Court Digest

Kansas
Wichita woman gets prison for role in 2016 triple homicide
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita woman has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for her role in the killings of three people in central Kansas in 2016.

Myrta Rangel, 35, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court, federal prosecutors said in a news release. She pleaded guilty in 2018 to one count of giving a gun to a person she knew would use it in a drug trafficking crime and one count of giving a gun to a person she knew was a previously convicted felon.

As part of her plea, Rangel admitted that she gave Jereme Nelson a handgun, which he carried it to a meeting in rural Harvey Count to collect a drug debt. Prosecutors said Nelson shot and killed Travis Street, 33, Angela Graevs, 37, and Richard Prouty, 52, at a home in rural Moundridge where Street and Graevs lived. They were found dead in the driveway on Oct. 30, 2016. An 18-month-old child inside the home was unharmed.

After the killings, Rangel and Nelson fled to Mexico, but Mexican authorities later returned them to the U.S. for prosecution.

Nelson pleaded guilty in January to intentional second-degree murder, reckless second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and aggravated battery. As part of the plea, Nelson avoided the death penalty and agreed to a prison sentence of 39 years.

Iowa
Woman convicted of 1993 killing gets work release
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman convicted of a 1993 stabbing death when she was a teenager has been granted work release.

Ruthann Veal, 42, was granted the transitional status Tuesday following an interview with a three-member panel of the Iowa Board of Parole, the Courier reported. Andrew Boettger, the board’s vice chairman, said that the Iowa Department of Corrections recommended the move.

Veal was a 14-year-old runaway from Mason City when she was charged as an adult in the 1993 killing of 66-year-old Catherine Haynes, of Waterloo. Police said Haynes had been stabbed to death in her home and her credit cards stolen. A jury found Veal guilty two years later, and she was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled that such sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional. In response to that ruling, Veal was resentenced in 2013 to life with the possibility of parole.

It was not immediately clear when Veal’s transition would take place or where she would be serving work release.

Virginia
Hacker who helped Islamic State to remain in US prison
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A computer hacker who gave the Islamic State group personal data of more than 1,300 U.S. government and military personnel will remain in a federal prison after a judge rejected his request for compassionate release.

Ardit Ferizi, 24, is serving a 20-year sentence. The native of Kosovo is the first person convicted in the U.S. of both computer hacking and terrorism charges. He is currently held at a federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and is scheduled for release in 2032 if he gets credit for good behavior.

Ferizi asked a federal judge in Alexandria to release him from prison. In a handwritten motion from prison, he said his asthma and obesity place him at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. He also said special restrictions at the prison require him to check in with staff every two hours, increasing his contact with guards and his risk of contracting the virus.

Prosecutors opposed his release, and U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema rejected Ferizi’s request at a hearing Tuesday, citing concerns that he might resume hacking if released, among other issues.

South Carolilna
Suspect accused of throwing flaming cup of gasoline on man
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man accused of throwing a flaming cup of gasoline into another man’s face has been charged with attempted murder, according to authorities.

Cornelius Neal Diamond, 55, was being held in jail without bond Tuesday on the charge, the Richland County Sheriff’s Office said.

He was accused of lighting a cup of fuel on fire and throwing it at a 26-year-old man last month. The sheriff’s office said the victim, who was not named, told deputies Diamond had given him a gun to “hold on to” that was later stolen, The State reported.

Diamond demanded the man return the missing gun, then threatened him when he did not receive the weapon back, according to a statement from the agency that was obtained by news outlets.

Diamond later saw the man walking and again confronted him. He threw the flaming cup of gasoline on the victim and walked away, officials said.

The man suffered second- and third-degree burns.

Diamond had a bond hearing set for Wednesday, according to Richland County court records. It was unclear whether he had an attorney who could comment for him.

Florida
Court documents ask Parkland parents to prove mental anguish
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Parents who sued a school district after their children died in a mass shooting at a Florida high school are being asked to turn over their psychiatric records to prove they have suffered mental anguish.

The Broward County school district’s demand, which is contained in documents filed in lawsuits blaming the district for failing to identify and stop the threat posed by the suspected gunman, has the victims’ families enraged, the South Florida SunSentinel reported.

In formal court responses, School Board member Lori Alhadeff — whose daughter Alyssa was among the 17 killed on Feb. 14, 2018, called the demand “harassing, burdensome” and an invasion of privacy. She was elected to the school board after the shooting.

Seventeen people were also injured in the shooting.

Court records show at least a dozen other families also object.

Alhadeff’s lawyer, Rober Kelley, told the newspaper that in most civil cases, plaintiffs prove their pain and suffering with testimony, along with testimony from friends and loved ones. He said it’s rare to ask for mental records to prove heartbreak.

“I don’t think anyone is going to dispute that these families have suffered mental anguish,” Kelley said.

In an Oct. 1 response, the district said it “recognizes the sensitive nature of these records,” but insists they are necessary in a claim involving mental pain and suffering.

It is one of about 75 questions asked of victims in a template that also includes demands for evidence of funeral expenses, accounts of every media interview victims have done and tax returns to show lost income.

Broward Circuit Judge Patti Englander Henning will consider what the victims will be forced to answer during a hearing on Thursday.

“Providing proof of loss, while absolutely necessary in any wrongful death case, is like ripping open the scab again and again and again. It hurts,” said attorney David Brill, who represents three sets of parents and a surviving student.

Relatives of the dead are asked to “identify any permanent mental injuries” they are claiming, and whether in the 10 years prior to the massacre they ever sought psychiatric treatment and why.

The filing also asks for the slain victims’ cellphone numbers, copies of death certificates and the names and business addresses of the health providers who provided care in the five years prior to the mass shooting incident.

School Board lawyer Eugene Pettis said that while the school board recognizes the sensitivity of the issue, the district has a legal duty to make sure the claims are proven by a professional standard, not just through testimony of family and friends.

“If there are claims, you get the records to support those claims,” Pettis said. “It’s happened in every such case I’ve tried.”

The court consolidated dozens of lawsuits stemming from the shooting that were filed against the school district, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and others, and set an orderly way for each side to obtain evidence.
That led to the exhaustive questionnaire, the newspaper reported.

The victims already have a steep hurdle to overcome. The Florida Supreme Court last month ruled that, for liability purposes, the tragedy is considered one event in the eyes of the law. That caps the school district’s damages at $300,000 total.

If a jury awards more, the victims will have to ask the state Legislature to pass a bill to pay out more than the insurance policy allows.


West Virginia
Man gets life sentence in double shooting
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia man has been sentenced to life in prison in a shooting that killed a 20-year-old man and wounded the victim’s girlfriend.

Quenton Avery Sheffield, 28, was found guilty Tuesday of first-degree murder in the 2017 killing of Aaron William Black and malicious wounding in the shooting of then 21-year-old Sydney Rice, news outlets reported.

During the trial, Rice testified that Sheffield came to her boyfriend’s apartment in September 2017 to purchase marijuana. She said Sheffield shot her in the head during the exchange and she later discovered Black slumped over the kitchen table.

Rice testified that Black and Sheffield wanted to start a business together, but something went wrong, The Herald-Dispatch reported.

Sheffield’s attorneys disputed the allegation and argued Rice initially told 911 dispatchers she did not know who had shot her and she did not see their face.

Sheffield also maintained his innocence, calling Black his friend.

“I didn’t even have time to mourn my friend’s life before people pointed the finger at me,” he said at the stand.

Sheffield faces sentencing at a later date on additional charges, including using a firearm during the malicious wounding.

Vermont
White nationalist pleads not guilty to hate crimes
BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A self-described white nationalist is accused of using racist language in an altercation with a Black man and charged with a hate crime.

Max Misch, of Bennington, pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge on Monday, the Bennington Banner reported.

He was charged with disorderly conduct as a hate crime after the encounter on Sept. 14 between Misch and a biracial couple on a Bennington street. Misch told police he was walking his dog when the couple stopped their car alongside him and Dejiourn Harden goaded him into a fight, saying Misch had a problem with Black people. Harden, 23, and his girlfriend Erin Amidon told investigators Misch started the altercation by using a racial slur when they drove past him.

Harden allegedly punched Misch after Misch made a racist remark about violent crimes committed by Black people, the newspaper reported. The statement was recorded on Misch’s cellphone video, police said.

Police said Tuesday that Harden has been cited to appear in court on a charge of simple assault and Amidon on a charge of disorderly conduct. It was not immediately known if they are being represented by attorneys.

Misch also pleaded not guilty Monday to a separate disorderly conduct charge accusing him of walking through the painting of a Black Lives Matter mural in Bennington on Aug. 30, smearing the artwork, court documents say. Misch told police that he accidentally stepped on the paint. It was not immediately known if Misch is being represented by an attorney. There was no phone listing in his name.

Misch was previously accused of harassing Vermont’s only black female legislator. Two years ago, state Rep. Kia Morris resigned after receiving what she said were online and other racial threats. Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan said an investigation found that she was the victim of racial harassment but no charges would be filed because of free speech protections and insufficient evidence.


Missouri
Woman pleads guilty to mail fraud in theft from company
ST. LOUIS (AP) — An eastern Missouri woman has pleaded guilty to three federal counts of mail fraud, admitting that she stole thousands of dollars from a dairy supply company where she worked and from one of the company’s customers.

Stephanie Baker, 48, of O’Fallon, entered the guilty pleas and faces prison time when she’s sentenced in January, federal prosecutors said Tuesday in a news release. Each count carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Baker was employed in the accounting department of Prairie Farms Dairy Supply Co. at the time of the fraud, prosecutors said. Beginning in March 2018, investigators say she applied payments from other customers to the account of a Dairy Queen restaurant in Columbia, Illinois. She then told the restaurant owner that in order to keep receiving dairy products and supplies, she would need to be paid in cash.

Prosecutors said the restaurant owner met Baker several times, handing over more than $48,000 to Baker, which she used for herself, including to cover the boarding and care of a show horse.