life, it means 4ever and that's a mighty long time

Could MD's death penalty be abolished next year?

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Baltimorean Brian Nichols was spared the death penalty, but a federal death penalty pursuit may still be a possibility

A man survived being shot at Washington & Lafayette Sts. last night.

The feds are now involved in the manhunt for suspected serial rapist Michael Johnson, who's still on the lam in a Chevy Cobalt.

At Goucher College, "it's the sort of campus where everyone is friends, and now there are accused rapists among them .. a disturbing e-mail from the school's president says that insiders are raping their peers." Said a student, "Last night, there were like three Baltimore County Police here, and public safety was like all going crazy."

A Hopkins undergrad was punched for no apparent reason while walking past Blimpie's

Page Croyder blogs about "the drug addiction sham".
and QTD, re. the Ken Harris murderers: "I get tired of reading generalized sentences like Hermann’s, or articles that describe criminals who 'slipped through' the system or the cracks before they commit a truly heinous crime. In order to slip through there first must be an effort to catch them."

You should laugh too if it happens to you

So Dixon is outraged at that video of girls laughing as a man is shot. But any girl who has ever had to play cute to get out of a scary situation will immediately recognize that the "laugher" is a hero-- she did exactly the right thing to save the life or her and her friend!

If "L" had fled or protested or stared at the shooters or looked too interested she might have been killed. But what she did was actually quite smart and her body language tells the story. At first, as the incident begins to go down, she sees what's happening and quickly moves towards the door and her friend. You can see the fear on her face and her shocked expression. Then she realizes they can't get out. She smiles, not towards her friend but towards the shooters, to communicate she's no threat.
She smiles to project "we're giggly girls in our own world, we're not concerned about you," and as soon as she and her friend could safely escape, they do.

That girl is a model. If you're ever in a life-threatening situation like that, you do what you need to get out alive!

Poor Suge, so snitched upon

Nine shootings this week, including two 15-year-old boys, mapped by spotcrime

Police and the FBI raided what JZ's calling a "Crips gang house" at 225 S. Hilton Street this morning

The State's Attorney's Office reports that at a hearing today, Judge John N. Prevas sentenced Anthony White, 24, of the 200 block of S. Smallwood St. to 50 years in prison suspending all but 25 years. White pled guilty October 22, 2008 to second-degree murder in connection to the May 15, 2007 shooting death of Deandre Salmond. Salmond was found shot to death in the 500 block of S. Smallwood St. Last week Judge Prevas sentenced White’s cousin, Patrick Wilkes, to 100 years in prison suspending all but 60 years for the above murder and two separate murders.

Skinny "I hope you catch AIDS in your mouth and your lips the first thing that die" Suge was snitched upon once again, an informant ratted out his illicit prison cell phone.

Laugh so you don't cry?

Luke Broadwater somehow got that video of girls laughing as a man is shot, now it's hit YouTube and will no doubt soon show up on one of those Nancy Grace-ish cable tv shows. It is kind of weird.. why do you think the girls are laughing?

Four defendants were convicted in federal court this week under RICO, prosecutors say Bo, Rock, Weazy and Goo are responsible for five murders, drug trafficking, armed robberies and writing rap lyrics that threatened witnesses.

Report: Angelo Ford (#202) was killed trying to convince drug dealers to relocate

Youths attacked a homeless man in the blotter

'Fat Eric' Brown, got 30 fat federal years yesterday in connection with the contract murder of Angelo Stringfellow, alleged Baltimore drug lord

Students robbed at a party on Lake Avenue

Yesterday evening, "Police in Baltimore County said an argument over a Play Station led to a 13-year-old boy stabbing his 16-year-old brother."

A Hopkins student mugged on 32nd street

Lots of the theft in the Northern in the Messenger blotter

HoCo accused killer Antajuan Wilson on why he did it: "I've built my life on not lettin' nobody disrespect me"

220, 221? 223?

"A man was shot last night on a street in the Ellwood Park-Monument neighborhood in East Baltimore and died later at a hospital."

A man was found shot in the head in Brooklyn, but there may be some question about the cause of his death

The Ink details seven homicides from Dec. 1 through 7, including Leroy Boxdale and Donnell Williams Jr., which I haven't seen reported anywhere else

Mayor horrified by video of carryout restaurant patrons laughing, stepping over shooting victim to get their food. More on the CJCC meeting from Anna Ditkoff

QTD: Bealefeld on violent offenders-- "These folks are not sitting at home contemplating stock futures"

Hermann du jour: "A mother says best thing she ever did was leave city"

The skateboarder of "Cop Vs. Skateboarder" fame is suing the city.

Have sex offender restrictions gone too far?

Like, duh
"City resident wonders if tow truck drivers are on the take"

Greg Kane is apparently the latest victim of the "gang initiation" urban legend e-mail forward

Shootings, Car Chases and Jackassery

Shootings
A 41-year-old man was wounded in a shooting on the east side last night

Attorneys for Gary Collins, accused in the murder of Ken Harris, plan to challenge the legality of the warrants used to seize his DNA

County dad got 10 years for killing son on Father's day

Car Chases
Hunt continues for the PA alleged serial rapist, the DA says he's a danger to himself. Predictions?

"Baltimore Man Behind Wheel In Wild Two-State Big Rig Chase"

Car stolen from city impound lot resurfaces in VA

Jackassery
Your tax $ at work: we can all breathe easier with a 62-year-old pot-smoking ecologist off the streets

A 15-year-old is in stable condition after being shot on S. Fulton St. & W. Fulton Ave.

Alleged rapist on the hoof

Michael L. Johnson Jr., the PA official charged with kidnapping and raping a Highlandtown drug addict, is suspected of being a serial rapist and is now on the run in a Chevy Cobalt.

Horrid: mom of four Shanika Pretlow murdered because her "boyfriend" thought she had HIV

According to the SAO, today Tyyea Gee, 23, was found guilty of violation of probation for a new conviction for fourth-degree sex offense and was sentenced to 9 years. But why was he out at all? Says the press release,

In April 2005 Gee was convicted of three counts of Armed Robbery, one count of Robbery and 2 counts of Assault in the first degree. At that time he was sentenced to 15 years with 10 years suspended and placed on 5 years probation upon his release. Gee was released from incarceration on November 9, 2007. While on probation, Gee was arrested on a new charge of fourth-degree sex offense. Gee was convicted on November 20, 2008 and he was sentenced to 1 year in prison by the Honorable John Howard. The new conviction violated Tyyea Gee’s probation.

Today's federal sentences include 10 years for crack and 10 1/2 years for crack & a sawed-off shotgun

More on Ronald Jackson, the 14-year-old murdered while delivering fruit-- police believe it was mistaken identity.

"Two teens charged in backhoe rampage"

County police are looking for a suspect who's robbed three gas stations and assaulted a clerk. Unfortunately, the pictures aren't very helpful.

Tribune = Bankrupt!

It's official, and the WSJ calls it "among the least surprising potential bankruptcies ever."
Horrible news for Sun employees.

And in other grim news, the NYTimes Co. is planning to borrow against its building to stay afloat.

:(

218, 219

Good Jeebus!
A 14-year-old boy was shot to death while taking fruit to an elderly neighbor!

and Darrell Keith, 24, was shot by two unknown men near Park Heights.

Head of the police union Robert Cherry attributes recent homicide spikes to cuts in police overtime, Col. Rick Hite blames "desperate times," and Hermann says "we're just stuck with the rhetoric"

copious amounts of makeup fighting the ravages of time

The York Daily Record explains Highlandtown to Pennsylvanians: "You look at these women. You can get an STD just looking at them."

Tribune = Bankrupt?

Uh oh. The Wally Jay reports that the Tribune Co., owner of the Baltimore Sun, is "preparing for a possible filing for bankruptcy-court protection as soon as this week." Yike! "The company's cash flow may not be enough to cover nearly $1 billion in interest payments due this year, and Tribune owes a $512 million debt payment in June." The company's been staying ahead of its debt payments so far by selling off assets, but is running out of options.
More from the NYT

217

A man died after being shot in the face in Mt. Vernon

A robbery suspect was reportedly shot after attempting to run a city officer over with his car.

Spotcrime reports a shooting and stabbing on Denmore Ave. near the Pimlico race course.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested for the Sept. murder of Derrick Reed, 15 (#161).

Vocab word of the day: poltroonish, as in, are poltroonish gang members ritually murdering women on Halloween as part of an initiation rite?

Hermann talks to the parents of Annie McCann, who died mysteriously in the city.

& speaking of mysterious deaths, The Examiner makes a good point: even if you buy chief ME Fowler's explanation for the classification of hundreds of deaths as 'undetermined', that still doesn't excuse the office's violation of freedom of information laws!