kidnapping

Stories 801 - 820 | << Prev   Next >>

Mexico Kidnappers Snatched 10K US-Bound Migrants

Human rights commission estimates 10K migrants seized over 6 months

(Newser) - Mexican gangs preying on Central American migrants headed for the US kidnapped almost 10,000 people between September 2008 and February 2009, according to a new report from Mexico's national human rights commission. The average ransom paid was $2,500, according to the report, which said Mexican authorities participated in...

9 Missing Foreigners Found Dead in Yemen

Hospital workers had been picnicking; al-Qaeda blamed

(Newser) - Nine missing foreigners, including three children, have been found dead in Yemen today, their bodies mutilated, a security official said. The foreigners, including seven Germans, a Briton, and a South Korean, disappeared Friday while on a picnic in the turbulent northern Saada region. Shepherds roaming the area found some remains...

Huckaby Pleads Not Guilty in Murder of 8-Year-Old Girl

(Newser) - Melissa Huckaby, the Sunday school teacher accused of kidnapping, raping, and murdering an 8-year-old girl in California, pleaded not guilty today, KPIX-TV reports. Sandra Cantu, a playmate of 28-year-old Huckaby’s daughter, was found in a suitcase in a nearby pond in April. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September....

'Rockefeller' Sentenced to 4-5 Years

(Newser) - A German man who called himself Clark Rockefeller and spun fantastic stories about himself during 3 decades in the US was sentenced today to 4 to 5 years for kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter. Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter was convicted of parental kidnapping today for taking the girl during a supervised visit...

'Rockefeller' Guilty of Kidnapping, Faces 15 Years

(Newser) - A Boston jury found the con man known as Clark Rockefeller guilty of kidnapping and assault today in the abduction of his young daughter last year, the Boston Herald reports. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he's sentenced this afternoon. The jury found him not guilty of...

As Ariz. Housing Heads South, Kidnappers Move In

Failing housing market leaves homes abandoned for kidnappers to use

(Newser) - Gangs of kidnappers preying on illegal Mexicans immigrants or drug rivals are turning Phoenix into the kidnap capital of the US, reports the Wall Street Journal. In one raid, 30 shivering, half-naked smuggled immigrants were discovered in an abandoned home. They had been shaken down for thousands of dollars. The...

No Verdict on First Day of 'Rockefeller' Deliberations

(Newser) - Jurors in the kidnapping trial of the German man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller ended deliberations for today without a verdict. The Boston jurors got the case shortly after noon, and later asked the judge questions about one of the charges, that of providing a false name to police. Rockefeller's...

'Rockefeller' Was Unaware, Deluded: Defense Shrink

Others fed into his narcissistic personality disorder, she says

(Newser) - Lawyers for accused kidnapper “Clark Rockefeller” began their insanity defense today with testimony from a psychologist who said he has a deluded sense of self-importance and fantasies of unlimited power, the Boston Globe reports. “If there is a continuum of narcissistic personality disorder, he is on the far...

Ex: 'Rockefeller' Went From 'Charming' to Domineering

Sandra Boss 'thought we had a lot in common'

(Newser) - The ex-wife of Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter—aka “Clark Rockefeller”—testified today that the accused con artist was “charming” and “very intelligent” when they first met, but quickly became domineering and unpredictable, the Boston Herald reports. In her first public remarks since Gerhartsreiter allegedly kidnapped their daughter,...

Taliban Kidnapped 500 From Boys' School: Pakistan

Police said to be negotiating with militants

(Newser) - Police are negotiating with the Taliban to release hundreds of people abducted in a northwest tribal region, a Pakistani official says. Around 500 students and staff from a boys’ school and their relatives were being held captive today in the militant stronghold of Bakka Khel in North Waziristan, he said....

Rockefeller Twisted by Twin Disorders: Shrink

Accused kidnapper's lawyers building case for insanity

(Newser) - The accused kidnapper who calls himself Clark Rockefeller suffers from multiple mental illnesses, a psychologist testified yesterday in a pre-trial hearing. Rockefeller, who went on the lam with his young daughter, has delusions of grandeur and a narcissistic personality disorder, said the expert, whose testimony will be used at trial...

'Rockefeller' Jury Won't Hear of Calif. Case

Mystery man is person of interest in couple's disappearance

(Newser) - Prosecutors in the kidnapping trial of the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller have agreed not to tell the jury that he is a "person of interest" in the 1985 disappearance of a California couple. But they want the jury to hear the dramatic 911 call and subsequent statements...

'Rockefeller' Trial Sparks Identity Crisis

Defendant's name(s) at issue as jury readies for kidnapping case

(Newser) - A Boston court saw the selection yesterday of 11 of the 16 jurors needed to begin the trial of Clark Rockefeller. Or of Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter. Or of "the defendant," as the judge calls him. The mystery man is on trial for kidnapping his daughter, and because he's...

OJ Appeals Vegas Convictions
 OJ Appeals Vegas Convictions 

OJ Appeals Vegas Convictions

Says jury selection unfair; cites judicial misconduct

(Newser) - OJ Simpson is appealing to the Nevada Supreme Court to overturn his conviction on Las Vegas armed robbery and kidnapping charges. Today's filing alleges the ex-football star's conviction in a hotel-room confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers was tainted by judicial misconduct, a lack of racial diversity on the jury...

'Rockefeller' Jury Selection Begins

Gerhartsreiter to be called only 'the defendant' at trial

(Newser) - Jury selection has started in the kidnapping trial of a German man long called Clark Rockefeller, the Boston Herald reports. But he won’t be going by that name in the trial—in fact, most won’t call him anything but “the defendant.” He was indicted as Christian...

Maddy's Parents to Sue Ex Police Boss

(Newser) - The parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann are preparing to sue the former Portuguese police chief who has continued to accuse them of playing a role in their daughter's disappearance, reports the Telegraph. "We're taking legal action over his entirely unfounded and grossly defamatory claims that Madeleine is not...

Calif. Mom Begs for Snatched Tot's Return

Cops stumped by home robbery that turned into kidnapping

(Newser) - A mother whose toddler son was snatched by gunmen who invaded her home pleaded yesterday for her son's return. "If anyone sees my boy, call the police quickly. I need you to help me find my boy," a tearful Maria Rosalina Millan said at a press conference. Briant...

Gunmen Grab Toddler From Calif. Home

Cops stumped for motive by gunmen who invaded San Bernardino

(Newser) - A 3-year-old boy was abducted from his California home yesterday after two gunmen bound his mother and four siblings, reports AP. "We have no idea why they took the child," said a police spokesman. "They were strangers to the whole family." The gunmen burst into the...

Parents Hunt On for Maddy
 Parents Hunt On for Maddy 

Parents Hunt On for Maddy

Two years after she vanished, family searches for girl they hope is still alive

(Newser) - Two years after toddler Maddy McCann vanished during a family vacation in Portugal, her devastated parents continue searching for their daughter, reports the Telegraph. The family has distributed photos of Maddy as she might appear today as a 6-year-old. "We need to get out there she's alive, she's findable,...

French Kidnap, Torture Gang Goes on Trial

Group allegedly targeted Jews, killed 23-year-old in 2006

(Newser) - A French gang accused of kidnapping, torturing, and murdering a Jewish man has gone on trial in Paris, reports the BBC. Presumed ringleader Youssouf Fofana—who allegedly ordered his accomplices to target Jews—faces charges of premeditated murder and committing "acts of torture and barbarism" over the death...

Stories 801 - 820 | << Prev   Next >>