Twice last week and once just before that the nation's top news stories included the death penalty.

However, there came no (or at least little, for I didn't catch it) discussion on merits of death penalty.

These stories do not include the recent execution in Ohio of the man who raped a baby after a drunken night out, killing the baby in a horrific manner. That story was really a statewide story but it did cross the wires in Michigan and perhaps made it to sites like the Huffington Post. The man's own daughter still believed her father didn't do it or didn't mean to do it.

Last month, the bombings and terrorism in Boston prompted talk about the captured bomber receiving the death penalty, though more were interested in whether it was right to give him access to a lawyer and a reminder of the right to remain silent.

But the immediate news items with execution as a possibility included, of course, Jodi Arias, the darling bitch of cable news. Unlike Casey Anthony, she was found guilty and thus thoroughly reviled and unable to disappear. She reportedly said she preferred the death penalty instead of life in prison, prompting cable and social media debates about whether she was trying to use reverse psychology or deserved life to make her suffer more. The hatred, seemingly worse for her among many women than that sent to the Boston Marathon bombers but at least lasting longer in twitter trends, is interesting because all she did was kill a boyfriend.

"All she did," of course, is tongue in cheek in that domestic violence and killing a partner, though all too common, is a horrible act. I'm not against the death penalty, generally, but if domestic violence cases include it, we will be putting a whole lot of people to death.

Domestic violence is one of the more regular types of murders in our country, perhaps the most common. People hate her though because she is big news, due to her youth, her seeming prettiness, and the fact that she's tried to lie her way out of this. Oh, and there's sex.

She did not, though, kill a child, a group of people or terrorize the general public. She annoyed people.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, however, did kill many people, many babies, and he seemed a passive part of a horror story, running a filthy abortion clinic in a poor area and helping kill many unborn and just born babies. Many cried foul at the lack of coverage of this case, and they had a point; 'sexy' Jodi was on the cable news every night and the general media had a small Associated Press report on the complicated trial of the doctor and his practice. General news for the most part ignored both.

You can't say that the long trial was difficult to cover, as the Arias trial went on and on, and that was just great for cable news. But the murder of a boyfriend in a crazy relationship is less depressing than poverty, abortions and hopelessness. When Gosnell was convicted, though, the story turned, I thought, when it came out that he faced not just life in prison with the first-degree murder conviction, but he could face execution. That would be incredible, a professional who argued that he was doing legal abortions in tough circumstances now facing the worst penalty.

Quickly, though, the ruling came that he would not receive the death penalty. Cable news eagerly awaits Arias' fate, sidetracked by the tornado.

Again, interesting to me is the lack of debate about the death penalty, a regular news feature during the many Texas executions and even the Oklahoma City bomber's execution.

According to the www.washingtontimes.com, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner asked, who is going to jail over the scandal at the IRS?

I hope no one.

If they do go to jail, it should be for a crime. A scandal is a public embarrassment, such as when Tiger Woods was caught by his wife while cheating on her. Some states used to make that a crime, but no one wanted him to go to jail. He lost some endorsements and his swing, for a while, but he didn't commit a crime.

It's up to Congress to make a law that prevents such targeting of groups by the IRS, if there isn't such a law already. Let's make sure that is taken care of, Mr. Speaker.

As for firings, as many want, yes, that's appropriate for public embarrassment or hurting the trust people should have in your organization.

In today's world of marketing and branding and image being all, it is relevant that Peter Murphy, the godfather of Goth music, was arrested in a Subaru. We've all heard of the impaired driving, the fleeing from an accident and the possession of a narcotic. But here is what's different, the car he was driving.

Here's the story:

A California paper is reporting that Peter Murphy, lead singer of Bauhaus and solo artist, was jailed Saturday on a $500,000 bond following a traffic accident.
According to the www.glendalenewspress.com, Murphy, 55, was driving a Subaru Forester that struck a Mercedes at 11:48 a.m. Saturday and then fled the area. The injured victim got his license plate, someone else took a photo and another motorist followed his car and later blockied his path until police arrived. Officers later found a baggie containing suspected methamphetamine, leading to a felony charge.
Murphy, who led the English Goth band Bauhaus, famous for the song "Bela Lagosi's Dead" before forming another another band, Dalis Car, and then going solo, is due to play at Detroit's Magic Stick on May 13.
Murphy, who lives in Turkey, told police that he had been jetlagged when the crash occurred and denied drinking, noting he had taken his anti-depression medication. He also denied the baggie was his. He remained jailed as of Monday, the high bond due to his being a flight risk.
On social media, some fans have mocked the "Godfather of Goth" for driving a Subaru.
Here is what has been tweeted:
Jesse LeDoux ‏@ledouxville: My takeaway from this: Peter Murphy drives a Subaru Forester?
Call The Office ‏@Call_The_Office: Real mixed bag for goths today. On upside: new Depeche Mode. Downside: their king, Peter Murphy, arrested. And in daylight!
Brandon Stosuy ‏@brandonstosuy: Peter Murphy arrested for DUI. Depeche Mode release Delta Machine. All we need now is for Robert Smith to tell us he's "going ska." ‪#sadgoth‬
IMPOSE ‏@IMPOSE: ‪#Bauhaus‬ frontman Peter Murphy arrested for DUI.... while driving a ‪#Subaru‬. ‪http://bit.ly/149zmbK‬
Kat Kinsman ‏@kittenwithawhip: Peter Murphy arrested in DUI. In a Subaru. ‪http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/03/bauhaus-singerdui-arrest.html …‬
maggie serota ‏@maggieserota: I will say this about Peter Murphy, the man takes a dignified mugshot.
Rob Tannenbaum ‏@tannenbaumr: Last time Peter Murphy was trending on twitter, Bauhaus broke up.
Natasha VC ‏@natashavc: Peter Murphy in Glendale. Driving a Subaru Forrester. With a pocket full of speed.
Brandon Stosuy ‏@brandonstosuy: Citing Robert Smith's Spot on "Not In Love", Peter Murphy Claims He Was Just "Collaborating" with the Crystal Meth.
Jake Fogelnest ‏@jakefogelnest: Peter Murphy from Bauhaus drives a Subaru.
Joe Garden ‏@joegarden: Michelle Shcoked homophobic rant. Peter Murphy DUI. It's a hard time for 1988 college radio DJs
Keith Phipps ‏@kphipps3000: First Michelle Shocked, now Peter Murphy. Who will be the next to turn up in the news after making terrible choices? Hoodoo Gurus?
antonnewcombe ‏@antonnewcombe: Peter Murphy king of the goths,is on anti-depression medication. ‪#Fail‬
Laura Lloyd ‏@lauralloyd: I have to assume Peter Murphy started falling off the deep end as soon as he was cast in "Twilight" - fame, don't let it get to your head.

The case of Christopher Dorner, former LAPD officer who posted a manifesto and went on a killing spree, police say, appears to be ending, live on cable television.

He has the fame he sought. He appears to be nuts and ending like many nutty people who lash out at the authorities, usually the police.

But what a spectacle for the cabin owner to watch the family cabin burn on live TV.

Still, it's much more devastating for the family of the deputy killed today to know that such lunacy crossed their path and took a loved one.

Officers across California have been on edge, and rightfully so, as they knew Dorner wanted to take this path.

Again, this story seems more fiction than real, and it continues to stand out as the story of the year, appropriately overshadowing the president on the night he expected to dominate the headlines.

So the big question remains, is Dorner in that cabin? Will he perish? How painful for news executives to turn away and switch to the State of the Union address. Do they break in with an update of Dorner's death? Does someone muzzle nutty gun freak Ted Nugent with the nutty gunman Dorner story dominating the airwaves and headlines and search engines?

And just a week ago people thought a power outage was a big deal.

Police in New York said they were waiting for a 33-year-old librarian who wanted sex from a 16-year-old male student when she showed up at his house, according to a report in the NYDailyNews.com.

And apparently she knew the trouble she was in because she burst out crying when she saw the awaiting officers, who had been alerted to the meeting by the boy, the report from the Daily News says.

It was May of 2012 when the evidence fell into investigators hands, including numerous topless photos of the librarian, Marisa Anton, as well as text messages detailing sexual situations she desired and later texts urging the boy to delete the messages and even the penal codes which she feared she had violated. She had been pressuring the boy into a sexual relationship, even though he reportedly had not wanted to, prompting him to go to police. They had him request a visit and he asked her to bring condoms.

Officers were waiting and arrested her. She should have known something was up... a 16 year old asking for condoms in a sudden change of heart? If she was really worried, she would have been suspicious.

The woman, of Yonkers and who worked at New Rochelle High School, has pleaded guilty to child endangerment charges and is to be sentenced to three years of probation later this month. She had faced up to seven years in prison on the initial charges. Because they never had sex, is this an adequate sentence?

Yes, we like the improved economy... or at least I do.

But I also like these stories, and I think most readers do, too:

A police officer fired after getting called out for lying under oath.

A judge under fire after his girlfriend arrested for drunken driving while he and daughter in car.

And a judge busted by a reporter (kudos WXYZ.com) for shady deals... how could she be so dumb, putting property in kids' names is one thing, but taking it back for your after short sale??? Greed (like hormones) = stupidity.


But I also like these stories, too:

Police: Footprints lead to impaired motorist following crash on I-75 in Troy

It was a rather natural reaction really, revenge when learning her boyfriend had cheated on her.

It's a story out of Minnesota, reported here out of a Fox TV station, and it's a lesson many could use.

The 21-year-old woman did what many suspicous partners or spouses do, she snooped a little as she suspected her boyfriend had cheated. He had, the story reports, and he made it easy to be found out — he had video recorded both him and his brother having oral sex with a pair of 17-year-old girls in a motel room.

The girlfriend chose, as many do, a public confrontation and accomplished this by posting the video onto a social media site, Facebook, something not everybody would think of.

Police and prosecutors eventually noticed after other people told the girls on FB what they had seen.

Now the 28-year-old boyfriend is charged with a felony — not for the sex as 17 is old enough, but for the video as now 17 is not old enough. It's using a minor in pornography, police say.

Also, the angry girlfriend now should be kicking herself for she, too, is charged with a crime — dissemination and possession of pornographic work involving minors.

Again, these were somewhat natural reaction people now have: videotaping stuff and sharing to social media. These are not the traditional child pornographers that we think of, but their actions may fit under child pornography laws.

Think before you click 'record' and think again before you click 'send.'
What do you think?

More details about the case are here.

It didn't take long for the Jimmy Hoffa story to go national, after WDIV, Channel Four, broke the new revelation, that a long time mobster says he knows roughly where the long-missing Teamster ended up.

It wasn't under Giants Stadium.

Rather, it was where he naturally would be taken... to a field in the Rochester area and buried.

Get out those shovels.

It's a fascinating story, bigger than the Oakland County Child Killer because we just want to know the ending. Where did he end up?

One man died in one of the most horrific ways I could imagine: pushed into the path of a subway and unable to climb out to safety in time. Image the terror.

Another man took pictures.

The freelance photographer for the New York Post says he took the pictures (one of which ended up on the front of the NY Post) as a way to alert the train's conductor to the plight of the victim, using the flash to signal the driver.

Yeah, I don't quite believe that.

HOWEVER, I'm not one to argue the man should have risked his own life to save the victim. Running or jumping into the path of danger is not easy to do and it's not my place to say what someone should have done. I likely would have hesitated. I also likely would have hesitated to take a picture.

Here is an update to the case from the NYT, looking at the various ethical implications and reflections that this case has on our society.

No one helped the victim. I don't know how far away people were but some reports say the victim had about 20 seconds. I would like to think someone close enough could have reached down to grab his arm and help him up. I wasn't there though, and my guess is that no one did because no one could.

While I don't believe the photographer's excuse, I don't begrudge the photographer. Too many people nowadays like to jump on someone from afar. I'm amazed at the calls to fire people, jail them, or shoot  them by people who simply see a post of Facebook or read an online story. Yes, we all have opinions, and I share mine here sometimes. But people are too quick to condemn.

Why isn't there more outrage for the man who pushed this poor guy? That guy, I could say, should burn in hell after finishing his life in a nasty New York prison. I don't know what led him to push the victim, but my first thought is he shouldn't be, to use the popular phrase, walking the streets, or in this case, taking the subway.

Leave the photographer alone. If people really cared, the newspaper would fold for its insensitivity, but hey, it was a big story, a great photo and a true snapshot into what happened in that instance.

There's no way a jury will ever find Prof. Kwame Kilpatrick guilty of corruption, as the meek and mild former mayor could never have done all that he's accused of...... is one hope, I think, of the defendant's choice of bow tie and glasses as his stare-the-jury-in-the-eyes outfit.

Here is an account of the prosecutor's opening statements, alleging the former mayor's hunger to fill his deep pockets.

Even though most people think the case is a slam dunk, considering his honor's continued arrogance, we know it is anything but a sure win, considering co-defendant Bobby Ferguson's mistrial with an 11-1 hung jury.

My guess is the outfit doesn't work; in fact, it would do the opposite to me, make me wonder what he's hiding. But, again, it just takes one juror.

Photo is courtesy The Detroit News. 

Today's top story is a simple one, a home invasion and robbery of an Oxford woman.
The story is efficiently told by Carol Hopkins, who took a call from a reader who wanted share her experience as a crime victim. She and a friend were robbed by three men, one of whom pointed a gun at her and the friend. They took off with $2,000, plus a phone and computer.
Gone was the feeling of safety and security.
Gone was the rent money.
Most often, these stories come straight from the police without the specifics and details from the victim.
Today's story has been read nearly three times more than the second-ranked story, showing that readers are attracted to such reports.
I look forward to the follow up on an arrest and later convictions.

Wow. A 17-year-old is basically gutted, stabbed to death, on a West Bloomfield street.
West Bloomfield is a nice community, only a couple of other homicides in the past decade, one case involving domestic violence and the other still a mystery (a woman killed in her garage on Saturday morning).
Click here to read the story about the killing of Jonathan Rickman, 17.
It's a shocking crime due to the violence and the scene, a quiet neighborhood street. But it also is shocking because police say a 15-year-old acquaintance of the victim is the suspect.
What is surprising to me is the extent that leaders in Oakland County are going to protect the accused. The young man is charged with open murder.
I know everyone is presumed innocent, but we live in an open society and we are allowed to know what the state is doing. When the juvenile court referee (essentially, a judge) David Barnes ordered reporters to not name the accused, otherwise barring them from the open courtroom, that seemed to reach too far in protecting the accused killer.
I know the referee can bar photographers, so in allowing them in, he can ask or demand that they not photograph the accused; that's fair, because the camera does not have a right to be in the courtroom (yet!, but that's a different beef).
We can debate whether the prosecutor's office is soft on crime or appropriately sensitive in not charging the youth as an adult, instead leaving it up to a judge down the road. That's the right of the prosecutors in determining charges.
However, the entire handling of the case gives the appearance of caring more about the young man who, according to police, stabbed another human being to death. Used to be, we would see who the culprit was and we would be debating whether it was fair for a 14-, 15, or 16-year-old to face life-in-prison without parole, because they were charged as an adult.
And in Oakland County, traditionally the people, especially the voters, like the tough-on-crime model. We don't approve of stabbing people to death on our neighborhood streets.
Pictured: Referee David Barnes

I'm sick of the political ads, yes, but only because they are wasteful, tiresome and purposefully misleading. But they can be entertaining with their creative negativity.

What is distressing is the judicial campaigns. Oh my, it's like watching civilization flushed down the toilet.

Lately, it's the ones interviewing random people about what we all need, tough on crime. Apparently, there's one branch of government not affected by the economic downturn and is expecting an endless budget. CUT THEIR SALARIES, I say.

Next up are the ones that exploit a single victim of a crime. Guess what? It's not hard finding someone upset with the justice system. It makes me feel sorry for that prosecutor.

And then there's the biggest fraud: The one targeting Denise Langford Morris for being SOFT ON CRIME. Oh my, my. Guess what - lots of people get probation for crimes. But most disheartening is that they refer to Langford Morris letting "a rapper" go after a second gun possession incident. They twice or thrice refer to "a rapper," but this is rapper is Oakland County's own Eminem. Why not say it? Why hide? What's the problem? Call it what it is.

Again, it's just shameful that this is how the laws in our state are shaped, by judges who rely on such tactics to keep their high-paying jobs.

My assessment of Langford Morris after seeing her in action? She's made some tough choices. Toughest one was giving a prison sentence to a 16 year old who had killed her baby immediately after giving birth in a hospital bathroom. Did she not know she was pregnant? Did she panic? Did she intend to kill the baby?

The jury debated for days and finally convicted of second-degree murder. The judge shocked everyone with a small sentence, something like 2 years to 10 years with credit for time served on a tether on house arrest. Everyone complained. She shouldn't have gone to prison; she should have gotten a longer term. Someone called it an illegal sentence, due to the time served clause.

Thing is, I don't recall it being appealed because the appellate decision could have come down a number of ways. The girl served a couple years in prison, and then was paroled - but not at her first opportunity.

The judge made a decision that no one was happy with and everyone learned to live with it. Seems like a good judge to me. Also, she can take forever deciding something as she weighs the variety of issues. That sounds like Supreme Court material to me, too.

I like today's Detroit Free Press editorial about the Farmington Hills murder case involving a lawyer whose death has been ruled an accident.

When murder charges were announced against Laura Lynn Johnson, 46, I wondered why the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office refused to offer a cause and manner of death of her husband, Lloyd Johnson, 47. We were told they were both pending. But it's a murder, police and prosecutors believe.

Well, it's still a murder charge but not a homicide, the Medical Examiner's Office has ruled. The manner of death is accidental and, on top of that, poor health is a contributing factor, not mistreatment or abuse.

Accidents can still be manslaughters, but now that they've gone down the path of second-degree murder, it seems the case against Laura Johnson is over.

Of course, we don't know yet because police and prosecutors won't answer questions about the case. They'll charge murder, but they hide behind the 'ongoing investigation' and feeling they are prevented from saying anything further.

It seems the problem with this case is the secrecy and lack of facts offered to the public. A murder charge is serious business and is noted within the community. They cannot order us from asking about the case and they cannot order you from wondering about what is happening or reading about it.

I've long felt that Prosecutor Jessica Cooper ordering her attorneys to not discuss their cases with reporters is a sign of lack of trust of her staff and even her office. I covered the county courthouse for four years and came to believe the attorneys within the prosecutor's office to be trustworthy, highly skilled, knowledgeable, and very reasonable. Telling them they cannot explain their cases and the law creates a needless barrier in knowing and understanding what is happening and why.

Meanwhile, in Hazel Park, a man was killed after a fight and the death has been ruled a homicide, even though the fighter may have not intended to kill the victim, it could still be murder, or manslaughter, or just assault. It could be that no crime was committed. But here's a case that could be charged murder, because it is a homicide.

Ok, I paid $2.85 this morning, not quite filling up in Rochester Hills. A nice family owns the station and I like to go there and say good morning. Same people have been there ever since I moved into the area.

Driving to the office, I passed stations in Pontiac that were on Perry Street, selling first for $2.57 and then $2.55. Wow, big difference, I think.

Then I realize we're approaching the five-year anniversary of the murder of David Bingham, a father of two who was shot to death after surrendering his vehicle to a pair of teenage carjackers at a Perry Street gas station. The victim, I recall, had done everything right when confronted by the teens, who took his truck, drove around the block and then returned to eliminate the witness to their crime.

They were none too bright, being caught a short while later by patrolling officers. They had the man's property on them, I recall.

Christopher Eugene Jackson is 22 and has served five years of a life term. He'll never get out, as far as the law is concerned now. And though he was younger than 18 when he shot Bingham to death, the recent Supreme Court decision will not help him. (He killed someone, and the US's top court ruled life without parole was unfair for teenagers who had not killed.)

I covered the trial of one teenager (the other one pleaded to a lesser charge and testified) and it was horrific, hearing the shooting as Mr. Bingham talked to a 9-1-1 operator and then watching the video from the station's surveillance tapes.

I'm guessing this can influence why gas is cheaper in some areas.

During the sentencing, Jackson walked out of court, saying, "I'm going to bounce back." He's a level four (the second highest level) prisoner in Manistee County. He was absolutely horrible in court, defiant and disrespectful to the judge, attorneys and victim's family. For no real reason, he shot a man who was filling up on his way to work, on the morning after the July 4th holiday in 2005.

I'll pay the extra $3 or $4.

Wow.

Lots of crazy crimes today, including a young man who attacked father with sword, a teenager from Pontiac convicted of first-degree murder who can only flip of the camera to show his true character, and a couple caught trying to fraudulently open a bank account.

The couple was the worst, if the allegations are true, because their crime was relatively minor, but they failed to mention to cops that their 16-month-old baby was at home alone.

For 24 hours, this child waited with only an apple next to him in the crib.

That one is the most shocking.

I can't even imagine the fear this child felt. And if all they had to do was say, my child is alone at home, they would be in one tenth of the trouble they are in now. Selfish or just scared, talk about digging your own hole.