Convicted News

A woman convicted last month of hiring a hit man to kill her ex-husband in Aspen may have another day in court, as her defense attorney is facing questions as to whether he is, in fact, an attorney.

The movie Iron Man vanquished Speed Racer at the box office and Batman's The Dark Knight is coming. via South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“In April 2005, he coaxed the two girls to go down into the woods with him to their clubhouse, which is an old hog pen”

A Putnam County jury took only 50 minutes to convict a Monticello man Thursday afternoon on charges of molesting two girls, 9 and 10, in 2005, Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Chief Assistant District Attorney Stephen ... via Union-Recorder

A burning car in the Georgia woods found six years ago today led back to a Hoover home. via Wade on Birmingham

“Because of this verdict, you will be subject of much scrutiny”

In a case that became a real-life soap opera for millions of Americans, Scott Peterson was found guilty today of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Laci, who was eight months pregnant with their ... via Hampton Roads Daily Press

“I don't believe Mrs. Helmsley is charged in the indictment with being a bitch.”

Last week, arrangements for famed music producer Phil Spector's retrial began after a jury deadlocked on second-degree murder charges against him, renewing criticism that juries, in L.A. and beyond, don't ... via Los Angeles Times

“Book signings and comedy shows are not likely to net a low sentence for anyone”

He may be down, but he hasn't lost his sense of humor. Convicted felon Conrad Black, former owner of the Chicago Sun-Times, appeared recently in a self-deprecating 3-minute skit on a satirical Canadian TV program extolling the virtue of Canadian maple leaves and promoting his new biography of Richard Nixon. 'You can call me Connie,' Black tells viewers after a voice-over intones his long list of honors and titles, including the Order of Canada and Lord of Crossharbour.

Black, the press baron who was convicted in Chicago of corporate fraud in July and could face 20 years in prison, then proceeds to show viewers how to properly wax maple leaves, which he drolly calls 'an uplifting activity.' In an apparent spoof of domestic diva Martha Stewart, he uses his Nixon book and a biography he wrote of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to press a leaf. 'First, you acquire a newspaper - a single copy, not the publication or the whole chain - and you lay it flat,' says the former head of Hollinger International Inc. Appearing tan and well-rested, Black proceeds to iron the wax paper-and-leaf sandwich, warning viewers of the danger of a 'hot appliance,' which he then presses to his palm. 'Fortunately, I am impervious to pain,' he says. When he holds up the finished product, Black calls the leaf 'a great solace to everyone, and especially to those, who for complicated reasons, can't at first hand observe the changing of the seasons of this autumn in Canada.' U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve, who presided over Black's five-month trial in Chicago, refused his request to be allowed to return to Toronto pending his sentencing in late November. He is staying in his mansion in Palm Beach, Fla. Black, in an e-mail, said the video 'got a very wide and favorable response in Canada. We have to stop and have a laugh sometimes.' Michael Levine, Black's literary agent in Canada, said Black is committed to promoting the Nixon book for as long as possible. The book came out in Canada early this year and is set to debut this month in the United States. 'Obviously, circumstances have created enormous problems for him in what would normally be done to promote a book,' Levine said. 'He is attempting to carry on a certain portion of his life with the greatest possible degree of normalcy. Given the merits of the book, I'm glad he is. It would be a shame if the literary merits of the book were obliterated by other issues, which are extraneous.' Black has found another way to promote his book - the so-called long-distance pen. He will be holding a virtual book signing in a downtown Toronto book store with a computer linked to a robotic arm that will wield a pen in Canada as Black signs his name in Florida. Read more