Father gets life for murdering two children
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — A father pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing his two children, whose remains were found in a wooded area three years after they disappeared. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Daniel Porter, 44, pleaded guilty to two counts of first- degree murder for shooting 7- year-old Sam and 8-year-old Lindsey in the head. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.
The children disappeared in the summer of 2004 after their father picked them up for a weekend visit. Their remains were found in September in a wooded area in the Kansas City suburb of Sugar Creek.
When he was charged with their deaths in November, Porter already was serving a 38-year prison sentence for kidnapping the children.
Porter told the court he had felt his family was falling apart and that he might not get to see his kids anymore. He said he initially intended to kill the children and then himself.
Jail guard commits suicide
NEWARK, N.J. — A guard who was named in a thank-you note left by two inmates who chiseled their way out of their cells has committed suicide, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Rudolph Zurick, 40, was found dead at his home, said attorney Michael Mitzner. Zurick had not been charged in the Dec. 15 break from the Union County Jail and had been cooperating with the investigation, Mitzner said.
“Everything I understand, he did nothing wrong,” Mitz ner said. “It’s hard to know what goes through someone’s head.”
Inmates Otis Blunt, 32, who was awaiting trial for robbery, and Jose Espinosa, 20, who was to be sentenced for manslaughter in a drive-by shooting, remained at large Wednesday. They used photos of women to hide holes they dug through the walls in a high-security unit, authorities said.
They left a thank-you note for Zurick that Mitzner said was “definitely sarcastic.”
“There was no way he gave them any help. He was the one who had noticed they were missing.”
Legislature weighs apology for slavery
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey could become the first Northern state to apologize for slavery under a measure due for a legislative committee hearing this week.
According to the proposal, New Jersey had one of the largest slave populations in the Northern colonies and was the last state in the Northeast to formally abolish slavery, not doing so until 1846. The state didn’t ratify the constitutional amendment prohibiting slavery until January 1866, weeks after it became law.
Mom charged with homicide after boys die in fire
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A mother whose two young sons died in a fire while she was out celebrating New Year’s has been charged with criminally negligent homicide.
Romello Winters, 4, and Christian Griffen, 7, appeared to have been alone in their apartment for several hours before firefighters responded to a call early New Year’s Day. The boys died later at a hospital. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Aundria Jones, 29, told authorities she left the boys alone so she could go out, police said in a statement.
The children lived with their grandmother in Kosciusko, Miss., and were visiting their mother for the holidays.
Couple specializes in New Year’s deliveries
GETTYSBURG, Pa. — A central Pennsylvania couple have a new tradition for ringing in the new year: a maternity-ward stint.
For the second year in a row, Kyle and Becky Armstrong welcomed the first baby of the year at Gettysburg Hospital. Faith Lynn Armstrong arrived on New Year’s Day at 5:23 a.m. Her sister, Kaden Skye, was the hospital’s first baby in 2007.
