Governor Brown just signed important new legislation requiring corroboration before a jailhouse informant can testify. California joins Texas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Idaho, and several other states that require safeguards to counteract the well-documented unreliability of jailhouse snitch testimony. Here is part of the bill:
"A jury or judge may not convict a defendant, find a special circumstance true, or use a fact in aggravation based on the uncorroborated testimony of an in-custody informant."
An "in custody informant" is defined as: "a person, other than a codefendant, percipient witness, accomplice, or coconspirator, whose testimony is based on statements allegedly made by the defendant while both the defendant and the informant were held in within a city or county jail, state penal institution, or correctional institution."
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
San Francisco Considers New Law
City officials are considering a law that would prohibit private employers, landlords and city contractors from inquiring about an individual's arrest or conviction history before determining whether that person is qualified for a job or housing.
If the law is approved, San Francisco would join Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts and Philadelphia in protecting most people with criminal records from blanket discrimination in the private job market. A handful of jurisdictions in Illinois and Wisconsin impose similar restrictions on landlords, and Seattle is now weighing a proposal comparable to San Francisco's that does both.
If the law is approved, San Francisco would join Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts and Philadelphia in protecting most people with criminal records from blanket discrimination in the private job market. A handful of jurisdictions in Illinois and Wisconsin impose similar restrictions on landlords, and Seattle is now weighing a proposal comparable to San Francisco's that does both.
LAPD Embarrassment
Los Angeles police Thursday arrested two men in connection with the brutal beating of a San Francisco Giants fan at Dodger Stadium and have concluded that the suspect they took into custody in May was not involved in the attack, law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation said.
Police officials refused to publicly release details about the dramatic turn of events in the case, which has attracted international attention and placed city and Dodger officials under intense pressure to reassure fans it is safe to attend games at the storied venue in Chavez Ravine.
Police officials refused to publicly release details about the dramatic turn of events in the case, which has attracted international attention and placed city and Dodger officials under intense pressure to reassure fans it is safe to attend games at the storied venue in Chavez Ravine.
Woman In Penis Attack May Have Tainted Victim's Tofu Soup
A Garden Grove woman charged with cutting off her husband's penis served him a strange-tasting tofu soup that police believe was poisoned, according to a law enforcement source.
Detectives have sent evidence to a laboratory to try to determine what kind of poison was used, the source said.
The suspect, Catherine Kieu Becker, is scheduled to appear in court Friday for arraignment, but the hearing may be postponed.
Becker, 48, faces one felony count each of torture and aggravated mayhem with sentencing enhancements for great bodily injury and personal use of a knife. Orange County prosecutors charge that she cut off her husband's penis and threw it in a garbage disposal after drugging him and tying him to a bed.
If convicted on all counts, she faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. An "inappropriate relationship" may have been the motive in the case.
Becker, a real estate broker, lived with her husband, identified by prosecutors only as John Doe, in a Garden Grove apartment.
Officials said the husband told police that his wife served him dinner and that he went to bed about 9 p.m. on July 11. Officials believe he might have been suffering the effects of the tainted soup, the law enforcement source said. While he was sleeping, she "tied the victim's legs and arms to the four corners of the bed with nylon ropes," prosecutors said in court papers.
The victim told authorities that when he woke up, his wife pulled down his pants, "grabbing the victim’s penis and severing it with a knife." She then took the penis to the kitchen and threw it in the garbage disposal, "turning it on and mutilating the organ."
She then called 911, officials said.
The husband underwent surgery but the severed organ could not be reattached.
Detectives have sent evidence to a laboratory to try to determine what kind of poison was used, the source said.
The suspect, Catherine Kieu Becker, is scheduled to appear in court Friday for arraignment, but the hearing may be postponed.
Becker, 48, faces one felony count each of torture and aggravated mayhem with sentencing enhancements for great bodily injury and personal use of a knife. Orange County prosecutors charge that she cut off her husband's penis and threw it in a garbage disposal after drugging him and tying him to a bed.
If convicted on all counts, she faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. An "inappropriate relationship" may have been the motive in the case.
Becker, a real estate broker, lived with her husband, identified by prosecutors only as John Doe, in a Garden Grove apartment.
Officials said the husband told police that his wife served him dinner and that he went to bed about 9 p.m. on July 11. Officials believe he might have been suffering the effects of the tainted soup, the law enforcement source said. While he was sleeping, she "tied the victim's legs and arms to the four corners of the bed with nylon ropes," prosecutors said in court papers.
The victim told authorities that when he woke up, his wife pulled down his pants, "grabbing the victim’s penis and severing it with a knife." She then took the penis to the kitchen and threw it in the garbage disposal, "turning it on and mutilating the organ."
She then called 911, officials said.
The husband underwent surgery but the severed organ could not be reattached.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
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