Court upholds conviction in Iowa coach's death
Court Alerts
An appeals court has upheld the first-degree murder conviction of a mentally ill man who shot his former football coach in the school's weight room.
Mark Becker had argued that he was legally insane when he shot Aplington-Parkersburg High School Coach Ed Thomas in June 2009. A jury found Becker guilty and rejected his insanity defense.
Doctors testified at the trial that Becker is a paranoid schizophrenic but they disagreed over whether he knew right from wrong when he shot Thomas.
Becker's lawyers argued that jurors were given incorrect instructions about the legal definition of insanity.
The Iowa Court of Appeals on Thursday agreed one instruction was incorrect but said jurors were given another instruction that correctly defined insanity. Taken together, the court says jurors were properly instructed.
Related listings
-
Court tosses Sivak's death sentence
Court Alerts 09/08/2011The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed the death sentence of an Idaho man convicted of brutally slaying a former coworker because the state allowed a jailhouse informant to lie on the witness stand. Lacey Mark Sivak was sentenced to death...
-
US Space Scientist Pleads Guilty To Attempted Espionage
Court Alerts 09/07/2011U.S. government space scientist Stewart David Nozette has pleaded guilty to one count of attempted espionage for trying to sell classified information to an FBI agent posing as an Israeli intelligence officer, the Associated Press reported Sept. 7. T...
-
Citigroup ex-VP pleads guilty to embezzling $22M
Court Alerts 09/07/2011A former Citigroup vice president in New York City has admitted to embezzling more than $22 million from the bank for his personal use. Gary Foster pleaded guilty to bank fraud charges in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday. The New York Post says that...
New York Commercial Litigation Law Firm - Woods Lonergan PLLC
Founded in 1993 by Managing Partner James F. Woods, Woods Lonergan PLLC has built a strong reputation as a resourceful and industrious firm that provides clients with clear, concise, and straightforward answers to their most challenging legal issues. Partner Lawrence R. Lonergan, who joined the firm in 2008, has been a friend and colleague to Mr. Woods for over 40 years and shares the same business philosophy. Woods Lonergan PLLC’s collective experience and expertise enables the firm to expeditiously and effectively analyze the increasing challenges clients face in an evolving business and legal world, in many instances, avoiding unnecessary time and expense to our clients. Our mission is simple: provide cutting-edge expertise and sound advice in select areas of the law for corporate and business clients. We thrive on providing each client with personalized attention, forceful representation, and a collaborative team effort that embraces collective knowledge.