. The verdict was a little funny -- the jury didn't say he killed her, but they did say that his actions caused her death. The Charlotte Observer says that means he'll serve a life sentence.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!

Ark. family killed for their flat-screen TVs, wheel rims, police say

In Pearcy, Ark., five people -- four of them related, plus a girlfriend -- were fatally shot in a robbery on Nov. 12, and police believe they were killed for some flat-screen TVs and wheel rims. Two suspects are in custody. A third was killed during a police raid last week.

Charges filed in KC robbery-turned-homicide

From KCPD: The suspects who surrendered to police are charged in Jackson County with 2nd Degree Murder, 1st Degree Robbery and 2 counts of Armed Criminal Action. Their bond is set at $250,000. They are 20yr old Clifford V. Jackson and 18yr old Travis L. Knott, both from KCMO. Their photos are attached. The homicide victim has not been positively identified.

(This is the case from Saturday, where a grocery employee reportedly chased two would-be robbers and got fatally shot in the process.)

Man stabbed to death over subway seat

The New York Daily News has a report about a subway rider who was fatally stabbed because he reportedly refused to move a bag so another passenger could sit down, authorities say.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!

UK man strangled his wife while dreaming

The prosecution, which wanted to send him to a psychiatric hospital, has dropped the charges, so he's a free man.

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

Charges filed in Shaniya Davis homicide

From AP: This undated photo provided Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 by the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office shows Mario Andrette McNeill. McNeill already accused of kidnapping 5-year-old Shaniya Davis faces new charges that he raped and asphyxiated her, police said Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. Mario McNeill is being charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape of a child, Fayetteville Police Chief Tom Bergamine told reporters at a news conference. (AP Photo/Cumberland County Sheriff's Office)

Missing people were killed for their body fat, Peruvian police say

In Peru, police believe that dozens of missing people were ambushed and murdered for their body fat, which was then sold on the black market to cosmetic and pharmaceutical firms in Europe, the BBC reports. Some experts are skeptical of this -- body fat is used in some procedures, but it's almost always from the patients' own body. And besides with SO MUCH fat in the world, you'd think there wouldn't be a huge demand for black-market fat. Investigators, though, say they've got a suspect who described exactly how the victims' fat was harvested.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Goshel!

Jayson Williams to get prison in plea deal?

The former basketball star is charged with reckless manslaughter in the 2002 shooting death of a limo driver, a count that carries a potential 10-year sentence. New Jersey's Star-Ledger reports that Williams may plead guilty to aggravated assault under a plea deal -- a three-year rap that would probably work out to 18 months of actual time served. Williams says the shooting was an accident, but authorities say he was being careless with the gun.

Pentagon plans Fort Hood investigation

Defense Secretary Gates has set a 45-day time limit on the review, which will look at how the military identifies servicemembers who might be dangerous. And they'll look at whether U.S. bases are ready for situations like Fort Hood. It doesn't sound like they'll be dealing with Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and his emails to a radical cleric.

52 months for drunk driver whose passenger died

From WyCo DA: Howard Lewis, Jr., age 33, of Kansas City, Kansas, was sentenced to 52 months in prison this morning for the January 8, 2007, death of Waynedale Avery. Avery was the passenger is a vehicle driven by Lewis which wrapped around a utility pole on westbound Parallel Parkway, just west of Victory Drive in the early morning hours of January 8, 2007. Lewis pleaded nolo contendere to Involuntary Manslaughter on September 18, 2009. His blood alcohol level was .14, well in excess of the legal limit of.08, and the vehicle was being operated at high speed.

Man killed son over alleged child sex abuse

In Detroit, a man is accused of killing his 15-year-old son after he heard the boy allegedly had "sexual contact" with a 3-year-old girl, the AP reports. The defendant is accused of forcing the boy to strip, marching him to a vacant lot and killing him. His defense attorney is arguing that the man's state of mind, after he heard about the abuse allegation, should be taken into consideration.

Dog blamed for woman's shooting death

In San Luis Obispo County, Calif., a man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after he shot his wife, who was sitting on their couch. The man says he accidentally fired a handgun after he tripped over the dog.

Man strangled stepson as revenge against kid's mom, Wis. police say

Charles A. Avey is accused of using a necktie to strangle his 14-year-old stepson -- as revenge against the kid's mom for reporting Avey to the police. He'd allegedly used a hammer to beat her.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Searching!

The strange death of Hugues de la Plaza

In 2007, a man named Hugues de la Plaza was found dead in his locked San Francisco apartment -- killed by three stab wounds. Police didn't rule out homicide, but they leaned toward suicide, though investigators couldn't find the knife (or sharp implement) that de la Plaza allegedly used to kill himself.

The case became an international incident because de la Plaza was a citizen of both the U.S. and France. And the French weren't terribly impressed with the suicide theory. Their government did their own review and concluded it was a case of homicide. San Francisco, meanwhile, asked LAPD to look at the case, and while they're not done, they're apparently leaning toward the suicide theory -- though mistakes made by SFPD mean they won't be able to conclusively say so.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith G in PV!

Cannibals put the Bob in kebab, Russian police say

In Perm, Russia, three homeless men are accused of murdering a fourth man and eating part of his body, then selling part of the corpse to a kebab shop. (It had apparently been cut up by that point, the BBC reports.) Nobody knows if any customers actually ate the victim.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Man in a Mission!

Alleged Ohio serial killer pleads not guilty

The Associated Press

Suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell was arraigned Friday on charges connected to a woman whose rape led to Sowell's arrest and the discovery of 11 bodies in and around his home.

|Bob Cronkleton

John Allen Muhammad is dead

Mohammad, 48, said nothing from the time he entered the death chamber accompanied by guards at 8:58 p.m.

| Sara Shepherd

Family members of convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad pray outside Greenville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Va., at the scheduled time of Muhammad's execution on Tuesday. Muhammad was executed for sniper attacks that killed 10 people in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., during a 3-week spree in 2002. (AP Photo)

Dad RV'd for months with dead babies

As James might say, possibly the most awful story you'll read today:

Prosecutors contend that Jason Hann, 34, stuffed 2-month-old Montana Hann's body into a trash bag in 2001 then kept it in trailers and motor homes for nine months as he and his girlfriend moved from state to state doing odd jobs.

Hann pleaded not guilty Friday ... to murder and assaulting a child causing great bodily injury after being extradited from Kentucky, where he was serving time for killing his 6-week-old son 10 years ago. Authorities said Hann had trekked around with the boy's body for 18 months.

Hat Tip: Thanks goes to JUNGLE JIM.

| Sara Shepherd

Appeal denied, sniper's execution to go on today

It still appears Muhammad will go to his grave without acknowledging his crimes:

He repeated his assertion that he was an innocent victim of racial bias in a letter to the federal court released last week by his attorneys. Muhammad charged that police and prosecutors "lied to the American people" about his case and withheld evidence that could clear him.

| Sara Shepherd

Fort Hood shooter 'enjoyed strippers'

CBS reports that the devout Muslim man and U.S. Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood last week liked to indulge in lap dances during visits to a local strip joint. From a club manager:

"The last time he was here, I remember checking his military ID at the door, and he paid his $15 cover and stayed for six or seven hours."

| Sara Shepherd