Salon.com > Linda Deutsch

O.J. Simpson to make bid for freedom

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:21:00 +0000

LAS VEGAS (AP) — More than four years after the world last heard from O.J. Simpson in court, one of the nation's most famous prisoners speaks again Wednesday in a bid to win freedom from a sentence that could keep him behind bars until he dies.

In 2008, he was near tears as he told a judge: "I didn't mean to steal anything from anybody ... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of it."

This time he will get to say much more testifying for at least a day about a strange Las Vegas hotel room confrontation that sent him to prison.

There is no jury and his fate will be determined by Clark County District Judge Linda Marie Bell.

"He's been wanting to tell his story. He's excited about telling his story," said Simpson attorney Ozzie Fumo.

When he went to trial in 2008 on charges of armed robbery and kidnapping, Simpson did not testify - a decision that one of his lawyers said was pushed upon him by another attorney he trusted so completely that he took his bad advice.

"It's going to be a long day," said his co-counsel, Patricia Palm, "He's going to have to testify to every point in the petition. But they can't do a little mini-retrial."

Governor denies parole to ex-Manson follower

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 22:37:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday reversed a parole board and denied the release of a former Charles Manson follower who has served more than 40 years in prison.

The board had recently approved the release of 70-year-old Bruce Davis but left the final decision to the governor.

Brown gave his decision to the Associated Press at the downtown Los Angeles County courthouse after a meeting with District Attorney Jackie Lacey, who had recommended that Davis not be paroled.

"I find the evidence ... shows why he currently poses a danger to society if released from prison. Therefore, I reverse the decision to parole Mr. Davis," the written decision said.

Davis would have been only the second Manson-related murder defendant to be granted parole since the killing spree began in 1969.

Davis was not involved in the notorious Sharon Tate-LaBianca killings but was convicted with Manson and others in the murders of a musician and a stuntman.

Brown's six-page decision focused on Davis' role in the murderous Manson Family in the late 1960s.

"The record indicates that Davis fully embraced and championed the family's distorted values and goals, and was willing to protect the family's interests at all costs," the decision said.

Gov. Jerry Brown to decide fate of ex-Manson follower

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 20:01:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California's governor has been asked to make the final decision on whether a former Charles Manson follower will be released on parole after serving more than 40 years in prison.

The state's Board of Parole Hearings submitted to Gov. Jerry Brown its recommendation that Bruce Davis is suitable for parole.

The 70-year-old Davis was convicted with cult leader Manson and another man in the killings of a musician and a stuntman. He was not involved in the infamous Sharon Tate murders.

California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton says the board had until Monday to deliver legal documents to Brown, but they submitted the package Friday.

Brown has up to 30 days to act on the parole decision. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected a previous parole recommendation for Davis.

Man behind “Innocence of Muslims” gets one year in prison

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 14:02:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The man behind an anti-Muslim film that led to violence in many parts of the Middle East agreed to spend a year in federal prison for unrelated probation violations, but afterward issued a statement that appeared to reinforce his stern stance against Islam.

The man who calls himself Mark Bassely Youssef and has used numerous aliases speaks English but asked for an Arabic language interpreter on Wednesday, at a hearing that resulted in a plea bargain between his lawyers and federal prosecutors.

Youssef, an Egyptian-born Christian who is a U.S. citizen, sent his attorney out to the courthouse steps with a message for the media: "The one thing he wanted me to tell all of you is President Obama may have gotten Osama bin Laden, but he didn't kill the ideology," attorney Steven Seiden said.

Asked what that meant, Seiden said, "I didn't ask him, and I don't know."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Dugdale had no comment on Youssef's statement.

The prosecutor spoke in court of the toll taken on actors who participated in the filming of "Innocence of Muslims," an anti-Islamic screed that was previewed in a 14-minute trailer posted on YouTube.

TJ Jackson emerges as Katherine’s co-guardian

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:31:31 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) — TJ Jackson was one of Michael Jackson's favorite nephews. An heir to the family's musical talent and striking good looks, he is the son of Tito, one of the original Jackson Five. Largely unknown to the American public until now, he has been anointed as co-guardian of Michael's most prized treasures — his three children.

Suddenly, TJ is the chosen Jackson, the one designated to work beside Michael's mother to look after the welfare of his three cousins Prince, 15, Paris, 14 and Blanket,10, who will inherit the King of Pop's fortune.

He's stepping into a sensitive situation just days after a family feud went viral. But he appears to have only one interest at heart — the children.

"He has been very dedicated to these kids since Michael Jackson's death and he was involved with them before that," TJ's lawyer, Charles A. Schultz, said at a Thursday court hearing.

Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff, who appointed TJ to work with Katherine Jackson, said there is a strong bond between the 34-year-old T.J. and the children.

"They have a very significant relationship with TJ Jackson and they love him very much," said the judge. "There are things about his past that the kids can relate to."

Jackson says she was kept from communicating

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:12:15 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The mother of Michael Jackson says in court papers she was kept from communicating with outsiders while at a resort in Tucson and was unaware she had been reported missing.

Katherine Jackson declared in court papers obtained Thursday that she had no idea she was the subject of a search until she accidentally heard a TV report.

She said she was told her doctor had ordered her to rest and she was flown to Arizona. At a spa, her cell phone was confiscated along with her IPad and she said she was kept in a room with no working phone or TV service. She said she asked about Michael's children and was told they were fine.

Plan seeks co-guardian for Michael Jackson’s kids

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 07:13:58 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In the wake of a family dispute that spilled into the media, the living arrangements and guardianship of Michael Jackson's three children are expected to be determined by an upcoming court hearing.

A lawyer representing Katherine Jackson, the pop superstar's 82-year-old mother, said he will file legal documents that would make the children's cousin TJ Jackson a co-guardian. The plan appears designed to remove pressure from Katherine Jackson who was named in her son's will as the children's sole guardian.

Perry Sanders Jr., Katherine Jackson's lawyer, has said the arrangement will allow his client to focus on the children's upbringing and not on financial or logistics issues.

Legal papers outlining the plan were expected to be filed Thursday in Los Angeles. Superior Court Judge Michael Beckloff is likely to order a hearing regarding the agreement.

TJ Jackson, 34, was appointed as temporary guardian in a court hearing after a bizarre episode in which Katherine Jackson was reported missing but later turned up at an Arizona spa.

Assassin can’t remember shooting RFK, wants parole

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:39:00 +0000

More than four decades after Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, his convicted murderer wants to go free for a crime he says he can't remember.

It is not old age or some memory-snatching disease that has erased an act Sirhan Bishara Sirhan once said he committed "with 20 years of malice aforethought." It's been this way almost from the beginning. Hypnotists and psychologists, lawyers and investigators have tried to jog his memory with no useful result.

Now a new lawyer is on the case and he says his efforts have also failed.

"There is no doubt he does not remember the critical events," said William F. Pepper, the attorney who will argue for Sirhan's parole Wednesday. "He is not feigning it. It's not an act. He does not remember it."

Sirhan may not remember much about the night of June 4, 1968, but the world remembers.

They have heard how Sirhan was grabbed as he emptied a pistol in the crowded kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel here where Kennedy stood moments after claiming victory in the California presidential primary. They heard how he kept firing even as his hand was pinned to a table. They heard how Kennedy, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, was shot and died, changing the course of American history.

Judge orders Michael Jackson doctor to stand trial

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 23:54:00 +0000

A judge on Tuesday ordered the personal physician of Michael Jackson to stand trial for involuntary manslaughter after hearing testimony that he administered a lethal dose of a powerful anesthetic and other sedatives then left the pop star alone.

The ruling in the case against Houston cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray came after a six-day preliminary hearing before Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor.

Prosecutors concluded their case with testimony from two doctors who said Murray acted outside the standard of medical care when he administered the propofol then failed to provide proper care.

Both witnesses said that even if Jackson had self-administered the final dose of the drug, his death would be a homicide because of Murray's actions.

Murray, 57, has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys have said he did not give Jackson anything that should have killed him. Murray could face up to four years in prison if tried and convicted.

During the hearing, prosecutors built a timeline of Jackson's final hours and Murray's actions, suggesting the singer died because of Murray's gross negligence.

Anna Nicole Smith’s boyfriend convicted in drug case

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:30:00 +0000

A jury has absolved Anna Nicole Smith's doctor of prescribing excessive drugs for her but convicted her boyfriend and a psychiatrist of conspiring to use fake names on prescriptions, in a case that refocused attention on the deceased model's made-for-tabloids story.

The nine-week trial of the three who were part of the late Playboy model's inner circle brought the aura of glamor surrounding her to the courtroom through photos and videos of the beautiful blond who starred in her own reality TV show. In death, she managed to be the star of the high-profile trial.

Howard K. Stern, who was described as Smith's manager, lawyer, lover and best friend, was acquitted Thursday of seven of the 11 charges originally lodged against him. Superior Court Judge Robert Perry had already dismissed two charges against Stern. The jury found him guilty of two conspiracy counts and specified they were for obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and giving a false name for a prescription.

Dr. Khristine Eroshevich was convicted of conspiring with Stern on the fraud and false name allegations and was convicted on two separate counts of unlawfully prescribing and obtaining Vicodin through fraud and use of a false name.

Lindsay Lohan loses bid to ease drug testing

Mon, 24 May 2010 19:30:00 +0000

A judge on Monday refused a request by Lindsay Lohan's attorney to ease restrictions involving drug and alcohol testing on the actress so she can film a movie in Texas.

Lohan, wearing a dark gray suit, appeared somber and concerned when she conferred with her attorney about attaching an alcohol-monitoring bracelet to her ankle and requiring drug testing every week in the Los Angeles area.

Lohan's attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, told the judge that Lohan was planning to travel to Texas to film a movie, but the judge suggested the actress may have to delay the project.

Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel offered to spend a half hour reading Lohan and Holley a list of reasons for ordering the bracelet, drug tests and an alcohol-education program. Holley declined and accepted the judge's decision.

The judge also set a probation violation hearing for July 6 to address Lohan's failure to appear in court last week for a scheduled progress report on her probation stemming from two arrests in 2007.

Lohan, 23, did not address a throng of media outside the courthouse as she walked in several minutes late to the hearing and sat down beside Holley.

Jackson doctor’s case assigned to L.A. judge

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:50:07 +0000

The involuntary manslaughter case against Michael Jackson's cardiologist was assigned to a trial judge Monday in a brief proceeding that drew fans and family members of the late pop star.

Dr. Conrad Murray, his attorneys and prosecutors assembled before Supervising Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza, who in moments assigned the case to Judge Michael Pastor and sent them to his courtroom.

Pastor scheduled a June 14 court date to take up remaining procedural issues including the setting of a date for a preliminary hearing and Murray's fight to keep his California medical license.

The state attorney general, representing the state medical board, has moved to revoke Murray's license pending trial.

Earlier, about 50 Jackson fans waved signs and chanted outside the courthouse.

The fans sang "We Are the World," wore T-shirts emblazoned with Jackson's picture and the slogan, "Justice 4 Michael," and carried placards demanding stronger charges against Murray.

Fans in a courthouse hallway called out "Hi Janet" as Jackson's sister Janet arrived. The late pop star's parents, Joe and Katherine, and brother Jermaine also attended.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

Crime exhibit dispute shows families’ scars linger

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:59:00 +0000

A dispute over an exhibition of gruesome evidence from famous crimes escalated Thursday, showing that time does not heal the scars to murder victims' families even after four decades.

The son of assassinated Sen. Robert F. Kennedy wrote he was horrified that his father's clothing from the night he was assassinated in 1968 was being displayed in Las Vegas. He called it "a macabre publicity stunt."

After a complaint from the Kennedy family, Los Angeles police removed the items from a display at a homicide investigators' conference. The exhibit titled, "Behind the Scenes: the LAPD Homicide Experience," was opened to the public Wednesday and Thursday after those attending the conference viewed it privately.

As spectators lined up by the thousands to view the famous evidence, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and District Attorney Steve Cooley issued a joint open letter Thursday saying they never meant to compound the grief of murder victims' families. Beck and Cooley said they sought to depict the horror of homicide in hopes of deterring violence.

"Homicide is by nature horrific," they said, "but the entertainment media often portrays it as sterile and benign. When people see the reality of murder, it becomes an unthinkable act."

Jackson’s doctor arrives in Los Angeles

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:02:00 +0000

Michael Jackson's physician has arrived in Los Angeles in anticipation of a decision from the district attorney's office on whether to charge him for the singer's death, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Dr. Conrad Murray, who practices in Houston, arrived in Los Angeles last weekend and one of his lawyers, Edward Chernoff, plans to join him, spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik said.

"Dr. Murray is in Los Angeles for a dual purpose -- on family business and to be available for law enforcement," Sevcik said. "We're trying to be as cooperative as we can."

There is no official word on when an announcement about any charges might come. David Walgren, the deputy Los Angeles County district attorney handling the case, declined to comment Tuesday.

The district attorney's office has for weeks been working closely with Los Angeles Police Department investigators to build a case against Murray. Two law enforcement officials have told the AP that Murray is likely to be charged with involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's June 25 death from an anesthetic overdose.

The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the case.