AL Appeals Court Rules Death Penalty Constitutional:  An Alabama appeals court ordered a circuit court judge last week to vacate her rulings made three months ago declaring the state's capital punishment sentencing scheme unconstitutional.  Kent Fault of AL reports that Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Tracie Todd was ordered Friday by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to vacate her March 3 order that barred the imposition of the death penalty in the cases of four inmates, who filed motions arguing that the state's death penalty sentencing law was unconstitutional based on the U.S. Supreme Courts January ruling striking down Florida's death sentencing system.  Florida's death penalty law was struck down because justices ruled that judges, rather than juries, had too much power over the decision to impose a death sentence; however, Alabama's law requires a jury to unanimously agree beyond a reasonable doubt that at least one aggravating circumstance exists.  Ultimately, the Court of Criminal Appeals found "Alabama's capital-sentencing scheme is constitutional under (U.S. Supreme Court rulings) Apprendi, Ring, and Hurst and the circuit court (Todd) erred in holding otherwise." 

Several Dead, Injured in Chicago Weekend Shootings:  Over Father's Day weekend in Chicago, 13 people were fatally shot and at lest 42 others were wounded, including a three-year-old boy who was shot while sitting in his car seat.  Alexandra Chachkevitch of the Chicago Tribune reports that in shootings between 8:30 a.m. Saturday and 4:30 a.m. Sunday alone, there were at least 28 people injured and three fatalities, the equivalent of someone shot every 43 minutes.  There have been approximately 1,780 people shot across the city so far this year.

Court Halts TX Man's Execution:  The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stayed the upcoming execution of a Texas man last week, who was condemned for killing his two-year-old daughter in 2002.  Johnathan Silver of the Texas Tribune reports that the case of Robert Roberson, who was scheduled to be put to death on June 21, was sent back to trial court Thursday after his attorneys argued that his conviction was based on junk science and he didn't get a fair trial because mental health experts were not permitted to testify that Roberson suffers from mental lapses due to a brain injury.  Roberson is on death row for killing his toddler, Nikki, who experts testified sustained injuries consistent with signs of shaking, bruising and blunt force trauma.  Roberson claims Nikki died after falling from her crib, but other witnesses testified having seen Roberson shake and spank Nikki when she wouldn't stop crying.  The Anderson County District Attorney's office stands behind the evidence against Roberson and his conviction.

Man Charged After 12 Girls Found in his Home:  A Pennsylvania man faces several charges, including sexual assault, after police discovered him living with 12 girls, one of whom is an 18-year-old that he has fathered two children with.  Lorenzo Farrigno and David Shortell of CNN report that a tip from a neighbor led authorities Thursday to the home of Lee Kaplan, 51, who had 12 girls living with him that ranged in age from six months to 18 years.  The teenage girl who was the mother of Kaplan's two children, the first of which was conceived when she was 14, was "gifted" to Kaplan by her parents, Daniel and Savilla Stoltzfus, for helping them out of financial difficulties.  The couple claims to be the parents of all 10 girls found in Kaplan's home and the grandparents of the other two.  Kaplan is charged with statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and unlawful contact with a minor.  The Stoltzfuses both face charges of endangering the welfare of a child, while Daniel faces additional charges of criminal conspiracy and statutory sexual assault.