NEWS OF NOTE

Here is a digest of some noteworthy news items:

COP’S GET RICH SCHEME COSTS NEW YORK CITY $437,000

In January 2005, NYPD officer John Florio ordered a Big Mac at a Bronx McDonald’s. After picking up his order he accused McDonald’s worker Albert Garcia, then 18, of lacing his Big Mac with shards of glass. Four NYPD detectives took Garcia, who had an IQ of only 81, into a small windowless room at the restaurant and questioned him for several hours. He finally admitted placing the glass in Florio’s burger, but soon recanted his confession.

Assault charges against Garcia were dismissed in 2012 because of several inconsistencies in Florio’s testimony. Garcia sued NYC and his lawyers were able to convince the court that Florio put the glass in his burger, hoping to get rich by suing the fast food chain. Last month the city agreed to pay Garcia $437,000. Florio’s get rich scheme turned out to be very costly.

Four detectives questioning a mentally-challenged youth for several hours – now that’s what I call real police work.

TWO OHIO MEN IMPRISONED NEARLY 40 YEARS FOR MURDER ARE FREED AFTER KEY WITNESS RECANTS HIS TESTIMONY

Ricky Jackson, 57, and Wiley Bridgeman, 60, have been roosting in an Ohio prison for the murder of a business man on May 19, 1975. They were convicted on the testimony of a 13-year-old boy who told a jury that the two and Bridgeman’s brother Ronnie killed Harry Franks.

The witness recanted his testimony last year. He claimed that Cleveland police investigators coerced him into identifying Jackson and the two Bridgemans as Franks’ killers.

On Thursday Cuyahoga County prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss all charges against the trio. Ricky and Wiley were freed Friday. Ronnie, 57, who now goes by the name of Kwame Ajamu, was release from prison in January 2003.

Coercing a 13-year-old kid to make a false identification - now that's what I call more real police work.

TEXAS JURY SENDS MAN TO DEATH ROW A SECOND TIME FOR THE 1987 MURDER AND SODOMIZING OF AN 11-YEAR-OLD BOY

In May 1987, Warren Darrell Rivers, now 47, killed 11-year-old Carl Nance Jr. by beating and stabbing him to death. Rivers also stuck a broken broomstick up the young boy’s ass. In 1988 a Houston jury sentenced Rivers to death.

In 2001 the Supreme Court ruled that jurors should consider mitigation evidence in the punishment phase of death penalty trials (Perry v. Johnson, 532 U.S. 782). That had not been done in Rivers’ case.

On Tuesday, a new Houston jury took just four hours to send Rivers back to death row.

So maybe, just maybe, this worthless piece of shit will be executed ten years or so from now.

Beating, stabbing and sticking a broomstick up an 11-year-old boy’s ass – why even consider mitigating circumstances?