Monday, June 7, 2010

Gary Coleman Ex-Wife Says 'I Would Never Hurt My Husband'

ABCNews- Gary Coleman's ex-wife emphatically denied contributing to the fall that would lead to the former child star's death last month, saying she "would take my own life before I would ever, ever harm him."

Shannon Price, who arrived for her interview in a wheelchair and had to stop speaking when she thought she might be suffering a seizure, told "Good Morning America" she said is happy that Coleman is no longer suffering.

"We discussed death a few times and he always said he would be very unfair if he left me and I really respect that," Price said "because I loved him and he loved me and we just can't live without each other."

Coleman, who shot to fame on the television show "Diff'rent Strokes" and struggled as an adult with substance abuse and anger issues, died May 26 of intracranial hemorrhage. Price was by his side as he was removed from life support.

In a panicked 911 call, Price can be heard describing the scene after Coleman apparently fell and split the back of his head open, spilling blood "everywhere" and causing her to fear for his life.

"His head is bloody. There's blood all over the floor. I don't know what happened. I really don't know what happened," she told the dispatcher. Coleman can be heard groaning in the background.

"Sit down, sit down, Gary sit down! Look at the floor, sit down!" she said on the tape. Then later, she told the dispatcher, "I can't be here with the blood, I really can't. I have blood on myself. I can't deal."

(CLICK HERE to hear the full 911 call)

Price said that speculation that she pushed Coleman is untrue.

"I asked him if he could make me some food," she told "Good Morning America." "He went down there and I heard this big smack. I went down there and found him in a pool of blood."

"People can say whatever they want. I know the truth," she said. "I would never hurt my husband, ever."

"I was with him down there the whole time. Seeing him in a pool of blood was difficult," she said. "If it was someone else in my situation I am sure they wouldn't know what to do either."

Coleman and Price married on a Nevada mountaintop in 2007 after meeting on the set of a 2006 film called "Church Ball." She was 22, he was 40.

Price has been feuding with Coleman's parents since his death. His funeral was postponed while the two sides argued over where he should be laid to rest. His parents have said they've tried contacting Price to get more information about their son's last hours, but that she has not responded.

"My brother called them and talked to the mother and said if you have any questions let me know and she didn't have anything to say," Price said.

It was recently revealed that the couple had actually divorced in 2008, just shy of their one-year anniversary.

Price said they had been meaning to re-new their vows, but their respective health issues got in the way.

"We decided that wasn't what we wanted. We just had a disagreement," she said. "After we filed and it went through we decided that wasn't the right choice."

Coleman's celebrity status also seemed to weigh heavily on him and his marriage. In his last interview, three weeks before his death, while he was lending his voice to an animated movie called "Star Dumb," Coleman called celebrity a "burden."

"You are stuck with it for life. I don't care who you are. You are going to die with it, even if you haven't worked in 20 years," he said. "There are definitely some enemies in my life I would wish celebrity on."

Price said that despite financial struggles, arguments aired on television and the infamous "Divorce Court" appearance, the two were always in love.

"Yeah, we had our disagreements, but it was golden," she said. "Nothing could come between us."

Price said her life is now "up in the air."

"I have had a lot of health issues. I have seizures, I have anxiety," she said. "I miss my husband a lot. I can barely get around. It's been a trial."

Last week, People.com reported that Gary Coleman's parents Willie and Sue Coleman want to know exactly what happened leading up to their son's death.

"We're not pointing fingers at anyone, but we need to know exactly what happened," Sue Coleman told People.com, adding that she and her husband were seeking closure.

Police said earlier this week there is no investigation underway because there is nothing suspicious about his death, but no details have been released on how or why he fell. Coleman did suffer two seizures earlier this year.

Coleman's publicist, John Alcantar said that after initally taken to a hospital, Coleman was moved to another hospital for more tests and treatment. By midday Coleman had regained consciousness and was lucid.

But his condition soon grew dire and he died the next day.

At a news conference in Salt Lake City after Coleman's death, Coleman's brother-in-law Shawn Price read a statement written by his sister, Coleman's wife.

"We are very grateful for all the wonderful support everyone has been extending to Gary's family," the statement said. "Thousands of e-mails have poured in to the hospital. This has been so comforting to the family to know how beloved he still is."

Henry Lee: Evidence in Parisot Case Taken as Far as Science Will Allow

WILTON -- Scientifically, nothing more can be done with forensic evidence in the Nicholas Parisot homicide, according to Wilton Police.

Forensic scientist Henry Lee, founder and professor of the Forensic Science Program at the University of New Haven, was recently brought in to review all reports and forensic evidence in the Wilton homicide case, said Chief Michael Lombardo of the Wilton Police Department.

"We have been in constant contact with Dr. Henry Lee and his associates in the past couple months," said Lombardo. "He has reviewed the case and determined that there's nothing further we can do with this evidence, scientifically, at this point. He told us that we have taken the evidence as far as science will allow."

Nearly two years ago -- June 13, 2008 -- Parisot, 13, was riding his motorized bike on a trail in a wooded area near Hickory Hill and Hillbrook roads and struck a rope strung across the trail. He suffered severe injuries to his neck and body, resulting in his death shortly thereafter. Wilton police labeled the case a criminal homicide, but have yet to bring charges against anyone.

Lee has assisted in more than 6,000 investigative cases, including the O.J. Simpson case, review of the JFK assassination and the death of JonBenet Ramsey, according to his website, www.drhenrylee.com.

Wilton Police Lt. Donald Wakeman said the department brought in Lee because he is widely known as an excellent forensic scientist throughout the state and the country. Lee was also the director of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory, said Wakeman.

"Because of Dr. Lee's connection with many personnel in Connecticut, we were able to request him to look at our case," said Wakeman. "We were very happy he was willing to look over all of the evidence."

Wakeman said that Lee, the FBI forensic lab and the state forensic lab have all thoroughly reviewed all of the evidence that was collected from the crime scene and all reports involving the case.
"We know that Dr. Lee, the FBI and the state have all thoroughly looked over every bit of evidence we have," said Wakeman. "And Dr. Lee has concurred, along with the other labs, that there isn't anything more we can do with this forensic evidence."

According to Wakeman, police still have the same suspect in the case, and the department is continuing to pursue information that will enable an arrest to be made.

"At this point, there is not any new information to report," said Wakeman. "The case remains a top priority and is still open."

Last June, Nicholas Parisot's parents, Wilton residents Rick Parisot and Katherine Throckmorton, of 274 Nod Hill Road, filed a civil suit against Glenn and Barbara Knight, formerly of Wilton, and their 12-year-old son, claiming the "willful and malicious conduct" of the 12-year-old caused the death of Nicholas Parisot.

The civil suit, which seeks more than $15,000 in damages, alleges the 12-year-old male "strung a rope across a trail in the area of the woods to the rear of his family's property." The court document claims the pre-teen "tied the rope to two trees on each side of the trail to create a sudden and unavoidable blockage of the trail, creating a dangerous condition on the trail that he knew was likely to cause physical injury to persons riding motorized bikes on the trail."

On Jan. 11, the Knights responded to the allegations, by way of special defense, stating "injuries or damages were proximately caused by the negligence of the plaintiffs decedent Nicholas R. Parisot at said time and place he failed to keep a proper lookout." The court documents also claim Parisot "failed to keep his motorized bike under reasonable and proper control, he was operating his motorized bike at an excessive or unreasonable rate of speed for the conditions and he failed to exercise reasonable for his own safety under all the circumstances then and there existing."

The civil suit is still pending in Stamford Superior Court.

According to the Town of Wilton, Glenn and Barbara Knight sold their home at 97 Hickory Hill Road on March 2 for $1,030,000 and moved to Placentia, Calif. 

4 Women Dead, 3 Wounded After Miami-Area Shooting

HIALEAH, Fla. — A gunman shot and killed four women at a South Florida restaurant and wounded three others before killing himself, police said Monday.

The shooting Sunday night began in a parking lot outside the Yoyito Restaurant in Hialeah, where the man was seen arguing with a woman, Hialeah police Detective Eddie Rodriguez said.

"It was some sort of domestic dispute," he said.

The man shot the woman, then walked into the restaurant north of Miami and started randomly firing at the people inside, Rodriguez said. Afterward, he got into a vehicle and drove away.

Police identified the shooter as 38-year-old Gerardo Regalado.

One employee called her brother after the shooting, saying she had been shot and was bleeding.

"Please call 911," Felix Fuentes said his sister, Ivette Coronado, told him. He said the 32-year-old woman was recovering Monday after undergoing surgery for gunshot wounds to her chest and one of her arms.

Police found the gunman a short time later in the vehicle parked a few blocks from the restaurant. He was found dead of an apparent suicide, Rodriguez said.

The woman in the parking lot and two people in the restaurant were taken to a hospital, Rodriguez said. The other four victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

All the victims were women, and it's not clear if any were customers or employees at the restaurant, Rodriguez said. The shooting began at 10:15 p.m., shortly after the restaurant had closed. It also was not clear if the gunman had ties to the restaurant.

Regular customers gathered in shock outside the restaurant early Monday.

"They are good people," said Valentin Perez, 52, who visits the restaurant for his Cuban coffee every morning.

Octavio Guzman, another customer, said the restaurant workers are always generous with those who can't afford a meal.

"You tell anyone here, 'I'm hungry and I don't have money,' and they give it to you," Guzman said.

Search Continues For Missing Second-Grader

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Authorities searching for a second-grader who failed to return home from school Friday said they are turning to the boy's classmates for clues to his disappearance.

Multnomah County Lt. Harry Smith said investigators will interview Skyline Elementary School students Sunday about 7-year-old Kyron Horman, who authorities said was last seen by his stepmother, Terri Moulton Horman, at 8:45 a.m. Friday at the school.

Although the search was temporarily halted Saturday night, investigators said they are working "24/7" to develop new search plans and prepare for the interviews with students, their parents, teachers and guests who were in the rural northwest Portland school Friday.

"Tomorrow will be a difficult day for kids, but important," Smith said. "We will have people on hand to delicately and appropriately work with kids and families and staff at the school."

Smith said Skyline parents should have been notified when to stop by the school, but can drop in any time Sunday to speak with investigators. Interviews began at 10 a.m. and should finish by 4 p.m.

"This is a very difficult thing -- one of the hardest things to deal with," Smith said. "Our investigators are top notch. Everything we're doing is toward the goal of bringing Kyron home."

Authorities had no comment if the ground search for Kyron revealed any evidence, but Smith said search and rescue crews -- joined by the FBI and the National Guard -- completed an "immediate grid search" of an area around the school Saturday.

Authorities said crews searched the two miles surrounding the school. Smith described the terrain around Skyline as rough, with steep inclines and ravines.

Gina Zimmerman, the president of the school's parent teacher association, said Kyron was excited for a school science fair being held Friday and his project was about a red-eyed tree frog.

Moulton Horman said goodbye to Kyron while they were at the science fair and then watched him walk off to his classroom, but he never made it to class, deputies said.

"He's not the kind of child that would just go out of school, go searching or wandering around," Zimmerman said. "He's just a timid, sweet boy."

Kyron's absence went unnoticed throughout the day, deputies said, and he was not reported missing until hours later.

Sheriff's Capt. Jason Gates said teachers described Kyron as "an energetic student, a very social kid who loves to play soccer and build model cars with his dad." Gates said deputies have been working with Kyron's family and have received "a ton of information from them that helps us very much."

Kyron was supposed to be dropped off at the school bus stop near his house at about 3:45 p.m. Friday. Moulton Horman quickly realized her child was missing and then called the school, said Lt. Mary Lindstrand of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.

School administrators said they started a search in the area but they were unable to find the boy. They called the non-emergency dispatch line to report Kyron as missing.

Officials with Portland Public Schools said they used their phone notification system to contact other parents and inform them that Kyron was reported missing.

Deputies launched their search at about 5:45 p.m. -- nearly nine hours after the boy was last seen. Since then, a number of local, state and federal police agencies have joined the search.

"We want to throw everything we can at this," Gates said. "If it were my son, this is what I would want to see."

As of 8 p.m. Saturday, there was no indication of foul play in Kyron’s disappearance, but deputies upgraded the investigation to involve a major crimes team. Lindstrand said this allows more resources -- including those of the FBI and Oregon State Police -- to be used in the search.

Multnomah County deputies asked that civilian volunteers stay away from the search scene Saturday.

With a number of neighboring police agencies and the FBI helping in the search, deputies said civilian volunteers searching in the area will only complicate the process.

"We would appreciate if the civilian volunteers keep Kyron in your prayers, but please don't come to the scene because it affects our efficiency," Gates said.

Neighbors who live near Skyline Elementary School have been asked to perform a "no-stone-unturned" search of their property.

"It would be very, very helpful to our process. If they find anything out of place, contact us through our tip line," Gates said.

Skyline School is located at 11536 NW Skyline Blvd. in a rural area of northwest Portland.

Kyron lives with his father and stepmother. He has an older half-brother.

Anyone who may have any information on Kyron’s whereabouts is asked to call 503-261-2847. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with the CSI logo on it.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Is Anne Hathaway Dating Another Law-Breaker?

I don't like this b*tch anyways! Good for her!

IVillage.com-We get the appeal of bad boys, but Anne Hathaway seems to find them irresistible! The Devil Wears Prada star (whose former beau Raffaello Follieri is in prison for real-estate fraud) has yet another boyfriend who's in trouble with the law.

Actor Adam Shulman -- dating Hathaway since 2008 -- allegedly lifted a piece of graffiti art recently. While the mural at a New York City construction site may have seemed up for grabs, it was actually property of the construction site. And the contractor is not happy.

"If he brings back the art, it's over," the president of H&H builders told the New York Post. "But if he doesn't, I'm going to the police to report it stolen!"

Why is Shulman, 29, the No. 1 suspect? Well, the actor removed the mural in broad daylight... and was photographed carrying it away. Whoops!

This crime, of course, pales in comparison to Follieri's. The Italian playboy dated Hathaway until he was arrested in 2008 for an elaborate real-estate fraud -- he'd used funds earmarked for building Catholic churches to fund his extravagant lifestyle -- and he's currently serving a four-and-a-half year prison sentence. Shuler, in contrast, may not have even known that stealing graffiti art is illegal, or that he was swiping a piece by a famous street artist. We just hope sticky fingers aren't a habit with this guy; we'd hate to see another of Hathaway's relationships end in the state penitentiary!

Read More http://www.ivillage.com/anne-hathaway-boyfriend-adam-shulman-steals-art/1-a-166865?par=ivillage:entertainment:outbrain&obref=obnetwork#ixzz0q6Mz9CFG
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Dutch Youth Lives Under Shadow of Holloway Case 5 Years Later

(CNN) -- It was supposed to be a celebration -- sun, fun and relaxation on a tropical island for recent graduates savoring the heady taste of approaching adulthood.

But instead, the trip to Aruba by a group of Birmingham, Alabama, high school seniors ended in tragedy, as one of their members, 18-year-old Natalee Holloway, never returned home. Questions surrounding her fate are unanswered five years later.

Now, Joran van der Sloot, the youth twice arrested and released in Holloway's disappearance -- seen by many as a privileged playboy who has displayed no remorse or concern over her whereabouts -- has been named a suspect in the stabbing death of a woman in Peru, allegations that hint at a chilling pattern. Van der Sloot was arrested Thursday in Chile following a manhunt.

"It's fair to say that he's a pretty easy guy to point a finger at, a pretty easy guy to say, 'I'm confident suspecting him,'" said Joe Tacopina, who represents van der Sloot in the Aruba case. "And he's earned some of that and some of it he hasn't earned. He's been through the wringer. He's been detained twice in Aruba. There's been absolutely no credible evidence in that case whatsoever ... he was never charged with a crime there. Don't forget that."

Holloway was last seen in the early hours of May 30, 2005, leaving an Oranjestad, Aruba, nightclub with van der Sloot and two other men, brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. She was visiting the island with about 100 classmates to celebrate their graduation from Mountain Brook High School in suburban Birmingham.

Holloway failed to show up for her flight home the following day, and her packed bags were found in her hotel room.

Van der Sloot and the Kalpoes were arrested and released in 2005 in connection with the case, then arrested a second time in 2007 after Aruba's then-chief prosecutor Hans Mos said he had received new evidence in the case. Van der Sloot, then attending college in the Netherlands, was brought back to Aruba. But judges ruled the new evidence -- which included an Internet chat the same day Holloway disappeared with one of the three youths writing that she was dead -- was not enough to keep them in custody.

In the years since Holloway vanished, van der Sloot has consistently denied any involvement in her disappearance, police said.

"He's just totally, totally dragged us all through hell," Holloway's anguished mother, Beth Twitty, has said.

In 2008, a videotape surfaced on Dutch television. In it, van der Sloot tells a man he thought was a friend he had sex with Holloway on the beach after leaving the nightclub, then she "started shaking" and lost consciousness. He said he panicked when he could not resuscitate her and called a friend who had a boat. The two put Holloway in the boat, van der Sloot said, and he went home. The friend told him the next day that he had carried the body out and dumped it into the ocean.

"I don't lose a minute of sleep over it," van der Sloot said.

He later claimed the account was a lie, saying he told the man what he wanted to hear. A court ruled there was not enough evidence to re-arrest him. Aruba chief prosecutor Peter Blanken said the story was "unbelievable and not true."

But it's been van der Sloot's cavalier attitude toward the case that has fueled criticism, as well as conflicting statements he's made. He told Fox News in a 2008 interview he sold Holloway to human traffickers for $10,000, then in a taped interview denied it.

At the time his name first surfaced in the Holloway investigation, suspicion swirled around his parents, particularly his father, an Aruban lawyer training to be a judge. Paul van der Sloot was briefly taken into custody in 2005 on suspicion of involvement in the Holloway case. Authorities said he told his son that police had no case without a body. He was released after three days of questioning.

Holloway's parents, however, have said they met with Paul van der Sloot and continue to believe he had the answers to questions regarding their daughter.

"I remember the day I met with Paul at the prison," Dave Holloway has said. "And the thing that stuck out in my mind was I asked him all the questions, why he hid from the news media. And the last question that I had was, was he involved, and he said no. He said, 'Dave, I can understand your position, but you've got to understand mine. Joran's my son and I'll do everything I can to protect him.' And I believe it."

Van der Sloot's mother, Anita, has said her son told her he was on the beach with Holloway but left her there because she wanted to stay. She has maintained her son's innocence.

However, Tacopina said van der Sloot's relationship with his family has suffered in recent years.

"Joran in the last several years has gone in a very different direction, has not behaved in a way that is acceptable to anybody," he said, referring to van der Sloot's being paid for versions of events in the Holloway case. "It border-lined on pathological, it really did, and quite frankly I think he hurt a lot of people."

Tacopina cautioned against jumping to conclusions, saying that many times a new lead was thought to be the key to the Holloway case but didn't pan out. In March, for instance, a Pennsylvania couple told authorities a picture they took last year while snorkeling off Aruba showed something that looked like a skeleton. Authorities called off a dive team's search after two days, saying they found nothing that resembled the image depicted in the photograph.

Conservatives Call for Ground Zero Mosque Protest

(CNN) -- Conservative bloggers called for a protest Sunday against plans to build a mosque near the site of Ground Zero in lower Manhattan, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed by Islamist hijackers on September 11, 2001.

"Building the Ground Zero mosque is not an issue of religious freedom, but of resisting an effort to insult the victims of 9/11 and to establish a beachhead for political Islam and Islamic supremacism in New York," the group "Stop the Islamicization of America" says on its website.

"Ground Zero is a war memorial, a burial ground. Respect it," says the group, which is run by conservative blogger Pamela Geller.

"No one's telling them they can't. We're asking them not to," Geller told CNN's Joy Behar recently.

"We feel it would be more appropriate maybe to build a center dedicated to expunging the Quranic texts of the violent ideology that inspired jihad, or perhaps a center to the victims of hundreds of millions of years of jihadi wars, land enslavements, cultural annihilation and mass slaughter," Geller said.

She's anticipating about 1,000 people will show up, she told CNN by e-mail Sunday.

The project calls for a 13-story community center including a mosque, performing art center, gym, swimming pool and other public spaces.

It is a collaboration between the American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba Initiative.

The Cordoba Initiative aims to improve relations between Muslims and the West.

"The Cordoba Initiative hopes to build a $100 million, 13-story community center with Islamic, interfaith and secular programming, similar to the 92nd Street Y," its website says, referring to the cultural institution on the upper East side of Manhattan.

Daisy Khan of the American Society for Muslim Advancement told CNN it was a "community center with a prayer space inside."

She said the project was an opportunity for American Muslims living in New York to "give back" to the community.

"There is a lot of ignorance about who Muslims are. A center like this will be dedicated to removing that ignoranceand it will also counter the extremists because moderate Muslims need a voice," she told CNN. "Their voices need to be amplified."

Local political leaders turned out in support of the community last month after Mark Williams of the conservative Tea Party Express reportedly said the mosque was for "the worship of the terrorists' monkey-god."

"To make room for peace there can be no room for hatred, bigotry or prejudice," council member Robert Jackson said at the May 20 demonstration.

The project has the backing of the Community Board of lower Manhattan. It does not require city permission to go ahead.

The plan has split people touched by the September 11 attacks.

"Lower Manhattan should be made into a shrine for the people who died there," said Michael Valentin, a retired city detective who worked at ground zero. "It breaks my heart for the families who have to put up with this. I understand they're [building] it in a respectful way, but it just shouldn't be down there."

Others such as Barry Zelman said the site's location will be a painful reminder.

"(The 9/11 terrorists) did this in the name of Islam," Zelman said. "It's a sacred ground where these people died, where my brother was murdered, and to be in the shadows of that religion, it's just hypocritical and sacrilegious. "

But Marvin Bethea, who was a paramedic at ground zero, said it was "the right thing to do."

"I lost 16 friends down there. But Muslims also got killed on 9/11. It would be a good sign of faith that we're not condemning all Muslims and that the Muslims who did this happened to be extremists," he said. "As a black man, I know what it's like to be discriminated against when you haven't done anything."

Severe Weather Rakes Midwest; 5 Dead


(CNN) -- Five people were killed in Ohio as severe thunderstorms and tornadoes raked the Midwest on Saturday and early Sunday, authorities said.

The deaths came in Wood County, Ohio, when a tornado touched down there overnight, state Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Kelli Blackwell told CNN. Wood County is about 30 miles south of Toledo.

A 4-year-old child was among the deaths in Millbury, Ohio, Blackwell said. A man was also found dead in the street in Millbury, and two adults died in a van in Lake Township, about five miles from Millbury. Blackwell said she did not have details on the fifth fatality.

In Michigan, 11 people were injured when a storm struck Monroe County, Michigan, and damage to the exterior wall of the Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant prompted an automatic shutdown, said Dan Smith, spokesman for the county's emergency management division. The plant will remain closed until crews have assessed the damage, he said.

Ten people were taken to hospitals by ambulance, and one was flown, after the storm struck about 3 a.m. Sunday, Smith said. Field crews were assessing the number of homes and businesses damaged in Dundee Village and Dundee Township, he said.

Up to 500 people staying at a water park resort were evacuated safely to a middle school, Smith said.

Several other communities in Illinois were hard-hit by severe weather. The town of Streator, Illinois, looks "like a war zone," Mayor Jimmie Lansford said. A total of 50 people were triaged, and 17 were transferred to hospitals and later released, Lansford said.

Thirty homes sustained major damage, and several others had minor damage, Lansford said. Animal rescue officials were set to begin searching through the rubble.

Officials are not sure whether the damage was caused by a tornado, pending confirmation by the National Weather Service, he said. "All we know is, it cut a path from the west side of town all the way through to the east side of town."

Many trees and power lines were downed, he said, and "a couple of businesses sustained some damage but we don't know to what extent."

"If it would have been two blocks farther north, St. Mary's Hospital would have been right in the path and it would have been devastating," Lansford said. "It could have been a lot worse."

A tornado touched down in Elmwood, Illinois, Saturday night, according to the Peoria County Sheriff's Office. Pictures from CNN affiliate WMBD showed a twisted gas station awning and streets covered with debris, branches and broken glass. The tornado ripped through downtown Elmwood, tearing the second stories off buildings in some cases, WMBD said.

Footage of storm damage across several states showed buildings with roofs ripped off, other structures reduced to rubble and overturned school buses and RVs.

The severe weather may continue Sunday, forecasters said, as there is a moderate risk of severe storms and tornadoes over areas of the northeastern United States. A tornado watch, meaning conditions are favorable for tornadoes, was issued until 8 p.m. Sunday for an area stretching from New Hampshire and Vermont southward to Virginia. The watch includes the cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington.

California Mom Finds Missing Children Using Facebook

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A Southern California mother whose two children were reported missing 15 years ago has tracked them down in Florida using Facebook.

San Bernardino Deputy District Attorney Kurt Rowley says Faustino Utrera, the father of the boy and girl, took off with them in 1995 when they were ages 2 and 3.

Rowley says recently the mother typed one of the children's names into Facebook and a listing for her daughter, now a teenager, came up.

The mom contacted authorities, who tracked the Facebook profile to Orlando, Fla.

Utrera was arrested and charged with kidnapping and violating child custody orders.

The Florida Department of Children & Families says the mom is trying to build a new relationship with the children.

Stacy Peterson Search Fruitless

Chicagoist- Calling it a search based on "a jailhouse tip," authorities conducted a search for the remains of Stacy Peterson near a farm in Peoria yesterday afternoon.

But after a full day of searching, the investigation has, so far, come up empty-handed. David Alwan, on who's property the search was conducted, told the Tribune, "They had pretty solid leads with specific coordinates."

Authorities do not consider Alwan connected to the case. Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Tom Burek told the press, "I don't want to stand here and tell you this is the magical lead that's going to solve the case. ... Like any lead we hope that it has a positive outcome. ... I don't want to allude to (the idea that) we're looking for a body. We're looking for evidence of a crime based on this lead that we have."

Will County Sheriff's spokesman Pat Barry said his office was unaware of such a tip and that Drew Peterson has been held in solitary confinement. Peterson's attorney Joel Brodsky called it a publicity stunt aimed at hurting Peterson's image ahead of his trial for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, scheduled to start in early July: "They're trying to dirty up the defendant with an irrelevant search.

It's a despicable tactic." By yesterday evening, after 12 hours of searching, Sgt. Burek said, “We’ve exhausted the digging portion [of the search] with the anthropologist," and announced they had no plans to pick up the search today. Burek did note, though, that they would return to the area soon: "We are pursuing some other avenues in reference to this lead and we will be back in this area."

Porn Star Stephen Clancy Hill Accused of Killing Co-Worker with Sword Dies After Falling Off Cliff

LOS ANGELES - A porn actor suspected of killing a colleague died Saturday after falling some 40 feet from a rocky hillside after a standoff with police, officials said.

A "less than lethal munition" was used against Stephen Hill just before he fell, said police Officer Bruce Borihanh, who had no other details about the weapon that was used.

KABC-TV video of the incident showed Hill moving to the edge of the outcropping from a seated position and then letting himself drop as police closed in on him.

SWAT officers had spent part of yesterday afternoon trying to talk Hill down from the hillside as he clutched a sword.

It was unknown whether the sword was the murder weapon in Tuesday's deadly attack that also left two people injured.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/06/06/2010-06-06_porn_star_hunted_in_slay_falls_off_cliff.html#ixzz0q6HKO1Bm

Friday, June 4, 2010

Murder Suspect Returns to Peru to Face Charges

Santa Rosa, Peru (CNN) -- Murder suspect Joran van der Sloot arrived Friday in Peru to face charges that he killed a Peruvian woman as police in Lima said they had identified the weapon that killed 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramirez.

Flores' body was found Wednesday in a Lima hotel room registered to van der Sloot, a Dutch citizen who was twice arrested and released in connection with the 2005 disappearance of an American teenager, Natalee Holloway, in Aruba.

Investigators also found a baseball bat in the room, two law enforcement sources -- who said it was the murder weapon -- told HLN's "Nancy Grace."

Chilean authorities delivered van der Sloot to their Peruvian counterparts in the border town of Santa Rosa, where he was greeted by hecklers and dozens of media personnel jostling for position to get a better picture of the Dutch citizen.

Paperwork showed that van der Sloot entered Chile the same day Flores' body was found, Chilean police told CNN. He was captured in Chile on Thursday and flown Friday aboard a military aircraft to the border to be expelled, said Macarena Lopez, a spokeswoman for Interpol.

The Chileans drove Van der Sloot across the border to a Peruvian police station. He made a 100-foot walk from the car to the station as journalists pushed past a police line and a handful of hecklers rained loud and angry obscenities on the suspect's head.

Van der Sloot was taken inside the station for processing. From there, he was to be taken to the nearby town of Tanca and then flown to Lima.

Holloway was on a high school graduation trip to the Caribbean island of Aruba in 2005 when she disappeared. Van der Sloot was arrested twice in connection with the case but released both times. He denied any involvement and has not been charged.

The family of Stephany Flores Ramirez, the woman found dead in van der Sloot's hotel room, said Friday they had mixed emotions about the suspect's capture and return to face charges in Peru.

"I cannot say that I was happy," brother Enrique Flores told CNN's Rafael Romo. "I feel a little relief in this pain that I have and that my family has. This pain that won't go away ... We want this action not to happen again."

Stephany's sister-in-law Carolina Jorge was more outspoken.

"We need justice for our family, for Natalee's family," she said.

Stephany's father, Ricardo, was more wistful and philosophical.

"My daughter had everything in life," the businessman and race car driver said. "Perhaps my error was to show her the pretty side of the world. I didn't show her that there was the other side to the world -- the evilness."

The family said they thought Stephany had been abducted until authorities found her body. Her burial was Thursday.

Van der Sloot's former attorney, Joseph Tacopina, told CNN it was too early to reach any conclusions.

"I just think we need to take a step back before we get to the 'I told you so' stage, and let's see what the evidence is here," Tacopina said Thursday.

Tacopina said he is not representing van der Sloot and no longer has a good relationship with the family.

Van der Sloot also faces an arrest warrant on charges of extortion and wire fraud in Alabama, U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance said Thursday. The charges are unrelated to the killing of the Peruvian woman and deal with an attempt to sell details about Holloway for $250,000, Vance said.

Van der Sloot, 23, was traveling alone in a taxi near the Chilean central coastal city of Vina del Mar Thursday when he was detained, said Douglas Rodriguez, spokesman for the Chilean Investigative Police.

TV images showed him emerging from a black police SUV at the police station. His hair, which had been dark in previous images, was red and worn in a close-cropped crew cut.

There is "incriminating evidence" linking van der Sloot to the killing of Flores, said Peruvian criminal investigator Cesar Guardia Vasquez.

The woman's bludgeoned body was found in Room 309 of the Hotel Tac in the Miraflores section of Lima, police said. She suffered blunt trauma to the head, breaking her neck, and to her torso and back, Peruvian police said Thursday.

Van der Sloot had been staying at the hotel since arriving from Colombia on May 14, police said. Room 309 was booked in his name, authorities said.

A hotel guest and an employee witnessed the pair entering the hotel room together at 5 a.m. Sunday, Guardia said. Police have video of van der Sloot and Flores together the previous night at the Atlantic City Casino in Lima, he said.

Two Peruvian cab drivers said in an interview on CNN affiliate America TV that they drove a man matching van der Sloot's description to a city on the other side of the Chilean border.

"He paid me and I took him to Arica, to the border," cab driver Oswaldo Aparcana said.

The man sat in the front seat and smoked many cigarettes, Aparcana said. The passenger told the cabbies he used to live in Aruba, said the other driver, Carlos Alberto Uribe.

Holloway, the Alabama teenager, disappeared May 30, 2005, five years to the day since the hotel videotape that officials say showed van der Sloot and Flores going into his hotel room. Both women are reported to have met van der Sloot at a night spot.

Ricardo Flores said police found his daughter's car about 50 blocks from the hotel. Inside the car, he said, authorities found pills like those used in date rapes.

Ricardo Flores said he did not believe his daughter knew the Dutch citizen beforehand.

Both of them speak English and they struck up conversation at the casino, he said.

Interpol had alerted its office in Chile and other bordering countries of the case and placed them on alert in case van der Sloot tried to leave that country, Peruvian Interpol Interim Director Gerson Ortiz told CNN.

Van der Sloot was arrested in Aruba in 2005 along with two other men, brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, in connection with Holloway's disappearance. They were later released.

In 2007, they were arrested a second time after Aruba's then-chief prosecutor, Hans Mos, said he had received new evidence in the case.

Van der Sloot, who was attending college in the Netherlands, was brought back to Aruba. But judges ruled the new evidence -- which included an Internet chat the same day Holloway disappeared in which one of the three youths said she was dead -- was not enough to keep them jailed.

In 2008, prosecutors sought unsuccessfully to arrest van der Sloot a third time after a videotape surfaced on Dutch television. In it, van der Sloot tells a man he considered to be his friend that he had sex with Holloway on the beach after leaving the nightclub, then she "started shaking" and lost consciousness. He said he panicked when he could not resuscitate her and called a friend who had a boat. The two put Holloway's body in the boat, he said, and then he went home. The friend told him the next day that he had carried the body out and dumped it in the ocean.

But an Aruba court ruled there was not enough evidence to re-arrest him. Aruban prosecutors said authorities had met with van der Sloot in the Netherlands, but in a two-hour interview he denied any role in Holloway's disappearance.

'Gossip Girl's' Chace Crawford Charged with Pot Possession

(CNN) -- "Gossip Girl" actor Chace Crawford was arrested on a marijuana charge in his hometown Plano, Texas, early Friday morning, police said.

The misdemeanor charge involves possession of less than two ounces of marijuana, according to the police report.

Crawford, 24, was riding in a 2003 Nissan 350Z when police stopped him, the arrest report said.

The charge carries a maximum of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine, although a first offender can usually expect a year or less probation, according to Texas criminal lawyer George Reul. Jail time is rare in such cases, he said.

Many defendants get "deferred adjudication," under which they are not technically convicted and it is removed from their criminal record if they successfully complete probation, Reul said.

Crawford has won two Teen Choice acting awards for his role as Nate Archibald in "Gossip Girl," which is in its fourth season on the CW network.

Flores Kin Was "Freaking Out" Over Van Der Sloot

(CBS) While Stephany Flores was missing but before her body was found, her family was "freaking out" when they realized whom Stephany was with, her sister-in-law says.

Then, Stephany's body was discovered in a hotel room police in Lima, Peru say was registered to Joran van der Sloot.

He's under arrest in Chile, to which authorities say he fled and will, they say, be brought back to Peru Friday.

Van der Sloot was arrested after Interpol issued an international arrest warrant.

As CBS News Correspondent Elaine Quijano reports, the Dutchman is the primary suspect in the murder of the 21-year-old Flores. He was apparently the last person to see her alive.

Investigators say they discovered her body lying face-down in the hotel room, her neck broken, her body fully-clothed, with no signs of having been sexually abused.

Police say witnesses saw the two together in a casino over the weekend, and again, entering his hotel room together around 5 a.m. Sunday.

He checked out alone, police say, just a few hours later, before leaving the country.

The Flores murder took place five years after the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba.

Holloway's body was never found. Van der Sloot was arrested and questioned twice, but was never charged.

On "The Early Show" Friday, Flores' brother, Enrique Flores, told co-anchor Maggie Rodgriguez the family was shown surveillance video of Stephany and a man in the casino, which is owned by a family friend. They were also given the man's name and passport number.

As soon as they got to the Flores family home, Enrique's wife, Carolina Jorge told Rodriguez, she Googled van der Sloot - ironically, in Stephany's room and, when it dawned on the family who van der Sloot is, they all "got scared, and (were) freaking out. And an hour later, they found her in the hotel."

Enrique says Stephany was a "lovely girl" who always had a smile on her face.

Adding to van der Sloot's troubles, police in Chile say he stole $5,000 that Stephany had won in the casino the night they met.

Also, late Thursday in Alabama, the FBI announced van der Sloot is being charged in the United States for allegedly trying to extort $250,000 from someone related to the Natalee Holloway case, in return for disclosing the location of her body -- information that, Quijano reports, investigators now say was false.

Van der Sloot Arrest "Not Enough" for Holloways

(CBS) Joran van der Sloot is now on his way back to Peru to face charges in the murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores.

Investigators say Flores was found on Sunday by a hotel maid face-down, her neck broken, in a hotel room registered under van der Sloot's name.

Five years ago, 18-year-old Natalee Holloway went missing on the island of Aruba and van der Sloot was the chief suspect in that case, as well. He was never formally charged in Holloway's death.

On "The Early Show" Friday, Natalee's stepfather, "Jug" Twitty and Carol Standifer, a close friend of Natalee's mother, Beth Twitty, discussed Flores' murder.

Twitty said he hopes Flores' investigation in Peru is conducted better than Natalee's in Aruba was.

Twitty said, "We could have had the answers in the first couple of days down there had they done their job right. And this should have never happened what's happened in Peru. And I actually lay blame on the one person in particular, that's the (police commissioner, Jan van der Straten), in charge at that time. Because he knew what happened. And it just happened to be political connections and friendship that kind of let Joran slip off the hook."

As for the Holloway family, Standifer said Beth Holloway is "overwhelmed" now at the news of Flores' death.

"She's just really very disturbed," Standifer said, adding, "Every Memorial Day weekend, it's hard for her and it's hard for all of us who went through this because it brings it back, and we remember what happened."

Could the arrest and possible prosecution of van der Sloot be enough for the Holloways?

Twitty told "Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez, "It's a start. It's not enough. I think what Beth has worked so hard for, and will continue to work hard for, is to find out what happened to Natalee. And to find if it there are remains from Natalee. That's what we want."

Rodriguez pointed out the FBI is also charging van der Sloot with extortion after he allegedly accepted $250,000 to reveal the location of Natalee's body -- the information he provided turned out to be false, authorities say.

Standifer said she's not surprised by these charges, nor about any of the other news she's heard about van der Sloot.

She said, "There's nothing that could happen that would be shocking because we've had such unusual events happen throughout the last five years."

Thursday, June 3, 2010

R.I.P. Rue, Thank You For Being a Friend..

NEW YORK – Rue McClanahan, the Emmy-winning actress who brought the sexually liberated Southern belle Blanche Devereaux to life on the hit TV series "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 76.

Her manager Barbara Lawrence said McClanahan died Thursday at 1am of a stroke.

She had undergone treatment for breast cancer in 1997 and later lectured to cancer support groups on "aging gracefully." In 2009, she had heart bypass surgery.

McClanahan had an active career in off-Broadway and regional stages in the 1960s before she was tapped for TV in the 1970s for the key best-friend character on the hit series "Maude," starring Beatrice Arthur.

But her most loved role came in 1985 when she co-starred with Arthur, Betty White, and Estelle Getty in "The Golden Girls," a runaway hit that broke the sitcom mold by focusing on the foibles of four aging — and frequently eccentric — women living together in Miami.

"Golden Girls" aimed to show "that when people mature, they add layers," she told The New York Times in 1985. "They don't turn into other creatures. The truth is we all still have our child, our adolescent, and your young woman living in us."

Blanche, who called her father "Big Daddy," was a frequent target of roommates Dorothy, Rose, and the outspoken Sophia (Getty), who would fire off zingers at Blanche such as, "Your life's an open blouse."

McClanahan snagged an Emmy for her work on the show in 1987. In an Associated Press interview that year, McClanahan said Blanche was unlike any other role she had ever played.

"Probably the closest I've ever done was Blanche DuBois in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' at the Pasadena Playhouse," she said. "I think, too, that's where the name came from, although my character is not a drinker and not crazy."

Her Blanche Devereaux, she said, "is in love with life and she loves men. I think she has an attitude toward women that's competitive. She is friends with Dorothy and Rose, but if she has enough provocation she becomes competitive with them. I think basically she's insecure. It's the other side of the Don Juan syndrome."

After "The Golden Girls" was canceled in 1992, McClanahan, White and Getty reprised their roles in a short-lived spinoff, "Golden Palace."

McClanahan continued working in television, on stage and in film, appearing in the Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau vehicle "Out to Sea" and as the biology teacher in "Starship Troopers."

She stepped in to portray Madame Morrible, the crafty headmistress, for a time in "Wicked," Broadway's long-running "Wizard of Oz" prequel.

In 2008, McClanahan appeared in the Logo comedy "Sordid Lives: The Series," playing the slightly addled, elderly mother of an institutionalized drag queen

During production, McClanahan was recovering from 2007 surgery on her knee. It didn't stop her from filming a sex scene in which the bed broke, forcing her to hang on to a windowsill to avoid tumbling off.

McClanahan was born Eddi-Rue McClanahan in Healdton, Oklaholma, to building contractor William McClanahan and his wife, Dreda Rheua-Nell, a beautician. She graduated with honors from the University of Tulsa with a degree in German and theater arts.

McClanahan's acting career began on the stage. According to a 1985 Los Angeles Times profile, she appeared at the Pasadena (Calif.) Playhouse, studied in New York with Uta Hagen and Harold Clurman, and worked in soaps and on the stage.

She won an Obie — the off-Broadway version of the Tony — in 1970 for "Who's Happy Now," playing the "other woman" in a family drama written by Oliver Hailey. She reprised the role in a 1975 television version; in a review, The New York Times described her character as "an irrepressible belle given to frequent bouts of 'wooziness' and occasional bursts of shrewdness."

She had appeared only sporadically on television until producer Norman Lear tapped her for a guest role on "All in the Family" in 1971.

She went from there to a regular role in the "All in the Family" spinoff "Maude," playing Vivian, the neighbor and best friend to Arthur in the starring role.

When Arthur died in April 2009, McClanahan recalled that she had felt constrained by "Golden Girls" during the later years of its run. "Bea liked to be the star of the show. She didn't really like to do that ensemble playing," McClanahan said.

After that series ended in 1978, McClanahan landed the role as Aunt Fran on "Mama's Family" in 1983.

McClanahan was married six times: Tom Bish, with whom she had a son, Mark Bish; actor Norman Hartweg; Peter D'Maio; Gus Fisher; and Tom Keel. She married husband Morrow Wilson on Christmas Day in 1997.

She called her 2007 memoir "My First Five Husbands ... And the Ones Who Got Away."

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Casey Anthony Injured In Fall At Courthouse

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Casey Anthony was injured Tuesday in a fall at the Orange County Courthouse, according to the Orange County Corrections Department.

Orange County Corrections Department spokesman Allen Moore said Anthony fell in the courthouse while being transported to the courtroom and suffered what appeared to be minor injuries.

Anthony's restraints became entangled and she fell forward, but escorting officers were unable to catch her before she fell, Moore said.

Anthony is currently being seen by medical personnel in an undisclosed location.

Moore said the incident appears to be "purely an accident."

Orange County Corrections Internal Affairs will conduct an inquiry into the incident, which is routine procedure.

Anthony's defense team has been made aware of the incident.

Meanwhile, Anthony's attorneys are having several motions reconsidered by Judge Belvin Perry, including whether the death penalty is appropriate in the case.

Perry will reconsider four different motions, including a request made by Anthony's defense team to throw out the death penalty.

Anthony, 24, is jailed on first-degree murder charges in the death of her daughter, Caylee, whose remains were found in a wooded lot in December 2008. Caylee was 2 years old when she was reported missing in July 2008.

Last month, the prosecution revealed the reasons they say Anthony should be put to death if she's convicted, including that the murder was committed during another crime -- aggravated child abuse. The state will also argue Caylee's murder was especially heinous or cruel.

Anthony's defense team wanted the state to turn over forensic documents, including results on tests performed on evidence, but the state told the judge they didn't have the results. Other motions that will be addressed Tuesday include the use of certain forensic evidence.

Court officials told Local 6 the defense team is also asking the court to seal jail visitation logs.

Anthony has pleaded not guilty, claiming that she left Caylee with a baby sitter and the two were gone when she returned to pick up her daughter.

U.S.-Developed Vaccine 'Could Eliminate' Breast Cancer

Fox News- U.S. scientists developed a vaccine that could prevent breast cancer and save the lives of millions of women, Sky News reported Monday.

The treatment was tested on mice and showed "overwhelmingly favorable results.”

Dr. Vincent Tuohy, who led the research at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, said there was evidence in the initial tests that the vaccine could prevent cancers from forming and stop the growth of existing tumors.

"If it works in humans the way it works in mice, this will be monumental," he said.

"We could eliminate breast cancer. We believe that this vaccine will someday be used to prevent breast cancer in adult women in the same way that vaccines have prevented many childhood diseases."

Researchers injected the test vaccine into six mice that were specifically bred to be prone to breast cancer. None developed any signs of tumors.

A further six mice bred in the same way were injected with a placebo vaccine and all developed tumors.

The drug makes the immune system attack a particular protein found in most breast cancer cells and in the mammary tissues of breastfeeding women.

If clinical tests of the vaccine on humans are successful, women over 40 could be vaccinated against the disease. At that age, breast cancer risk begins to increase and women are less likely to be breastfeeding.

Cancer Will Kill 13.2 Million A Year By 2030: U.N.

(Reuters) - Cancer will kill more than 13.2 million people a year by 2030, almost double the number who died from the disease in 2008, the United Nations' cancer research agency said on Tuesday.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) also said that almost 21.4 million new cases of the disease will be diagnosed annually in 2030.

Launching a new database on global incidence of cancer in 2008, the latest year for which figures are available, the IARC said the burden of cancer was shifting from wealthier to poorer nations.

"Cancer is neither rare anywhere in the world, nor confined to high-resource countries," it said in a statement.

In total, 7.6 million people died of cancer in 2008 and there were an estimated 12.7 new cases diagnosed.

Around 56 percent of new cancer cases worldwide in 2008 were in developing countries and these regions also accounted for 63 percent of all cancer deaths, the data showed.

IARC director Christopher Wild said the data represented the most accurate available assessment of the global burden of cancer and would help international health policy makers develop their responses.

The most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide in 2008 were lung cancer, with 1.61 million cases, breast cancer, with 1.38 million, and colorectal cancers, with 1.23 million. The most common causes of cancer death were lung (1.38 million), stomach (0.74 million) and liver cancers (0.69 million)

The projection for annual death rates of 13.2 million and annual diagnosis of 21.4 million were based on assumptions that underlying rates of cancer would remain the same over the next two decades, the IARC said.

Cheaters! Liars! Scoundrels!

(CNN) -- Before the explosion of social media, Ken Altshuler, a divorce lawyer in Maine, dug up dirt on his client's spouses the old-fashioned way: with private investigators and subpoenas. Now the first place his team checks for evidence is Facebook.

Consider a recent story of a female client in her 30s, who came to Altshuler seeking a divorce from husband. She claimed her husband, an alcoholic, was drinking again. The husband denied it. It was her word against his word, Altshuler says, until a mutual friend of the couple stumbled across Facebook photos of the husband drinking beer at a party a few weeks earlier.

It was the kind of "gotcha moment" Altshuler knew would undermine the husband's credibility in court. His firm presented the photos to the judge, and the wife won the case in April, he said.

"Facebook is a great source of evidence," Altshuler said. "It's absolutely solid evidence because he's the author of it. How do you deny that you put that on?"

Social media stalking skills have become invaluable to the legal world for divorce cases in particular. Online photo albums, profile pages, wall comments, status updates and tweets have become gold mines for evidence and leads. Today, divorce and family law firms routinely cull information posted on social media sites -- the flirty exchanges with a paramour, unsavory self-revelations and compromising photographs -- to buttress their case.

Posting hugging and kissing photos online can show a happily married relationship, or it can expose a secretive affair. At least 80 percent of attorneys surveyed by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers cited a growth in the number of cases that used social media over the last five years. The study was released earlier this year.

Divorce attorneys say social media sites have opened windows for infidelity because it's become easier to rekindle romance with an old flame or flirt with a stranger. And the posted, shared, and tagged evidence of infidelity is precisely the type of evidence attorneys look for online.

"You need to familiarize yourself with privacy settings to ensure there is no way personal information can be accessed," said Adam Ostrow, editor in chief of Mashable.com, a social media guide.

Facebook -- where attorneys find most of the evidence and leads -- has gradually relaxed privacy settings over the last year. Attorneys say that enabled some members' personal details to be leaked without the user realizing it, attorneys say. On May 26th, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged the problem and, in a blog, announced new tools making it easier for users to tighten privacy settings and block outside parties from seeing personal information.

"It's becoming all but impossible to protect your information unless you spend hours and hours figuring it out," said Lee Rosen, a divorce attorney in North Carolina, who added he reaped the benefits of the tricky privacy controls in a recent case.

Rosen was investigating a North Carolina husband in his 40s accused of cheating on his wife. The husband failed to set privacy controls on his Facebook wall, an area where users can post information. Rosen noticed a suspicious message from the husband's younger female co-worker. The post was the hunch he needed to steer him in right direction.

Rosen reports about a quarter of his divorce cases use information found on social media sites.

It's becoming all but impossible to protect your information unless you spend hours and hours figuring it out.

--Lee Rosen, North Carolina divorce attorney
Finding the Facebook profiles is so simple that Rosen says anyone could do it. He goes to a site called Flowtown.com, a site intended for marketers but is useful for attorneys, too. Type an e-mail address and the site generates various social media profiles. If that fails, Rosen hires a private investigator.

At National Digital Forensics, Inc., a North Carolina company that mines digital sites for information, requests for social media searches from divorce lawyers have surged, says president and senior digital investigator Giovanni Masucci. The social media detective work requires different snooping skills, he says.

"For example, someone may be cheating, but they are married," Masucci explained. "If their status on the web page says single, that's a major red flag."

Masucci estimated about half the social media cases they investigate expose some kind of cheating.

The happy reality for divorce attorneys is that most clients are bound to be on Facebook or another social media site. Facebook is more popular than ever, drawing in 400 million users, the company reports on its website. Each user creates an average of 70 pieces of content monthly and has an average of 130 friends.

The most common way to gather information on Facebook relies on the battling couple's mutual online friends who still have access to the spouse's profile. Many times the spouse will "de-friend" a partner but forget about their shared friends, who can play detective and access information on their profile.

Another way of exposing damaging information is searching the profiles of the suspected "other man" or "other woman", says says Marlene Eskind Moses, a divorce attorney in Tennessee.

"It's amazing how people tell their life stories," said Moses, who represented a Tennessee woman who believed her husband was cheating on her. After the wife found herself blocked from her husband's Facebook page, she found the profile page of the other woman whom she suspected in the affair.

On that woman's profile page, a public album of photos taken on a romantic getaway appeared. Scenic shots of South Carolina's mountains. Her husband and another woman embracing in front of an art gallery. Portraits of the couple with their faces nuzzled close together.

Elizabeth K. Englander, professor of psychology at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, says people divulge information on social media because they believe no one will ever see the information they post.

"The sense online is sort of like the mob effect," Englander said. "You feel like you're one in a million, and so who will ever notice you?"

But when someone does notice, that's when some divorce attorneys pounce. Information copied from social media sites can sway the outcome of alimony payment disputes and custody fights, attorneys say. Some parents have even lost a child because of the behavior they exhibited online, the lawyers say.

The ultimate goal, after all, is to catch a spouse in a lie. Sometimes it's a wife claiming she can't afford child support payments but subsequently purchased expensive jewelry and posted photos of the items on Facebook. Or if a husband who claims he doesn't have anger problems while his social media profile is loaded with expletives. Once there is evidence of a person caught in an obvious lie, attorneys say, it undermines the rest of their credibility with the judge.

Attorneys advise users of Facebook and other social media who are headed toward a divorce or custody battle to edit their profiles, be cautious about updating statuses and double check to see who is really a "friend."

Or to make things easier -- at least until the trial is over or a settlement is reached -- just get off Facebook completely.

Defense Lawyer: Former 'Survivor' Producer Charged in Wife's Death

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A Mexican judge has issued an arrest warrant for reality TV producer Bruce Beresford-Redman in the death of his wife at a Cancun resort in April, his lawyer said Monday.

"We have been advised that Mexican authorities have issued a warrant for the arrest of Bruce Beresford-Redman in connection with the murder of his wife, Monica," defense lawyer Richard Hirsch said Monday. "This news, if true, is extremely disturbing since it appears that this case is being handled in a manner outside the normal procedures in Mexico."

The prosecutor in Mexico had said earlier Monday he had developed a "very concrete, very specific" case that was sent to a judge Friday for consideration of charges.

Quintana Roo Attorney General Francisco Alor said through a spokesman that the investigation file, with recommended charges, was sent to the judge on Friday.

"It is our understanding that the issuance of an arrest warrant normally entails a detailed judicial review that takes anywhere from several weeks to several months," Hirsch said. "It appears that the way this matter is being handled constitutes a rush to judgment."

Bruce Beresford-Redman was briefly detained after Monica Beresford-Redman's body was found in a sewer at the Moon Palace Resort on April 8. His passport was taken by investigators and he was told not to leave Mexico until the probe was concluded.

The former producer on TV's "Survivor" recently returned to his Los Angeles, California, home, to take care of family business and see his two young children, his lawyer said.

His lawyer issued a statement from Beresford-Redman Monday after learning of the arrest warrant.

"I am devastated at her loss," Beresford-Redman said in the statement, "and I am incensed at the suggestion that I could have had anything to do with her death. I am innocent. My children have had one parent taken from them by a senseless act of violence. I implore the Mexican authorities not to take their remaining parent by a miscarriage of justice and to do what is right, not just what is expedient."

An attorney for the victim's family blasted Beresford-Redman Tuesday saying that he had not shown emotion for his wife's death until he was accused of the killing.

"We do not buy his newly found contrition," said Alison Triessl. "It has been 56 days since Monica was brutally murdered. At no point during that time, did he or his family reach out to the (victim's) family to express their sympathy or share in their grieving."

The attorney said the victim's family was relieved to hear about the arrest warrant and "are hopeful that Monica will finally get the justice she deserves."

Hirsch said Friday that there should not be "a rush to judgment," adding that there have been other unsolved deaths and an attack at the resort.

He cited the death of an elderly Scottish woman, who was found in a swamp weeks after leaving a pool for a walk, and a Canadian man who allegedly fell from a hotel balcony.

Jeff Toews, a Canadian, was found dead in May 2007. Investigators decided he died from a drunken fall from a balcony, but his family did not accept that explanation.

Julia Howard, a 77-year-old woman from Scotland, was found dead in a dense swamp six weeks after disappearing from a pool area last summer. Her family also rejected the police conclusion that her death was an accident.

A woman reported an attempted rape in her hotel room "several days after Mrs. Beresford-Redman's body was discovered," Hirsch said.

"We have brought this to the attention of the authorities and, in particular, to the attorney general in Cancun and asked them to pursue all leads before making a decision whether of not to charge our client," Hirsch said. "We feel that this case should not be a rush to judgment."

"There are strange things going on -- I think that need to be pursued," he said.

A spokeswoman for the resort directed CNN to a Mexican news report that quoted the prosecutor saying there was no connection between other deaths and the Beresford-Redman case.

The initial investigation suggested Monica Beresford-Redman "died of strangulation, because of the bruising," Mexican regional police spokesman Adrian Cardena said.

A source close to the wife has told CNN that she cleaned out the family bank account and took her two children to Hawaii because she was upset about her husband's extramarital affair. The couple later traveled to Cancun in an effort to repair their marriage, the source said.

A Los Angeles judge decided Friday that the children, ages 3 and 5, could not attend a memorial service organized Sunday by Monica Beresford-Redman's sisters because a therapist said it might be emotionally harmful to them.

"We respect the decision of the court, but we are very disappointed the fact that the children were denied to participate in the celebration of their mother's life," Jeane Burgos said. The sisters are fighting Beresford-Redman for custody of the children.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff delayed any decision on changing the current custody arrangement. Beresford-Redman's parents were given temporary custody in April after he was told by Mexican police to remain in the country while they investigated. He filed papers for custody to be returned to him last week.

Bruce Beresford-Redman built his career as a Hollywood reality television show producer. He worked for several seasons on the popular CBS show "Survivor," in which contestants compete against each other in a variety of extreme outdoor scenarios. He was nominated for three Emmy Awards as a producer on the show and was last credited as a producer in 2004.

He also worked on NBC's "The Contender" and "The Restaurant," as well as MTV's "Pimp My Ride," according to entertainment media company IMG.

Monica Beresford-Redman, a native of Brazil, owned a restaurant in Los Angeles.

Knox Appears in Italian Court to Face Slander Charges

(CNN) -- American Amanda Knox, serving time in an Italian prison for the 2007 murder of her British roommate, appeared in court briefly Tuesday to face slander charges for saying that Italian police beat her during an interrogation, said her attorney, Luciano Ghirga.

Police in Perugia, Italy, have always denied beating Knox and filed the slander charges against her.

Knox, 22, of Seattle, Washington, was convicted in December of killing her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, in November 2007. Also convicted was Knox's ex-boyfriend, Italian Raffaele Sollecito. Knox was sentenced to 26 years and Sollecito to 25.

A third person, Rudy Guede, was tried separately and initially was sentenced to 30 years, but an appeals court later reduced that to 16 years.

Knox appeared briefly at a preliminary hearing on the slander charges. During her trial, she testified that Italian police gave her "cuffs," or small beatings, while interrogating her regarding Kercher's death. She said police used the threat of physical violence to intimidate and pressure her, which led her to falsely accuse Patrick Lumumba in Kercher's murder.

Lumumba was arrested as a result, but he was released shortly afterward once his alibi checked out. He sued Knox for defamation and won.

Knox's attorneys have challenged the judge in the slander case, since he was the same judge that ruled Knox and Sollecito would remain in custody pending trial in November 2007, Ghirga said Tuesday. An appeals court in Perugia is expected to decide on the recusal request June 17. The next court hearing in the slander case is set for October 1.

Knox "is holding strong," Ghirga said Tuesday, and is taking online Italian language courses from Seattle University.

Ted Koppel's Son, Andrew, Found Dead After Night of Boozing in NYC

NY Daily News- Ted Koppel's 40-year-old son was found dead in a Washington Heights apartment early Monday after a daylong drinking binge, police sources said.

The cause of Andrew Koppel's death has not been determined pending autopsy results.

Police were called to a building on Audobon Ave. about 1:30 a.m. They found the famed newsman's son unconscious. He couldn't be revived.

Sources said Andrew Koppel, who lived in Queens with his girlfriend and daughter, started boozing at a bar in Hell's Kitchen Sunday afternoon. Later that night, he went to the Audobon Ave. apartment with a man he met a bar, sources said.

There were no immediate signs of criminality. Investigators suspect alcohol or drugs.

Koppel was a former attorney for the Housing Authority's civil litigation division. He earned just under $78,000 when he resigned two years ago, an agency spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The death of the famed newsman's son was the latest in a series of alcohol-related incidents that marked the younger Koppel's life.

In 1993, Koppel was convicted of punching out a senatorial aide in Washington, D.C. Records show he got into a wreck in Maryland in 1990. Authorities suspected alcohol in the property damage accident.

Tropical Storm Agatha Floods Kill 150, Cause Giant Sinkhole in Guatemala City

CSMonitor- Flooding and landslides from Tropical Storm Agatha have killed more than 150 people throughout Central America in the past few days, and apparently caused a giant Guatemala City sinkhole.

Villagers have been buried alive in Guatemala. Residents, caked in mud, have searched in the wreckage of their homes for loved ones. Aerial photos show entire swaths of the nation's coffee crop under water. Then, there's the giant Guatemala City sinkhole.

The Atlantic hurricane seasons opens today, preceded by the Pacific one just weeks earlier, but already seasonal weather – coupled with volcano eruptions and other freak accidents – has battered Central American nations.

More than 150 people have been killed, mostly due to flooding and landslides, after Tropical Storm Agatha, the first Pacific storm of the season, struck Guatemala Saturday, impacting El Salvador and Honduras as well. Thousands across the region are homeless.

The worst hit nation is Guatemala. In the Chimaltenango Province west of Guatemala City, landslides buried dozens of communities, leaving at least 60 dead.

"The department has collapsed," Gov. Erick de Leon told the Associated Press. "There are a lot of dead people. The roads are blocked. The shelters are overflowing. We need water, food, clothes, blankets — but above all, money."

Isolated villages
Although the sun emerged in Guatemala yesterday, the number of those dead could rise as rescue workers attempt to reach communities that have been isolated by washed out roads and bridges.

Schools were shut down across the region, and the risk of more deadly landslides has not passed. In Guatemala over 110,000 people have been evacuated.

In El Salvador, where 11,000 people have been evacuated and ten killed, 179 bridges were wrecked. The Lempa River already flooded 20 villages, officials say, and the Acelhuate River could top its banks and flood the capital.

In Honduras, thousands have fled their homes as three more days of rain are forecast and rivers are already swollen near the capital, Tegucigalpa.

The storm hit on Saturday, just two days after the the Pacaya volcano, about 20 miles south of Guatemala City, erupted, causing the international airport to shut down.

Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom had declared a 15-day calamity, before Tropical Storm Agatha dumped three feet of water in the western part of the country. Officials have said that the ash from the volcano, which again covered the airport Monday, could aggravate flooding as it blocks the nation's drainage systems.

The Guatemalan government posted photos of the flooding tragedy, including one of a sinkhole apparently the size of an entire street block, that opened in the northern section of Guatemala City. A three-story building was swallowed by the hold. Authorities are investigating the cause. A sinkhole in the same area killed three people in 2007.

Last November, Hurricane Ida struck the region, killing at least 150 people from landslides and flooding.

The worst in recent memory was Hurricane Mitch, from the Atlantic Hurricane season, which in 1998 killed almost 11,000 people and left 8,000 missing.