THE former neighbourhood watch volunteer charged with killing an unarmed black US teen has asked for a new judge again, saying the current one is biased because he said George Zimmerman had "flaunted the system".
Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, a case that raised questions about race and self-defence laws. he has pleaded not guilty and is out on bail.
Zimmerman said in a motion on Friday he feared he would be unable to get a fair trial with Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester. Lester was appointed in April after Zimmerman claimed a potential conflict of interest with the original judge.
Earlier this month, Lester said in an order granting Zimmerman bond that Zimmerman had “flaunted the system” by failing to disclose at an April bond hearing that he had raised $US135,000 ($A133,656) from donations for his legal defence.
Lester at the time allowed Zimmerman to be released on a $US150,000 bond, but he revoked the bond after prosecutors presented jailhouse recordings of Zimmerman instructing his wife on how to transfer funds raised from a website to different bank accounts.
Zimmerman returned to jail in June, but left last week after Lester granted him a $US1 million bond, saying state law compelled him to grant bail.
A spokeswoman for the judge said on Friday he wouldn’t comment.
RALEIGH (WTVD) — the jury in the Jason Williford case began deliberations just after 3 p.m. Thursday and worked until just after five before going home for the evening.
Also Thursday, the jury heard closing arguments from both the prosecution and defense. Williford’s defense team told jurors that he should be convicted of the lesser charge of second-degree murder in the 2010 rape and murder of N.C. State Board of Education member Kathy Taft.
“That doesn’t mean he is not responsible. he is,” said attorney Diane Savage.
Williford attacked Taft inside a home on Raleigh’s Cartier Lane in the late night hours of March 5 or the early morning hours of March 6, 2010. she died at WakeMed a few days later. the home is in the same neighborhood where Williford and his ex-wife Jessica Foote lived.
On the night she was attacked, Taft and her sister were house-sitting while Taft recovered from plastic surgery. according to testimony from the medical examiner, the state school board member had been sexually assaulted. Prosecutors said Williford hit her in the head several times with a rock.
From the beginning of Williford’s trial, his defense team has admitted he raped Taft, but they’ve argued the crime was not premeditated – a requirement required for a first-degree murder conviction and the death penalty under North Carolina law. They also say he is not guilty of a first-degree burglary charge.
Williford’s defense team called a series of psychiatrists and a social worker to testify about his extensive history of mental problems that range from sex addiction to drug and alcohol problems.
Witnesses have testified Williford consumed a large amount of alcohol and took drugs on the night of the attack. in her closing argument, Savage made her case against premeditation – telling jurors he had no impulse control when he was drunk.
Defense attorney Ernest “Buddy” Conner said the prosecution has not proven he planned the attack before it happened or that he intended to kill Taft.
“The state has not proven these charges. the state cannot prove these charges. Jason is mentally ill. Jason is an addict,” he said.
Savage also said there was no evidence of planning – pointing out he didn’t bring a weapon or gloves and instead covered his hands with his own socks.
“A planned attack, you get out of town. you wouldn’t pick someone in your own neighborhood,” said Savage.
Savage said Williford thought he was breaking into an empty home and just happened to come across Taft.
But in his closing argument, prosecutor David Saacks said there was clear evidence Williford went into the home to commit a rape. he said the TV was on and there was a car in the driveway.
“His intent was to look for a person,” said Saacks. “What would your intent be to go up to a bedroom of a strange house?”
Saacks said even when it was obvious to Williford that the house was occupied, he passed up on a chance to leave and instead went into the bedroom where Taft was sleeping.
“He wanted to go into that bedroom. he wanted to do his sexual act,” said Saacks.
Saacks said the legal definition of premeditation doesn’t necessarily mean Williford planned the attack months, weeks, days, or even hours beforehand.
“All it means is that before he acted, that’s what he intended to do,” said Saacks.
Taft served on the State School Board for 15 years. she also ran unsuccessfully for a state Senate seat in 2008. Prior to that, she served on the Pitt County Board of Education.
A San Francisco man accused of performing plastic surgery while posing as a doctor’s assistant victimized two more women and raped one of them while she was unconscious, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Carlos Guzmangarza, 49, who was arrested in December, is now accused of assaulting nine women while performing liposuction and other medical procedures without a license. he has pleaded not guilty and is being held on $1 million bail.
Prosecutors said Guzmangarza, operating at a facility he called Derma Clinic on the 2500 block of Mission Street, assumed the identity of a physician’s assistant with a similar name. he claimed he ran the clinic along with a Bay Area physician, who was not involved in the scheme. One woman said he smoked a cigar while performing a liposuction, an operation that left her with an infected abdomen, prosecutors said.
The latest charges involve two women who came forward after Guzmangarza’s arrest. in one case last year, prosecutors said, he raped and performed oral copulation on the woman while she was under sedation, a claim also made by another of his alleged victims. The other new complaint came from a woman who accused him of injuring her while performing “invasive medical procedures” in 2009.
Guzmangarza is now charged with 52 felonies and faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said. his lawyer was not available for comment.
This article appeared on page C – 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle
The Taiwan High Court yesterday gave celebrity cosmetic surgeon Lin Ching-yun (林靜芸) three years’ probation for performing illegal silicone gel breast implants.
In its verdict, Lin was sentenced to eight months in prison, which was then commuted to three years’ probation. she is also required to perform 120 hours of community service within two years.
Lin, a former director of the Taiwan Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, was found guilty of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法).
The ruling said Lin and a surgeon surnamed Hsieh (謝), now deceased, performed silicone gel breast implants from March 2004 through 2008. Silicone gel breast implants were illegal until late 2008, when they gained Department of Health approval.
Prosecutors had seized files on 11 patients from Lin’s clinic, saying the documents provided evidence that Lin and Hsieh had performed the implants, the ruling said.
Lin had told the judges that she had performed liquid silicone implants, rather than silicone gel implants.
However, in the latest hearing, Lin told the High Court that the Taipei District Court’s sentence of one year in prison was too heavy. she admitted she broke the law and pleaded for probation.
Cosmetic surgeons had for years been calling for the approval of silicone gel implants, which they said were safer than liquid silicone implants.
As a leading campaigner, Lin had told the media that since gel silicone implants were not liquid, but rather a cohesive mass, there was less danger associated with their use. There was no risk of leakage, even in the event of a rupture, she said.
A Seoul court has sentenced Korean actor Kim Sung Min, 38, to two years and six months of imprisonment for importing and using methamphetamine.
Kim’s sentence was handed down by the Seoul Central District Court on Jan. 24. In addition, Kim was ordered to pay a fine of 904,500 won (about P36,000).
The court ruling also revealed that the actor bought the illegal drugs in the Philippines in 2008 and 2009 and smuggled it to South Korea by hiding it in his underwear.
Kim was arrested last December at his home for possession of methamphetamine. In addition, he was suspected of smoking marijuana.
During the trial, prosecutors demanded that the court sentence Kim to four years in prison.
However, Kim told the court that he deeply regretted his actions and appealed for leniency.
He argued that he took drugs because of depression due to personal and financial problems. His arrest also cost him his TV show.
Kim starred in many Korean dramas including “Before and After: Plastic Surgery Clinic,” “the Reputable Family,” “Family’s Honor” and “give Me Food.”
BOSTON—Two people accused of performing liposuction and other cosmetic procedures at a Massachusetts beauty and day spa have pleaded not guilty to charges of unauthorized practice of medicine.
Prosecutors say 38-year-old Victor Hernandez and 55-year-old Maria Nascimento were arraigned Thursday in Chelsea District Court for allegedly running a makeshift operating room in Revere.
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley alleges the suspects charged between $2,500 to $9,000 for procedures.
A judge set bail for both suspects and ordered them to surrender their passports.
Investigators became aware of the operation after receiving a tip about unsanitary conditions at the facility.
Hernandez’ attorney and Nascimento’s public defender did not return calls for comment left after business hours.
In 2006, officials busted illegal cosmetic surgery operation in Framingham after a 24-year-old woman died following a liposuction procedure in the basement.
