Baby Doe Abuse Case Closed Prematurely:  A report released Wednesday revealed that the decision made by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to close two reports of abuse regarding "Baby Doe," whose remains were discovered in June near Boston, was premature.  CBS Boston reports that DCF said it was involved with two-year-old Bella Bond's case when she was an infant in 2012 and 2013, but both cases were subsequently closed.  It was also found that the agency improperly assessed the ability of Bella's mother, Rachelle Bond, to parent her daughter.  Bella's remains were identified in September after being discovered on Deer Island in June, allegedly murdered by 25-year-old Michael McCarthy, Rachelle Bond's boyfriend.  The new report, issued by the Office of the Child Advocate, concluded that "a higher level of response to the 2012 and 2013 abuse and neglect reports was warranted by DCF."  McCarthy, who believed Bella was possessed by demons when he killed her, is charged with murder and Rachelle Bond faces a charge of accessory after the fact.

OK Beheading Suspect Competent to Stand Trial:  An Oklahoma man accused of beheading a co-worker at a food-processing plant is competent to be tried for first-degree murder and other charges, a judge ruled Wednesday.  Tim Talley of the AP reports that the ruling means a trial can move forward in the case against 31-year-old Alton Nolan, who is charged in the September 2014 attack that killed 54-year-old Colleen Hufford and injured another co-worker at the Vaughan Foods plant in Oklahoma City.  Nolen's attorneys argued that he is mentally impaired and unable to help them prepare his defense, and thus should not stand trial.  A judge rejected the defense's claims following two days of testimony during which psychologists for both the prosecution and the defense offered opposing opinions regarding Nolen's competence.  In September of last year, Nolen, a recent convert to Islam who had just been suspended from his job at the plant, walked into the company's administrative office and severed Hufford's head with a large knife and then repeatedly stabbed another co-worker, Traci Johnson, before he was shot and wounded by Mark Vaughan, a reserve sheriff's deputy and CEO of the company.

NM Officer Shot Last Week Dies:  An Albuquerque police officer shot during a traffic stop last week died from his injuries early Thursday.  The AP reports that Officer Daniel Webster, a nine-year veteran of the force, suffered gunshot wounds to his upper body and jaw when 34-year-old Davon Lymon opened fire at him after being pulled over for riding a motorcycle with a stolen license plate.  When Lymon was apprehended following the shooting, he had a handcuff on his left wrist, indicating that Webster was in the process of arresting him at the time of the incident.  Lymon's prior criminal record includes charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated battery, kidnapping, fraud and forgery.  He currently faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Law enforcement officials in the state are calling on the New Mexico legislature to increase resources for police and prosecutors in high-crime areas and to enact sentencing reforms, ensuring that people like Lymon are kept off the streets.