Teen Convicted of Santa Barbara Street Killing: An AP article reports that a 15-year-old gang member has been convicted of voluntary manslaughter for the stabbing death of a teen during a daytime brawl on Santa Barbara's State Street last year. Juarez, who was tried as an adult, was also convicted of committing the crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang and use of a deadly weapon. Juarez faces up to 11 years in prison on the voluntary manslaughter count and another 11 years for the gang and weapon enhancements.

Rapist Receives Indefinite Prison Sentence: The AP reports that a jury has found that a convicted rapist from Spokane, WA should be detained indefinitely. Earlier, AP reporter Nicholas K. Geranios, reported that Coe had continued to deny committing any sexual offenses, despite extensive evidence to the contrary. The decision will keep Coe in a sex predator commitment center in the Puget Sound even though he finished a 25-year sentence.

Man Arrested In Texas For 3-Decade-Old Slaying: A story from the AP reports that San Diego police believe they have solved a 36-year-old murder with the help of an intern assigned to the department's cold case unit. Police say 60-year-old Gerald Metcalf was arrested on suspicion of killing Gerald Jackson, who was found stabbed to death in January 1972 in his San Diego apartment. Lt. Terry McManus says an intern in the homicide unit re-examined the evidence, and investigators matched a fingerprint from the crime scene to Metcalf in January.

U.S. Supreme Court May Reinstate High School Drive-By Conviction: According to a story by the Seattle Times, the Supreme Court appeared likely Wednesday to reinstate the murder conviction of the driver in a gang-related drive-by shooting outside Seattle's Ballard High School in 1994. The 9th U.S. Circuit's ruling last March in Waddington v. Sarausad overturned the conviction because of unclear jury instructions. The jury instructions at issue concerned whether, in order to be convicted of second-degree murder, Sarausad had to know that the driver of the car, Brian Ronquillo, intended to use a gun and that someone could die as a result.

Texas Attorney General Calls For Stricter Monitoring Of Sex Offenders Online: A story from the Dallas Morning News by Dan McGraw reports that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has called for stricter monitoring of sex offenders on the Internet after a Dallas man was found running a "modeling and exotic dancer" business on MySpace.com. Clarence Augustine is a sex offender who had assaulted a 16-year-old girl in 1999 and was arrested Oct. 9 on an accusation of failing to register. Abbott unveiled a plan that would put restrictions on the Internet activity of sex offenders.