News Briefs
March 11, 1996
Web posted: 11:55 p.m. ESTDefense subpoenas released in Oklahoma bombing case
DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- A series of defense subpoenas in the Oklahoma City bombing case were unsealed and opened to the public Monday.
The subpoenas, all filed before the change-of-venue hearing in Oklahoma City, included requests for information on the injuries suffered by courthouse personnel, sales of memorial books and recordings, and information on Oklahoma residents seeking mental health treatment after the bombing.
Also included was a subpoena for bombing suspect Timothy McVeigh's complete military records. None of the records themselves were released.
McVeigh and Terry Nichols will go on trial in federal court in Denver near the end of this year. They could face the death penalty if convicted in the April 19 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that killed 168 people.
Waldholtz blames husband for campaign finance violations
WASHINGTON (AP) -- An audit of Rep. Enid Waldholtz's past campaign finance reports found a jumble of illegal contributions, "ghost contributors," and embezzled money, she told federal officials Monday.
Waldholtz, who is not seeking re-election to a second term, blamed her estranged husband, Joe, for 858 finance violations in her 1994 campaign and her abandoned 1996 bid for office. Records from her unsuccessful 1992 campaign remain to be untangled.
In a 3-inch-thick complaint to the Federal Election Commission, the Utah Republican alleged that Joseph Waldholtz had obtained money from her father under false pretenses, used it to make illegal contributions to her campaign, invented "ghost contributors," and embezzled money from the campaign while he was treasurer.
Mrs. Waldholtz, 37, filed for divorce in November after her 32-year-old husband vanished for six days. He later turned himself in to federal authorities who were seeking him on a material-witness arrest warrant.
Fifth day of jury deliberations in Menendez retrial
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The jury in the Menendez double murder retrial deliberated for a fifth day Monday without reaching a verdict. The jury reconvened after a two-day break caused by a juror's illness.
Attorneys were in court again Monday morning for a closed-door hearing, possibly to make plans for a penalty phase. If either defendant is found guilty of first-degree murder plus the special circumstance of multiple murders or lying in wait, the jury will hear further evidence and determine whether or not the death penalty should be imposed.
Defense Attorney Leslie Abramson said a penalty phase could last two to three months.
This is the second trial of the Menendez brothers, who admitted shotgunning their wealthy parents to death on August 20, 1989. They maintain they killed their parents out of fear for their own lives after years of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.
The prosecution contends they were greedy and feared they were cut out of their parent's will. Their first trial, heard by two juries, ended in deadlocks in January 1994.
Government OKs benefits to girl conceived after dad's death
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- In a case of bureaucracy catching up to science, a 4 1/2-year-old girl who was conceived through artificial insemination after her father's death was awarded Social Security survivor benefits Monday.
Social Security Commissioner Shirley Chater agreed to $700 a month for Judith Hart, averting a federal court battle against the little girl's mother, Nancy Hart of suburban Slidell.
It was believed to be only the second time that survivor benefits had been granted to a child conceived artificially after the father's death.
The Social Security Administration had fought Mrs. Hart's claim at first, saying that the agency is bound by state law. And in Louisiana, a child conceived after his or her father's death is not recognized as his heir.
Amtrak train derails in Florida; no one injured
PENSACOLA, Florida (CNN) -- An Amtrak passenger train derailed Monday morning in northwest Florida, but no one was injured and none of the cars overturned, according to Amtrak spokeswoman Marci Larson.
Three cars of an Amtrak Sunset Limited train carrying 130 passengers and 20 crew members came off the tracks at 4:45 a.m. EST about 10 miles east of Pensacola, Larson said. The train was en route from Miami to Los Angeles.
The passengers were being taken by bus to Pensacola, where they will continue their trip on another Sunset Limited whose eastbound route from Los Angeles was blocked by the derailment. The 179 passengers from that train will finish their trip by bus through Jacksonville to Miami.
Subway cars collide in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Two subway cars collided underground Monday morning during Philadelphia's rush hour, resulting in minor injuries to some 20 people. Rescue workers at the scene reported that no one received serious injuries.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority spokesman Ron Patton said the two cars from the Green Line collided around 8 a.m. EST in an area where several tracks converge. He said it was not immediately clear if the cars were on separate tracks.
Work crews siphon propane from derailed cars
WEYAUWEGA, Wisconsin (CNN) -- Work crews siphoned propane from derailed tanker cars, drained it into a dirt-walled pit and burned it off Monday in this central Wisconsin town. The move was designed to cut the risk of a massive explosion and get people back in their homes sooner.
The 1,700 residents of the town have been kept out of their homes for a full week -- except for a brief trip to retrieve pets -- because of the threat of an explosion.
Work crews pumped and burned propane Monday from three of the 14 cars that derailed on March 4. Sunday, propane was successfully pumped and burned from one other tank car. Railroad officials had said the danger of an explosion could last two more weeks without action.
- Residents evacuated after tanker explodes
- Town's residents still can't go home
- Pet rescue under way in evacuated town
Motorcycle daredevil killed in stunt
LAS VEGAS (CNN) -- A veteran motorcycle stunt rider crashed to his death in front of thousands of stunned spectators Sunday as he attempted to break a world record.
Butch Laswell, 37, easily soared over a 38-foot tall bridge. But when he descended, he missed his landing ramp and slammed into the pavement. Cross winds may have played a part in the crash.
Laswell had completed more than 5,000 jumps in 20 years of stunt jumping and had a "100 percent safety record," said a statement from the Oasis Resort, the site of the stunt in Mesquite, Nevada.
The daredevil was to soar 120 feet before landing on a 27-foot-tall landing ramp. If successful, Laswell would have made the Guinness Book of Records for the longest ramp-to-ramp high jump.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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