California Serial Killer Up For Parole: Don Thompson of The Associated Press reports Juan Corona, who was once the nation's worst known serial killer, is making his seventh bid for parole Monday from Corcoran State Prison. In the 1970's Corona murdered and mutilated the bodies of 25 farm workers and buried them in orchards in Yuba City, near Sacramento. None of the victims relatives are expected to be at the hearing. Sutter County District Attorney Carl Adams said it's a sad testament to Corona's crimes since he targeted people who had few relatives. Corona was sentenced to 25 concurrent life sentences in 1982. He was not eligible for the death penalty because California's capital punishment law had been ruled unconstitutional at the time.

Jury to Decide Fate of Connecticut Murderer: Brian Vitagliano of CNN reports a jury began deliberating Monday whether to sentence Joshua Komisarjevsky to death or to life in prison. Komisarjevsky was convicted in October on 17 charges including three counts of murder, four counts of kidnapping, and charges of burglary, arson, and assault in connection with the deadly home invasion of the Petit family. Steven Hayes, the first defendant to stand trial in this case, was sentenced to death after being convicted of 16 of the 17 charges. Prosecutors argued that Hayes and Komisarjevsky went into the Petit home, beat and tied up Dr. William Petit, raped and strangled his wife, molested one of their daughters, then set the house on fire before attempting to escape. The two daughters were tied to their beds and died of smoke inhalation. Dr. Petit managed to escape. Prosecutor Michael Dearington described the ordeal as hours of "terror that no person should endure." "How many people do you have to kill before the death penalty is appropriate?" he asked.

Virginia Inmate Appeals Dismissal of Sex Change Lawsuit: Dena Potter of The Associated Press reports Ophelia De'Lonta, a transgender Virginia inmate, has appealed the dismissal of her lawsuit asking the state to pay for her to have a sex change operation, and says the decision should be decided by a jury. U.S. District Judge James Turk tossed out De'Lonta's lawsuit in October, saying that the state was adequately treating her gender identity disorder and that De'Lonta was not being denied medical care, only her preferred treatment -- surgery. In 2004, De'Lonta was awarded the right to hormone treatment and psychotherapy, as well as other allowances like being able to wear some female clothing. Although the hormones have caused her to develop breasts and other feminine features, De'Lonta says the therapy is no longer effective and she can't control the urge to mutilate her genitals and continue her attempts to do so unless she gets the $20,000 surgery.