DRAPER, Utah — A Utah man set to be executed by firing squad said Thursday he is remorseful and wants a state parole board to spare his life so he can help troubled kids avoid the kind of problems that landed him on death row.
Ronnie Lee Gardner told the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole he and his brother are trying to develop 160 acres in northern Utah for an organic farm and residential program for children. He said he’s earned about $1,300 selling prison artwork and crafts — handmade baby booties and handkerchiefs — to start the project. He even tried to enlist Oprah Winfrey in the cause two years ago.
Gardner, 49, said he had been working quietly on his idea for the “Back to Basics” program for about 10 years. He said he is a changed person and wants to help prevent kids from traveling down a path to violence and criminal activity.
Illinois: Blagojevich made deal for Obama seat, aide says
A former Illinois government insider testified Thursday that then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich told him two years ago of an alleged deal under which a lawmaker would stop passage of an ethics bill if Blagojevich would appoint him to Barack Obama’s Senate seat. Alonzo Monk, who was Blagojevich’s chief of staff for three years, said the governor was eager to stop the bill, which would have sharply limited his ability to raise campaign funds. Monk testified at Blagojevich’s corruption trial that the governor told him in 2008 that state Senate President Emil Jones of Chicago had agreed to block the bill.
Alabama: Van der Sloot admitted lying, affidavit says
A newly unsealed FBI affidavit says the Dutch man suspected in the disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway admitted he lied to her family about where her body was buried on the island of Aruba. The affidavit unsealed Thursday says Joran van der Sloot wanted $250,000 — and a signed contract — in return for showing her family where the remains were buried and the circumstances of her death. Van der Sloot, charged with extortion in Alabama, is also being held in Peru in the strangling death of a 21-year-old woman.
Virginia: Accused pirates didn’t rob ship, lawyers claim
Attorneys for six Somali nationals say piracy charges should be dismissed because the defendants did not take over or rob the U.S. Navy ship they are accused of attacking. The defendants are being held for trial in Norfolk on charges related to an April 10 attack on the USS Ashland. The motion cites an 1820 court case that defines piracy as the seizing and robbing of a vessel at sea. The attorneys wrote that the charges should be dismissed because the men did not board the ship and did not take anything valuable from it.
Texas: Police chief near border faces drug charges
The police chief of a small Texas town near the Mexican border faces federal charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and possession of marijuana. The indictment unsealed Thursday charges Sullivan City Police Chief Hernan Guerra with one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms and four counts of possession with intent to distribute between 100 kilograms and 1,000 kilograms of marijuana.
Taiwan: Chen Shui-bian’s sentence cut to 20 years
TV stations in Taiwan say the island’s High Court has rejected former President Chen Shui-bian’s appeal of his conviction on graft charges, but cut his life sentence to 20 years. Chen, 59, was found guilty in September 2009 by the Taipei District Court of embezzling $3.15 million from a special presidential fund, receiving bribes worth at least $9 million, and laundering some of the money through Swiss bank accounts. He has been incarcerated in a suburban Taipei jail for the past 17 months. Following todday’s decision, Chen has the right to appeal to the Council of Grand Justices.
El Salvador: Angry clowns decry robbery by imposters
About 100 professional clowns who make money by performing on public buses marched through Salvadoran capital of San Salvador Thursday to protest the killing of a passenger by two imposter clowns. On Monday, a man was shot five times in the face and stomach when he declined to give money to two assailants dressed as clowns who boarded a public bus. No one has been arrested.
From Herald news services
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