Iraqis Detain 5 US Contractors in Murder Probe

Matthew Magdzas left no note

(NEWSER) - An Iraq war veteran killed his pregnant wife and young daughter before turning the gun on himself, and police are having a tough time figuring out why. The bodies of Matthew Magdzas, 23, April Oles-Magdzas, 26, and 13-month-old Lila, along with their three dogs, were found Wednesday—the day April was set to give birth to the couple's second daughter—in the family's home in Superior, Wis., but Magdzas left no clues to explain his actions, the AP reports. "Unfortunately, sometimes in these things, if they don't leave a note, we don't definitely have a why," a local police captain said. More»

Raymond Clark is engaged to live-in girlfriend Jennifer Hromadka

(NEWSER) - Raymond Clark, the lab tech "person of interest" who was picked up by police last night in connection with Yale grad student Annie Le’s murder, was released this morning after DNA samples were taken, CNN reports. Clark shares his apartment with the girlfriend he is engaged to marry in December 2011, the Hartford Courant reports. Fiancee Jennifer Hromadka works in the same lab as Clark, and described him on their wedding blog as "a bit naive, but he is a good guy," adds the New Haven Independent. More»

Politician's crime show 'went as far as creating facts'

(NEWSER) - A Brazilian politician is suspected of commissioning killings to boost ratings for his crime show, the Guardian reports. Wallace Souza has asserted that the city of Manaus is crime-ridden; he’s suspected of ordering at least 5 deaths to make his case. The show “had an uncanny knack for being first” to a crime scene, the AP notes. More»

(NEWSER) - Michael Jackson was "murdered" by a shadowy entourage of handlers who were after his money, says his angry sister La Toya. "I believe Michael was murdered. Not just one person was involved, rather it was a conspiracy of people," she tells the Daily Mail. "Michael was worth more than a billion dollars. When anyone is worth that much money, there are always greedy people around them." She says he died in his personal physician's bedroom, surrounded by oxygen tanks and an intravenous drip stand. More»

Private killed girl, 14, along with her family; faces death penalty

(NEWSER) - A jury in Kentucky convicted a former US soldier of raping a 14-year-old lraqi girl and killing her and her family, Reuters reports. Former Private 1st Class Steven Green faces the death penalty when the sentencing phase of his trial begins Monday. Green, 24, was the leader of a group of five US soldiers who took part in the 2006 assault in Baghdad. More»