Court Roundup

New York Man gets 50 years for Conn. Restaurant slaying DANBURY, Conn. (AP) -- A New York man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing and dismembering his uncle in the Danbury restaurant they co-owned. A Superior Court judge on Thursday, citing the violent past of Marash Gojcaj (GOH'-zah), sentenced the Ossining, N.Y., man to twice the 25 years defense lawyers requested. Gojcaj was convicted in November of the 2004 murder of Zef Vulevic. Prosecutors say the pair had an argument that ended with Gojcaj shooting his uncle twice in the back of the head in Gusto Ristorante. Authorities say he used a hand saw to cut the body into seven pieces, stuffed the remains into trash bags, and dumped them in a wooded area of Bedford, N.Y. The News Times of Danbury reports that Gojcaj maintained his innocence at sentencing. Pennsylvania Fed judge rejects free attorney for Baumhammers PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A federal judge has refused to appoint a free public defender to help an unemployed white immigration attorney appeal his death sentence for an April 2000 Pittsburgh-area shooting rampage that eventually left six people dead. Forty-five-year-old Richard Baumhammers, of Mount Lebanon, is also appealing in state court and says his parents are paying for that attorney. But Baumhammers wanted a free federal attorney saying his parents will not be able to afford a second attorney. Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey Manning indefinitely delayed Baumhammers' execution last year, pending his state appeals. A federal judge ruled Thursday that Baumhammers doesn't need a federal attorney yet because won't file any federal appeals unless he first loses in state court. Baumhammers shot his Jewish neighbor, two Indian men, a Chinese man, a Vietnamese man, and a black man because of their ethnicity. Pennsylvania Police: Officer used drugs in Pittsburgh school PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Police have charged a security guard with heroin possession after a student and teacher told police they saw the woman snorting the drug on duty in a Pittsburgh high school. Pittsburgh Public Schools officials confirmed the incident Thursday, but say it happened Feb. 25 at Oliver High School. Online court records don't list an attorney for the guard, 34-year-old Calie Rafferty, who is in drug treatment and has been suspended with pay pending a due process hearing at which a union official will represent her. Police say they found six individual doses of heroin -- known as stamp bags -- in Rafferty's coat pocket after the principal called police and 70 empty stamp bags. Rafferty faces a preliminary hearing on the drug charge April 13. North Dakota Civil suit filed in ND brass knuckles case GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) -- A former trainer of North Dakota boxer Virgil Hill is suing a man who punched him in the head with brass knuckles in a downtown Grand Forks street fight. The Grand Forks Herald reports that 46-year-old Allen Larsien is seeking more than $12,000 in damages. Twenty-seven-year-old David Exelbert in the summer of 2009 was sentenced to two years in prison on an aggravated assault conviction. He was a Grand Forks Air Force Base sergeant at the time of the September 2008 fight. Exelbert is still in prison and has not responded to Larsien's lawsuit. Inmates at the Missouri River Correctional Center are not allowed to receive phone calls. Illinois Rape conviction of former Chicago cop overturned CHICAGO (AP) -- A former Chicago police sergeant sentenced to 25 years in prison for raping a woman in 2004 after picking her up in his squad car has had his conviction overturned. The Illinois Appellate Court earlier this week cleared John Herman of aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping and official misconduct. The 45-year-old was found guilty in 2008 after a bench trial before Cook County Associate Judge Joseph Claps. In overturning the conviction, the appeals court pointed to inconsistencies in the woman's testimony. Herman said he and the woman, an admitted habitual drug user, were "sex friends" who had a previous sexual encounter. A spokeswoman for Chicago's Law Department said it's unlikely the reversal of Herman's conviction on Tuesday will affect the $1.5 million settlement the woman received in a lawsuit. California Target settles lawsuit over Calif. waste disposal SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A California judge ordered Target Corp. to pay $22.5 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the retailer illegally disposed hazardous waste at hundreds of stores throughout the state, prosecutors said Thursday. Target violated procedures for handling toxic waste from 2002 until a few months after authorities filed the civil lawsuit in June 2009, said Tim Patterson, supervising deputy state attorney general. Alameda Superior Court Judge Steven Brick ordered the settlement Wednesday with the state, 21 county district attorneys and city attorneys for San Diego and Los Angeles. It puts Target under tight scrutiny to ensure that it properly disposes waste at its nearly 300 stores in California. Authorities said the Minneapolis-based retailer had no special procedures to dispose of goods such as oven cleaners, aerosols, paint and fertilizers. Companies are required to separate such hazardous items from regular waste. "Today we are saying that a corporate giant is being held accountable for its actions," said San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. "Target is finally cleaning up its act." Target did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment. Hawaii Attorney general sues animal rights activist HONOLULU (AP) -- Hawaii's attorney general is suing a Big Island animal rights activist, alleging he allowed donors to his group "Love the Animals" to believe that their contributions were tax-deductible even though his organization isn't registered under Hawaii's charitable contribution law and doesn't have tax exempt status. The attorney general's office said Thursday Anthony M. Marasia isn't able to account for how he spent donated funds on efforts to protect animals. The lawsuit seeks restitution and civil penalties. The Honomu man gained attention in 2007 when he spared a Holstein from being slaughtered. A year later he launched a campaign to save 8,000 chickens from being killed when their egg farm shut down. A listed telephone number could not be found for Marasia, and he couldn't immediately be reached for comment. Published: Mon, Mar 7, 2011