crime

Death Penalty Bill Dead For The Session

Rick Stone — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0000

State lawmakers will not decide whether to abolish the death penalty this year. Rejecting cost, fairness and morality arguments, a House criminal justice subcommittee on Thursday voted down a bill to abolish capital punishment in Florida.

The vote was largely along party lines, with the majority Republicans voting in favor of preserving the death penalty.

Florida's Surging Death Penalties Buck Trend

Rick Stone — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:40:24 +0000

Texas executed 15 convicts in 2012, the most of any state, according to an end-of-year report from the Death Penalty Information Center.

But Florida led the nation with new death sentences for the year: 21, more than twice as many as Texas. California, with 14 death sentences, was the only other state to achieve a double-digit performance.

'In Cold Blood' Killers Exhumed For Clues To Sarasota County Family Massacre In 1959

Rick Stone — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:58:15 +0000

The bodies of "In Cold Blood" killers Perry Smith and Richard Hickock have been exhumed in Kansas for DNA samples that could tie them to murders of a Sarasota County family.

The men were hanged for killing Herb and Bonnie Clutter and their children in Holcomb, Kan., in 1959.

In Doubt: The Psychology Of The Criminal Justice System

Paul Leary — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 17:00:00 +0000

09/04/12 - Tuesday’s Topical Currents is with USC psychology and law professor Dan Simon, author of In Doubt: The Psychology Of The Criminal Justice System. Why do victims and eyewitnesses identify innocent people as crime perpetrators?

Finding Solace, A New Life In Miami

Alicia Zuckerman — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:46:33 +0000

On September 11, 2001, Tanya Villanueva Tepper’s fiancé, Sergio Villanueva, was one of the 343 New York City firefighters who didn’t make it out of the World Trade Center.

Fugitives On The Run, Bondsmen On The Hunt

Tristram Korten — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:22:29 +0000

If you ever find yourself charged with a crime, a bail bondsman can be your best friend. When a judge sets bail and the defendant doesn’t have the money to pay, the bondsman posts the money in exchange for an upfront fee – usually 10 percent of the bond amount – and property as collateral. All the defendant has to do is show up to court.

A Lesson In Civic Duty

Dan Grech — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:49:37 +0000

Getting a jury summons in the mail is not cause to rejoice for most people. It means missing a day or more of work and sitting for long periods of time waiting for your name to be called while watching bad movies in a large, cold room. If you do get chosen for a jury panel, however, you get to see the legal system in process.

The Quest Of Queen Brown

Kenny Malone — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:25:06 +0000

You may have heard of Queen Brown. Her son was killed two years ago, and ever since, she’s pushed for an end to youth violence. In speeches and articles, Queen talks about the wrenching experience of losing her son. But the fallout of his death still haunts her. Kenny Malone has her story.