Ohio executes 1992 killer of 2 people
LUCASVILLE, Ohio -- A man convicted of killing two people in back-to-back robberies in suburban Cleveland in 1992 was executed Wednesday as family members of his victims looked on.
The prison system announced the time of death for Gary Otte as 10:54 a.m. after the administration of three drugs at the southern Ohio prison in Lucasville.
Otte, 45, was sentenced to die for the Feb. 12, 1992, killing of Robert Wasikowski and the Feb. 13, 1992, killing of Sharon Kostura. Otte was 20 when he killed Wasikowski and Kostura.
Witnesses on Wednesday included the daughter and brother of Wasikowski and the sister, brother-in-law and niece of Kostura.
In his final statement, Otte professed his love for his family, sang a Christian hymn and quoted the Bible. He stopped singing at 10:39.
Otte's stomach rose and fell several times between 10:41 and 10:42. Two members of the state execution team did a consciousness check at 10:42. Otte's stomach rose and fell for a few more minutes, then he appeared to go still.
Anthem writer's monument vandalized
BALTIMORE -- A vandal painted the words "Racist Anthem" on a monument to Francis Scott Key on the anniversary of the battle that inspired him to write the "The Star-Spangled Banner."
The Baltimore Sun reported Wednesday that the words were written at the base of the monument in the city's downtown area. The monument also appeared to be splashed with red and black paint. Police said they are investigating and will prosecute whoever did it. Police said they don't have any suspects or surveillance footage of the incident.
Key, who owned slaves, was inspired to write his verses during the Battle of Fort McHenry on Sept. 13-14, 1814, during the War of 1812.
The seldom-sung third verse says: "No refuge could save the hireling and slave from the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave." Many believe it refers to slaves who fought for the British.
Mayor Catherine Pugh said that she has no plans to remove the monument in Bolton Hill and has directed art preservation experts to determine the cost of cleaning it.
Legislator on hook for lawsuit expenses
SAN DIEGO -- A California judge ordered U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa to pay his opponent in last year's election more than $45,000 for legal expenses after the congressman sued his challenger for defamation over attack ads.
Issa, a San Diego-area Republican, filed a lawsuit in November claiming that Democrat Doug Applegate's television commercials hurt his reputation.
However, Superior Court Judge Richard Strauss in March ruled that Issa did not prove his case, agreeing with Applegate's argument that he was exercising free speech rights and that the lawsuit was an attempt to silence criticism.
The judge has ordered Issa to reimburse Applegate, his campaign and campaign manager Robert Dempsey. According to the June decision, Issa must pay $42,500 in attorney fees and $2,842 in other legal costs that the defendants incurred while fighting Issa's lawsuit.
Issa's attorney, Chuck Bell, said he will appeal the decision.
U.S. electronics searches called illegal
WASHINGTON -- A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday claims that the U.S. government's growing practice of searching laptops and cellphones at the border and at airports is unconstitutional because electronic devices now carry troves of private personal and business information.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union filed the suits and said warrants should be required for such border searches.
The Fourth Amendment requires law enforcement officials to get warrants for searches and seizures, but courts have made an exception at the border and other ports of entry because of the government's need to enforce immigration and customs laws and to protect national security.
The advocacy groups filed their suit Wednesday on behalf of 10 American citizens and a lawful permanent resident who had their electronic devices searched by border agents. None was accused of wrongdoing.
The Department of Homeland Security didn't comment on the lawsuit. But the government has previously emphasized that such searches were rare among the 189.6 million international travelers who arrived in the U.S. last year.
A Section on 09/14/2017