According to CNN reports, Oliveros and co-defendants Marco Antonio Charcas-Fernandez and Aurelio Fidencio Saldivar, all members of a Santa Ana gang, had plotted to steal a Nissan sedan belonging to Yessayan, who was a member of another gang but not a rival. On June 6, 2006, Oliveros, the co-defendants, and Yessayan were cruising around in the Nissan (Yessayan was not driving). They got into an argument, which escalated into a fistfight and ended when Oliveros shot Yessayan twice in the head, execution-style, unyielding to Yessayan’s pleas for his life. Oliveros and the co-defendants then fled and dismantled the car, which they sold for parts. Joggers discovered Yessayan’s body the following morning.

Charcas-Fernandez and Saldivar were charged with special-circumstances murder and other charges; Oliveros with first-degree murder; and three other co-defendants (who helped dismantle the car or hide the murder weapon) with accessory to murder.

Charcas-Fernandez and Saldivar are scheduled to stand trial on January 12, while Oliveros is scheduled to be sentenced on January 9. Oliveros faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

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The first victim was an eight-year-old girl, whom Pardo shot in the face when she opened the door to let him in. Of the approximately 25 guests at the party, nine were killed in the attack, while others, including the girl, sustained minor to severe injuries. Pardo’s former mother- and father-in-law and his ex-wife (whom he had recently divorced), all of whom were at the party, are unaccounted for.

According to CNN news reports, the Christmas party was an annual event to which a certain neighbor always arrived dressed as Santa. This year, this neighbor was away. Although police are unsure of whether Pardo was aware of the neighbor’s Santa tradition, authorities speculate that Pardo may have been motivated by marital problems with his ex-wife as well as the contentious divorce settlement she and he had reached the week before the attack.

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Caylee was three years of age when she vanished last June. Caylee’s mother, Casey Anthony, failed to report Caylee’s disappearance to family members for over a month. Casey’s behavior since the child’s disappearance, including conflicting reports to the police, has been the subject of substantial media speculation. Casey is charged with first-degree murder in her daughter’s death and is in custody at the Orange County, Florida jail.

The defense has sought, unsuccessfully, access to the autopsy, forensic evidence, and location where the remains were found. The defense also maintains that the lack of evidence as to the cause of death is a credible defense.

George and Cindy have reportedly maintained that the child is still alive. Because of the lack of physical evidence, proving Casey’s guilt in the murder will likely be a matter of proving her lack of credibility.

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In attempting to catch as many offenders as possible, the RIAA filed suit against single mothers, minors, and one person who was deceased at the time of the alleged offense. This aggressive litigation strategy has come under fire from critics for years, who see it as largely ineffective, a waste of industry resources, and a public relations fiasco. Civil rights organizations have criticized the strategy for infringing on the privacy rights of Internet users, as the RIAA has tried to force Internet service providers to reveal the identities of their customers.

The industry’s new approach may take the form of a 3-strikes policy, in which Internet service providers would be required to eventually suspend service to customers who download illegally. Several providers have reached tentative agreements with the RIAA along these lines. The organization will reserve the right to litigate against particularly egregious offenders in the future.

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Madoff’s investment company, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, operates over two dozen funds worth as much as $17 billion. The funds were marketed to wealthy individuals, hedge funds, and others, promising low fees and consistently high returns.

Just days before his arrest, Madoff admitted privately to two of his senior employees that the company was a long-running Ponzi scheme - a setup in which investors are paid supposed dividends that are actually just cash received from other investors. Madoff told them that he had nothing left, and that he planned to surrender to the authorities after distributing hundreds of millions of dollars to his employees, friends, and family. He was arrested before he could do so.

According to the SEC, Madoff told FBI agents that he expected to go to jail, that he had actually lost money on his trades, and that he had paid his investors with nonexistent money. He faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $5 million.

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Johnston’s family gained international attention in September when Palin, who was running for the Vice Presidency at the time, announced the pregnancy and engagement of her daughter, Bristol, to Sherry’s son, Levi Johnston.

On Thursday, Alaska State Troopers served a search warrant following an undercover drug investigation, which typically entails police observation of one drug transaction followed by collection and documentation of subsequent transactions. A press release issued by the troopers described Johnston’s charges: six felony counts, including second- and fourth-degree misconduct (usually related to the manufacture, possession, or delivery of drugs) involving a controlled substance.

Johnston was released on bail a few hours after her arrest. Authorities have withheld information regarding other potential defendants and the details of the arrest.

Johnston faces a January 6 arraignment hearing, in which she may enter a plea.

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In 1980, Gary B. Cone killed a Memphis couple, Shipley Todd and Cleopatra Todd, ages 93 and 79 respectively. A decorated Vietnam War veteran, Cone claimed to be affected by an amphetamine psychosis caused by military service-related PTSD. In his trial, Cone confessed to the murders and received a conviction and death sentence. He claimed the amphetamine psychosis as his defense. Although the prosecutors discredited this defense, it emerged years later that the prosecution had withheld evidence (including verification of Cone’s heavy drug use) that could have affected his sentence.

In the December 9th Supreme Court debate, Cone’s lawyers sought to have his conviction and sentencing re-examined in light of the uncovered evidence. The prosecution argued against a re-examination, claiming that the evidence of Cone’s psychosis has been presented in a confusing manner, too late, or not at all, and that the Tennessee prosecutors had no legal or ethical obligation to reveal the withheld evidence. The Supreme Court has not yet concluded deliberations.

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Judge David Szumowski reduced the bail (from $2 million to $1 million each) for four suspects in the October murder of Luis Santos, a 22-year-old San Diego State University student. The suspects, Esteban Nuñez, Rafael Garcia, and Leshanor Thomas, all 19 years of age, and Ryan Kelly Jett, 22, had been awaiting a preliminary hearing since their arrest on December 2nd.

According to reports by the Los Angeles Times, Szumowski’s decision was backed by Nuñez’s lawyer and his family, including his father, former California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez. Fabian denied using his political status to his son’s advantage. Estevan was expected to make bail and be released from jail the same night his bail was reduced.

Szumowski’s decision was disputed by Deputy District Attorney Jill DiCarlo, who submitted MySpace images of Nuñez stabbing or preparing to stab small animals and argued bail should remain at $2 million per defendant.

Nuñez and the other three co-defendants allegedly murdered Santos, and injured three other students, in an alleged knife fight on party goers near the University on October 4. They are charged with murder and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon. On December 4, they pleaded “not guilty”.

A preliminary hearing is set for March 18.

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NYSE regulators ruled that ex-Morgan Stanley broker Winitch and colleague John Steigerwald made dozens of unsuitable trades in guardian accounts which had been established for children that had received settlements from medical malpractice lawsuits. Regulators stated that Winitch and Steigerwald apparently targeted the children’s accounts because the firm’s customers were less likely to notice the unauthorized trading; several of the malpractice victims reportedly have single, unemployed mothers with little or no investment experience.

The unauthorized transactions generated over $537,000 in commissions for Morgan Stanley from 2004 to 2005, of which Winitch and Steigerwald personally received nearly $200,000. NYSE regulators permanently barred Steigerwald last year.

In a statement, Morgan Stanley spokesmen said the firm had reimbursed all clients whose accounts were affected by the trading scam and that remedial measures had been put in place to prevent a recurrence. Last year Morgan Stanley paid $500,000 to settle NYSE claims that the firm failed to diligently supervise the affected accounts, without admitting or denying wrongdoing.

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Israel, the former head of the collapsed Bayou Group LLC hedge fund, received a 20-year sentence in April of this year for his role in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors out of approximately $450 million. Israel currently stands accused of jumping bail by attempting to fake his suicide on the day he was scheduled to report to prison.

After surrendering to authorities on July 2, Israel forfeited his $500,000 bail, and currently faces up to 10 years added onto his 20-year sentence. However, Judge Karas refused to take Israel’s plea of guilty on Aug. 6, stating that he was unconvinced that Israel was fit to enter the plea due to concern over Israel’s mental state as well as use of methadone to treat an addiction to pain medication.

According to a spokesman for Manhattan U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia, Israel will now undergo a thorough physical and mental evaluation during a 90-day stay at a medical prison located in Butner, North Carolina.

Judge Karras has scheduled Israel’s next hearing for Feb. 27 of next year in White Plains, New York.

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