American convicted in Hong Kong 'milkshake murder'

American convicted in Hong Kong 'milkshake murder'

Nancy Kissel, an American woman accused of killing her husband, leaves the High Court …

An American who drugged her investment banker-husband with a milkshake and bludgeoned him to death more than seven years ago was convicted of murder at her second trial in a case that grabbed world attention with lurid details on the breakdown of a wealthy expatriate marriage in Hong Kong.

The unanimous jury verdict Friday and automatic life sentence match the outcome of the first trial against Nancy Kissel, whose lawyers argued she was a battered, clinically depressed wife acting under diminished responsibility when her husband provoked her attack.

Prosecutors argued Robert Kissel's death in November 2003 was a carefully planned murder Nancy Kissel tried to conceal.

In opening statements in January, prosecutor David Perry said Kissel struck at least five blows to her husband's head with a metal ornament while Robert Kissel lay face down in the bedroom, subdued by six drugs mixed in a milkshake. She then covered the body with a plastic bag and towels, wrapped it in a carpet and had it moved to storage, Perry said.

Kissel testified last month her husband physically and sexually abused her as their marriage deteriorated. She denied being guilty of murder but was willing to admit to manslaughter, a lesser charge that was never filed and the jury did not consider.

The 46-year-old native of Adrian, Michigan did not appear to react as the verdict was announced in court.

"We're not even going to tackle that now," said Kissel's mother, Jean McGlothlin, when asked whether an appeal would be filed. She said the family's first priority was to make sure Nancy Kissel gets "medical, physical and psychological help from professionals, because she won't survive if she doesn't."

Kissel has appeared frail and withdrawn throughout the trial. When she took the stand last month, she told court she weighed just 38 kilograms (84 pounds), 16 kilograms lighter than when she entered prison more than five years ago. Her lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, said there was clear evidence of his client's mental state deteriorating from 2000 to 2003.

Her stepfather, Michael McGlothlin said he was "shocked at the outcome" but both said they thought the trial was fair. Kissel's 2005 conviction was overturned last year because prosecutors improperly cross-examined her and the original judge allowed hearsay evidence.

Nancy Kissel testified Robert Kissel's behavior changed after she had the first of the couple's three children in 1994, and he started forcing her to have oral and anal sex while becoming more emotionally distant and absorbed in his work.

"The more involved he got with the investment banking, the more forceful he was with me sexually," a frail and tearful Kissel testified.

Her lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, asked the judge Friday to recommend compassion for her when a review board evaluates the life sentence. He cited Kissel's good character and the context of the crime, which the defense alleges came from an abusive relationship.

The case of Robert Kissel's murder has been documented in a book — which also examines the 2006 murder of his brother, Andrew Kissel, in Greenwich, Connecticut — and a special on CBS' "48 Hours Mystery." Robert worked for Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong, and his estate was worth $18 million in life insurance, stocks and properties, according to prosecutors.

Also Friday, a chauffeur was sentenced to six years in prison on a charge related to the killing of millionaire real estate developer Andrew Kissel in 2006.

Carlos Trujillo entered an Alford plea to attempted murder in court in Stamford, Connecticut. The plea does not admit guilt but acknowledges enough evidence for conviction.

A cousin he allegedly hired to kill Kissel for money pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy.

Add this to Utah's list of state symbols: an official firearm

Add this to Utah's list of state symbols: an official firearm

The U.S. military chose the M1911 to be its standard-issue sidearm for all branches of service in 1911. It remained so until about 15 years ago.

(CNN) -- Until this week, Utah had 24 state symbols, from tree (the blue spruce) to insect (the honeybee) to even cooking pot (the Dutch oven).

Now it's added an official state firearm -- the John M. Browning-designed M1911 pistol, becoming the first state in the nation to have one, according to the state legislator who sponsored the law.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed the new symbol into law this week.

State Rep. Carl Wimmer, a Republican who was a police officer and SWAT team commander, came up with the idea for a state firearm last year after hearing about how Pennsylvania lawmakers wanted to make the Pennsylvania long rifle its official state firearm, Wimmer told CNN on Friday.

That measure eventually failed, he said.

Wimmer selected the semi-automatic M1911 because gun maker Browning was born and raised in Ogden, Utah, and was the son of Utah pioneers who crossed the plains in the 1800s, Wimmer said.

This year is also the 100th anniversary of when the U.S. military chose the M1911 to be its standard-issue sidearm for all branches of service, Wimmer said. That's how the pistol got its name: "M" for military and 1911 for the year that the military began issuing the gun to all its servicemen and women, Wimmer said.

In a state more known for its strong Mormon traditions and breathtaking national parks, the creation of an official state firearm raised controversy, especially when the measure was pursued even after January's mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six persons and wounded 13 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. The bill was introduced just before the horrific shootings, Wimmer said.

"People say the timing is terrible, and I admit the timing is terrible," Wimmer said. "We have a part-time legislature in Utah, and we are only in session for 45 days. Certainly meaning no disrespect to the tragedy in Arizona, we moved forward in doing this because it's the only opportunity that we had."

Other critics have said the new state symbol implicitly condones gun violence.

"There was more controversy than I anticipated, but it really passed with bipartisan support," Wimmer said. "One of the biggest comments from the critics was that we should not honor an implement of death. And my response to that has always been that this firearm does not represent an implement of death. It represents an implement of freedom -- just the mere fact that our soldiers have used this firearm to defend liberty and freedom around the world for the last 100 years."

The governor's office played down the lethality of the new symbol and focused more on its creator.

"This bill isn't so much about a weapon as it is about honoring John Moses Browning, who was a Utah inventor and entrepreneur, and he repeatedly gave back to the state," said the governor's spokeswoman, Ally Isom.

The governor's office and both chambers of the legislature are controlled by Republicans.

The M1911 had been the standard issue in the military until about 15 years ago, when the Beretta 9mm became its common sidearm because it holds 15 rounds and the M1911 only eight, Wimmer said. However, the M1911 is still used by elite units like Delta Force, Wimmer said.

"I thought how appropriate that we honor John Moses Browning on the 100th anniversary of the U.S. military's adoption of the M1911 as their official pistol," Wimmer said.

"The list of firearms that he invented is too exhaustive for me to go into," Wimmer added about Browning. Wimmer owns a Browning-designed M1911, he said.

"Almost every military weapon that is currently in use today has one point or another been modeled after a Browning firearm," Wimmer said.

Wimmer, 35, is now considering running for Utah's fourth congressional seat, newly created after the latest census, he said. He was a SWAT commander, canine patrol officer and sex crimes detective in South Jordan, Utah, for seven years and then a patrol officer in West Valley City, Utah, for four years, he said.

He left the police force to serve in the state legislature and is now a partner in the security consulting firm Corporate Task Force in Riverton City, Utah, where he lives.

Addressing other critics who say he's merely seeking publicity for his possible congressional run, Wimmer responded: "People will second-guess everything I do and say everything I do is because of the congressional race, and it's simply not true."

PJ Crowley: Bradley Manning's treatment by US 'stupid'

PJ Crowley: Bradley Manning's treatment by US 'stupid'

The US treatment of the man accused of leaking secret cables to Wikileaks is "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid", US state department spokesman PJ Crowley has said.

Private First Class Manning is being held in solitary confinement in a military brig

 

Mr Crowley made the remarks about Bradley Manning to an audience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"Nonetheless Bradley Manning is in the right place," Mr Crowley said.

Private Manning is being held in solitary confinement at a maximum security US military jail.

He is shackled at all times and has been on suicide watch at the Quantico marine base in Virginia.

Mr Crowley was asked whether his comments were on the record and replied: "Sure."

He could not immediately be reached by the BBC, but he told Foreign Policy website that his remarks were his own.

"What I said was my personal opinion. It does not reflect an official USG policy position. I defer to the Department of Defense regarding the treatment of Bradley Manning."

President Barack Obama was questioned about whether he agreed with Mr Crowley's comments at a news conference on Friday.

He responded by saying he had asked the Pentagon directly if the terms of Pte Manning's confinement were "appropriate" and received assurances that they were.

Mr Obama added that some aspects of Pte Manning's treatment "has to do with his safety as well".
'Elephant in room'

Philippa Thomas, an experienced BBC correspondent on a journalism fellowship at Harvard University, was among about two dozen people gathered to hear Mr Crowley talk about "the benefits of new media as it relates to foreign policy", at an event organised by the Center for Future Civic Media.

After a wide-ranging discussion, one young man said he wanted to address "the elephant in the room" and asked Mr Crowley what he thought about Wikileaks and, in his words, "torturing a prisoner in a military brig"?

Mr Crowley did not address the issue of torture, but replied that what was being done to Pte Manning by colleagues at the Department of Defence was "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid".

"None the less Bradley Manning is in the right place," he added, going on to say that in Washington's view "there is sometimes a need for secrets… for diplomatic progress to be made".
Stripped

Amnesty International has described the treatment of Pte Manning, whose mother is Welsh, as "unnecessarily harsh and punitive" and has called on the British government to intervene.

In a letter released by his lawyers, Pte Manning claims he is routinely stripped each night and his prescription glasses are confiscated, leaving him with limited vision.

Military officials have said this is standard procedure for people deemed a suicide risk.

David House, a spokesman with the Bradley Manning Advocacy Fund, said it was clear there was "no justification for Bradley's inhumane treatment".

He went on: "I agree with Mr Crowley that it's just stupid and unproductive."

Pte Manning has been charged on 34 counts, including illegally obtaining 250,000 secret US government cables and 380,000 records related to the Iraq war from a military database.

He has also been charged with aiding the enemy, a capital offence, but prosecutors have said they will not seek the death penalty.

Detroit district proposes offering 41 schools to charter operators

Detroit district proposes offering 41 schools to charter operators

(CNN) -- Detroit Public Schools has proposed a plan to offer charter school operators the reins to 41 schools -- including some of the lowest-performing schools academically -- in lieu of forcing school closings.

The Renaissance Plan 2012 would select operators based on a "competitive and rigorous" process to operate the schools as public academies with DPS as their authorizer, Detroit Public Schools announced in a press release Saturday.

"Rather than simply closing schools, this plan seeks to transform DPS ... by recruiting some of the best, proven school operators," Robert C. Bobb, Detroit Public Schools emergency financial manager, said in the statement.

Bobb said the plan would keep students at their current schools while possibly generating $21.85 million in lease revenue.

In the event a school does not receive a qualified proposal, the school will close, and its students will be transferred to nearby DPS schools.

The district's 142 schools are facing a reduced number of principals, shared services and increased class sizes fromthe district's Deficit Elimination Plan. The plan was enacted to combat the school system's debt crisis, which totaled $327 million in February. Under the DEP's standards, Bobb says a viable education system will not be met.

Bobb, who was named emergency financial manager of DPS in 2009, is not allowed to declare bankruptcy for the school system before his tenure ends on June 30, Bobb spokesman Steve Wasko said. Bobb has said the system will not file for bankruptcy.

The list of 41 schools is expected to be released later this week.

American Apparel founder hit with $250 million sexual assault claim

American Apparel founder hit with $250 million sexual assault claim

The founder of American Apparel has been accused of making a staff member his sex slave.

The founder of struggling clothing chain American Apparel, Dov Charney, has been accused of holding a young staff member captive and forcing her to perform sex acts.

A law suit for a reported US$250 million has been filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court and alleges that Charney turned a teenage employee into his sex slave and forced her to send him nude pictures and text messages.

The law suit claims that the girl was 17 when she was hired as a sales assistant at American Apparel in August 2007.

It is alleged that Charney visited the retail store where she worked, obtained her contact information and started repeatedly calling her.

It describes how on the day she turned 18, Charney demanded the woman visit him at his Manhattan apartment, answered the door in his underpants, dragged her inside and forced her to her knees so she could pleasure him.

According to the lawsuit, she was then allegedly forced to stay in the apartment for several hours while he forced her to perform additional sexual acts.

American Apparel deny all claims and say the former staffer's lawyers are trying to 'extort' money from the company.

American Apparel said in a statement: "Upon her resignation, [the employee] acknowledged in writing that she had no pending claims against the company and signed a severance agreement which included a full release of claims and an agreement to submit any future claims to confidential binding arbitration."

"The company intends to file a formal complaint with the NY state bar seeking disciplinary action against [the employee's] lawyers who we believe are engaged in an illegal conspiracy to extort money from American Apparel."
It's not the first time controversy has surrounded Charney. Ex-employees have previously accused him of conducting business meetings in the nude.

NATO starts 24/7 surveillance of Libya

NATO starts 24/7 surveillance of Libya

"The violence that's been taking place ... in Libya is unacceptable," President Obama said at the White House.

(CNN) -- NATO has launched around-the-clock surveillance flights of Libya as it considers various options for dealing with escalating violence in the war-torn country, America's ambassador to the organization told reporters Monday.

Representatives of key Western powers also highlighted the possibility of establishing a no-fly zone in Libya -- part of growing campaign to break strongman Moammar Gadhafi's grip on power.

British, French and U.S. officials were working on a draft text that includes language on a no-fly zone, diplomatic sources at the United Nations told CNN.

The language in the text will deal with triggers rather than timelines for taking such a step, one diplomat noted. If gross violations of human rights are committed, the diplomat added, the elements of the text could be quickly turned into a resolution.

Any resolution on military intervention in Libya, however, would be subject to a vote by the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council. Such intervention could face sharp criticism from Russia and China, who rarely approve of such measures.

"The violence that's been taking place and perpetrated by the government in Libya is unacceptable," U.S. President Barack Obama said at the White House. Moammar Gadhafi's government "will be held accountable for whatever violence continues to take place there."

Obama stressed that NATO is considering a wide range of responses -- including military options -- for dealing with the crisis.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney later cited three potential responses under active consideration: establishing the no-fly zone, military-backed humanitarian aid, and stronger enforcement of the U.N. arms embargo.

Carney downplayed speculation about the possibility of providing arms to the Libyan rebels, telling reporters that "it would be premature to send a bunch of weapons to a post office box in eastern Libya."

"We need to not get ahead of ourselves in terms of the options we're pursuing," he warned.

A senior U.S. official familiar with the administration's deliberations on Libya denied a report in the British press that the administration had asked Saudi Arabia to arm the rebels.

U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague told members of the British parliament, however, that "we are making contingency plans for all eventualities in Libya."

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters in Belgium that the organization has no immediate intention to intervene in the Libyan civil war. But "as a defense alliance and a security organization, it is our job to conduct prudent planning for any eventuality," he said.

Rasmussen stressed that it is important to "remain vigilant" in light of "systemic attacks" by Gadhafi's regime against the Libyan population. "The violation of human rights and international humanitarian law is outrageous," he said.

Rasmussen also noted that the defense ministers from member states will meet Friday and Saturday to discuss how the organization can help partner countries in North Africa and the broader Middle East.

"We can see a strong wind of change blowing across the region -- and it is blowing in the direction of freedom and democracy," he asserted.

Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kasa lashed out the Western leaders, calling their response part of "a conspiracy to divide (and) partition the country."

"The English are yearning for the colonial era" while Obama is acting "like a child," he said. "Territorial integrity is sacrosanct and we will die for it."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, meanwhile, appointed a new special envoy to Libya to discuss the crisis with officials in Tripoli, the United Nations said in a statement Monday.

Abdelilah Al-Khatib, a former foreign minister of Jordan, will "undertake urgent consultations with the authorities in Tripoli and in the region on the immediate humanitarian situation as well as the wider dimensions of the crisis," according to the statement.

As diplomats debated various options, the violence in Libya continued to intensify. Forces loyal to Gadhafi took aim at the rebel-controlled town of Ras Lanuf, launching aerial strikes meant to help crush the uprising against him.

Death toll estimates from the conflict have reached as high as 2,000 people. Roughly 200,000 people have fled Libya, with nearly equal numbers going to Tunisia and Egypt, according to the United Nations.

Mobile home party turns tragic, fire kills 6

Mobile home party turns tragic, fire kills 6

Witnesses say they heard argument before seeing flames "pouring out" of lakeside home southwest of Dallas

Police tape lines the the area around the burned remains of a home on the 4500 Block of Wildwood Circle near Granbury, Texas, March 6, 2011. (AP)

(AP) GRANBURY, Texas - An all-night birthday party at a lakefront home in North Texas ended with a fire that killed six people and injured three others, authorities say.


Investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the blaze that happened early Sunday morning at a double-wide mobile home in Lake Granbury, about 65 miles southwest of Dallas, Hood County Fire Marshal Brian Fine said. The dead ranged in age from 18 to 30 years old and included three men and three women who had lingered after the party, which had largely broken up for the night before the fire started, he said.


The identities of the dead and injured were being withheld until their families could be notified, Fine said.


The Port Ridglea East development, where the fire took place, is made up mostly of retirees and weekenders. Some residents said they had heard the party going overnight.


One neighbor, auto mechanic Michael Brennan, said the party woke him up.


"About 2:15 (a.m.), the noise woke me up. There was an argument going on. Then, there were cars pulling out, and I was sort of waiting for the sheriff to show up when the fire happened," he said.


The house was occupied full time, Brennan said.


Shirley Culberhouse, who lives about seven houses down the street from the home that burned, said it "was a group of boys who had moved in, and they were having a party."


Neighbor Paul Woods said the house was completely engulfed in flames before neighbors realized what was happening.


"It's just a shock to see a house totally engulfed," Woods told Dallas/Fort Worth television station WFAA-TV. "Especially when the people are still inside. There's nothing you can do ... literally nothing you can do. The flames are pouring out and no way you can get anywhere close to the house."


Two of the injured were airlifted to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, where they were treated for smoke inhalation and minor cuts and discharged, Fine said. The third was admitted for observation at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Fine said.

Rodney King Case: Where Are They Now?

Reuters – Rodney King leaves the courthouse in Edinburg, Pennsylvannia in this May 30, 1995 file photo. King was …

Rodney King Case: Where Are They Now?

Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of the taped beatings of Los Angeles resident Rodney King. He was caught speeding on the 210 freeway and he led officers on a high-speed chase. Several officers were caught on videotape by a nearby resident beating King while he was on the ground.

Where are the key figures in the beating now? Here's a look at where these people are today, 20 years after the beating.

Rodney King

Rodney King, now 46, was interviewed by Time magazine 15 years after the beating in 2006. He was working for a construction company at the time and spends time with his granddaughter. In 2007, King was shot with a pellet gun within two miles of his home in Rialto, Calif. When officers showed up at his house, the man was intoxicated according to the Los Angeles Times. King made appearances on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab" but allegedly still has substance-abuse problems in an article posted to RadarOnline.

Police Sgt. Stacey Koon

Stacey Koon was the superior officer at the scene of King's beating. He is 60 years old, living comfortably in California off the proceeds of his book, "Presumed Guilty," which he wrote in 1992. He was acquitted in the original trial but was convicted in 1993 of federal civil rights violations. He spent 30 months in prison and was released in 1995. Koon has been staying out of the public eye ever since.

Laurence Powell

Laurence Powell was one of the four officers on the scene arrested for the beating of King. He was found guilty in the federal civil rights trial and spent 30 months in jail for his actions. He has two children and is currently 48 years old. He retired from police work after getting out of jail.

Theodore Briseno

Theodore Briseno was another of the four men arrested for assaulting King. He was acquitted in the original trial and the federal civil rights trial. Since the trials ended, Briseno has worked security jobs as he never found work on a police force again.

Timothy Wind

Timothy Wind was also tried and acquitted twice in the King beating case. He was fired from the force in 1994. Wind eventually served as a community service officer in Culver City, Calif., and has remained out of the public eye since the trials.

George Holliday

George Holliday was famous for taping the beating and he sold his footage to a local television station. He's now 50 and works for a plumbing company. Holliday has tried to keep his life mostly private; he's suffered through two divorces thanks in part to his fame immediately after the beating was videotaped.

Judge Stanley Weisberg

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stanley Weisberg oversaw the original jury trial that saw four not-guilty verdicts placed upon the officers at the scene. Weisberg retired from the bench in 2008 at the age of 64 and serving more than 20 years. He presided over another high-profile case before the King beating, that of the Menendez brothers, who were convicted of murdering their parents.

Reginald Denny

Reginald Denny became the face of the aftermath of the trial of the officers. He was a truck driver who was pulled from his rig forcefully by four black youths and savagely beaten. Denny's beating was also caught on tape as a circling news helicopter witnessed the event. He is now 57 and is a boat mechanic in Arizona. After suffering severe brain damage from having his skull fractured by a cinder block, Denny needed years of rehabilitation. He attempted to sue the city of Los Angeles for damages and was unsuccessful.

Obama to propose federal property board, save $15 billion

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about Libya from the White House in Washington

Obama to propose federal property board, save $15 billion

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday will propose saving billions of taxpayer dollars through creation of an independent board to recommend the sale of federal property, an administration official said.

Obama, who previewed the plan in his 2012 budget and State of the Union Address, will suggest naming the board from the private and public sector to make recommendations to Congress for rationalizing federal civilian real estate holdings.

"For too long red tape and politics have prevented the government from moving forward on these fronts," the official said, adding that the board was expected to return $15 billion over the first three years in operation.

The White House estimates there are around 14,000 federal properties designated as excess, plus thousands of others which are either no longer needed, or are underutilized.

Democrat Obama, under intense pressure from his Republican opponents to cut government spending and narrow a budget deficit estimated at $1.645 trillion this fiscal year, is trying to squeeze savings by making the government more efficient.

His budget proposed a five-year freeze on nonsecurity discretionary spending to lower the deficit $400 billion over 10 years. Republicans warn these steps don't go far enough.