Gunman dressed as Santa Claus kills 3 at Christmas Eve party

Three people were killed, and three others were injured, when a man posing as Santa Claus starting shooting at a Christmas Eve party, then set the house ablaze before fleeing the scene.

It occurred around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 11-hundred block of E. Knollcrest Drive in Covina, CA.

Police say the lead suspect, 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, killed himself Thursday morning at a relative’s home in Sylmar.

Pardo allegedly was having some marital problems and it’s understood that his “ex” or members of her family may have been at the party.

Lt. Pat Buchanan from the Covina police described the crime scene as “extremely unusual and very shocking.” He went on to say, “It’s just not something we see here at any time of the year, especially during Christmas.”

Witnesses described to police how the man took off the Santa suit and left the scene in street clothes.

Lt. Buchanan said people at the party divulged Pardo’s name to police, but they had not seen him directly. According to Buchanan, police had yet to interview any family members from the home, and it was not yet known how many people were in attendance.

Not guilty plea from an award winning screen writer up on manslaughter charges

The Academy Award-winning screenwriter Roger Avary entered a plea of not guilty to felony charges of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol in a courthouse in Ventura California on Friday.

The accusations against Mr. Avary, 43, come after a Jan. 13 crash when his car struck a telephone pole in Ojai. Andreas Zini, 34, a passenger riding in his vehicle was killed in the crash and Mr. Avery’s wife, Gretchen, was treated for minor injuries.

Avary co-scribed the award winning “Pulp Fiction” along with director Quentin Tarantino.

Too soon to tell if remains found near Orlando are those of mission toddler Caylee Anthony

The remains of a small child were discovered on Thursday in woods less than a half-mile from the Orlando home of a missing 3-year-old girl, however officials are not ready to say whether they belonged to the toddler.

According to Orange County Sheriff’s spokesperson Jim Solomons, a utility worker located the body in the outskirts of the middle-class suburb about 9:30 a.m. He went on to say that there was nothing that immediately indicated the remains belonged to Caylee Anthony.

Caylee’s mother, 22-year-old Casey Anthony, still claims that she left the girl with a baby sitter in June, but she failed to report her missing for almost a month. Anthony has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with her daughter’s death.

According to Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman Angelo Nieves, officers told Caylee’s grandparents about the find, but chose not to discuss whether the remains were Caylee’s.

“It would be premature to speculate,” Nieves said. “We’re not going to release any more information at this time. We don’t want to compromise the investigation.”

The FBI and forensic units were at work on the scene, which is located at the edge of the Anthonys’ neighborhood about 10 miles southeast of downtown Orlando.

Nevada judge sentences OJ Simpson to a minimum of 9 years in prison

O.J. Simpson has been sentenced to serve a minimum of nine years in prison by a Nevada judge on Friday.

Simpson, now 61-years-old, has a potential to serve a maximum sentence of 33 years, but will be eligible for parole after serving only nine.

The ex-NFL star was found guilty on 12 charges which included conspiracy and assault with a deadly weapon in October for his participation in the September 2007 robbery and kidnapping of two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint.

Clark County District Judge Jackie Glass read the sentence to Simpson, who arrived in court wearing a dark blue prison jumpsuit and wrist restraints.

“At a bail hearing, I said to Mr. Simpson that I didn’t know if he was arrogant, ignorant, or both,” Glass said. “During the trail I got my answer, and it was both.”

Simpson, was accused of entering a Las Vegas hotel room on September 13, 2007 along with five other men and robbing the memorabilia dealers Simpson said had stolen from him.

He told Glass that he often saw his stolen memorabilia show up in different places, including on the Internet, and he only was trying to get those items back.

“I wasn’t there to hurt anybody, I just wanted my personal things,” said Simpson before Glass gave him his sentence. “And I realize I was stupid and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to steal anything from anybody and I didn’t know I was doing anything illegal.

“I thought I was confronting friends and retrieving my property. I’m sorry, sorry for all of it. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody and didn’t mean to steal from anybody.”

Clarence “C.J.” Stewart, Simpson’s co-defendant, was convicted of the same charges as well, and also received a sentence of a minimum of nine years. Both men had pleaded not guilty to all charges, including conspiracy, coercion and assault with a deadly weapon.

Former Detroit Lion arrested for DUI and hit-and-run

Former Detroit Lion’s 1st round draft pick Reggie Rogers has been arrested and charged with drunken driving and hit-and-run in response to a collision on Interstate 5 in Tukwila, Wash.

The 44-year-old Federal Way, Wash., resident is awaiting arraignment on Wednesday in King County District Court in Seattle.

This is the fifth DUI arrest in Washington for Rogers, who was responsible for killing three teens in a DUI crash two decades ago in Michigan while signed on with the Lions.

Court documents state that Rogers was belligerent with state troopers and called one “Coach James”, the name of his former University of Washington coach Don James. Rogers fell asleep on the way to the Tukwila Police Department where he refused to take a breath test.

Hells Angels’ defense attorney claims self-defense

A defense attorney defending two Hells Angels currently on trial in Sioux Falls wants to show during cross-examination that multiple Outlaws biker fired a gun during a shootout.

Chad Wilson and John Midmore are charged with attempted murder after wonding five members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club in 2006 in a gun fight at Custer State Park.

According to the prosecutors Wilson and Midmore waited for the Outlaws, then Wilson got out of his pickup truck and started shooting at the rival group.

The Hells Angels defense attorney is questioning officers why a .45-caliber handgun that had been fired was found on the motorcycle of another one of the Outlaws who was shot.

He says the Outlaws fired first and his clients only fired back in self-defense.

Salt-lake City Doctor guilty of trading prescriptions for sex

A Payson, Utah doctor pleaded guilty Tuesday to giving two female patients prescriptions in return for sex. After several months of talks between attorneys, Max Kent Cannon, 49, agreed to plead guilty to two counts of distributing a controlled substance which is a third-degree felony, and two counts of prostitution, a misdemeanor. As part of the plea deal, eight additional counts of the same charges were dismissed.

As part of the agreement, the prosecution is recommending probation, said Cannon’s attorney Earl Xaiz. However, they could still recommend jail time as a condition of probation.

“I do not view the women involved as victims and I don’t think the system should either,” Xaiz said. “They were trading sex for drugs and he was trading drugs for sex.”

According to his attorney, Cannon, a former general physician, had his license frozen after the charges were made.

Utah man pleads guilty to having knowledge of possession of a toxin

A Utah man is due to report to court on Wednesday for sentencing after admitting to having knowledge of his cousin’s possession of a deadly poison.

54 year-old Thomas Tholen pleaded guilty Aug. 11 to failing to report a crime.

The charge carries a possible 3-year prison sentence, however the lead prosecutor has recommended three years of probation in exchange for Tholen’s cooperation.

Roger Bergendorff, 57, pleaded guilty Aug. 4 to possessing a biological toxin and is expected to get three years and a month in federal prison on Nov. 3.

Alabama woman sentenced to 10 years on drug charges

A Slocomb, AL woman recently pleaded guilty to the manufacture of methamphetamine at her home.

The Geneva County District Attorney said Patsy Barron, 41, pleaded guilty to unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Court officials said Barron was on parole at the time of her June 16, 2008 drug arrest for property theft. Barron was previously convicted of stealing more than $20,000 from the city of Slocomb while she worked as a city employee.

Barron will serve the five year sentence on the theft conviction after her parole was revoked, and was sentenced last week to serve an additional 10 years in prison for the drug charges.

Dallas police seek assailant in fatal shooting

Dallas police have issued a warrant for a 19-year-old suspect for a fatal shooting which happened on Monday.

According to police, Alberto Deleon is wanted in the death of Ray Villasenor, 18. Mr. Villasenor was shot on the evening of Oct. 13 during an argument following a car accident in near South Beacon Street, police said. A second person was also wounded in the shooting, police said.

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