National Roundup

Washington Drug debate apparent motive in Tacoma homicide TACOMA, Wash. (AP) -- A Washington woman accused of killing a friend in Tacoma told police they were arguing over the drugs each was using -- crack cocaine versus heroin. Loniesh Veasey pleaded not guilty Monday to a murder charge in the Feb. 12 slaying of Ginny "Bridget" Thomas at Thomas' apartment. Court papers say Veasey was high on crack cocaine and Thomas was using heroin when the argument erupted. The documents say Thomas stuck Veasey in the palm with a syringe and Veasey fought back with a razor blade wrapped in a tissue. The News Tribune reports a bloody pair of shoes, a fingerprint and phone records led investigators to Veasey. California Killer's ex-mistress sued over book deal FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- The former mistress of convicted wife killer Scott Peterson is being sued by a California author who says Amber Frey failed to cooperate in the writing of a book and screenplay. Peter Reynosa's breach of contract suit, filed late Wednesday in Fresno Superior Court, seeks $250,000 or Frey's renewed cooperation on the book "Memoirs of a Sex Addict" and the screenplay "Myths of the Flesh." Frey did not respond to Fresno Bee requests for reaction, but her father, Ron Frey, told the newspaper the lawsuit is simply an attempt to cash in on his daughter's name. Peterson is on San Quentin's death row for killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn child in 2002. Frey dated Peterson in 2002 and she testified for the prosecution at his trial. Pennsylvania Disgraced judge wants convictions tossed SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) -- A former Pennsylvania juvenile court judge convicted in a $1 million kickback scheme involving privately-owned juvenile detention centers wants his conviction on racketeering charges overturned. Former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella (shiv-uh-REL'-uh) filed motions Friday asking a federal judge to toss his convictions on charges including racketeering and money laundering conspiracy. Ciavarella was convicted last month of taking payments from the owner of two detention centers in a scheme involving another judge. The scandal prompted the state Supreme Court to toss thousands of juvenile convictions issued by Ciavarella, saying they were tainted. One motion seeks a new trial, claiming the court erred on several issues. Others claim the statute of limitations had passed for some charges. New York Man staged ATV crash to cover wife's slaying BATH, N.Y. (AP) -- A jury has convicted an upstate New York man of murdering his estranged wife and staging an ATV accident to cover it up. Daniel Bradford Jr. was found guilty of second-degree murder Thursday following a weeklong trial in Steuben County Court. After his estranged wife, Jennifer, died in November 2009, Bradford told police she'd been hurt when they'd gotten into an ATV accident. But state police investigators determined Bradford staged the accident to cover up his 28-year-old wife's death. He was indicted seven months later. Jennifer Bradford died of blunt-force trauma to the head. She had earlier obtained an order of protection against her husband after accusing him of domestic violence. New Mexico Former youth minister sentenced on porn charge LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) -- A former Los Alamos youth minister has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for distributing child pornography. U.S. Attorney Kenneth Gonzales says 58-year-old Matthew Nichols will be on supervised release for the rest of his life once his prison term ends. He also must pay a $10,000 fine and register as a sex offender. Nichols was a youth minister at Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Los Alamos when he was indicted last June on child pornography charges. He pleaded guilty in October to distributing and attempting to distribute a video depicting child pornography. The court dismissed the rest of the charges in the indictment after Nichols was sentenced. Investigators say examinations of computers seized from the church and Nichols' home found 1,465 images and 186 videos of child pornography. Nebraska Bill strikes 'without parole' from life sentence LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- The Legislature has passed a measure that would clean up language in the state's sentencing laws deemed unconstitutional by the Nebraska Supreme Court. The state's high court said state lawmakers went too far in a 2002 special session that changed the language spelling out that the minimum penalty for first-degree murder is life in prison "without parole." Lexington Sen. John Wightman's bill (LB12) strikes the words "without parole" from the law. The measure passed Friday on a 45-0 vote and now goes to the governor to be signed into law. Another bill (LB13) by Wightman would have reinserted the words "without parole" to the life sentence. But lawmakers determined the words were not necessary, as a life sentence for first degree murder in Nebraska already does not allow for parole. Nebraska Attorney disbarred over 49 ethical breeches OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The Nebraska Supreme Court has disbarred a Lincoln attorney for years of ethical breaches that affected at least 11 client cases. Peter Thew had been given a four-month suspension from practicing law in 2009. On Friday, the high court disbarred him for after considering three disciplinary filings that allege a total of 49 violations of professional conduct from at least 2005 until last year. The high court says Thew didn't tell some clients that he was suspended while he was supposed to working on their cases. A message left Friday at a home number listed for Thew wasn't immediately returned. The number for his law office wasn't in service. The high court's ruling says Thew admitted to the allegations of misconduct and wouldn't seek reinstatement to practice law. Published: Mon, Mar 7, 2011