Newser

When the Steubenville verdict came in, one of the two convicted teens said in the courtroom that his life was over, notes the New Yorker . Many of his critics would agree, using the conventional wisdom that sex offenders can't be rehabilitated. But at Salon , Irin Carmon makes the case that...

Peter Lanza has remained out of the spotlight since news of the Newtown shooting broke, but one victim's family tells CBS that they have privately met with him. Robbie and Alissa Parker, parents to 6-year-old Emilie , spent more than an hour with Lanza; in CBS' Norah O'Donnell's words, they believe...

Colorado is reeling in the fatal shooting of corrections head Tom Clements, and police are scrambling to come up with either suspect or motive. Fearing additional attacks, the state is ramping up security measures for Gov. John Hickenlooper, lawmakers, and other officials, the Denver Post reports. Police aren't sure why...

The Steubenville rape case is shocking, but should we really be surprised that none of the teens who witnessed the crime helped the victim? Two columnists today argue that modern culture, from social media to shows like Family Guy , contributed to just such a situation: This is basically a modern-day...

Talk to a Democrat about crime, and he or she is likely to try to change the subject. They're convinced that conservatives, "who want to fight crime by hurting people who commit it," have the upper hand, UCLA professor Mark Kleiman writes at the Democracy Journal . "On this theory, the...

David Ranta has been in prison since 1991 for the murder of a Brooklyn rabbi in a high-profile city slaying. Ranta is now packing up his cell, however, because prosecutors plan to ask a judge this week to set him free, reports the New York Times . No physical evidence tied...

Two 18-year-old high school football players in Connecticut stand accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, in a case that has disturbing echoes of Steubenville . Edgar Gonzalez and Joan Toribio are each charged with sexual assault and two other felonies; the investigation into both cases began Feb. 10, but it's...

Normally, a routine court appearance by a guy in the UK accused of possessing an illegal gun at an airport wouldn't become a buzzy little Internet story, but the guy's name happens to be Barton Simpson and the judge is identified as "Mr. Recorder Burns." Get it? “It’s a bizarre...

Tom Clements, the executive director of Colorado’s department of corrections, was shot dead last night—but the who and why remain a mystery. Clements was shot fatally in the chest as he answered the door of his home in Monument, Colo., reports NBC , but nobody else in the house was...

A 59-year-old defense contractor's 27-year-old girlfriend from China may have had some ulterior motives, federal authorities say. Benjamin Bishop, a lieutenant colonel in the US Army Reserve who works in intelligence at Pacific Command, has been charged with passing "national defense information regarding existing war plans, information regarding nuclear weapons,...

The University of Central Florida student believed to have plotted a campus massacre was found with a checklist that included getting drunk at a bar near campus and pulling a fire alarm to flush out students, authorities say. The final item on the list was "good luck & give them...

A 75-year-old Michigan woman has been found guilty of the second-degree murder of her teenage grandson last year. The jury rejected Sandra Layne's claim that she shot Jonathan Hoffman, 17, in self-defense. The teen was shot multiple times and jurors were played a harrowing 911 call in which he pleaded...

Three members of a Florida family of fortune tellers confessed this week that they weren't really communicating with Michael the Archangel and other divine spirits as they took in a staggering $25 million from customers, reports the Sun Suntinel . Their guilty pleas mean that eight of the nine family members...

The Supreme Court ruled today that textbooks and other goods made and sold abroad can be re-sold online and in discount stores without violating US copyright law. The outcome was a huge relief to eBay, Costco, and other businesses that trade in products made outside the US. In a 6-3...

Federal authorities have arrested Florida financier—and former Oregon Republican chairman—Craig Berkman for allegedly bilking investors out of millions in a scheme to sell fake Facebook shares. Ahead of Facebook's IPO, Berkman allegedly told investors that he had access to shares of the company, a complete fabrication that netted...

Bingo is serious stuff. Or so Austin Whaley likely now knows. The 18-year-old Kentuckian has been barred by a judge from uttering the word "bingo" for six months after he falsely did just that last month. As the Kentucky Enquirer explains, Whaley was working security at a Covington bingo hall...

A Virginia neighborhood is grappling with the "ultimate tragedy": the death of a 16-year-old boy killed by a homeowner when he accidentally entered the wrong house early Sunday—one just two doors down from his own. Caleb Gordley was grounded for not cleaning his room but sneaked out Saturday night...

Police say we may have James Oliver Seevakumaran's roommate to thank for averting his shooting spree . Just before Seevakumaran pulled his dorm fire alarm yesterday he pointed a gun at his roommate, who ran, hid in a bathroom, and dialed 911, authorities tell Fox News . University of Central Florida police...

His choice of attire left no doubt: Ohio school shooter TJ Lane showed up to his sentencing hearing today wearing a white T-shirt bearing what the AP describes as the apparently handwritten word "killer." Lane had in February pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated murder among other crimes, and...

The original 'voice of Elmo' accuser, Sheldon Stephens, has now officially sued Kevin Clash, alleging the former Sesame Street puppeteer lured him into a sexual relationship when he was underage. Stephens, who originally recanted his claims of sex abuse only to recant his recant amid reports that Clash had paid...