Murder Suspect Recently Released Under Three Strikes Change: A California man with a lengthy criminal history has been named as the primary suspect in the murder of a young mother of two, and police say he was able to commit that crime because he was released from prison early under Proposition 36.  Fox 40 News reports that 38-year-old Moses Valdez, a known gang member and career criminal, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a third strike offense but was released early under the revised law after his most recent crime was deemed 'non-violent,' even though he had previously been convicted of two murders.  Police are actively searching for Valdez who has been on the run since November.

Bill Would Abolish Some Mandatory Sentences: Several senators want to introduce a bill to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for certain "non-violent drug offenders."  Julia Edwards of Reuters reports that the bill would give federal judges leeway when sentencing so-called low-level drug offenders, allowing the federal government to save money on prison expenses.  An identical bill that was introduced last year failed to get enough votes to pass. 

Accused Rapist Wore GPS Monitor During Attack: The California teenager who police say kidnapped and raped a pizza delivery woman over the weekend was on active house arrest and was wearing a GPS monitoring device at the time of the attack. Matthias Gafni and Rowena Coetsee of the San Jose Mercury News report that 17-year-old Darrion Miles Jr., who is being prosecuted as an adult, is facing a variety of felony charges including rape, kidnapping, robbery, and sodomy.  Miles Jr. was active juvenile probation at the time of the crime, if found guilty of these charges, he faces a possible life sentence.