Month: March 2010

Sex Offender Charged With Murder In Chelsea King Case (Video)

Posted on by TL

News out of San Diego via WGN Chicago:

A convicted sex offender charged Wednesday with murdering 17-year-old Chelsea King while raping or attempting to rape her was linked to the crime by DNA from semen found in her clothing, a state Justice Department spokeswoman said.

The break led to the weekend arrest of 30-year-old John Albert Gardner III as thousands of people still held out hope that an extensive search would find the teen alive even though she had not been seen since last Thursday.

Prosecutors declined to answer questions about the evidence against Gardner.

However, California Department of Justice spokeswoman Christine Gasparac told The Associated Press Gardner was identified after the semen from clothing found by investigators was run through a national database.

The semen had been detected by the San Diego County crime lab and forwarded to the state, where technicians ran it through the national Combined DNA Index System.

"We were able within two hours to get a match to Gardner, and they were able to make the arrest," Gasparac said.

More here from WGN.

Jacob B. Nodarse, 23, Suspect in Darien Killings in Custody

Posted on by TL

First from the Sun-Times:

A suspect in the triple murder of a family in west suburban Darien was arrested this afternoon in south Florida, authorities said.

Jacob Nodarse, 23, of Lemont, was sleeping in a van outside his parents’ house in Lehigh Acres, Fla., when police and deputy U.S. marshals arrested him at about 4 p.m. today, officials said.

Nodarse was the subject of a manhunt after Darien Police early today issued an alert that he might have fled to Florida in a BMW, which was found parked in his parents’ garage, authorities said.

Nodarse has been charged with obstruction of justice. Police would not say why they believe he is a suspect in the fatal shootings early Tuesday of Jeffrey R. Kramer, 50, his wife Lori L. Kramer, 48, and their 20-year-old son Michael J. Kramer.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Shortly after the arrest in Florida, four police cars pulled up to a building in Countryside where records show Nodarse once lived. About half a dozen police officers in bullet-proof vests entered the building, breaking down a door.

Nodarse’s grandmother, Ingrid Kampe, 64, of Tinley Park, was shocked at news of the arrest.

She said they had just had dinner together at a steakhouse on Sunday "and he seemed fine, he seemed really good" and didn’t act out of the ordinary at all. She described him as kind, quiet and mild-mannered.

"He’s got a heart of gold," Kampe said.

Earlier today, Hamilton County sheriff’s police had searched a stretch of rural highway in northern Florida after cell phone signals indicated he was there.

But deputies reported back to Darien police that they found nothing. "They gave us a location where the car may be located. We checked every location in the area and haven’t found anything," said Hamilton County Sheriff J. Harrell Reid.

And it’s at this point that I’ll stress everyone arrested in this country is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

What a horrible tragedy.

Blagojevich Toe-to-Toe With Northwestern: NU Wins

Posted on by TL

Oh, Rod.

Why, oh why?

From the Blago Blog at the Sun-Times:

Rod Blagojevich’s closing remarks to Northwestern students had to do with his family.
"I’m real, what happened to me ain’t true. What happened to my wife and my two daughters — it’s a horrible, horrible thing.
"You can fight back. When you have the truth on your side — and the tapes — (laughter) you can fight back."
Going on about his life in politics, he says: "Thunderbolts come out of nowhere," he means this seriously but he’s met with loud laughter and sarcastic clapping. "Sometimes in life, you get your ass kicked."

First question from student — what’s his advice on ethics? "You’re going to laugh, but it’s true. Surround yourself with good lawyers."

The secret to good ethics is to have good lawyers?

Rod continues to dig himself in deep.

Read the Blago Blog.

CNN: Sen. Jim Bunning Gives Journalist the Middle Finger

Posted on by TL

Senator Bunning

From CNN:

An angry Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, refused to answer questions from CNN and ABC News Monday afternoon about his decision to block a bill that would extend unemployment benefits to millions of jobless Americans. An ABC News producer who was there says Bunning gave him the middle finger in response to a question.

CNN’s Dana Bash and a CNN camera crew tried to get Bunning to comment more extensively on the controversy on Monday. But the senator "got very angry," she said.

"Excuse me," the agitated senator told Bash while entering a Senate elevator. "I need to get to the (Senate) floor."

Moments earlier, and ABC News reporter and crew also attempted to question Bunning as he was getting on the Senate elevator.

A posting on the ABC News website details the exchange: "Excuse me! This is a Senator’s only elevator!" Bunning responded as he was asked a question by ABC’s Jonathan Karl.

"Excuse me!" Bunning yelled. "I’ve got to go to the floor!"

ABC News producer Z. Bryon Wolf spotted Bunning as he exited his office. When Wolf asked Bunning to stay and talk to cameras, Wolf says Bunning walked away and shot his middle finger over his head.

CNN reached out to Bunning’s office for comment. A spokesman for the senator said "I don’t have any comment," when asked about the obscene gesture.

Sen. Harry Reid asked him, "Where was my friend from Kentucky when we had two wars that were unpaid for during the Bush administration?"

"We don’t need lectures here on debt" from the GOP, he said. "There are poor people all over America who are desperate today."

Reid also mentioned the Bush administration tax cuts, which Democrats have said are unpaid for, according to CNN.

Suddenly, oh so suddenly, the Republicans are careful about spending money. Even for the unemployed.

About that middle finger thing? No doubt there are plenty of unemployed Americans saying, "Right back at’cha, Jim." Enjoy that Senator’s-only elevator while it lasts.