Former ‘Power Rangers’ Actor Sentenced to Death in Yacht Killings

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A judge sentenced a onetime child actor to death for murdering an Arizona couple by tying them to an anchor and throwing them overboard from their yacht off Southern California.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Frank F. Fasel on Friday imposed the sentence recommended by the jury that convicted 29-year old Skylar Deleon of killing Tom and Jackie Hawks of Prescott, Ariz.

Click here for photos.

Prosecutors say the Long Beach man and a teen actor in a “Power Rangers” TV series feigned interest in buying the couple’s yacht and killed them during a test cruise in 2004.

Deleon overpowered them on a test cruise, tied them to an anchor and tossed them into the Pacific Ocean as they begged for their lives, according to the prosecution.

After the yacht killings, the prosecution said, Deleon and his then-wife Jennifer Henderson scrubbed the boat clean with bleach wipes in Newport Harbor.

The Hawks’ bodies were never found.

Three others also were convicted of related charges.

via FOXNews.com – Former ‘Power Rangers’ Actor Sentenced to Death in Yacht Killings – Local News | News Articles | National News | US News.

Russian doctors find tree growing in man’s lung

MOSCOW, April 13 (RIA Novosti) – Surgeons in Russia’s Urals Region were staggered to find a 5-centimeter high spruce growing inside a man’s lung, the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily reported on Monday. (VIDEO)

The discovery was made while Artyom Sidorkin, 28, from the Urals city of Izhevsk, was undergoing surgery.

Sidorkin had complained of extreme pain in his chest and had been coughing up blood, doctors suspected cancer.

“I blinked three times and thought I was seeing things,” Izhevsk surgeon Vladimir Kamashev told the paper.

Medical staff believe Sidorkin had somehow inhaled a seed, which later sprouted inside his lung. The spruce, which was touching the man’s capillaries and causing severe pain, was removed.

“It was very painful. But to be honest I did not feel any foreign object inside me,” Sidorkin said.

via RIA Novosti – Russia – Russian doctors find tree growing in man’s lung.

Spokane parks to detonate squirrels

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) – The Finch Arboretum is being overrun by ground squirrels, and Spokane Parks and Recreation is bringing in some special artillery.

The agency is using a special machine called the Rodenator Pro to detonate some of the estimated 100 to 150 squirrels tearing up the grounds.

Shades of Carl Spackler, the gopher-hating groundskeeper from “Caddyshack.”

The Rodenator Pro pumps propane and oxygen into the tunnels of squirrels, then sends an electric spark that causes an explosion. The shock waves kill the squirrels and collapse their tunnels – but in a humane way, the agency said.

Spokanimal, which is the local animal shelter and Humane Society chapter, was caught by surprise by Monday’s announcement.

“You’re kidding,” Director Gail Mackie said when she learned the news. “That borders on cruelty.”

Mackie said she would investigate the practice.

The parks department is warning area residents that it plans to blast squirrels all week, and to not be alarmed by noises that sound like gun shots. Parks officials said police have already been called to the arboretum by people who heard the explosions.

Timing is crucial. Parks officials said they want to detonate their prey before the animals start reproducing.

Parks officials said ground squirrels have been a minor problem for years, but their population is, well, exploding.

The squirrels dig tunnels and holes that people can trip on or fall into, the agency said. They eat new tree roots, can spread disease and are spreading to neighboring yards.

Gas bombs were tried in the past, but were not effective, the agency said.

Enter the Rodenator, a product whose workings have been captured on numerous YouTube videos. The company is based in Midvale, Idaho, and promises on its Web site that its product is effective against the “saber-toothed gopher.”

via Spokane parks to detonate squirrels | KOMO News – Seattle, Washington | Local & Regional.

Cops: Woman Taped Puppy To Refrigerator – April 14, 2009

APRIL 14–Meet Abby Toll. The University of Colorado student, 20, is facing a felony animal abuse rap after she allegedly taped her boyfriend’s puppy to the side of a refrigerator in a bid to teach the rambunctious animal a “lesson.” According to police, Toll used clear packing tape early this morning to adhere the eight-month-old dog (a Shiba Inu named Rex) to the appliance in the kitchen of her boyfriend’s apartment. Toll allegedly was angry at Bryan Beck, 21, for failing to get rid of the puppy, which, Toll told cops, bit her a few days ago. According to the below Boulder Police Department reports, when cops responded at 5 AM to a “report of a male and female yelling” at Beck’s apartment, they discovered that “Rex’s body was completely encased in packing tape.” When Officer Kara Jurczenia asked what was on the side of the fridge, Toll replied, “The dog.” Toll added, “I know this looks really bad, but the dog bites. He is aggressive.” Jurczenia asked how long the puppy had been taped upside down to the side of the refrigerator. “Not long,” Toll replied. “Like 20-30 minutes. It was just until he calmed down.” The reports note that when Beck saw his dog stuck to the refrigerator, he told Toll, “Take him down,” adding, “You are so sick!” Toll replied, “No, you are sick for not caring enough about me to get rid of the dog.” The animal, whose paws had been bound with elastic hair ties, was clearly in pain and “yelped and screamed loudly” as cops worked to free him. “Rex just lay motionless, but breathing, on his kennel after he was removed from the tape.” The puppy was handed over to the Boulder Valley Humane Society. Toll, seen in the above mug shot, was turned over to county jailers. Beck, who was arrested in connection with his scuffle with Toll, was not charged with animal abuse. Though he did reportedly tell police, “We were going to get rid of him anyway. We usually don’t do this.”

via Cops: Woman Taped Puppy To Refrigerator – April 14, 2009.

Sun prompts fire scare

A Coos Bay woman got a scare Tuesday afternoon when she thought her trailer had caught fire.

At about 3:25 p.m., the Coos Bay Fire Department received a report of a possible fire in the bathroom of 465 Village Pines Way. Elaine Owens reported she saw a red glow in the bathroom and had people get out of the structure. She asked firefighters to hurry because there are many trees around the trailer.

Fire Chief Stan Gibson said 14 firefighters, two engines and a command unit went to the scene where they soon found there had been no blaze. He explained that sunlight had been reflected off the shower from an access door on the outside of the trailer.

“The occupants were really shook,” Gibson said. “They really believed they had a fire.”

Firefighters remained on scene for about 15 minutes.

“It’s a very unusual call,” Gibson said.

via The World Link : Sun prompts fire scare.

Russian Brothers Admit Killing, Cannibalizing Older Sibling

Two men have reportedly admitted killing their elder brother and eating parts of his body which they kept in the fridge for months.

The pair, named only as Timur and Marat G, said they murdered their brother Rafis at their home in the central Russian city of Perm, according to newspaper Tvoi Den.

Police grew suspicious when the brothers reported Rafis missing but were vague about his details.

After raiding their house, officers are said to have found the victim’s skeleton, which had been stripped bare and buried in the garden.

Timur reportedly said he had fought and killed Rafis because he bore him a grudge over a 10-year prison sentence.

Rafis allegedly reported his 28-year-old brother’s part in the murder of a neighbor to police.

Timur said youngest brother Marat, 23, had sided with him in the fight.

They then came up with the idea of eating the evidence so Timur would not have to go back to jail.

“Yes, we decided to eat him,” Timur was quoted as saying. “I did not want to go back behind bars, so we cut off his head and buried it and cut the body into parts and kept (them) in a refrigerator.”

via FOXNews.com – Russian Brothers Admit Killing, Cannibalizing Older Sibling – International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News.

Man Jailed For Urinating On Woman During Flight

A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to three weeks in jail for urinating on a 66-year-old woman during a Continental Airlines flight last month from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Jerome Kenneth Kingzio, a resident of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, was sentenced after pleading guilty Tuesday to assault charges in federal court in Honolulu.

The victim was headed to Hawaii on March 21 for a scuba diving vacation and was watching an in-flight movie when Kingzio stood up and began urinating on her. He had been drinking on the flight.

U.S. Attorney Edward Kubo Jr. said the woman reported that not only was her entire vacation ruined, but she continues to suffer emotionally from the incident.

The case was investigated by the FBI.

via Man Jailed For Urinating On Woman During Flight – CBS News.

Man Stabs Brother Over Pork And Beans

A sheriff’s deputy said a 54-year-old man stabbed his 63-year-old brother during an argument in their kitchen over a can of pork and beans. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Chadwick said the suspect was booked Tuesday on one count of aggravated battery.

Chadwick said the brother was treated at a medical center for stab wounds in his left arm and shoulder blade.

Chadwick quoted Deputy Jairo Rivera as saying the two brothers had been drinking. Rivera said the suspect picked up a kitchen knife after his brother threw a punch at him but missed.

via Man Allegedly Stabs Brother Over Pork And Beans – CBS News.

Police Say Man Stole Chicken Wings And Hot Pockets

Police said a 22-year-old man broke into an apartment to steal $82 worth of chicken wings and Hot Pockets. Police arrested the man on Wednesday and charged him with breaking into the apartment last month. Detectives said two people were sleeping inside their apartment about 3 a.m. on March 18 when the man broke in.

Police used video surveillance systems at the apartment complex to help identify the suspect.

Police said one of the stolen frozen food items was found at his home and he was arrested.

Police said he tried to enter six other apartments but the doors were locked.

via Police Say Man Stole Chicken Wings And Hot Pockets – CBS News.

Pilot Wrecks After Trying Take Off From Highway

A man whose private plane ran into a fence while taking off from a highway outside Great Bend suffered minor injuries. But his troubles may just be beginning. Authorities want to know why he was using a highway as a runway. The accident occurred Wednesday at the intersection of K-156 and U.S. 56.

The Kansas Highway Patrol said the pilot refused treatment and was able to walk away from the accident. He was the sole occupant of the small 2006 Aviat.

Trooper David Jacobs said it appears a gust of wind caught the aircraft as it was taking off. The plane flipped, crashing through a chain-link fence on the side of the highway.

Authorities said the incident is under investigation.

via Pilot Wrecks After Trying Take Off From Highway – CBS News.