Juvenile lifer locked up for nearly 50 years could go free

DETROIT (AP) — A man who has been in prison for nearly 50 years for murder when he was a teenager has won a major decision from the Michigan appeals court that should lead to his eventual release. A Wayne County judge violated David Bennett's rights when he cited mental health as a reason to keep him...

People smugglers jailed in UK for deaths of 39 in container

LONDON (AP) — Four people-smugglers convicted of killing 39 people from Vietnam who died in the back of a container truck as it was shipped to England were sentenced Friday to between 13 and 27 years in prison. The victims, between the ages of 15 and 44, were found in October 2019 inside a refrigerated...

Today in History

Today in History Today is Friday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2021. There are 343 days left in the year. Today’s Highlights in History: On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, declared a nationwide constitutional right to abortion. Former President Lyndon B. Johnson died at...

Ex-Arizona official to head to prison for illegal adoptions

PHOENIX (AP) — A former Arizona politician must report to prison Thursday to begin serving the first of three sentences for running an illegal adoption scheme that paid pregnant women from the Marshall Islands to come to the U.S. to give up their babies. Paul Petersen, a Republican who served as Maricopa...

Thai court gives record 43-year sentence for insulting king

BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Thailand on Tuesday sentenced a former civil servant to a record prison term of 43 years and six months for breaching the country's strict law on insulting or defaming the monarchy, lawyers said. The Bangkok Criminal Court found the woman guilty on 29 counts of violating the...

Trump wishes new administration luck in farewell video

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trying to repair his tarnished legacy, President Donald Trump trumpeted his administration's accomplishments and wished his successor luck in a farewell video as he spent his final full day in office preparing to issue a flurry of pardons in a near-deserted White House, surrounded by an...

Michigan man sentenced to prison in drowning of autistic son

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — A former western Michigan college professor has been sentenced to prison for manslaughter in the death of his autistic teenage son, who drowned after spending an hour in an icy backyard pool with his arms restrained. Timothy Koets, 51, was sentenced Monday to a minimum of two...

Nicaragua congress adopts life sentences; opposition opposes

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Nicaragua’s congress gave final approval Monday to change the constitution to permit life imprisonment. Congress is dominated by President Daniel Ortega’s Sandinista party, and opposition legislators voted against the measure or abstained. Opponents say life...

Phil Spector's death resurrects mixed reaction from skeptics

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Phil Spector was viewed as a man with two distinct personas: The late music producer was regarded as a rock ‘n’ roll genius who elevated the genre with his “Wall of Sound” style in the 1960s and created hits for several big names from the Beatles to Tina...

South Korean court sentences Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong to 2 ½ years in prison over corruption case