Charles' Crime / Punishment Blog

A 28-year-old Texas man has been convicted of killing his 19-year-old girlfriend, dismembering her body and burning her remains on two outdoor grills on his patio. Timothy Wayne Shepherd was found guilty of the murder of Texas A&M freshman Tynesha Stewart in March 2007.

The jury deliberated for four hours before returning its verdict. Read more...

A Kansas City jury deliberated for about three hours before returning a guilty verdict in the first-degree murder trial in the "Precious Doe" case. Harrell Johnson, 29, was charged with the death and the decapitation of three-year-old Erica Green, the daughter of his then girlfriend who he married a year later.

Johnson was also convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and abuse of a child. Read more...

One of the 1998 Jonesboro, Arkansas, middle school shooters has entered a guilty plea to theft and marijuana possession, admitting the theft of a disabled man's debit card at a gas station where he worked. Mitchell Johnson, 24, entered his plea to the Feb. 3 theft before a circuit judge this week.

Sentencing for Mitchell is planned for Nov. 14 in Benton County. Read more...

The mother of the 3-year-old girl, who was known as "Precious Doe" as her headless body went unidentified for almost four years, testified this week in the murder trial of her husband. Michelle Johnson told the jury that Harrell Johnson was on drugs when kicked her daughter in the head and the child dropped to the floor unconscious.

Prosecutors claim the child's life could have been saved if medical attention was sought. Read more...

The woman who talked accused Atlanta Courthouse killer Brian Nichols into surrendering to police testified at his trial that she appealed to his religious beliefs while she was held captive by him in her apartment. Authorities credited Ashley Smith Robinson's treatment of Nichols during her seven-hour ordeal with ending his deadly rampage.

"I said whatever was necessary to get on his good side, I guess," she told the jury. Read more...

Two states, Louisian and Oregon, have laws that allow offenders of some crimes to be convicted with less than unanimous jury verdicts. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld those laws Monday when the court refused to hear the appeal of convicted Louisiana serial killer Derrick Todd Lee.

The court also turned down an appeal for Lee in a another murder conviction. Read more...

A new law in Rhode Island requires that all public middle and high schools teach students about the signs and dangers of dating violence in their health classes. The law is named the Lindsay Ann Burke Act after a 23-year-old who died as a result of being involved in an abusive relationship.

Texas is the only other state that has a similar law on the books. Read more...

The FBI has increased the reward for information leading to the capture of most-wanted fugitive James J. "Whitey" Bulger to $2 million. One of Boston's most notorious organized crime leaders, Bulger has been on the run from the law since 1994. He disappeared after being indicted for 19 murders. He led the "Winter Hill Gang" in South Boston during the 1970s and 1980s.

More Information:

• Profile of James "Whitey" Bulger
  
• Book Profiles Killer James Whitey Bulger
  
• Bulger FBI Wanted Poster

^{Photo: FBI}

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Exactly 13 years after he was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in Los Angeles, O.J. Simpson was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping of two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas casino hotel room. Simpson was immediately taken into custody.

When sentenced on December 5, Simpson could face life in prison. Read more...