New England Sun-Times

POMONA, Calif. –   A Southern California woman has been sentenced to death for smothering her two young sons with a pillow and killing her husband with a sword. Prosecutors say 32-year-old Manling Tsang Williams killed her family so she could be with a lover who wanted her to divorce. City News Service reports Williams was sentenced Thursday on three counts of first-degree murder for the August 2007 killings at her home in Rowland Heights. Authorities say Williams smothered her sleeping boys, ages 3 and 7, then scanned her lover's MySpace page on her computer and went out with friends before returning home and hacking her sleeping husband to death. Twenty-seven-year-old Neal Williams was cut more than 90 times. Defense attorney Thomas Althaus argued that the killings were unplanned.

Edgar Díaz Shocking news out of the U.S. attorney’s office today: Edgar Dalmiro Diaz, 56, founder of Three Happy Cows Yogurt, was sentenced to five years in prison for setting fire to his business. His Three Happy Cows Yogurt was a consistent winner at American Cheese Society competitions, even besting his record at Lucky Layla Farms, where he made yogurt prior to starting his own business. The Dallas Morning News did a story in 2006 about his family’s harrowing escape from his native Colombia after he was kidnapped by guerrillas. He told The News was grateful to start over in America. In addition to five years in federal prison – the arson affected  businesses engaged in interstate commerce – he must pay $1,508,533 in restitution. Here’s the full text of today’s press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Northern District of Texas: DALLAS — A Dallas businessman was sentenced today for intentionally setting fire to his business, announc...

A veteran Philadelphia homicide detective stashed his girlfriend out-of-state and hid her car while colleagues sought her in the slaying of her ex-husband, an indictment charged Thursday. Detective Ronald Dove has been charged with obstruction, evidence tampering, flight and conspiracy in a case the city prosecutor compared to 'a cheap novel.' Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said that Dove hid girlfriend Erica Sanchez in an upstate New York motel for several weeks and even took her to Niagara Falls during a weekend visit. Charged:Authorities say Det. Ronald Dove, stashed his girlfriend out-of-state while colleagues sought her in the slaying of her ex-husband. He was indicted on charges that include obstruction, evidence tampering, flight and conspiracy Girlfriend: Erica Sanchez was arrested about five weeks after Cesar Vera's body was found inside a closed nightclub on Sept. 8, 2013. ...

Just released flight records show Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz has been flying with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein on the financier's private jet dubbed the 'Lolita Express' since as early as 1997, despite public statements that they were only acquaintances. The high-profile lawyer has been distancing himself from Epstein ever since a young woman named Virginia Roberts filed a lawsuit claiming she was recruited to work as a 'sex slave' for Epstein when she was just 15, naming both Dershowitz and Prince Andrew as two of her molesters. The flight records, obtained by Gawke r, also show former President Bill Clinton rode on Epstein's jet at least 11 times, and often with two of Epstein's female associates believed to have provided the dozens of underage girls to their boss and his well-connected friends. New flight logs show Harvard law profession Alan Dershowitz (left) and former President B...

BOSTON (AP) — A man who walked into a leading hospital, asked for a cardiac surgeon by name and fatally shot him outside an examination room had been upset about his mother's death and had blamed the doctor for it, relatives said. Gunman Stephen Pasceri entered Brigham and Women's Hospital on Tuesday morning seeking Dr. Michael Davidson and then shot him twice, police said. He then killed himself, and officers found his body with the weapon shortly afterward. Pasceri's sister and brother said Wednesday they were shocked by his actions and believe he held Davidson responsible for the November death of their mother, who had heart and lung problems. This Oct. 24, 2006 photo provided by Mainframe Photographics, shows Michael J. Davidson, director of endovascular cardiac surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who died late Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, after being shot inside the hospital earlier that day. Police said Stephen Pasceri, 55, of ...

By Paul Chavez Witness list: Paula Patton, shown with estranged husband Robin Thicke in January 2014 in Beverly Hills, California, has been called to testify in his upcoming copyright infringement lawsuit Paula Patton has been called by her estranged husband Robin Thicke to testify in the Blurred Lines copyright infringement case lodged against him by the family of Marvin Gaye. Thicke, 37, was sued in 2013 by Gaye's family for allegedly stealing from the Gaye song Got To Give It up for the 2013 hit Blurred Lines that was co-created by Thicke and Pharrell Williams. Patton, 39, was listed as a witness in the federal case headed to trial, according to a report on Wednesday by TMZ . The couple split in February 2014 after nine years of marriage. They co-parent their four-year-old son Julian. The lawsuit also contained allegations that Thicke's hit song Love After War improperly used Gaye's song After The Dance. Patton was expected to tes...

  A Prescott Valley, Arizona police commander resigned earlier this month amid allegations that he stole drugs from a police evidence locker. Arthur Askew, a 20-year veteran of the department, resigned on Jan. 2, the same day he was placed on administrative leave with pay. His one-line resignation letter to the police chief read, "I am tendering my resignation from the Prescott Valley Police Department effective immediately." Askew was under investigation in the theft of prescription drugs from the department's evidence room, according to Sgt. Scott Stebbins, a spokesman with the department. The drugs had been voluntarily surrendered by people who wanted them safely destroyed, and they were stored in a special vault. In November, department personnel noticed that drugs were missing from the vault, which prompted Chief Bryan Jarrell to install a motion-activated still camera and a hidden surveillance camera in the drug vault. Police say Askew was p...

Shane Ladner was arrested June 12 and charged with four counts of misdemeanor theft by deception, as well as one count each of false swearing and making a false statement, both felonies under the law. Ladner posted his $23,100 bond about an hour after being booked in to the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center. A Cherokee County Grand Jury handed down a six-count indictment against a former Holly Springs Police officer accused of falsifying a military document in order to obtain a Purple Heart license plate from the state of Georgia, which, in turn, exempted him from paying the annual ad valorem tax on his vehicle. ...

BOSTON – The man who murdered a doctor and committed suicide inside Brigham and Women's Hospital on Tuesday was reportedly angry over his mother's death last November. Marguerite Pasceri Police have not publicly confirmed Stephen Pasceri's motive for shooting 44-year-old cardiac surgeon Dr. Michael J. Davidson twice, then turning the gun on himself. But his sister speculated about his reasons in an interview with The Boston Herald . An obituary for Marguerite Pasceri lists her surviving family members, including the gunman, who wrote it in loving and poetic language. Marguerite Pasceri, née Olofson, died on Nov. 15, 2014, "surrounded by the family she had loved so much in life," according to her obituary. She worked as an occupational therapist and formed a support group for survivors of head injuries. As a child, she moved with her family to Spencer. She met U.S. Army veteran Greg Pasceri at Clark University, and they married in 1958 an...

By Evan Bleier Lee Wachtstetter, who has been nicknamed Mama Lee, sold her five-bedroom Fort Lauderdale area home and moved aboard a luxury cruise ship after her husband died in 1997 After her husband died of cancer in 1997, a Florida woman decided to honour his wishes and live on the sea... permanently.  Lee Wachtstetter, 86, sold her five-bedroom Fort Lauderdale home and moved to a stateroom aboard a luxury cruise ship. The widow, who often cruised with her husband during their 50-year-marriage, lived on a Holland America Line ship until it discontinued its dance host program. She then moved on to the Crystal Serenity and has been living on the 1,070-passenger ship for almost seven years. Since setting saii, Mrs Wachtstetter has completed more than 200 cruises - including 15 round-the-world trips - taking in more than 100 countries. Some of the ship's 655 crew members took to calling her Mama Lee and the nickname has stuck....

By Shannon McMahon, Eric Levenson and David Stewart Dr. Michael Davidson, a cardiovascular surgeon who was shot twice on the second floor of Brigham and Women’s Hospital this morning, has died. The suspected shooter, Stephen Pasceri, died earlier of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Davidson, 44, of Wellesley, was shot at the hospital’s Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center. The incident began just after 11 a.m., when police say Pasceri came into the building asking for Davidson.  Police said they don’t know what the suspect’s motive was. “There’s something in the past that upset this guy to come in looking for this particular doctor,” Police Commissioner William Evans said at a press conference. The murderer who terrorized the hospital: Stephen D. Pasceri, of Millbury, in 2004 Davidson died after being treated for gunshots, Boston Police announced in a statement on their website: “Several witnesses... stated that the suspect enter...

BURBANK, Calif.  – A reality television star was killed after being struck by a train on Saturday. Greg Plitt was best known for his appearances on Bravo’s reality series ‘Work Out.’ A passenger on a train told KABC Plitt had a camcorder in his hand when he was hit. Police told People that a camera was seized as evidence, but it is not known if the camcorder was Plitt’s. In the past, Plitt has shot workout videos on train tracks. Bravo released a statement, saying, “This is a very sad tragedy. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy are with Greg’s family and friends.” Plitt was 37-years-old.

TLC's Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas and Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins. TLC is back, and they're asking fans to help them fund their newest and final album on Kickstarter. Most famous for singles including "Waterfalls," "No Scrubs," and "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," TLC has set its fundraising goal at $150,000 by February 15. At the time of publication, the group had raised more than $65,000. Not bad, considering the Kickstarter was launched on Sunday. According to the group's Kickstarter project, all the money raised will go toward funding the production and release of the new album. "The initial goal of $150,000 will go towards a writing session in the studio with a producer and engineer. The money beyond that will go to booking music producers, writing sessions, mixing sessions, recording sessions, and SO much more," according to TLC's Kickstarter page. TLC says it took to Kickstarter to retain crea...

A doctor was shot at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston on Tuesday and the shooter is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Boston Police said the victim was shot twice and has life-threatening injuries. A source said the victim is a male surgeon, but at this time, the hospital said it will not be releasing any information about him. The shooting occurred around 11 a.m. in the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at 75 Francis St., which was temporarily placed in lockdown. The rest of the hospital was not in lockdown and the hospital and police now say the situation is under control. "At this time, there's no threat out there. The area's secure," Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said at a press conference with hospital officials Tuesday afternoon. He said the first calls were received at 11:04 a.m. reporting a shooting at the hospital. Minutes later another caller reported that a doctor had been shot. He said the sho...

By Liz Kowalczyk , Felice Freyer, Evan Allen , John R. Ellement and Martin Finucane   January 20, 2015 A doctor suffered life-threatening injuries after being shot Tuesday morning at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and the suspect has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Boston police said. The incident happened at the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, which is across the street from the main entrance of the hospital, a Harvard teaching hospital often listed as one of the nation’s finest. Police Commissioner William B. Evans said the doctor is believed to have sustained two gunshot wounds. His colleagues rushed him to treatment at the hospital’s emergency room. The suspect was found in an examination room, with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. “There is no threat out there,” he said. “The area is secure. ... Right now we’re looking into the possible motive of it.” The Shapiro Center was locked down after t...

Amber Rose's outfits continuously make headlines, and her swimsuit on Saturday was no exception. The 31-year-old model set the Internet abuzz after she posted the racy photos to her Instagram account. Some say this is a one-piece, which probably makes it the tiniest one-piece ever:    And this isn't Rose's first time rocking barely-there swimsuits. The money-printed one she donned back in October was giving us Kim K vibes : #amberrose amber rose #instagram instagram boody bootie butt poses  amber rose shows her ass

Christopher Thorne Performed as DJ Big Dose and joined the station in 2012. By Tiffany Stevens   Christopher Thorne, a radio personality and promotions director at The Vibe (WVBE-FM, 100.1/97.7, 610 AM), was killed Friday in a vehicle collision in Panama, according to the station’s website. He was 45. Thorne, who also went by Nigel Christopher, hosted a midday show as “DJ Big Dose.” Born on May 29, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York, he became interested in radio after watching his cousins perform turntable tricks, according to his Facebook page. In ...

Federal authorities in San Diego have announced sweeping indictments against 60 members of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, accusing individuals ranging from its top leaders down to the operators of drug distribution cells in Southern California of conspiracy, drug trafficking and money laundering. The indictment unsealed Friday was just the latest for the cartel’s top boss, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, 67, who also has outstanding cases against him in Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago.  Zambada, who is wanted by the U.S. for a reward up to $5 million, is believed to have taken over the cartel’s leadership after last year’s capture of long-wanted drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The cases also targeted the up-and-coming leadership of the cartel, including two of Zambada’s sons -- Ismael Zambada-Sicairos, known as “Mayito Flaco,” and Ismael Zambada-Imperial, known as “Mayito Gordo” -- and Guzman’s son Ivan Archivaldo Guzman-Salazar, known as “Chapito.” All...

Police on Saturday were searching for a bike-riding assailant who shot a real estate magnate at close range as the man sat parked in his Rolls Royce in Hollywood. Kameron Segal, 48, was shot at least twice in the neck area at close range around 8:40 p.m. Friday while parked behind his business, William Holdings Inc., in the 7500 block of Sunset Boulevard, just west of North Gardner Street. He was taken to Cedars-Sinai hospital where he was reported in critical but stable condition Saturday. Police say there was no indication of robbery but haven’t disclosed a motive in the mysterious attack. “We are exploring all possibilities at this point,’’ said Jane Kim, a Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman. Authorities say the shooter -- described as a black man wearing dark clothing -- rode up on either a 10-speed or racing bicycle and attacked Segal before pedaling off. Police searched the Hollywood area but were unable to locate him. On his website, Segal is descr...