Law & Justice from Minnesota Public Radio

Mpls. police reopen '96 cold case after tip

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:14:42 -0500

The Minneapolis police have reopened the 1996 homicide case of a 31-year-old woman found stabbed to death in the trunk of her car.

Mpls police ID officer involved in collision that killed motorcyclist

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:31:03 -0500

A week after a police-involved shooting and squad car accident left two men dead, Minneapolis police identify the officer involved in the collision with motorcyclist. And police will interview the two officers involved in the shooting next week, Minneapolis police said.

MN House OKs limits on auto license tracking

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:07:51 -0500

The Minnesota House has voted to place strict limits on a technology police departments use to track the location of vehicles.

2 Minnesota women sentenced in Somali terror case

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:00 -0500

The two women convicted of using a charity fundraising network to funnel money to a terrorist group in Somalia were sentenced to prison, in a long-running investigation of al-Shabab recruitment and financing in the United States.

Ex-pastor sentenced to 5 years in prison

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:41:19 -0500

Gustavo Resendiz Talabera pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Two counts of depriving parental rights were dismissed.

ND man sentenced for hiring illegal workers

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:39:55 -0500

Twenty-nine-year-old Garrett Setterholm pleaded guilty in January to harboring six or more workers who were not in the United States legally.

Friends of killed motorcyclist hold fundraiser

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:33:45 -0500

Friends of a motorcyclist killed in a collision with a Minneapolis police vehicle last week held a fundraiser Thursday evening to send his body back to Mexico.

Body found on St. Croix River shore ID'd

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:54:13 -0500

Authorities have identified the body of a man found on the St. Croix River shore in Minnesota.

Buford Rogers' detention hearing postponed

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:06:56 -0500

A detention hearing has been postponed again for a man accused in what the FBI has called a thwarted terror plot in western Minnesota.

2nd Minnesota woman sentenced in Somali terror case

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:50:21 -0500

Two Minnesota women convicted of conspiring to send money to the terrorist group al-Shabab in Somalia have been sentenced in federal court.

Fort Campbell sexual assault response manager arrested for stalking

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:35:03 -0500

Army officials say the manager of the sexual assault response program at Fort Campbell has been arrested in a domestic dispute and relieved of his post.

Minn. woman gets 20 years for aiding al-Shabab

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:17:14 -0500

A Minnesota woman was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for sending money to an al-Qaida-linked group in her native Somalia, despite her insistence that she was only trying to help the poor in the war-torn East African country.

Man who lied in Somali terrorism case gets 2 years

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:38:04 -0500

A man who admitted he lied before a grand jury investigating why young Somali men were leaving Minnesota to join a terrorist group in their homeland was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison.

Lack of information frustrates relatives of 2 men killed

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 -0500

The investigation continues into the deaths of two men and wounding of two Minneapolis police officers. Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau released new information, but grieving relatives of the dead men say they want to know more about what happened.

Crime lab accreditation bill appears dead for this legislative session

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:32:16 -0500

A conference committee at the state Legislature rejected a bill this week that would require accreditation for crime labs.

Ex-archdiocese employee pleads guilty

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:59:04 -0500

The former head of accounting accused of stealing more than $670,000 from the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis has pleaded guilty to theft and filing a false tax return.

Chief: Squad car wasn't speeding before fatal crash

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:18:27 -0500

Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau says the squad car that collided with and killed a motorcyclist last Friday wasn't speeding.

Sentences continue in Minn. Somali terror case

Tue, 14 May 2013 21:04:54 -0500

Two men who left Minnesota to join al-Shabab in Somalia were sentenced Tuesday to three years in federal prison, while a man they characterized as a local leader in efforts to recruit them to the terrorist group was sentenced to 12 years.

Trevino roommate: Nothing unusual on night of alleged murder

Tue, 14 May 2013 20:38:18 -0500

The roommate of a St. Paul man charged with killing his wife told police he heard nothing unusual on the night of the alleged murder.

FAQ: Same-sex marriage law

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:17:45 -0500

Minnesota's law allowing same-sex marriage goes into effect Aug. 1. On that day, same-sex couples can apply for a marriage license in Minnesota.

Man charged in MOA, MSP bomb hoaxes

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:08:38 -0500

Federal authorities charged a 22-year-old man Tuesday on charges that he called in phony bomb threats to the Mall of America and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Reward for Mpls. toddler's killer grows to $60K

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:11:00 -0500

Authorities in Minneapolis say they're upping the reward for information about a toddler who was shot to death in his home two years ago.

Key facts in the Philadelphia abortion doctor murder case

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:48:37 -0500

Longtime Philadelphia abortion provider Dr. Kermit Gosnell was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies prosecutors said were delivered alive and killed, and guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the drug-overdose death of a patient who had undergone an abortion. He was acquitted in the murder of a fourth baby. A look at key facts in the case:

Both sides condemn convicted abortion doctor

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:42:05 -0500

Gosnell, 72, was convicted Monday of three counts of first-degree murder but acquitted of murdering a fourth aborted baby. He was also found guilty of manslaughter, not third-degree murder, in a patient's 2009 overdose death.

Kamal Said Hassan, Mahamud Said Omar sentenced in al-Shabab terrorism trial

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Two Twin Cities men convicted of terrorism-related charges were sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court. Kamal Said Hassan and Mahamud Said Omar will be spending many years in prison for their roles in the disappearance of nearly two dozen Somali men from the Twin Cities who traveled to Somalia to fight for the terrorist group al-Shabab.

Family of man killed by Minneapolis police want answers

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:03:44 -0500

Family and friends of the man who was shot and killed during an altercation with two Minneapolis police officers say they want answers about what happened.

Man gets 10 years in Somali terror investigation

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:31:36 -0500

A former foot solider for the terrorist group al-Shabab has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Abortion doctor guilty of killing 3 babies born alive

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:22:10 -0500

A Pennsylvania abortion doctor has been found guilty of killing three babies born alive, and acquitted in a fourth baby's death.

Officer Tom Decker added to police memorial

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:32:37 -0500

The name of a Cold Spring-Richmond police officer killed last fall will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Somalis convicted of terrorism links to be sentenced

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:37:06 -0500

Among those facing prison time is a man who recruited young Somali men from Minnesota to travel to the Horn of Africa to fight for the terrorist group al-Shabab.

19 wounded in gunfire at New Orleans Mother's Day parade

Mon, 13 May 2013 07:11:23 -0500

Police believe more than one gun was fired in the burst of Sunday afternoon violence -- the latest to flare up around a celebration this year -- and they have vowed to swiftly track down those responsible.

In entire Supreme Court term, justices see 1 black lawyer

Sun, 12 May 2013 13:26:41 -0500

In roughly 75 hours of arguments at the Supreme Court since October, only one African-American lawyer appeared before the justices, and for just over 11 minutes.

Mpls police: Suspect tried to grab officer's gun

Sun, 12 May 2013 12:56:23 -0500

Minneapolis police say a suspect tried to grab an officer's gun during a series of events Friday that left the suspect and a motorcyclist dead and a woman injured.

Drowsy driving remains an elusive highway dilemma

Sun, 12 May 2013 11:57:27 -0500

Experts say it's a problem that can't easily be solved by new laws because proving sleepiness behind the wheel is difficult, if not impossible.

Ginsburg says Roe gave abortion opponents target

Sat, 11 May 2013 22:00:00 -0500

One of the most liberal members of the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told an audience Saturday at the University of Chicago Law School that while she supports a woman's right to choose, she feels the Roe vs. Wade ruling by her predecessors on the court was too sweeping and gave abortion opponents a symbol to target.

Body found in lake is Danielle Jelinek

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:42:20 -0500

Authorities in eastern Minnesota say a body pulled from a small lake is that of an Oakdale woman missing for five months.

2 Minneapolis officers wounded, 2 people dead

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:05:14 -0500

Two people are dead and two Minneapolis police officers are recovering after a search for a burglary suspect took a chaotic turn Friday.

Kira Trevino's body found battered, nude

Fri, 10 May 2013 20:37:32 -0500

The body of a missing St. Paul woman was battered and naked when it was recovered from the Mississippi River, according to court documents.

Attoney for Tom Petters argues for shorter sentence

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:54:57 -0500

A new lawyer for Tom Petters said the disgraced businessman's prison sentence should be shortened because the original defense lawyer never told Petters about a plea bargain offer.

2 Minneapolis officers shot, suspect dead

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:20:51 -0500

Two Minneapolis police officers were shot this afternoon while searching for a suspect in the 2700 block of Bryant Avenue South, and the suspect has died, according to police. The officers are in stable condition, and their names have not been released.

Boyfriend pleads guilty in teen's death

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:59:43 -0500

The boyfriend of a slain Minnesota teenager has pleaded guilty in her stabbing death.

Police: Body found is Kira Trevino

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:27:55 -0500

St. Paul police have confirmed the body pulled from the Mississippi River was that of Kira Trevino.

Ohio man arraigned for rape, kidnapping

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:10:27 -0500

The man accused of raping and kidnapping three women, who were missing for about a decade before being found alive at his home, was ordered held Thursday on $8 million bail.

American stabbed near US Embassy in Egypt

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:57:05 -0500

An assailant stabbed an American man on Thursday while they were standing outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, security officials said.

Child Victims Act wins unanimous state Senate approval

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:08:22 -0500

Minnesota victims of child sex abuse may soon have more time to sue their abusers, now that the Minnesota Senate followed previous House action to pass the Child Victims Act.

NDSU sheep-killing dogs' owner fined $1,000

Thu, 09 May 2013 08:51:12 -0500

The owner of two dogs that attacked a herd of research sheep in a North Dakota State University barn has pleaded guilty in Fargo municipal court to having dogs at large.

Hearing delayed in alleged Minn. terror plot

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:08:36 -0500

A detention hearing has been postponed for a man accused in what the FBI is calling a thwarted terror plot in western Minnesota.

NDSU targets owner of dogs that killed sheep

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:07:38 -0500

The attack Tuesday left a dozen sheep dead. Seven were killed by the two huskies and five others were injured and had to be euthanized. Another six were injured but remain alive and are being treated.

No charges in elderly neglect investigation

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:06:10 -0500

The Minnesota Department of Health cited Hillcrest Terrace for failing to recognize an elderly resident's health had deteriorated.

News Cut: Gun death numbers down steadily since 1991

Wed, 08 May 2013 07:25:55 -0500

You couldn't tell it by the vigor of the public debate, but the rate of homicides with guns in the United States has dropped rather dramatically from the '90s, a new analysis of government data shows.

Study: Distracted driving deaths underreported

Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Seventeen-year-old Kelsey Raffaele's last words were over a cellphone to a friend: "I'm going to crash!" The car she was driving had clipped a snow bank and spun into oncoming traffic, where it was T-boned by an SUV. She died at a hospital without regaining consciousness.

Police: missing woman's DNA found on jacket in ex-boyfriend's car

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:02:02 -0500

Police in Eden Prairie say analysis shows the presence of Matula's DNA in a blood sample from a jacket found in Roe's vehicle.

Reports: Gun homicides down since 1990s

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:50:35 -0500

Gun homicides have dropped steeply in the United States since their 1993, a pair of reports released Tuesday showed, adding fuel to Congress' battle over whether to tighten restrictions on firearms.

911 transcript: How police found three long-missing women

Tue, 07 May 2013 07:30:49 -0500

This is a transcript of the 911 call placed Monday by a woman missing since 2003, when she was 16.

Judge nixes abortion funding challenge

Tue, 07 May 2013 07:22:48 -0500

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit that claimed the state of Minnesota was wrongfully charged for more than 37,000 abortions for indigent women.

'Man in Black' pleads guilty to robberies

Tue, 07 May 2013 07:21:16 -0500

An ex-convict dubbed the "Man in Black" bank robber has admitted stealing more than $110,000 in 31 bank robberies across Minnesota.

3 missing women found in Cleveland

Tue, 07 May 2013 07:20:00 -0500

Three women who went missing about a decade ago were found alive Monday in a residential area just south of downtown, and a man was arrested.

Minn. judge dismisses abortion funding challenge

Mon, 06 May 2013 19:04:01 -0500

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit that claimed the state of Minnesota was wrongfully charged for more than 37,000 abortions for indigent women.

Missing Duluth boy found

Mon, 06 May 2013 18:34:58 -0500

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has cancelled an alert for a missing Duluth boy.

Police: Girl, 13, escapes kidnap attempt

Mon, 06 May 2013 16:28:23 -0500

A 13-year-old girl was the victim of an attempted kidnapping not far from Lake Calhoun, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.

Johnson Controls cites trade secrets in court hearing over open records

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:01:36 -0500

Johnson Controls says its subcontract with an architectural firm to design new schools and remodel others for the St. Louis County school district was not subject to the state's open records law because the agreement wasn't carrying out a government function.

St. Cloud police investigate explosive device

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:49:25 -0500

Police are looking for the person who left an explosive device in St. Cloud that caused an evacuation.

FBI: Raid of Montevideo home disrupted 'terror attack'

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:46:31 -0500

The FBI believes "a terror attack was disrupted" when authorities arrested a man after they converged on a mobile home in western Minnesota that contained Molotov cocktails, suspected pipe bombs and firearms, the agency said Monday.

Johnson Controls takes secret data case to Minn. Supreme Court

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:00:48 -0500

The company hired to oversee a major reconstruction project for the St. Louis County Schools will argue today before the Minnesota Supreme Court that certain data involved in the project is not subject to the state's open records law.

Search widens for missing Minn. woman

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:48:56 -0500

Stearns County authorities have joined the search for clues to the disappearance of an Eden Prairie woman whose ex-boyfriend committed suicide outside the Eden Prairie police station.

Parents of triple homicide suspect say they warned authorities

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:36:59 -0500

Jaren Kuester, 31, of Waukesha, Wis., remains jailed in Lafayette County on tentative charges of first-degree intentional homicide.

Boston-area cemeteries refuse to bury bombing suspect

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:34:42 -0500

Officials in Cambridge, Mass., have urged the family of deceased Boston Marathon bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev not to ask that he be buried in a city-owned cemetery. Meanwhile, at least four private cemeteries in the area have already turned down such a request.

Minn. Supreme Court meets at Roseville High

Mon, 06 May 2013 06:00:21 -0500

The Supreme Court convenes in Minnesota schools twice a year. Monday's session will feature oral arguments of a real case, followed by a question-and-answer session, lunch and classroom visits.

Prosecutors want HIV-positive man's conviction reinstated

Sun, 05 May 2013 13:53:54 -0500

Daniel James Rick, 32, of Minneapolis, was convicted in 2011 of attempted first-degree assault under a statute that makes it illegal to knowingly transfer a communicable disease. But his conviction was reversed last year, when the state Appeals Court found the statute was ambiguous. The state appealed, and oral arguments are scheduled for Tuesday.

Deaf man settles lawsuit with St. Paul police

Sun, 05 May 2013 13:32:05 -0500

The St. Paul Police Department will take additional steps to accommodate people with hearing problems under the terms of a new legal settlement that goes before the city council this week.

Police continue search for 3 missing women

Sat, 04 May 2013 06:00:00 -0500

The parents of a missing St. Paul woman who is believed to be dead are pleading with the public to continue the search for her body.

Judge: Hoffner file to remain sealed

Fri, 03 May 2013 20:32:40 -0500

A judge has ruled that the investigative file in the case of a former college football coach who was cleared of child pornography charges will remain private, according to court documents filed Friday.

FBI: Molotov cocktails found in Montevideo home

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:00:44 -0500

A Minnesota man is in federal custody after authorities found Molotov cocktails, suspected pipe bombs and firearms during the search of a Montevideo home.

Decision expected soon in St. Paul crime lab case

Fri, 03 May 2013 18:47:05 -0500

The drug case that exposed shoddy work at the St. Paul police crime lab could be resolved within days.

Search continues for missing Minn. woman

Fri, 03 May 2013 12:29:31 -0500

Police are still searching for a 24-year-old Eden Prairie woman, a day after the man wanted for questioning in her disappearance shot himself in the head in the police parking lot.

No hijacking by Somali pirates in nearly a year

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:04:54 -0500

The fight against Somali pirates has been so effective that they haven't been able to mount a successful hijacking in nearly a year, the chair of the global group trying to combat the pirates said Thursday.

Tran found incompetent for trial in Oakdale boy's shooting death

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:29:56 -0500

The man accused of shooting and killing a 9-year-old Oakdale boy has been found incompetent to stand trial, for now. Nhan Tran will be sent to a state security hospital for treatment, and could yet face trial for the February shooting death of Devin Aryal.

Troubled St. Paul crime lab's new leader faces big challenge

Fri, 03 May 2013 06:00:34 -0500

The city of St. Paul has hired a criminalist with nearly two decades of experience to run the struggling police crime lab.

Man shoots self in Minn. police parking lot

Thu, 02 May 2013 20:09:48 -0500

A Minnesota man coming in for questioning about a missing woman has shot himself in the police parking lot.

Bomb suspect's friendship with 3 leads to charges

Thu, 02 May 2013 08:59:00 -0500

Just hours before one of the Boston Marathon suspects and his brother allegedly gunned down a campus police officer, authorities say he exchanged a series of text messages with a friend who'd become suspicious after seeing what looked like a familiar face being flashed on television.

K-9 paralyzed by criminal has died

Thu, 02 May 2013 08:18:18 -0500

Officer John Jorgensen says his K-9 partner, Major, was euthanized this week at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center after contracting a bladder infection and pneumonia.

Amy Senser's appeal hinges on awareness of accident

Wed, 01 May 2013 19:03:04 -0500

The Minnesota Court of Appeals heard arguments Wednesday to reconsider Amy Senser's conviction in the hit-and-run death of a Roseville man.

State urges judge to dismiss driver's license data lawsuit

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:27:42 -0500

The state of Minnesota is asking a federal judge to dismiss lawsuits filed by dozens of people whose driver's license information was accessed by a Department of Natural Resources employee.

3 men charged in connection with Boston bomb case

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:34:40 -0500

Three men who attended college with the Boston Marathon suspect have been charged in connection with the case.

2nd Minn. prison camp escapee charged

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:53:17 -0500

The federal government has charged a convicted con artist with escape for walking away from a minimum-security prison camp in Duluth.

Police arrest 35 during frac sand protest

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:15:43 -0500

Police arrested 35 people for trespassing Monday during a protest of frack sand mining in Winona.

Lost stillborn babies: What happened at Regions hospital

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:35:42 -0500

The mistake that sent two stillborn babies from the Regions Hospital morgue in St. Paul to a Red Wing laundry appears to be the result of inadequate labeling of fetal remains. Employees at Crothall Laundry Services discovered the first stillborn baby earlier this month.

Amy Senser's appeal will be heard this week

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:02:30 -0500

The state Court of Appeals this week takes up the case of Amy Senser, wife of former Viking Joe Senser, who was convicted of criminal vehicular homicide last year.

A lack of alternatives binds Obama, U.S. to Guantanamo

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 12:00:00 -0500

Rising desperation and a hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay have led Sen. Dianne Feinstein to call for the transfer of many of its detainees to Yemen.

DEA collecting unwanted prescription drugs

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Several law enforcement agencies in the metro area will be collecting unwanted prescription drugs.

Police task force seizes 12 pounds of meth

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:08:13 -0500

A task force seized a large amount of drugs and cash in Minneapolis Friday, according to Hennepin County Sheriff's Office officials.

NYPD: Part of 9/11 plane's landing gear discovered

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:02:35 -0500

A piece of landing gear believed to be from one of the planes destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks has been discovered wedged between a New York City mosque and another building.

Boston suspect moved from hospital

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:03:28 -0500

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings and the crimes that followed, has been moved out of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to a prison at Ft. Devens, Mass., the U.S. Marshals Service says.

Court says pot smokers can be fired, even in Colo.

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Medical and recreational marijuana may be legal in Colorado, but employers in the state can lawfully fire workers who test positive for the drug, even if it was used off duty, according to a court ruling Thursday.

Police: Boston suspects planned to attack New York

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:19:31 -0500

The Boston Marathon bombers were headed for New York's Times Square to blow up the rest of their explosives, authorities said Thursday, in what they portrayed as a chilling, spur-of-the-moment scheme that fell apart when the brothers realized the car they had hijacked was low on gas.

Grand jury indicts Byron Smith of first-degree murder in shooting deaths of 2 teens

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:42:34 -0500

A central Minnesota man accused of killing two teenagers who allegedly broke into his home has been indicted on first-degree murder charges.

NYC Mayor: Boston suspect said NY was next target

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:23:26 -0500

New York City officials say the Boston Marathon bombing suspects intended to blow up their remaining explosives in Times Square.

Boston bomb suspect goes silent after being read rights

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:16:02 -0500

Sixteen hours after investigators began interrogating him, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings went silent: He'd just been read his constitutional rights.

Man's request to remove conviction denied

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:30:00 -0500

We're in denial: Americans underestimate their chances of needing long-term care as they get older -- and are taking few steps to get ready.

Boston bomb investigation extends to Russia

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:40:17 -0500

New information emerged Wednesday from U.S. officials that the name of one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects had been added to a U.S. government terrorist database long before the explosions.