PA Supreme Court Upholds Murderer's Death Sentence: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of a man convicted of murdering three of his relatives in 2009. Liz Zemba of Trib Live reports that 55-year-old Kevin Murphy was convicted in 2013 for fatally shooting his mother, sister and aunt, because the women disapproved of his relationship with a married woman and his desire to have her live at the family home. In a 14 page opinion five state Supreme Court justices disagreed with Murphy's claim that prosecutors failed to prove his guilt and the verdicts went against the weight of the evidence.
Police Stops Down, Homicides Up in Chicago: Since the shooting of Laquan McDonald last year, there has been a sharp drop in police stops in Chicago and a spike in shooting incidents and violent homicides. WGN reports that numbers released by DNA Info Chicago show police have made fewer than 21,000 investigative stops so far this year, a nearly 90% drop from the same period last year. While police stops have decreased, shootings and homicides have increased by roughly the same percentage; as of Wednesday morning, homicides totaled 135, a 71% spike, representing the worst first quarter of a year since 1999. The Chicago Tribune reports that the city is off to its deadliest start in two decades.
MI Supreme Court won't Hear Case of Juvenile Murderer: The Michigan Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday stating it would not review a felony murder conviction after the state appeals court upheld the guilty verdict of a now 19-year-old who murdered an elderly woman when he was a juvenile. Gary Ridley of MLive reports that Mark Jones Jr. fatally shot and robbed a 73-year-old woman in 2010 when he was just 14. He attempted to have the appeals court reverse his conviction, arguing that prosecutors were improperly allowed to introduce previous crimes he committed, but the appeals court disagreed and upheld Jones' sentence. A 2012 ruling that declaring mandatory life without parole sentences for juveniles unconstitutional many have helped Jones avoid a life sentence but he is serving a sentence of 40 to 60 years. His earliest release date is November 2052. The appeals court decision is here.
Police Stops Down, Homicides Up in Chicago: Since the shooting of Laquan McDonald last year, there has been a sharp drop in police stops in Chicago and a spike in shooting incidents and violent homicides. WGN reports that numbers released by DNA Info Chicago show police have made fewer than 21,000 investigative stops so far this year, a nearly 90% drop from the same period last year. While police stops have decreased, shootings and homicides have increased by roughly the same percentage; as of Wednesday morning, homicides totaled 135, a 71% spike, representing the worst first quarter of a year since 1999. The Chicago Tribune reports that the city is off to its deadliest start in two decades.
MI Supreme Court won't Hear Case of Juvenile Murderer: The Michigan Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday stating it would not review a felony murder conviction after the state appeals court upheld the guilty verdict of a now 19-year-old who murdered an elderly woman when he was a juvenile. Gary Ridley of MLive reports that Mark Jones Jr. fatally shot and robbed a 73-year-old woman in 2010 when he was just 14. He attempted to have the appeals court reverse his conviction, arguing that prosecutors were improperly allowed to introduce previous crimes he committed, but the appeals court disagreed and upheld Jones' sentence. A 2012 ruling that declaring mandatory life without parole sentences for juveniles unconstitutional many have helped Jones avoid a life sentence but he is serving a sentence of 40 to 60 years. His earliest release date is November 2052. The appeals court decision is here.
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