http://www.ftabins.net Post any World News here. en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:51:24 GMT vBulletin 1440 http://www.ftabins.net/images/blaze/misc/rss.jpg http://www.ftabins.net http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123733&goto=newpost Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:40:19 GMT Man Freed After Killing Wife in Sleep LONDON (Nov. 20) -- A British man who said he strangled his wife during a nightmare about fighting off an... Man Freed After Killing Wife in Sleep

LONDON (Nov. 20) -- A British man who said he strangled his wife during a nightmare about fighting off an intruder has been found innocent in her death.

Prosecutors had originally asked a jury to find Brian Thomas not guilty by reason of insanity, which could see him sent to a psychiatric hospital. But they withdrew the case against him on Friday, and said expert opinion was that hospitalization was not appropriate.

"It is now clear that the psychiatrists feel that that would serve no useful purpose and the risk of reoccurrence is very, very small," said Iwan Jenkins, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Dyfed Powys region in Wales. "We therefore have offered no further evidence and asked the jury to return a simple verdict of not guilty."

Thomas had accepted he had killed Christine, his childhood sweetheart and wife of 40 years, the jury was told at the beginning of his trial earlier this week.

The Thomases, who lived outside Swansea, about 185 miles west of London, were on holiday in their camper van in July 2008. After having their sleep disturbed by cars racing nearby, Brian Thomas had a nightmare that someone was breaking into the van.

The court was told that Brian Thomas suffered from a long-term sleep disorder and was in a state of automatism — where his mind had no control over his body — when he strangled Christine, with whom he had two daughters.

Jenkins said sophisticated tests by sleep experts were needed to confirm Thomas' condition, and that fewer than 50 instances had been recorded worldwide.

High Court Justice Nigel Davis called Thomas a "decent man and devoted husband" and said he understood that the 59-year-old would feel guilty.

But "in the eyes of the law, you bear no responsibility for what happened," Davis said. ]]> World News Dalakerman06 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123733 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123654&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:43:52 GMT NY man convicted in hot-car death of father, 85 PEEKSKILL, N.Y. -A New York state man has been convicted of reckless endangerment after leaving his... NY man convicted in hot-car death of father, 85

PEEKSKILL, N.Y. -A New York state man has been convicted of reckless endangerment after leaving his 85-year-old father in a car on a hot day and finding him dead three hours later.

Theodore Pressman of Beacon was found guilty Friday in Peekskill City Court.

The 49-year-old Pressman, a bus driver, was his parents' caretaker and often left them in restaurants while he worked. On July 7, 2008, he took them to work with him in Peekskill and left them in the car in a parking lot.

The windows were closed and the doors were unlocked.

When Pressman checked on them later, his mother was outside, disoriented, and his father, Joseph Pressman, was dead inside. The outside temperature had reached 82 degrees. Police estimated it was 120 inside.

Sentencing is scheduled for March. ]]> World News Dalakerman06 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123654 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123653&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:42:47 GMT Lesbian U.S. deserter case must be reviewed: court A Federal court has ruled the refugee board must review the case of Bethany Smith, who is seeking... Lesbian U.S. deserter case must be reviewed: court

A Federal court has ruled the refugee board must review the case of Bethany Smith, who is seeking refugee status in Canada.

A Federal court has ruled the refugee board must review the case of Bethany Smith, who is seeking refugee status in Canada.

The Federal Court says the refugee board must reconsider the case of a lesbian who deserted from the U.S. army and fled to Canada.

Judge Yves de Montigny said the board erred last February when it rejected Bethany Smith's bid for refugee status.

Smith said she fled the army because she was harassed and threatened by fellow soldiers over her sexual orientation.

She said she couldn't seek help from her superiors because she feared they might have been part of the harassment.

The judge said the board must reconsider her case because it unfairly dismissed evidence suggesting that gays face harsher treatment in the American military justice system.

Smith said she would fear for her life if she were deported and returned to the army. ]]> World News billybob2006 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123653 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123650&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:40:35 GMT Atty seeks psych care for Mo. teen murder suspect JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A teenager accused of killing a 9-year-old neighbor should be sent to a... Atty seeks psych care for Mo. teen murder suspect

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A teenager accused of killing a 9-year-old neighbor should be sent to a psychiatric hospital because she shows signs of severe depression and anxiety, her attorney said.

A judge had not approved the move as of noon Friday, though a draft order calling for a 96-hour stay at the Fulton State Hospital had been submitted by the public defender Thursday and was included in the case file.

Alyssa Bustamante, 15, has been held at the Morgan County jail after being indicted Wednesday as an adult on charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the Oct. 21 death of Elizabeth Olten.

Authorities say Bustamante strangled, stabbed and cut Elizbeth's throat because she wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone. They say Bustamante confessed and led them to Elizabeth's body two days later in a wooded area near their homes in St. Martins, just west of Jefferson City.

During a court hearing Wednesday, a juvenile justice officer testified that Bustamante had attempted suicide two years ago and had received both inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment for depression and cutting herself. Her juvenile defense attorney said Bustamante also had attempted to cut herself with her own fingernails while being held in juvenile custody after Elizabeth's death.

Public defender Jan King cited the previous suicide attempt in a court document Thursday while stating that Bustamante was "demonstrating signs of severe depression and anxiety" and had been under a suicide watch at the jail.

Bustamante needs "immediate psychological treatment" to "assess her current mental state and to prevent the possibility that she may harm herself," King said in the motion requesting her transfer.

A not guilty plea was entered by a judge on Bustamante's behalf during her initial appearance Wednesday in adult court. If Bustamante is convicted of first-degree murder, she would face a sentence of life in prison without parole. ]]> World News Dalakerman06 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123650 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123649&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:34:49 GMT Indy man convicted of killing 7 gets life sentence INDIANAPOLIS - An Indianapolis man convicted of killing three children and four adults during a... Indy man convicted of killing 7 gets life sentence

INDIANAPOLIS - An Indianapolis man convicted of killing three children and four adults during a home invasion robbery three years ago has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Marion Superior Court Judge Robert Altice (al-TISE') sentenced 31-year-old Desmond Turner on Friday after finding Turner guilty of seven counts of murder and other charges last month in a bench trial. Turner was sentenced to 88 additional years for the other charges.

Altice heard from the victim's family and asked Turner if he had anything to say. Turner said he is innocent and that he knows "how Christ felt when he died for our sins."

Turner agreed to a bench trial so prosecutors would drop the death penalty. His attorney has said he plans to appeal the conviction. ]]> World News Dalakerman06 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123649 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123648&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:30:59 GMT FBI investigating use of stun gun on 10-year-old

OZARK, Ark. -The FBI has dispatched investigators to Arkansas to look into a police officer's use of a stun gun on a 10-year-old girl who refused to take a shower.

Ozark Mayor Vernon McDaniel and Police Chief Jim Noggle announced the FBI's investigation Friday and said they're pleased federal agents have stepped in.

Police officer Dustin Bradshaw has been suspended with pay for a week for not having a video camera attached to his Taser. Town officials want the FBI to consider whether his use of the weapon was appropriate.

The girl's mother has said she called police Nov. 11 after the girl refused to take a shower. Bradshaw says the girl became violent and "verbally combative" and her mother suggested using the stun gun.

The FBI did not comment. ]]> World News Dalakerman06 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123648 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123646&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:24:59 GMT Police: NC girl raped, killed on day she was taken FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - A 5-year-old North Carolina girl was raped and killed the same day she was... Police: NC girl raped, killed on day she was taken

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - A 5-year-old North Carolina girl was raped and killed the same day she was taken from her home, according to an arrest warrant released Friday.

Shaniya Davis was sexually assaulted and asphyxiated Nov. 10, the day her mother reported her missing from the trailer park where she was staying, according to the warrant. Authorities embarked on a nearly weeklong search that ended when the girl's body was found dumped off a rural road.

Mario McNeill is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape of a child in the warrant, which was issued after police said they collected hair and fibers, clothes, and a straw from his 1997 Mitsubishi Galant. He was initially charged only with kidnapping.

The girl's mother, Antoinette Davis, is charged with filing a false police report, trafficking her daughter and child abuse involving prostitution. Her family members have said they do not believe the charges.

It is still not clear how McNeill and Davis knew each other.

Earlier in the week, authorities said McNeill admitted taking the girl. Fayetteville Police Chief Tom Bergamine would not say during a news conference late Thursday whether McNeill admitted to the child's death.

A search warrant says McNeill picked the girl up in front of her home and drove her more than 30 miles to a hotel in Sanford, where she was last seen alive. Surveillance video captured McNeill carrying the girl in the building.

"It is our sincere hope that the Davis family may now begin to put this horrific event behind them and begin the healing process," Bergamine said.

A message seeking comment was left at the office of McNeill's lawyer, Allen Rogers.

Tomeka Gray, 20, who is dating McNeill's brother, said the accusations don't jibe with what she knows about him. She said McNeill was a good uncle and father who came to see her daughter in the hospital with an armload of baby items right after she was born earlier this year.

"I've never known him to do anything like that," Gray told The Associated Press. She said when she saw the story on the news her first thought was that she hoped authorities would catch the horrible person who did it.

"And then to find out it was him ... I was crying. I was shocked," she said.

Meanwhile, Shaniya's father, Bradley Lockhart, appeared on Friday's "The Oprah Winfrey Show," where Winfrey asked him if he had anything to say to Davis. He told The Associated Press earlier that he had cared for Shaniya for several years but decided to give Davis a chance to raise her because she seemed to be getting her life together.

"Right now I just think it's best that we let the justice system take its course," Lockhart said on the show. "I try to keep my heart as pure as possible, and I'm sure one day I will be able to sit down and talk to her, try and understand what was going through her mind." ]]> World News Dalakerman06 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123646 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123643&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:15:43 GMT CA man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - A 39-year-old Thousand Oaks man has been arrested for misdemeanor child... CA man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - A 39-year-old Thousand Oaks man has been arrested for misdemeanor child annoyance after allegedly paying a teenager $31 to spit in his face.

Ventura County authorities say the man, whose name isn't being released, had been paying Westlake High School male students to yell profanities at him and slap and spit in his face.

Investigators say several teens also alleged the man offered them money to urinate and defecate on him.

The man connected with them through the MySpace social networking site.

He was booked into Ventura County Jail, then released on a promise to appear in court.

A motive was not clear. ]]> World News Dalakerman06 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123643 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123640&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:05:46 GMT Arizona burglars steal box holding baby's ashes

PEORIA, Ariz. - An Arizona family is pleading with burglars to return a wooden music box containing the ashes of their 5-month old son.

The Peoria family came home Thursday afternoon and found the garage door open and the house ransacked. The burglars stole electronics and a wooden music box.

Inside the box were the ashes of 5-month-old Tyler. His mother, Lindsay Grannis, says he died in 1996; she laid him down for a nap with his twin brother and "he just never woke up."

The family says the box has no monetary value and they're willing to make a deal.

If the ashes are returned to any Peoria or Phoenix fire station, the burglars can keep the rest of the stolen items.

Police say they believe the burglars got inside the home using a universal garage door remote. ]]> World News Dalakerman06 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123640 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123639&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:01:59 GMT When you think of the world's most prolific pot smokers, certain names come to mind: Snoop, Cheech and Chong, Willie Nelson.
How about Irvin Rosenfeld?
The 56-year-old Fort Lauderdale stockbroker will put his name among the greats when he sets a world record tomorrow for weed consumption while lighting up his 115,000th joint.
The best part is that it's all legal.
"Yep, provided by Uncle Sam," Rosenfeld told NBCMiami.com. "They grow it for me, I find that quite ironic."

Rosenfeld's pot has been provided by the government since 1982, when he became a patient in the Federal Drug Administration's Investigational New Drug Program. Grown on a farm on the campus of the University of Mississippi, the weed is delivered to a local pharmacy where Rosenfeld gets it by the bushel.

Rosenfeld suffers from a rare bone disorder called multiple congenital cartilaginous exostoses, which causes severe pain, alleviated by a healthy dose of ganja.

He's been getting 300 joints every 25 days for the past 27 years, and said he smokes between 10 and 12 per day.

"The first thing I do every morning is smoke two joints as I watch my business shows," Rosenfeld said. "Then another on my drive to work."

Rosenfeld said he's never gotten high on the sticky icky, and he's allowed to smoke while operating heavy machinery.

Not getting high also means no late-night trips to Taco Bell.

"No munchies, no munchies, nothing other people get," Rosenfeld insists. "A lot of patients don't get high."

Rosenfeld is an advocate for the Feds providing medicinal marijuana, a policy ended in 1992. While most people who need medicinal marijuana rely on the dozen or so states that allow it, Rosenfeld and three others were grandfathered into the federal program. He said he's lucky to be able to get his hands on what many others can't.

"I get lots of calls from people trying to get the medicine," he said. "It's sad, people need it."

Rosenfeld said he feels great thanks to the Mary Jane, and that others could be as healthy as him if it were made legal across the board.

"I would be bedridden without it, if I would even be alive," he said. "I shouldn't have been alive and I'm still alive, I take no other medicines, I'm in great shape because of the cannibis. It's just sad because the medicine's there."

He said he thinks the Obama administration will help people like him who truly need the weed to feel better. "The tide is turning, patients are finally getting the help they need," he said.

Rosenfeld's writing a book on his experiences as the nation's longest-running legal pot-smoker, tenatively called "Potluck." He hopes to have it published in the spring.
He said his ability to smoke weed in public has made him both a hero and a villain.

"There are people I'm sure that consider me a hero," he said. "A lot of people make snide little comments or talk about the balls I have to smoke in public. They'll ask, 'Hey man, can I have some of that?'"

The villain part came in 1983, when he was busted in Orlando for possession. The overzealous cop didn't realize his right was federally protected, but after fingerprinting and a few hours in a police station, he was let go and the charges were dropped.

Though his public pot smoking has raised some eyebrows, Rosenfeld said it's the ingrained negative perception that gives it a bad name, regardless of the health benefits.

"There are people who have been raised to think it's the devil's work, they'll always be against it," Rosenfeld said. "If you truly think marijuana's as bad as you think it is, explain me."


hxxp >nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/No-Dope-Ft-Lauderdale-Man-to-Smoke-115000th-Joint-70496022.html ]]> World News extremetester04 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123639 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123638&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:01:47 GMT Gunman opens fire on Pacific island Saipan; 5 dead SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands - A gunman went on a rampage on the Pacific resort island of... Gunman opens fire on Pacific island Saipan; 5 dead

SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands - A gunman went on a rampage on the Pacific resort island of Saipan Friday, first at a shooting range and then at a World War II historical site, killing four people and wounding six others before fatally shooting himself, officials said.

The violence claimed the lives of two men, a 4-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl, all residents of the U.S. commonwealth, Public Safety spokesman Jason Tarkong said. Five South Korean tourists and a 4-year-old local girl were wounded.

Police said the attacker first took aim inside the shooting range in the community of Kannat Tabla, killing two men in their early 20s and the two children. A 4-year-old girl was critically injured with a gunshot wound to the chest.

About 11:30 a.m., shortly after the first attack, the suspect began firing a rifle from a white van at a group of South Koreans visiting a World War II historical spot in nearby Marpi. The South Koreans were wounded. Police said they do not believe the shooter was specifically targeting tourists in what Tarkong termed a "random drive-by shooting."

Authorities said the suspected shooter was a contract worker in his 30s or 40s from Asia, but did not provide his name or home country. However, several residents said the man was known as "Mr. Lee" and they believe he was from China.

The Pacific News Center identified the gunman as Lee Zhong Ren, an employee at the shooting range. The news station also reported that Lee left behind a suicide note that spoke of a business deal gone bad.

Police would not immediately confirm the report.

Saipan is the main island of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which has about 60,000 residents and is located about 3,800 miles southwest of Hawaii. Saipan is a popular tourist destination among South Koreans, with more than 111,000 South Koreans visiting the island in 2008, according to the Marianas Visitors Authority.

Korea is the second largest market for the commonwealth, behind Japan.

The shootings created confusion and fear as authorities locked down schools and police spread out investigating the crime scenes.

The suspect was last spotted driving toward Banzai Cliff, the site where an untold number of Japanese jumped to their deaths in 1944 after the Battle of Saipan. When police officers arrived in the area, witnesses reported a man was shooting a rifle in the area.

Police discovered the van and recovered three rifles inside the vehicle.

Officials said the gunman's body was found along the edge off the cliff line near the vehicle with a .22-caliber rifle strapped around his shoulder. He was wearing jeans, a dark T-shirt and a denim jacket.

Police reaching the scene at the shooting range discovered the four bodies next to each other, and the young girl who was the only survivor of the first attack.

The South Korean tourists were sightseeing in an area known as the Last Command Post, a World War II attraction featuring remnants of American tanks. There is also a memorial in the area dedicated to Koreans who fought in the war.

Among the South Koreans, a 39-year-old man was critically injured with a wound to his back. Two other men, both 38, were shot multiple times and in stable condition. One man was shot in the chest and both arms while the other was shot in the legs and buttock. The wounded Korean children were treated and released from the Commonwealth Health Center, authorities said.

Lt. Governor Eloy Inos called it a sad day for the commonwealth, which is heavily dependent on tourism.

"This is an unfortunate but isolated incident," he said. "It happened for reasons unbeknownst to us but we can handle this type of situation. We want to want to assure the community and our tourists that the commonwealth is still a good place to visit." ]]> World News Dalakerman06 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123638 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123586&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:45:54 GMT MARION, Iowa (AP) – Police in Marion and postal authorities are investigating the case of a mail carrier who was allegedly found drunk inside a... MARION, Iowa (AP) – Police in Marion and postal authorities are investigating the case of a mail carrier who was allegedly found drunk inside a residence while on the job. Police said the postal worker, 46, was charged with public intoxication Nov. 3 after she was found sitting on the kitchen floor of 95-year-old woman's house, eating leftover noodles from her refrigerator.

Police Lt. Steve Etzel said Tuesday that the woman apparently entered the home through an unlocked front door. He said she was in uniform and had mail and a mail-carrying bag with her.

The woman, a 17-year employee of the U.S. Postal Service, was taken to the Linn County Jail. Marion Postmaster Rick Leyendecker said the woman is currently on unpaid leave.

I just hope to God, someone took a picture...:lol::lol: ]]> World News rikt00 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123586 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123569&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:18:54 GMT LIMA, Peru - Peruvian police say they have broken up a band of assassins who killed people in order to extract and sell their body fat. Police Col.... LIMA, Peru - Peruvian police say they have broken up a band of assassins who killed people in order to extract and sell their body fat.
Police Col. Jorge Mejia says three people arrested in the remote Huanuco province have confessed to five killings, telling police they could sell one litre of human fat for $15,000 dlls(NZ$20,500).
Mejia told reporters Thursday the suspects told police the fat was sold to intermediaries in Lima, who police suspect sold it to cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies in Europe.
Police say they cannot confirm the fat was sold.
They say, however, that they have recovered the head of one of the victims and several bottles of fat.
Medical experts contacted by The Associated Press expressed serious doubts about a global market for human fat. ]]> World News neutron http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123569 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123516&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:15:30 GMT Lincoln's Letter to Boy Goes on Sale

(Nov. 19) -- In March of 1861, a new president had just been sworn in and the nation was on the brink of civil war. Yet Abraham Lincoln still found a moment to come to the defense of a kid whose schoolmates were picking on him.

The letter President Lincoln sent to 8-year-old George Patten is up for sale.

The boy, whose father was a journalist, had told all his friends he'd shaken Lincoln's hand. They didn't believe him and mocked George for claiming he'd met the man who was now president. So his teacher wrote a letter to the White House hoping to learn the truth.

The president responded in a brief note dated March 19 and sent to the boy in New York City.

"Whom it may concern, I did see and talk with master George Evans Patten, last May, at Springfield, Illinois. Respectfully, A Lincoln"

The Raab Collection expects to get about $60,000 for the letter, The Associated Press reported. This is the only know surviving letter Lincoln wrote to an individual child, according to the Philadelphia-based dealer.

However, Lincoln did write to a group of 195 children who sent him a petition in 1864, The Guardian reported.

The kids asked the president to free "all the slave children in this country."

On April 5, Lincoln replied.

"Please tell these little people I am very glad their young hearts are so full of just and generous sympathy, and that while I have not the power to grant all they ask, I trust that they will remember that God has, and that, as it seems, He wills to do it."

The letter sold last year for $3.4 million, a record for a manuscript in the U.S. ]]> World News Dalakerman06 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123516 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123514&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:10:04 GMT Slaying suspect said hobby was 'killing people'

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - On an Internet site, 15-year-old Alyssa Bustamante listed her hobbies as "killing people" and "cutting." It may have sounded like a teenage exaggeration, but authorities say she fulfilled her words.

Even as new details emerge about the teenager charged with killing 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten, many facts about the crime continued to be kept secret Thursday — and may never be released by authorities unless Bustamante goes to trial for murder.

Bustamante, who had been in juvenile custody since leading police to Elizabeth's body Oct. 23, was certified Wednesday as an adult and indicted on charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. She is accused of strangling Elizabeth, cutting her throat and stabbing her.

On a YouTube profile viewed by The Associated Press, which has since been taken down, Bustamante listed her hobbies as "killing people" and "cutting." A year ago, Bustamante posted a video to the site in which she appears to intentionally shock herself on an electric fence near her home, then goads her two younger brothers into doing the same.

In court Wednesday, juvenile justice officials testified that Bustamante attempted to commit suicide in 2007 and had been receiving mental health treatment for depression and cutting herself.

A police officer testified that Bustamante confessed to digging two holes to be used as a grave, then killing Elizabeth five days later without provocation because she wanted to know what it felt like.

But repeated objections by Bustamante's juvenile justice attorney prevented the police officer from explaining why two holes were dug. Cole County prosecutor Mark Richardson also has declined to elaborate.

"I know that, but I cannot go into those details right now," Richardson said.

Asked if he could say whether Elizabeth's body was found in only one of those holes, Richardson paused for several seconds and again replied: "No, I can't tell you that right now."

Richardson similarly declined to explain what the sheriff meant when he said last month that the investigation was aided by "some written evidence." The Cole County sheriff's office did not immediately return a call Thursday.

Those kinds of details might normally be included in a probable cause statement from sheriff's deputies or police as a basis for a prosecutor to file charges. But in Bustamante's case, there is no probable cause statement in the court file, because she was instead indicted by a grand jury.

Greater details of the crime also are included in Bustamante's juvenile court records, but those will remain closed under state law, said Cole County Juvenile Court Administrator Michael County.

No further details are expected to emerge at a Dec. 7 status hearing in Bustamante's case. It could be months, maybe even a year, before a trial at which witnesses would be called to explain the details and circumstances of the crime. But no trial — or testimony — would occur if Bustamante were to plead guilty to a charge.

Although he did not rule it out, Richardson said he wasn't inclined to agree to a plea on a charge of anything less than first-degree murder, which carries a sentence of life in prison without parole.

"Because of the nature of the case, there is not a lot of room to enter into pleas," he said.

Bustamante said in court Wednesday that she could not afford to hire an attorney. Online court records indicate that a Cole County judge has appointed a public defender to represent her. But the Cole County public defender's office said Thursday that it had not yet determined whether Bustamante qualifies for a public defender. ]]> World News Dalakerman06 http://www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?t=123514