California Pol Stumbles Onto Pot Farm, Gunned Down

Tape of U.Va lacrosse player's interview made public

(NEWSER) - As the black of May 2, 2010, faded into the gray of dawn, George Huguely—unaware that ex-girlfriend Yeardley Love lay lifeless in a morgue—sat down with Virginia cops to tell the story of the flowing booze, the heated emotions , and the violence of the night before. The tape was played publicly for the first time yesterday, and the Washington Post took notes:

• On how he got in: "Knock, knock, open the door, Yeardley. Actually, it might have been locked . ... I think I put a hole in the door. I think I broke the door . ...  pretty sure, actually. ... I wanted to talk to her."

Homicide drops out of the top 15

(NEWSER) - Some semi-encouraging news from the CDC's not-so-cheery annual report on death: For the first time since 1965, homicide did not make the top 15 causes of death in the US last year. But something had to take its place, and that was pneumonitis, a respiratory illness that mainly plagues older people, the AP reports. In addition to the number of murders dropping in 2010, the infant mortality rate also dropped to a record low of 6.14 deaths per 1,000 births. More»

City officials trying new programs, but will they work?

(NEWSER) - Choose nearly any line from a New York Times article on murders in New Orleans, and it will depress you: By late last month, the city had seen 175 homicides in 2011—the same as the total number for all of the previous year—and there have been eight more since then. The homicide rate was 10 times the national average in 2010, when there were 51 murders per 100,000 residents. (Compare that to seven per 100,000 in New York and 23 in Oakland.) "From September of last year to February of this year, a student attending John McDonogh [high school] was more likely to be killed than a soldier in Afghanistan," said the mayor recently. Though New Orleans has long been known for its violence, the homicide rate has been rising since 2000 and city officials are struggling to stem it. Making things particularly difficult is the corruption in the police department. Residents "do not trust the police," says one activist. More»

Situation is nearing a 'crisis point'

(NEWSER) - This is basically insane: A new UN report says that one in 50 Central American 20-year-old men will be murdered before they turn 31. Unsurprisingly, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says the situation is nearing a "crisis point." The report places much of the blame on violence between drug trafficking groups in the last five years, but also notes that the bump in murders coincided with the 2008-2009 financial crisis. More»

Aaron Bassler was running a poppy operation, say police

(NEWSER) - A California fugitive who has been living on his wits in the Redwood forests of Northern California is close to being caught—and has fired on deputies, according to cops. Aaron Bassler, 35, is suspected of shooting to death a city councilman last month and another person earlier. Bassler has been hiding out in the forests near Fort Bragg, and has broken into several cabins seeking warmth and food, according to Mendocino County police. Bassler allegedly fired on cops with a high-powered assault rifle. More»