Trucker Implicated in Six Murders

Chen Kegui charged with 'homicide' though no one was killed

(NEWSER) - The Chinese government has denied Chen Kegui his choice of lawyers, saying he must use a pair of government-appointed attorneys in his "intentional homicide" trial. Chen was slapped with that charge because he brandished a knife on April 27 when authorities burst into his home after his uncle's escape . No one was actually killed, but under Chinese law he could still be convicted and executed. More»

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."

Despite dramatic change in cause of toddler's death

(AP) - The medical examiner changed her opinion on the cause of a toddler's death, but the Supreme Court won't consider giving the man convicted in the child's death a new trial. The high court today refused, without comment, to hear an appeal from Neil Hampton Robbins, convicted in the death of 17-month-old Tristen Skye Rivet, who died on May 12, 1998. At the trial, Dr. Patricia Moore testified that Tristen's death was a homicide caused by asphyxia. But Moore later changed her opinion and said the cause of death was undetermined. More»

Louisiana, Deep South bring up the rear in new survey

(NEWSER) - Apparently the moose-on-moose violence is next to nil, because Maine has scored the title of most peaceful state in the union, according to a new survey by the Institute for Economics & Peace. It finds the nation as a whole at its most peaceful point in two decades. Louisiana, meanwhile, grabs the dubious honor of least peaceful state for an 11th consecutive year, reports USA Today . The survey defines peaceful simply as "the absence of violence," and factors in homicide, violent crime, and incarceration rates, as well as number of police and the prevalence of small arms. Highlights: More»

Pair found dead inside Kodiak base

(NEWSER) - Police fear a killer is on the loose on Alaska's Kodiak Island. Two members of the local Coast Guard were shot dead at their work stations at a base on the island in what officials say appears to be a double homicide, reports the Anchorage Daily News . The rest of the 60 enlisted personnel and civilians who work at the communications base have been accounted for, and police have not yet identified a suspect. More»