OCR Text |
Show DAILY A10 Ex-co-n Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty Thursday, March 8, 2007 HERALD guilty in Florida girl's slaying ASSOCIATED PRESS MIAMI A sex offender was found guilty Wednesday of kidnapping and raping a girl and burying her alive in a case that led to a crackdown around the country on people convicted of sex crimes. Jurors deliberated about four hours before returning the verdict against John Evander Couey in the slaying of Jessica Lunsford, who was snatched from her bedroom in February 2005 about 150 yards from the trailer where Couey had been living. Her body was found in a shallow hole, encased in two black plastic trash bags. She had suffocated and was found clutching a purple stuffed dolphin. Couey, 48, was found guilty of murder, sexual battery on a child, kidnapping and burglary. The jury next must decide whether he should get death by injection or life in first-degre- prison. Couey stood staring straight ahead and swaying slightly as the verdicts were read. Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, who has helped push efforts for tougher monitoring to as isome blood and Couey's semen on a mattress in his bedroom, as well as Jessica's fingerprints in a closet in the trailer. Jail guards and investigators testified that Couey repeatedly admitted details of the slaying after his arrest and that he insisted he had r not meant to kill the but panicked as police Curt Anderson THE Wikinedia writers to share names Brian Bergstein third-grade- THE searched for her. Couey had a record as a sex offender. In 199 1, he was arrested on a charge of fondling " a child. In 1978, he was ac. cused of grabbing a girl in her bedroom, placing his hand over her mouth and kissing her. But authorities had not known that Couey was living near the Lunsford home even though he was required to tell them he had moved. f Jessica's killing prompted AL DIAZ Associated Press pool Florida and a number of other John Evander Couey center stands with his attorneys, AlanFanter left and Morris Carranza, states to pass new laws crackas they listen to the verdict at his trial, Wednesday at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building ing down on sex offenders Jessica and improve tracking of them in Miami. Couey was found guilty of kidnapping, raping and murdering Lunsford by burying her alive in two trash bags. The penalty phase starts Tuesday and through databases and satellite positioning devices. prosecutors will seek the death penalty. Sentencing is to begin TuesCircuit Judge Richard Howard will ultimately decide whether Couey should be sentenced to death. He is not required to follow the jury's recommendation, but judges give the recommendation great legal weight. Couey admitted to investigators shortly after his arrest that he committed the crime, but the confession was thrown of sex offenders, showed no emotion. Outside the courtroom, Mark Lunsford said that he believed all along "that justice would prevail" in his daughter's murder but that the case wasn't complete until a sentence is imposed. "This is only the first part. We've still got the second part," he said. out because he did not have a lawyer present as he had requested. "I felt confident that we had an overwhelming amount of facts we could present to the jury," said Brad King, chief prosecutor in the case, outside the courthouse after the ver- dict. The evidence at trial included DNA from Jessica's high-rankin- credentials to identify themselves. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said in interviews by phone and instant message Wednesday from Japan that contributors still would be able to remain anonymous. But he said they should only be allowed to cite some professional expertise in a subject if those credentials have been verified. "We always prefer to give a positive incentive rather than absolute prohibition, so that people can contribute without a lot of hassle," Wales wrote. Wales suggested such a plan two years ago, but the idea suddenly gained cur- rency after the recent discovery that a prolific Wikipedia contributor who wrote under the pen name "Essjay" and claimed to be a professor of theology turned out to be a college dropout, Ryan Jordan. Jordan's fraud came to light last week when The New Yorker published an editor's note stating that a 2006 Wikipedia profile in the magazine had erroneously described Essjay's purported academic resume. The New Yorker said a Wikipedia had vouched for Eshigher-usjay to the author of the piece, Stacy Schiff , but that neither knew Essjay's real identity. In addition to contributing thousands of articles to the sprawling Web encyclopedia, Jordan had recently been day. A psychologist testified for the defense that Couey has signs of mental illness and mental retardation, mitigating circumstances that could help spare him the death penalty. Couey spent much of the trial drawing with colored pencils. The trial was moved from Citrus County in central Florida to Miami because of intense local media coverage. J Ma welcomes Bush; his party protests Patrick LOS ARIEL SCHALITAssociated Press The Israeli army's new Heron unmanned drone aircraft for surveillance missions flies during a display at the Palmahim Air Force Base, Israel, on Wednesday. Israel unveils its new, unmanned surveillance plane Aron Heller THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PALMACHIM AIR FORCE BASE, Israel The Israeli air force unveiled its newest unmanned aircraft Wednesday, saying the plane can fly longer, faster and higher than any other surveillance aircraft. The drone, called the Heron, already saw combat during last summer's war in Lebanon, where Israeli officials said a prototype performed well, seeking out Hezbollah arms and directing air strikes. The Heron has a wingspan and can fly up to 30 hours at a speed of 140 mph and a height of 30,000 feet. That would give it a range of 4,200 miles and the potential to reach as far as Iran, considered Israel's most serious strategic threat because of its nuclear program and its president's calls to wipe Israel off the map. Air force officers said the Heron was Israel's most advanced weapon in the booming field of drone technology. "Today, almost 60 years after the establishment of the state, Israel, the only home of the Jewish people, is still under threat," said Maj. Gen. Eliezer Shkedi, the air force chief, at an unveiling ceremony. The Heron's "versatility and achievements are on the forefront of the world's technology and will allow us to form various operational missions." Israel has used drones since the early 1970s, and its fleet has steadily increased. Air force officials say drones have become such an integral part of Israel's air power in recent years that their flight hours now outnumber those of manned fighter planes. A military band played as the glider-lik- e g plane took off to a round of applause. Its single propellor lifted the Heron into the sky, a distinctive antenna pod extending from where the cockpit would be in a manned aircraft. Its narrow body was filled with electronic surveillance equipment. 54-fo- ot J. McDonnell ANGELES TIMES As BrazilSAO PAULO, Brazil ian President Luiz Inacio da Silva prepared to welcome President Bush on Thursday, militants of his Workers Party were organizing street marches to denounce the visit. "The fact is, the PT is against the North American government," said a spokesman for the party, known by its Portuguese acronym as PT. "It has always been that way." The historic election in October 2002 of the former assembly-lin- e worker known as Lula was a watershed event in Latin America, the "Pink Tide" that , start of the VICTOR R. CAIVANOAssociated Press subsequently turned much of the rehis A man rides in left. Paulo out a reads Bush" Sao to the that bicycle by gion "get graffiti on Wednesday. President George W. Bush will visit March Lula even had a working-clas- s pedigree to go with his political d role that Lula believes should rightfully be his. Hosting the president of the world's leading superpower should buttress Lula's hemispheric leadership credentials, analysts say, even Rogerio Schmitt if it may further erode his image Tendencias consulting business with segments of the left. On the economic front, too, Lula also sees potential returns. As he interm nomic, to be seen as an ally of Wash- augurated his second four-yea- r in January, Lula vowed to reverse ington. "Lula is very clearly trying to the sluggish economic growth rates of recent years that have seen Brazil differentiate himself from Chavez," fall far behind developing econonoted Rogerio Schmitt, a political mies in China and India with which analyst with the Tendencias consultit was once compared. ing business here. "His foreign polAs questions abound about Brazil's icy aim is to make Brazil the leader of Latin America. And of course his industrial efficiency and endemic main rival is Hugo Chavez." corruption, Bush has done Lula the The relationship is great favor of highlighting one itself a subtle thing. The two are g-edge growth arena --biofuels, in which Brazil has long been a pioneer. regularly pictured embracing each "Just the fact that President Bush other at sundry events, but the more demure Lula inevitably comes off as mentions Brazilian biofuels as he did is a great help," noted Weber A.N. a "strong." Last year, Lula welcomed VenIndeed, the White House appears Amaral, president of the Brazilian to have concluded that Lula is a suit- ezuela into the regional trading pact Center for Biofuels, a leading ree able counter-weigto the known as Mercosur, which Chavez search group. Brazil and the United States promptly used as a convenient new presence of Venezuela's whose forum from which to attack Washwhich produce more than 70 perHugo Chavez, the bombast and cent of the world supply of ethanol, largesse have ington. But Chavez has helped Brazil too. a gasoline substitute are entering helped him eclipse the more low-ke- y Brazilian construction and Lula as champion of the region's rea new partnership that could greatly benefit Brazil. Some have envisioned companies have made millions surgent militant left. in Venezuela, and Chavez has sponLula today is less an Brazil becoming a kind of "Saudi floor agitator than a sored Arabia of ethanol," providing sugarcanoperations for seasoned politician who has folethanol fuel for the. poor Brazilians and bailed out ailing e-based y lowed Wall economic coops. Lula and Chavez clearly see United States, Europe and Asia.' the virtue of mutual amity. orthodoxy and earned the epithet "sellout" from many former allies. Still, there is considerable specula- I Special correspondent Marcelo Soares in Sao Paulo tion that Lula chafes at Chavez's asToday, analysts say, Lula has contributed to this report. good reasons, political and eco- sumption of the regional leadership "Lula is very clearly trying to differentiate himself from Chavez." - side-sho- larger-than-lif- U.S.-bash- . -- Street-friendl- M M M M M M M 2 10 o o U Perhaps we can help. i w New medications and treatments are currently being studied for the following conditions: i SltlSTALLtu In I t w t t I t Ti ! tht 12422 S. 450 E. Suite C Draper www.krtthls.com -- 5 uwrrto . vm ofml . t" fA s Easy Qean feature 5 Lifetime Guarantee a Wt invftt yon to call or visit our wtbwtt for additional Information regarding Invtttlf ational research itaditt. VZ7 I i: clinical research trial receive study-relate- d medication, lab work, and exams, as well as financial compensation for time and travel. o caused Wikipedia. "It was, quite honestly, my impression that it was well known that I was not who I claimed to be, and that in the absence of any confirmation, no respectible (sic) publication would print it," he wrote. Wikipedia is full of anonymous contributors like Essjay, whose user page also once proclaimed: "My Wikipedia motto is 'Lux et Veritas' (Light and Truth) and I believe more individuals should contribute with an intention to bring light to the Community and truth to the encyclopedia." The anonymity of the site is a frequent cause of mischief from juvenile vandalism of entries to the infamous' case involving journalist Robert Seigenthaler, who was incorrectly described as a suspect in the Kennedy assassinations. And that has raised concerns about the credibility of the site. But anonymity is also considered one of the main forces behind Wikipedia's astonishing growth, to nearly 1.7 million articles in English and millions more in dozens of other languages. Light Her Fire. SICK OF FEELING SICK? Irritable bowel syndrome High blood pressure Osteoarthritis of hip or knee Children with allergies Grass allergies Asthma Low back pain Sun Damaged Skin Volunteers who qualify and participate cuttin- z promoted to arbitrator, a position for trusted members of the community. Arbitrators can overrule an edit made by another volunteer or block people who abuse the site. Jordan also was hired in January by Wikia Inc., a venture run by Wales. He has since been dismissed. Jordan has not returned an seeking comment from The Associated Press. But in a note on his Wikipedia "user page" before it was officially "retired," he apologized for any harm he for-prof- it 8-- 9. rear-facin- o p i4 program, something middle-clas- s revolutionaries such as Fidel Castro and Ernesto "Che" Guevara could never claim. of the But the standard-beare- r Workers Party is today a far different figure from the radical reformer who vowed to redirect debt payments to the poor, distribute land to the destitute and stand up to the oligarchs. That such a firebrand was elected to head Latin America's largest and most populous nation initially unsettled Washington. "I can remember my first visit with President Lula," President Bush told Latin American reporters in Washington this week. "He wasn't sure what to expect when he came to the Oval Office. And, frankly, I wasn't sure what to expect when he came. You know, people have reputations that precede them in life." But Bush said any doubts were soon dispelled, and he described relations as current PRESS Following revelations that member of g a Wikipedia's bureaucracy used his cloak of anonymity to lie about being a professor of religion, the free Internet encyclopedia plans to ask contributors who claim such a ) ASSOCIATED Ol "Utah County's Largest Jewelery Showroom" 120 No. University Ave. Provo Energy Efficient Quality Installation No Payment No Interest HIgfl 375-522- 0 w.goldsrnitlijwelers.corn itch Vinyl Products )ctobcr2007' Cwlirr-lCWMw- It |