ANOTHER TRAYVON MARTIN TYPE CASE...76-year-old man to stand trial in shooting death of 13-year-old boy

In a case that bears some striking similarities to George Zimmerman's, a 76-year-old Milwaukee man  is set to stand trial this week in the 2012 shooting death a 13-year-old boy he had accused of stealing from him.

Police say John Henry Spooner confronted Darius Simmons, who lived next door with his mother, as the teen took out the trash. Spooner, who is white, had suspected that Simmons, who was black, stole $3,000 worth of shotguns from him, and demanded that the sixth-grader return them. Simmons denied stealing the guns, and his mother, Patricia Larry, told Spooner to go back inside.

Instead, prosecutors say, Spooner pulled out a handgun and shot the 13-year-old in the chest from near-point blank range.

"When police arrived, Spooner was still on the sidewalk, holding the gun," according to the criminal complaint. "When told to drop the weapon, he placed it on the ground and told police, 'Yeah, I shot him.'"

An autopsy showed that Simmons, who was unarmed, suffered a gunshot wound to his torso, according to the Associated Press. Spooner was charged with first degree murder. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett condemned the killing. "To have a boy who's taking out the garbage at 10:30 in the morning murdered should shock the conscience of the state," Barrett said at the time.

Just hours before the shooting, Spooner told a local politician he was frustrated police had not arrested the boy in the alleged burglary, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and hinted he might take the law into his own hands.

"There are other ways to deal with situations," Alderman Bob Donovan recalled Spooner saying.

Spooner's apparent reference to vigilantism drew comparisons to Zimmerman's killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin after the former neighborhood watchman followed him through a Sanford, Fla., housing complex. Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges on Saturday.

Last year, the Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition called for Spooner to be charged with a federal hate crime. On Monday, an attorney representing Simmons' family said there's a clear "issue of profiling" and a "race component" to the case. But Spooner has denied race was a factor in the shooting.

The trial was supposed to begin in January but was delayed due to concerns about Spooner's health.

Lakers focused on pursuit of LeBron, Carmelo for 2014.

he Los Angeles Lakers are focused on signing LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in the 2014 offseason, according to sources.The Lakers have refused to commit to contracts that extend beyond the 13-14 season to maximize cap space.One source described the plan as "realistic", while another calls it "far-fetched at this point.

"Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh could also become free agents, while Luol Deng, Danny Granger, Andrew Bogut and Dirk Nowitzki will be unrestricted free agents."It's all wishful thinking at this point," a league source with knowledge of the situation said.

"Teams are doing more wishing than LeBron is wanting right now."It's not about where LeBron wants to go [to win].

He already has two rings. If LeBron moved to Reno, teams would come to him." 

Privacy Group Asks FTC to Investigate Jay-Z's Samsung App

Two weeks ago, in the buildup to Jay-Z's release of Magna Carta Holy Grail, we asked: How much is too much information? The rapper paired with Samsung to release 1 million copies of the album through an exclusive app. The only catch was users had to grant Samsung access to storage, system tools, network communications, phone calls, and much more information.

But it seems the advocacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center, aka EPIC, has a problem with Samsung's data mining practices. They are asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate.

“Samsung failed to disclose material information about the privacy practices of the App, collected data unnecessary to the functioning of the Magna Carta App, deprived users of meaningful choice regarding the collection of their data, interfered with device functionality, and failed to implement reasonable data minimization procedures,” the group said in the complaint.

Samsung believes the complaint with the FTC is unwarranted and that the Magna Carta app's permissions are no different from any other apps on the market, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Samsung responded to the complaint in a statement: "Any information obtained through the application download process was purely for customer verification purposes, app functionality purposes, and for marketing communications, but only if the customer requests to receive those marketing communications. Samsung is in no way inappropriately using or selling any information obtained from users through the download process." 

And Jeremiah Reynolds, an intellectual property lawyer, agrees with the electronics company. 

“People may believe it’s intrusive, but as long is it’s correctly described and as long as the people give consent, I don’t see what the issue is,” he said.

To paraphrase Hov: Samsung's got 99 problems and a FTC investigation could be one.

Victim In Chris Brown Hit-And-Run Case Wants Charges Against Singer Dropped

UPDATE------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11:30 AM PT -- The L.A. City Attorney's office has just objected to the settlement between Chris and Olga because it hasn't yet made direct contact with Olga. The City Attorney wants to make sure Olga's on board with the deal before they sign off on it. The judge has since continued the hearing to July 23rd.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chris Brown will NOT be prosecuted for the alleged hit-and-run in May ... at least that's the way the victim wants it.

Brown was charged with the crime after leaving the scene of a minor rear-end collision without forking over identifying information -- i.e., a California driver's license and insurance info.

We've learned Olga Gure-Kovalenko -- the driver of the vehicle Chris hit -- has no desire to have him prosecuted, so Chris' lawyer, Mark Geragos, has filed legal docs to have the criminal case dropped.

Olga's lawyer, Freddy Sayegh, tells TMZ, his client wants no money since there was no physical injury and only minor damage to her car. This is consistent with what Olga told us on TMZ Live.

Here's the snag. We've learned the L.A. City Attorney has not agreed to drop the case. They're all in court right now, and we're told it's likely the City Attorney wants some time to think it over.

And, even if the City Attorney agrees to drop the hit-and-run case, Brown was also charged with driving without a valid California license, and the City Attorney could still move forward on that. Geragos just filed legal docs claiming Brown is a Virginia resident with a valid Virginia license so he hasn't violated any law.

And another, way more serious, loose string -- the judge in the Rihanna beating case could still use the info to trigger a probation violation, which could land Brown in prison for up to 4 years

Jay-Z Address Harry Belafonte.

Like wife Beyonce, Jay-Z often addresses public scandals in new music rather than in the press. On his new album, “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” he talks about the backlash against his daughter, Blue Ivy, his beef with Lil Wayne and more. One of the more glaring situations he addresses is his conflict with Harry Belafonte.

In August of 2012, Harry Belafonte went on record criticizing Jay-Z and Beyonce’s lack of social responsibility. He said to The Hollywood Reporter:

“I think one of the great abuses of this modern time is that we should have had such high-profile artists, powerful celebrities. But they have turned their back on social responsibility. That goes for Jay-Z and Beyonce, for example. Give me Bruce Springsteen, and now you’re talking. I really think he is black.”

The quote received a lot of attention, prompting Beyonce to respond in The Wall Street Journal with a short list of all the “unselfish” work she’s done. Jay-Z remained mum until now.

On a new track, “Nickles and Dimes,” he says:

“I’m just trying to find common ground/ ‘Fore Mr. Belafonte come and chop a n*gga down/ Mr. Day O, major fail/ Respect these youngins boy, it’s my time now/ Hublot homie two door homie/ You don’t know all the sh*t I do for the homies.”


It could be argued that both Belafonte and Jay-Z hit below the belt, but some felt Jay-Z went too far in his disrespect of the actor and social activist.

“The other thing that jumps out about this verse is how abrasive Jay is with Mr. Belafonte. Harry Belafonte is 86-years-old. At this point in his life, there shouldn’t be anything at all the aging gentleman could say that should warrant someone 40 years his junior rapping profanities in his direction. It’s not about who’s right or who’s wrong, it’s about respecting your elders. [...] Age aside – this is Harry Belafonte we’re talking about. This is a man who’s spent his entire life dedicated to causes of freedom, human equality and social justice. Calling him Mr. Day-O, a mocking allusion to his biggest hit “Banana Boat Song,” is wrong, calling him “boy” while urging him to respect you because it’s “our time now,” is dead wrong.”

There’s also the fact that racist white men often referred to black males as “boy” regardless of their age as a way to disrespect them and insult their masculinity. “Boy” is a weighted term for an older black man, and I’m sure Jay-Z is well aware of its significance.

What do you think, Clutchettes? Did Jay-Z go too far?

Fugitive's Facebook comments lead to his arrest.

HUDSON — When the Pasco Sheriff's Office named Matthew Oliver as the Fugitive of the Day on its Facebook page Wednesday, comments flowed in fast. Followers were quick to poke fun at Oliver, who was smiling in the photo. The script above the picture called for tips because he was wanted in connection with a robbery.

Then Oliver, 23, chimed in.

His first post was accusatory, threatening. He wrote that the Sheriff's Office had slandered his name and that he was in a hospital at the time of the robbery.

"This is bulls---," he wrote. "All I have to do is accuse someone and they get in trouble. Pasco County has nothing but fools investigating crimes for them that's why these mix up happen."

And later, "I swear on everything I own Pasco County WILL be held responsible for this."

He wrote that he no longer had an active warrant and didn't know why deputies were calling for his arrest.

Oliver claimed to have been in the hospital with an infection he contracted after being cut in a mixed martial arts fight.

The comments turned profane as Oliver tussled with other commenters.

Pasco Fugitive Warrants, another Sheriff's Office Facebook account, joined the feed:

"I have verified that Matt's post about being in the hospital is true. In an earlier post, I provided a telephone number for him to call us. If he feels he does not fit the definition of the word 'fugitive,' I will be hearing from him."

"We were not taunting him, per se," said sheriff's spokeswoman Melanie Snow, "but we wanted to let him know that he had the opportunity to turn himself in."

He didn't, and just after noon Friday, warrants deputies found Oliver at a relative's house in Hudson. Snow said his comments helped lead deputies to the home.

When they saw the commotion on the page, Oliver's Facebook friends wrote messages to the Sheriff's Office that tipped deputies to his whereabouts.

The warrants unit posted again under the photo on Friday to say it had made an arrest.

Oliver became a fugitive in December when, deputies say, he and a friend punched a man in the face and stole wallet with $260 at a Family Dollar in Bayonet Point.

Oliver, of 5036 Oyster Circle in New Port Richey, was arrested on a charge of strong-arm robbery and was being booked into the Land O'Lakes jail Friday afternoon.

By Friday evening, the original Facebook post had been shared more than 300 times.

Snake slithers out of toilet, bites Israeli man on his you-know-what

A sneaky snake bit a shocked Israeli man on the penis as he used the bathroom, it's reported.
The 35-year-old claims he suddenly felt a strong burning sensation in his private parts after sitting down to use the toilet in Haifa on Friday.

The small serpent had reportedly been hiding in the bowl and slithered out of the water when the man took his seat.
Luckily, the critter was not venomous.
The man was rushed to Rambam Medical Center where he received treatment for minor injuries, reports Your Jewish News.
A paramedic called to the scene told the website that the victim managed to stay calm and even joked with colleagues about his misfortune.

"This is the first time I've seen a snake bite like this. Luckily, all tests seem fine and the man is feeling well," the paramedic added.
"There will undoubtedly be bite marks on the area in question," a hospital representative said.
"The man is currently under observation pending additional test results and as soon as we get the results, he will be able to go home," the representative added.

Florida model allegedly lured to New York on Instagram and forced to be $ex slave

She was lured to New York with promises of cash and gifts, but a naive Florida model ended up a 

sex slave and pimped out to johns by a Brooklyn man who wooed her on Instagram.
The 23-year-old woman’s pleasure trip to New York turned into a 12-day tour of hell, in which she was forced to turn tricks in hotel rooms under constant threats of death, police sources told the Daily News Monday.
Suspect Kevon Attz, 28, came off as an angel in his Instagram messages to the victim, but he turned out to be a devil when she accepted his invitation and $150 in travel expenses to come north, sources said.
“She said (Attz) told her that he would beat her, kill her or throw her in the river if she does not engage in prostitution,” according to a criminal complaint.
Attz, of East Flatbush, was being held on $450,000 bail at Rikers Island, charged with sex trafficking, promoting prostitution and unlawful imprisonment.
The accuser is a Clearwater, Fla., mother of two, who began working in June as a model for the Florida Modeling Network. “I have photographed her a few times,” said the modeling agency’s owner, who goes by the name XZanthia. “However, I know nothing about her.”
The News is withholding the woman’s name because she is the alleged victim of a sex crime. She couldn’t be reached.
Cops said the Instagram picture she posted caught Attz’s eye, and he began messaging her false promises that he would financially take care of her and her children if she came to New York.
When Attz, who lives with his mother and has prior arrests for marijuana possession and unauthorized use of a vehicle, picked her up in New Jersey on June 25 and took her to a hotel, she realized she had made a huge mistake. He began demanding she reimburse him for travel expenses, gifts he gave her and for her hotel room — which became her prison, sources said.
She told cops Attz locked her in the room with no food, deprived her of sleep and warned her that the only way she’d stay alive was to become his hooker, sources said.
The young woman said Attz and a female associate she knew as Melissa would drive her to hotels in Brooklyn, Manhattan and New Jersey to perform sex acts on johns. While holding her captive, Attz even placed Internet ads offering her for sex, sources said.
On July 6, the victim managed to phone her mother in Florida, who agreed to send her money. But when Attz found out, he and Melissa drove her to an East Flatbush check-cashing store to pick up the money the victim’s mom wired, sources said.
When Melissa briefly left her in the Utica Ave. store alone, the alleged victim told the manager she was kidnapped and asked for help.
“ ‘Kidnapped?’ I asked,” she recalled to The News. “I called the police.”
Cops went to the store and arrested Attz after a short chase. Melissa, whose full name was not released by police, has not been charged.
A man who identified himself as Attz’s brother scoffed at the accuser’s story.
“You don’t make anyone do what they don’t want to do,” the brother said.

 

Will Woman (Crystal Scott) Who Killed Attacker In Houston Be Acquitted?

HOUSTON—On September 12, 2012, Crystal Scott, a 23-year-old African woman in Houston, Texas, shot and killed her white attacker.

The attacker, 22-year-old Jonathan Ables, and Crystal were involved in a minor traffic altercation that escalated into Scott having to use her licensed weapon to defend herself.

Here's the story:

September 12 started as an ordinary day for the single mother of two. She had prepared her kids for daycare and school and was driving to work.

At approximately 7:30 am, Ables rear-ended her car. She pulled into a nearby gas station to assess the damage and exchange insurance information, or so she thought.

Instead, in a matter of seconds, the belligerent white male confronted her, banging on her car window until it shattered.

Then, according to witnesses, there was a tug of war with Crystal attempting to keep her door closed and the attacker trying his best to pull it open.

Fortunately, Crystal was licensed to carry a firearm and had enough courage to use it in her defense.

She pulled her pistol and shot through the window, not knowing whether she had hit her assailant or not.

The bullets pierced Ables’ body, ensuring that he would never bully anyone else ever again.
Immediately following the self-defense shooting, Houston and Harris County police descended on the scene.

They questioned Crystal Scott and witnesses and determined she had acted in self-defense.
The cops even tried to console Crystal who was visibly upset because a stranger had made her fear and fight for her life.

According to the Houston Chronicle of September 17, 2012:

"Scott called 911 before pulling into the Shell Station because she was concerned about the man's actions following the collision, authorities said," and, "Her account of what happened seemed to match that of witnesses in the area, sheriff's deputies said."

Witnesses at the scene, and the 911 phone operator talking with Crystal as the attack unfolded, were major reasons Crystal was not arrested or taken to police headquarters for questioning.

Once Crystal's family and her pastor, the Reverend James Dixon arrived on the scene, Crystal was allowed to leave with them, to be reunited with her two children again.

But this is not the end of the story.

On February 19, 2013, a Harris County grand jury indicted Crystal for murder. The district attorney appeared on television calling for her to surrender or be arrested.

Scott is awaiting trial