PROFILE

In my seven years at the Daily News, I've bounced from covering the toy industry to crime to just about everything in between, at least for a day or two. Now, I'm going to try to learn about the next part of the legal system: courts and the justice system. Since my prior experience is limited to one trial, a few bankruptcy stories and serving on jury duty twice, we'll see how things go. Come check in from time to time and tell me how I'm doing.

Gracias for your help and enjoy your trip.

E-mail the author.

Daily News

brent.jpg

Subscribe to RSS feed

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Powered by
Movable Type 4.01

« February 19, 2008 | Main | February 21, 2008 »

February 20, 2008

Murderer gets double life, plus another hundred in the pen

Man, there's no let-up in stories today...
Robert Joel Wheeler's crazy shooting spree landed him in prison for a very long, long time.

SAN FERNANDO - Robert Joel Wheeler's shooting spree that left a sex shop clerk dead and two men seriously wounded got him two life sentences in prison, plus an additional 100 years, when a judge sentenced him today.

On New Year's Day 2005, the 28-year-old Oregon man browsed Santa Clarita Gifts in Canyon Country, picked out an item, and shot Christopher Simons in the face with a rifle. Fifteen minutes later, Wheeler came back and killed the seriously wounded Simons with a second shot.

He then took a tour of Santa Clarita, shooting Randall Price twice in the back behind an Albertsons supermarket. Wheeler then continued onto Alan Stearns' house, where he attempted to break in.

When Stearns chased after him to take down the license number of his van, Wheeler shot the homeowner once in the back. He drove around for awhile, ran out of gas and called 911, which led sheriff's deputies to arrest him.

He pleaded guilty Feb. 1 to one count of first-degree murder and two of attempted murder, also admitting to the use of a firearm allegations.

After hearing from Simons' parents and Stearns, Judge Ronald S. Coen gave Wheeler close to the maximum sentence. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty and Wheeler did not plead guilty to special circumstances that would have made him eligible for life without possiblity of parole.

Posted by Brent Hopkins at 6:52 PM | | Comments (0)

Thanks for the feedback, dear reader

Michael Griffin didn't care for my Omar Sharif story. He emailed this kindly missive to share his displeasure.

You gotta be kidding........ you dug up a 3 year old case just to get printed?

Get a life.... get a real job.

The illegal alien valet would probably have made more money in euros had he been smart enough to count.

Normally, I try to respond kindly and civilly to all our readers, no matter how much I disagree with their sentiment. Today, however, I don't feel like it. I'm sick of people's rude comments and how they use every story to bash immigrants, legal or otherwise. So, in my lame little "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore" moment, I wrote back.

Dear Mr. Griffin,

Thank you so much for taking the time to carefully read the article
and offer such constructive criticism. I guess you missed the news
that this court ruling came down this week (the justice system moves
rather slowly), and that Mr. Anderson is not an illegal alien. Since
you paid attention to the facts so carefully, I won't take your
personal attacks upon me seriously.

Have a lovely day and if you'd like to talk more, please give me a
call at 818-713-3738.

Cheers,
Brent

This is bad form, I know. My mom would be appalled, because if you respond to a bully, then you only give them strength, right? Well, then I fell into the trap and shame on me.

No, better yet, shame on Mr. Griffin.

Posted by Brent Hopkins at 6:09 PM | | Comments (0)

Angry actor leaves valet $318,000 tip after dumb racial slur

Physician, heal thy temper. Omar Sharif, famed for his work as "Doctor Zhivago" and skills at the bridge table, now finds himself on the hook for a $318,190 legal bill after punching valet Juan Anderson and calling him a "dumb Mexican."

Well, Mr. Anderson's not Mexican, nor is he dumb. Mr. Sharif may be feeling like it, however, when it comes time to pay. Here's the story I just posted on dailynews.com:

Omar Sharif's attempt to duck out on his valet parking bill cost him more than $318,000.

The suave star of "Doctor Zhivago" and "Lawrence of Arabia" had just polished off dinner at Mastro's Steakhouse in June 2005 when valet Juan Anderson brought him his car.

Sharif tried to pay in euros, which Anderson pointed out were not valid currency in America.

Sharif did not take well to the valet's suggestion, punched him in the head and called him "a stupid Mexican." Anderson, a Guatemalan national in the process of becoming an American citizen, took umbrage and filed suit.

After a one-day trial Tuesday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joe W. Hilberman found in favor of the roughed-up valet and awarded him $318,190. Sharif, representing himself, didn't show up.

"It's a bizarre case," said John Carpenter, Anderson's attorney. "After Omar Sharif punched my client, he hopped in the car and tried to escape."

A Mastro's doorman called the cops and told the actor and professional bridge player to wait, according to court documents. Sharif allegedly proffered a bribe - in dollars this time - and took off.

"Although Mr. Sharif successfully fled the scene of his hate crime that night, he was unable to flee the long arm of the law for long," Carpenter wrote in his brief to the court.

Sharif, 75, has since pled no contest to beating Anderson and is awaiting sentencing.

He retained Martin Singer to defend him, then fired the famed celebrity lawyer before the trial began. Singer was unavailable for comment today.

Anderson, 46, who was making $6.75 an hour, plus tips, plans to keep his job at Mastro's.

"I used to wait tables - people in the service industry try their best to help people," Carpenter said. "When they're treated like garbage, it's very hurtful. We don't know if this will ever be paid, but at least the judgment gives him some comfort."

Posted by Brent Hopkins at 4:45 PM | | Comments (0)

Murder charge for Ma in dead baby case

I dropped the ball on this, so we had to take wire in this awful case. A jury found Jeanne Ma guilty of second degree murder today after she left her newborn baby in an alley behind her home in 2004.
A 21-year-old Pacoima woman was convicted today of murder and assault for suffocating her newborn daughter after giving birth at home in November 2004.

The seven-woman, five-man jury deliberated for two days before finding Jeanne Hofer Ma guilty of second-degree murder and assault on a child causing death.

The jury will return Friday for the trial's sanity phase and eventually will try to determine if Ma was legally sane at the time of the crime.

In her closing argument, Deputy District Attorney Ronda Brody told jurors Ma was worried her brother would kick her out of the house, so she "intentionally placed her palm over the nose and mouth of the baby" until the infant stopped breathing on Nov. 10, 2004.

"The newborn baby can't kick and struggle to get the hand off her face," the prosecutor said. " ... The only reason this baby died - this healthy, alive baby - was because she was asphyxiated."

Defense attorney Alan Eisner had asked the panel to consider the lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter and assault causing great bodily injury.

He noted that three mental health experts have concluded Ma, then a student at Grant High School in Valley Glen, "had a break from reality."

"They're clear about her mental impairment. ... She did not have the mental state that the (prosecution is) alleging," Eisner said. "This young person is not going to trick two psychiatrists and one psychologist."

Ma, who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, initially told her boyfriend and others that the baby was born dead, and concealed evidence that the infant had been born alive in a bathroom at the home where she was living with her older brother, Brody said.

She was arrested after going to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank to seek medical treatment following the baby's birth. The infant was found dead in a trash can behind her home.

Man, how awful for everyone. My heart goes out to the family

Posted by Brent Hopkins at 3:58 PM | | Comments (0)

Weighing in at 130 pounds, with a mean left hook, a badge and a Sig Sauer, CHUUUU-PAAAA-CAAA-BBBBRA

And the award for best press release of the week goes to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller, who sent out this gem. ... We get pitches by the dozen daily and they're normally very, very boring-- especially those relating to law enforcement and the legal system. But in this case, Ms. Eimiller outdid herself:

FBI Los Angeles' very own Supervisory Special Agent Carlos Narro will be representing the FBI tonight in a boxing match to be held in Long Beach, California. Carlos "Chupacabra" Narro, aka "The FBI Kid," will be boxing a deputy from the Orange County Sheriff's Department in the 130 lbs. category. There are two additional bouts as follows:

* Dave "Knockout" Apodoca of LASD vs. Dustin "The Nosebleeder" Ciscel of Anaheim PD (185 lbs.)
* Armando "The Hitman" Guzman of LASD vs. George "The Argentinean Olympian" Lopez of LAPD (185lbs.)

The match will be held from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the Long Beach Convention Center - "Hall C" and Carlos will fighting in the main event.

Long Beach Convention Center is located at 300 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, California 90802
HALL C - Enter off Shoreline Drive on the Arena Side

Carlos, a veteran FBI agent who supervises a squad in the Los Angeles Field Office, is a back-up spokesman for the FBI, primarily for Spanish-language media outlets. Originally from New York City, Carlos's lifelong dream will be fulfilled tonight when he boxes in front of a crowd of his fans, FBI friends and his family, cheering him on.

I'm not a boxing fan, this has absolutely no connection to the Valley and is only tangentially related to this blog's focus, but I thought this was hilarious.

Posted by Brent Hopkins at 3:34 PM | | Comments (0)

Copyright Notice | Privacy Policy | Information
For more local Southern California news:
Copyright © 2007 Los Angeles Newspaper Group