Daily Briefing
Inmate not too fat to be executed
October 10, 2008
- |
OHIO
Inmate not too fat to be executed
COLUMBUS - The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected arguments that a death row inmate is too fat to die by lethal injection. Justices yesterday gave the go-ahead to execute Richard Cooey. The 41-year-old is scheduled to be executed Tuesday for killing two University of Akron students in 1986. He would be the first person to be put to death in the state since the end of a de facto moratorium on lethal injection. Cooey's attorneys had argued that prison food and limited opportunities to exercise contributed to a weight problem that would make it difficult for the execution team to find a viable vein for lethal injection. (AP)CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES - The bodies of the brother of two Southern California congresswomen and his girlfriend have been recovered from the waters off Los Angeles, days after the couple disappeared during a boat trip, authorities said yesterday. The bodies of Henry Sanchez, 51, and Penny Avila, 48, were pulled from the wreckage of Sanchez's 26-foot motor boat on Wednesday, Coast Guard and sheriff's deputies said. Sanchez is the brother of Democratic Representatives Loretta and Linda Sanchez. It appears the boat collided with a supply barge being towed by a tug boat. (AP)TENNESSEE
Clothing purchase prompts shooting
KNOXVILLE - Police say a customer in a Knoxville mall fatally shot a clothing store employee because he was upset about a previous clothing purchase. Knoxville Police spokesman Darrell DeBusk says 42-year-old suspect William Johnson went to Knoxville Center Mall Wednesday afternoon determined to get satisfaction from Reno Mens Wear. Some mall merchants say the clothing store has a no-refund policy. Police say a preliminary investigation suggests Johnson became upset, pulled out a handgun and shot 29-year-old employee Ahmed Nahl. The suspect was injured in a brief gun battle with police officers before his capture. (AP)ARKANSAS
Same-sex foster care ban dropped
LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas is dropping a plan to prohibit unmarried or same-sex couples from taking in foster children. The state Department of Human Services said yesterday that it will stop a plan to formalize a policy in place since 2005. The agency says it will instead propose allowing workers to place foster children on a case-by-case basis. A November initiative would let voters decide whether to prohibit unmarried couples from adopting or fostering children. (AP)
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
