Scene from movie is blamed as 9-year-old hangs herself
PAHOKEE, Fla. (AP) -- A 9-year-old girl believed to be re-enacting a scene from the movie "The Man in the Iron Mask" died after hanging herself with a shoelace.Investigators believe Jennifer Wood lost her balance while standing in a closet on a 2-foot-high plastic storage container. She was found Saturday, hanging by a shoelace noose from a closet rod.
The second-grader was found by her father, who got her down and tried to revive her. She later was pronounced dead at Glades General Hospital.
Her parents said Jennifer had become captivated by the death of a princess who hangs herself in "The Man in the Iron Mask," a 1998 film rated PG-13, which stars teen idol Leonardo DiCaprio.
Carmen Wood, the girl's mother, told Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies that she had found her daughter acting out the movie's death scene twice before.
"Ever since she was 4 years old, she would act out what she saw in movies," said Carmen Wood, 39. "She would play parts from Anastasia or the Hunchback of Notre Dame. But she always knew the difference between pretend and reality. Until now."
Pesticide forces evacuation of 150 from California town
EARLIMART, Calif. (AP) -- Mist from a weed-killing pesticide blew into this small San Joaquin Valley town, forcing 150 people to evacuate their homes and sending dozens to the hospital.
Twenty-nine people went to hospitals Saturday night complaining of nausea, vomiting, headaches, burning eyes and shortness of breath from exposure to metam sodium, Tulare County Sheriff's officials said Sunday. Hospital officials said all were treated and released.
Residents were not allowed back into their homes until about 11:30 p.m., some six hours after the leak occurred.
Illinois death-penalty cases called full of faulty evidence
CHICAGO (AP) -- Death-penalty cases in Illinois have been riddled with faulty evidence, incompetent lawyers and unscrupulous trial tactics, according to a newspaper.
The Chicago Tribune examined all 285 death-penalty convictions since capital punishment was restored in the state 22 years ago. The investigation included analysis of court opinions, trial transcripts and lawyer records, as well as interviews with witnesses, attorneys and defendants.
The review revealed a system so plagued by unprofessionalism, imprecision and bias that the state's ultimate form of punishment has been rendered its least credible, the paper concluded in Sunday's editions.
Of the 285 cases, 259 have completed at least one round of appeals. In almost half of those cases -- 127 -- new trials or sentencings were ordered because of the problems, the Tribune reported.
Twelve of the defendants were completely exonerated, and 74 others received something less than a death sentence.
2,300 show up for testing in kids' bone-marrow quest
SALISBURY, Md. (AP) -- More than 2,300 people showed up for a bone-marrow testing drive this weekend to help two young people with leukemia.
"I have children, and I would want someone to do this for them," said Teresa Parsons as she waited to be tested to see if she might be a suitable donor.
Ginger Lasley, 11, was diagnosed with acute myloid leukemia Oct. 20. She needs a transplant, but no family member was a suitable match. The family turned to the community for help.
Volunteers were so overwhelmed by the turnout Saturday, they had to ask people to return Sunday. Organizers had hoped that 500 people would attend.
Upstart mayoral hopeful still has chance in S.F., poll says
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Upstart mayoral candidate Tom Ammiano still trails incumbent Willie Brown in a recent poll, but 24 percent of voters have yet to be swayed either way, according to a poll released Sunday.
According to the San Francisco Examiner/KTVU poll, voters see Ammiano, the city supervisor whose last-minute write-in campaign pitted him against Brown in a Dec. 14 runoff, as a grassroots champion who understands voters' everyday concerns.
Brown, however, is viewed as a competent leader who can keep the economy running smoothly.
Teen actress sues mom, says she mismanaged $1 million
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Fourteen-year-old actress Jena Malone has filed a lawsuit against her mother, alleging she mismanaged more than $1 million of the teenager's earnings.
The lawsuit claims that Debbie Malone, 36, has lived off the actress' earnings for years, according to court papers filed recently in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Mismanagement has drained the teenager's college fund and left her owing $20,000 in back taxes, the lawsuit claims.
Jena Malone has appeared in the movies "Contact" and "Stepmom."
Up to 20 percent of the teenager's earnings are supposed to be set aside under a 60-year-old law named after child actor Jackie Coogan, who was left broke after his mother spent millions he earned as a child actor.