Topic: Criminal Trials

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5 true crime stories you don't want to miss

These five Edgar Award nominees are true-crime stories taken straight from real life.
Anders Behring Breivik on trial: A roundup of global opinion

A roundup of opinions on the Anders Behring Breivik trial and the attention it has received from Norway and around the globe.
George Zimmerman bond hearing: 5 new things we learned

A judge ruled Friday that George Zimmerman can go free on $150,000 bond as he awaits trial in the Trayvon Martin case. The hearing turned into a mini-trial when defense attorney Mark O’Mara surprisingly challenged prosecutors' probable-cause affidavit. Here are five things we learned.
Censored: 5 plays and novels banned around the globe

Censorship of the arts has a long history, from ancient Greece to present-day Thailand. Here is a list of five plays and novels banned, for a variety of reasons, in regions across the globe.
6 men alleged to be LulzSec hackers

Tuesday saw the news that the FBI had identified and charged six men allegedly behind the hacktivist group LulzSec. Who are the men that the FBI says are behind LulzSec's mayhem?

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Is John Edwards verdict the last straw for campaign finance?

A jury found John Edwards not guilty of the most serious charge, and the judge declared a mistrial on the others. The verdict is part of the changing landscape of campaign finance, experts say.
Mental illness may play role in Patz case

Pedro Hernandez has confessed to the killing, but he has a history of hallucination. He is being held before trial in a psychiatric institution.
Etan Patz case: Will self-admitted killer's prayer group confession hold up?

If charges are brought against Pedro Hernandez for the killing of Etan Patz, the case could turn on whether confession made to a prayer group is confidential like that made to a priest.
Philippines chief justice ousted by senators

According to Filipino senators, Chief Justice Renato Corona was voted out of his post Tuesday for not declaring millions of dollars in bank accounts.
Etan Patz case: Despite confession, a trial would be tricky (+video)

If Pedro Hernandez sticks to his confession and is found to be mentally competent, a judge will simply sentence him for killing schoolboy Etan Patz in 1979. But if he were to recant, prosecutors would face a hard decision.
Hate crime redefined? Judge sees no hate in Rutgers webcam spy case

Dharun Ravi was sentenced to 30 days jail for using a webcam to spy on a gay college roommate. He could have received 10 years. But the judge said "I do not believe he hated Tyler Clementi."
Why Dharun Ravi got 30 days in jail in Rutgers webcam spying case (+video)

Dharun Ravi committed 'reprehensible' acts in setting up a webcam to spy on his Rutgers roommate's gay relationship, but they did not reach the level of a hate crime, the judge said.
What causes wrongful convictions? Lies, mistaken eyewitnesses top the list.

Researchers examined 873 wrongful convictions and found that perjury or false accusations were responsible for more than half. New report offers insight into what leads to miscarriages of justice.
South Africa braces for verdict on murder of far right leader

Afrikaners plan to protest as court delivers verdict tomorrow on two black men accused of murdering white supremacist Eugene Terreblanche. Is this the end of the Rainbow Nation?
John Edwards trial: Prosecution, defense deliver closing arguments

Jurors are now deliberating to decide whether or not Edwards is guilty of diverting campaign funds to his mistress.
Ratko Mladic genocide trial suspended indefinitely (+video)

Ratko Mladic, a former Bosnian Serb military chief, won an indefinite suspension of his war crimes trial in the Hague because prosecutors failed to disclose documents to the defense.
John Edwards trial: What will verdict mean for campaign finance? (+video)

Closing arguments in the John Edwards trial are set to begin Thursday. But the political significance of the trial in defining the limits of campaign finance has been greatly dampened.
Edwards doesn't testify in campaign finance trial

The former senator's defense rested without putting on John Edwards, accused of illegally funneling money to his mistress.
John Edwards trial: Defense rests without calling former senator or mistress

Defense lawyers concentrated on whether former US Senator John Edwards broke federal campaign finance laws.
George Zimmerman had two black eyes, broken nose, medical report says

George Zimmerman was examined by his family doctor the day after he fatally shot Trayvon Martin, according to ABC News. The medical report provides the details of George Zimmerman's injuries.
Should the police file on the man who killed Trayvon Martin stay secret?

Prosecutors in the Trayvon Martin case have presented their case against George Zimmerman's to the defense, increasing pressure on the judge to rule on their request to keep the evidence secret.
Breivik trial turns more confrontational as Utøya witnesses begin testimony

The Labor Party youth camp attendees who were on Utøya island when Anders Behring Breivik went on a shooting rampage, killing 69, began their testimony today.
Prayer rugs and legal moves in trial of 9/11 defendants

Defendants in the trial of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others insisted on having their full charges read, an unusual move. Yet most seemed not to pay attention, then took a break for prayer.
World watches as 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others go on trial

The military trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other 9/11 defendants could become the most important US war crimes tribunal since Nuremberg. But at their arraignment Saturday, the five men staged a protest.
Florida A&M hazing charges underscore larger problem

More and more, hazing has moved from a private matter for universities to a public matter for prosecutors. Thirteen were charged in the latest scandal, where a Florida A&M drum major died after being beaten by bandmates.
Trying youths as adults hurts families and taxpayers, but not crime

If a juvenile court decides today that accused Chardon High School shooter T.J. Lane is competent to stand trial, he could become one of 250,000 youths prosecuted in adult criminal court every year. This practice harms young people, doesn't save taxpayers money, and doesn't reduce crime.
Kenya races to transfer ICC election violence case to Africa

The conviction of Liberian President Charles Taylor sent shock waves around Africa. Kenya's President Kibaki wants to move trials of Kenyan politicians to an African, to receive 'fair' justice.
Colorado DNA program's first success: convicted murderer exonerated

Robert Dewey, who was convicted in 1996 for the rape and murder of Jacie Taylor, is likely to walk free on Monday after DNA testing exonerated him.
5 true crime stories you don't want to miss

These five Edgar Award nominees are true-crime stories taken straight from real life.
As LA remembers race riots, Trayvon Martin's name is invoked

Twenty years ago this weekend, South Central Los Angeles erupted after four police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King. On the anniversary of the riots, some are drawing parallels to the Trayvon Martin shooting.