Sunday school teacher indicted in CA girl's death

Sunday school teaching psychopath was formally charged and IT'S about time!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090818/ap_on_re_us/us_girl_in_suitcase

STOCKTON, Calif. – A San Joaquin County grand jury has indicted a Sunday school teacher on charges she kidnapped, raped and killed an 8-year-old girl and drugged two other people.

Melissa Huckaby broke down in tears Monday as Superior Court Judge Linda Lofthus read the indictment against her. The reading came after prosecutors convened a grand jury last month to determine whether Huckaby would stand trial.

Lofthus said the grand jury transcript would remain sealed. No trial date has been set.

Huckaby, 28, is accused of killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, a playmate of Huckaby's young daughter. Sandra went missing in March in Tracy, her hometown in Northern California. A massive search for her ended 10 days later when her body was found stuffed in a black suitcase pulled from an irrigation pond a few miles from the mobile home park where she lived.

Defense attorney Sam Behar asked Lofthus to delay setting a trial date, saying he has not read the indictment or lengthy transcript because he's in the middle of another trial.

But Deputy District Attorney Thomas Testa said he delivered a copy of the indictment to Behar's office earlier this month. "He's had a lot of time to read this indictment," Testa told Lofthus.

The judge then proceeded to read the indictment charges to a weeping Huckaby, who appeared in court with two fresh scratches above her right eyebrow. Neither Behar nor Testa would comment on the nature of Huckaby's injuries after Monday's hearing. A gag order barring attorneys, investigators and potential witnesses from commenting on the case remains in effect.

Huckaby in June pleaded not guilty to killing Sandra as well as to charges that she previously had drugged a 7-year-old girl and a 37-year-old man, whom police believe she had been dating. The girl and Huckaby lived in the same mobile park.

Huckaby is charged with two counts of furnishing someone a harmful substance and one count of child endangerment in the drugging cases.

In the case involving Sandra Cantu, Huckaby is charged with murder with the special circumstances of rape, kidnapping and lewd or lascivious conduct with a child under 14, which could make her eligible for the death penalty if convicted. Sandra was last seen on a surveillance camera skipping near her home just five doors down from the defendant.

On Monday, Huckaby entered the courtroom smiling, but her demeanor became tearful and somber as the indictment was read and debate on her next court appearance ensued.

Testa said the district attorney's office is treating the case as if it will be a death penalty case, but no decision is expected for at least two months.

Prosecutors convened a grand jury instead of holding a preliminary hearing in the case to ensure a speedy trial and avoid a possible change of venue. Testa also told Lofthus he wants a speedy trial because the case involves minors and should be made a priority.

Lofthus countered that it would be premature to set a trial within 30 days because Behar had not seen the indictment or the voluminous grand jury testimony.

"We need to do the case one time, and we need to have the case done right," the judge said. "The defense needs time to prepare."

Lofthus then scheduled a Sept. 10 hearing to discuss possible trial dates. Huckaby remains in the San Joaquin County Jail without bail.

People like this sicko needs to be held up so other people will relaize what is being programmed into fundies.

TFR

LBGT Kissing Scandal

A group of LBGT community are not going to be prosecuted for kissing in UTAH.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090729/ap_on_re_us/us_mormon_church_gays

SALT LAKE CITY – The Salt Lake City prosecutor's office says it will not pursue charges against two men who were cited for trespassing on a Mormon church-owned downtown plaza earlier this month after sharing a kiss.

Prosecutor Sim Gill says in a statement there is reason to believe that although the property is private, Matt Aune and his partner, Derek Jones, did not think they could legally be ejected from the plaza because it is perceived to be open to the public.

Aune and Jones have said they were targeted because they are gay. The July 9 incident has prompted two mass kissing demonstrations at the plaza.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has disputed Aune's and Jones' version of the events, saying their behavior was lewd and more was involved than a "simple kiss of the cheek."

The Mormon church who were directly tied to prop 8 in California and are being investigated for it have tired to prevent LBGT Community members from marriage. They quickly found out that when you try to push religion on others that people push back and now they are whining like the sorry pathetic criminals who got caught in the commission of a crime and want it all to go away.

Religious groups need to carefully consider when they choose to interfere with civil rights of anotehr they will get called on it and hopefully they will have learned that they should stay out of pushing their beliefs on people who don't want it nor need it.

These fools and others like them need to keep their personal relationships with the deity of the day to themselves and remain quiet since they have a tendency to force their beliefs on others and then find out they can't even back up their own beliefs when they are scrutinized.

The best thing for them to do is to shut up and stay out of other peoples lives. If they want to preach do it in church and not publicly since they can't even get their own religion to make sense let alone convince anyone with a brain that it does.

TFR

Wisconsin Religious Nut Convicted

A Wisconsin man was convicted for failing to take his very ill daughter to a hospital or seek proper medical care and relied upon prayer to cure her condition.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090802/ap_on_re_us/us_prayer_death

The foolish practice of reliance on prayer alone to cure a person should result in a verdict like this, in fact they should have given the fool a stiffer penalty and put him away for good.

WAUSAU, Wis. – A central Wisconsin man accused of killing his 11-year-old daughter by praying instead of seeking medical care was found guilty Saturday of second-degree reckless homicide.

Dale Neumann, 47, was convicted in the March 23, 2008, death of his daughter, Madeline, from undiagnosed diabetes. Prosecutors contended he should have rushed the girl to a hospital because she couldn't walk, talk, eat or drink. Instead, Madeline died on the floor of the family's rural Weston home as people surrounded her and prayed. Someone called 911 when she stopped breathing.

Sitting straight in his chair, Neumann stared at the jury as the verdict in a nearly empty courtroom was read. He declined comment as he left the courthouse.

Defense attorney Jay Kronenwetter said the verdict would be appealed. He declined further comment.

Prosecutors also declined comment, citing a gag order.

Leilani Neumann, 41, was convicted on the same charge in the spring. Marathon County Circuit Judge Vincent Howard set Oct. 6 for sentencing for both parents, who face up to 25 years in prison.

Their case is believed to be the first in Wisconsin involving faith healing in which someone died and another person was charged with a homicide.

Last month, an Oregon jury convicted a man of misdemeanor criminal mistreatment for relying on prayer instead of seeking medical care for his 15-month-old daughter who died of pneumonia and a blood infection in March 2008. Both of the girl's parents were acquitted of a more serious manslaughter charge.

Neumann's jury — six men and six women — deliberated about 15 hours over two days before convicting him. At one point, jurors asked the judge whether Neumann's belief in faith healing made him "not liable" for not taking his daughter to the hospital even if he knew she wasn't feeling well.

Neumann, who once studied to be a Pentecostal minister, testified Thursday that he believed God would heal his daughter and he never expected her to die. God promises in the Bible to heal, he said.

"If I go to the doctor, I am putting the doctor before God," Neumann testified. "I am not believing what he said he would do."

The father testified that he thought Madeline had the flu or a fever, and several relatives and family friends said they also did not realize how sick she was.

Assistant District Attorney LaMont Jacobson told jurors in closing arguments Friday that Neumann was "overwhelmed by pride" in his interpretation of the Bible and selfishly let Madeline die as a test of faith.

Neumann knew he should have taken his daughter to a doctor and minimized her illness when speaking with investigators, Jacobson said, calling Neumann no different than a drunken driver who remarks he only had a couple of beers.

Doctors testified that Madeline would have had a good chance of survival if she had received medical care, including insulin and fluids, before she stopped breathing.

Kronenwetter told the jury that Neumann sincerely believed praying would heal his daughter and he did nothing criminally wrong.

"Dale Neumann was doing what he thought would work for his daughter," Kronenwetter said. "He was administering faith healing. He thought it was working."

A simple hospital visit could have prevented the girl's death and this nut job should now realize that his prayers didn't and couldn't work. Maybe now he can pray for the whole event leading to his conviction to be washed away too and see how well that works for him.

This should be a wake up call to the others like this whacko to realize that if he wants to pray then at least use common sense to take the person to a doctor in addition to prayer and stop this ridiculous practice which harms and kills people.

The more I read of stories like this the more convinced that people like this guy needs serious mental help and should be put away to keep them form killing another child that unfortunately they continue to breed only to allow to die for their stupid beliefs. If they really believed in the child's well being they only needed to take her to a doctor and then she would still be alive, he should have been committed but the child would be alive and away from that fanatic.

TFR

An Update

During this month (August) I am going to be quite busy and not have the usual time I devote to managing this blog. I will basically get to it when time permits but will continue to post responses that address the topics here and not post those comments that simply make vulgar and profane accusations and have nothing to add to the discussions.

For example I just posted a comment relating to Sarah Palin from an unknown person who did give little but relevant responses to the topic. This poster offered that 60% felt a certain way. The poster will of course need to back that up with solid secular data to continue but I am willing to give them a chance to comment since they did follow the rules at least in part.

Now the responses that don't get published are simply nasty little threats and name calling for which I give little notice of except to mention as example of what not to do if anyone expects to see their post published here.

So responses to topics with solid information in support add to the discussion while nasty vulgar don't and won't be appearing.

TFR

A Devoted Fan has Appeared

It is humorous to have such a devoted fan that devotes so much time to sending posts filled with off color remarks that prevents publishing their responses.

The same posts from this individual does not address the issues of the blog entries but simply attacks me personally continually and repeatedly, ignoring completely any instructions that would result in their publication if any of it were related to the topic.

Here are a couple of examples:

Complaining about the subject matter and demanding it be removed;

Admitting to making threats and then expecting it to result in publication;

Complaints about my unwillingness to publish profanity;

Having rules that the response relate to the topic and not allow rants having nothing to do with the posts;

The list goes on with same poster using multiple names for reasons known only to them;

The same poster first takes portions out of context and then argues that the edited portion requires clarification as a stand alone unconnected comment, then continuing to demand that responses to inane questions be answered without giving any citations or references they have snipped the portion from. If it were from my posts that would make it easier to locate and respond but they are cut and pasted from other websites and articles without links and offer nothing to allow me or anyone else to review the original material to fully understand the intent and theme so that a proper response can be given. Next posting the same post numerous times as if that will cause it to be published by just repetition alone!

All in all it does prove an interesting exercise in trying to figure out if the poster is simply playing games or is seriously lacking in the mental faculties necessary to put forth coherent commentary and has delusions they have somehow fully communicated their ideas and intent sufficiently to warrant either reading and/or publication and further action in the form of a response or even the effort to continue in allowing them beyond the first problematic inquiry.

More on this later
TFR

Striking a Nerve

From the recent amount of responses to my blog mostly from those who seem to have very limited vocabularies and to draw mainly from vulgar expressions will not result in publishing of said offerings.

Those who have actually put forth comments that refrain from using gutter speech AND address the issue of the particular post will find their responses being published. As time permits, I am responding as well in an effort for the discussion to grow and perhaps over the course of the post's life we will all come away with a better understanding of the subject.

I do find that some responses are simply just derogatory in nature which is so typical to anyone like me who bothers to put out any material which exposes the fundamentalist and evangelical ideology and detail out their agenda. The problem for those folks is that they are indeed upset that they can't force their ideology upon thinking people and that they become so angry at the fact that after years of discussing and posting on these subject that they, the fundie community have such objection to anyone taking the time to even write about them in the first place. let alone speak truthfully about them. Their major objections are being made to realize and recognize their faults!

So remember if you choose to comment avoid the vulgar expressions and keep to the topic or you will find your comments are not going to appear. Address the issues and not engage in simply attacking the author of this blog since that doesn't serve to accomplish anything to further your position and will only result in a waste of time.

TFR