Some of Today's State News Headlines
Today is Wednesday January 16, 2008
Convicted killer vows to continue fight
TOLEDO (AP) - John Spirko isn't shackled and handcuffed everywhere he goes now that he's no longer on Ohio's death row.
He's still surprised that he's allowed to sit in a room with an open door and talk to his lawyers without armed guards nearby.
"People talk nice to you," he said. "It blows my mind."
And yet, in some ways, he feels no different now than when he was first sentenced to die more than two decades ago.
Spirko's death sentence for killing a northwest Ohio postmistress was commuted to life in prison last week after tests concluded that no DNA evidence links him with the slaying.
Gov. Ted Strickland, citing the lack of physical evidence linking Spirko to the 1982 killing of Betty Jane Mottinger and the slim doubt about his involvement, ordered that Spirko serve a life term without parole.
(Refer to page 5 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
Pathologist questions findings in microwave case
DAYTON (AP) - A forensic pathologist said Tuesday that tests on calf brains and chicken torsos are not good indicators of what kind of injuries were suffered by a baby who prosecutors say was put in a microwave oven.
George Nichols, a pathologist from Louisville, Ky., testifying for the defense, rebutted prosecution claims that China Arnold's baby was put in a microwave for at least two minutes, saying chickens are unreliable indicators because they have different body structures.
His testimony came during a pretrial hearing in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court to determine what evidence will be allowed in the Jan. 28 trial of Arnold, charged with aggravated murder and could face the death penalty if convicted. She has pleaded not guilty.
Investigators believe that Arnold, 27, killed her month-old daughter, Paris Talley, by putting her in a microwave oven in August 2005.
(Refer to page 5 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
Inmates hurt after using chemical, not salt, to treat sidewalks
MARYSVILLE (AP) - An inmate mistakenly treated ice- and snow-covered sidewalks at the state's largest women's prison with a chemical instead of salt on Tuesday, injuring five people and forcing the entire prison to be locked down while the chemical was washed away, authorities said.
Four inmates at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville reported tingling and redness on their hands about 9 a.m. after they spread about 400 pounds of caustic soda, said Andrea Carson, spokeswoman for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. A prison employee also was hurt.
One inmate thought it was rock salt, she said. The prison will investigate how the mistake took place, since chemicals at the prison must be labeled, Carson said. Caustic soda is used to clean boilers.
Because the chemical was spread throughout the prison, inmates were forced to stay in their cells until it could be washed away with a mixture of soap, water and vinegar, Carson said. The prison has 2,272 inmates, she said.
(Refer to page 5 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
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