STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of the 1996 killings of two women whose bodies were left in a rural pond was put to death Tuesday evening in a record 14th execution in Florida this year.
Samuel Lee Smithers, 72, was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. Smithers was convicted in 1999 of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.
The curtain to the death chamber went up promptly at the scheduled 6:00 p.m. execution time, with Smithers already strapped to a table and an IV in his arm. When asked if he had a final statement, he responded, "No sir."
The administration of the lethal drugs began almost immediately. Initially, Smithers’ breathing was heavy and he underwent slight convulsions before all movements eventually stopped. A warden shook Smithers and shouted his name, but there was no response.
#1
Logical outcome: Death penalty states only have so many Death Row cells, and too many State death sentence convictions take 20++ years to actually happen, IF EVER.
So, the execution #'s will have to increase at some point to make room.
#2
Death penalty states only have so many Death Row cells
Improved methods of storage could increase capacity. For example, freeze-drying the cons while their appeals drag through the system would let you stack them like cord wood.
[UPI] Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Missouri on Tuesday executed its first death-row inmate of this year, killing Lance Shockley for the 2005 murder of a state highway patrol officer.
Shockley, 48, died by lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. CST at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Mo.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A manuscript of a previously unknown poem about the voyages of explorer Christopher Columbus has been found in Barcelona, Spain. This was reported on October 14 by El Periódico.
Researcher Claudia García-Minguillán discovered a manuscript of the poem "The New World" in the library of Montserrat Monastery. The author of the only copy in the world is the Portuguese poet and diplomat Francisco Botelho de Moraes e Vasconcelos (1670–1747).
"The manuscript remained unnoticed by scholars for decades, was never copied, digitized, or translated, and had no confirmed authorship," the researcher explained.
It is noted that the poem possesses great historical and philological value, as it is the first epic work in Spanish to feature Columbus as its protagonist. This work is briefly mentioned in the catalog of the monastery library, compiled in 1977 by the priest Alexander Olivar.
The manuscript contains 39 folios and dates to 1701, a time of intense dynastic tension, just before the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession. Columbus is presented to the reader as a hero who embodies all the political values of the supporters of Charles of Austria.
[ZeroHedge] In what can only be described as a spectacularly ill-advised IT decision, a Department of Energy (DOE) employee with access to nuclear secrets has lost his security clearance after uploading a staggering 187,000 pornographic images to the agency's network, according to 404 Media.
Yes, you read that correctly - 187,000. And before you go straight to 'planted porn' (we did too) - the porn aficionado admitted to it.
This "distinguished professional" (this is how the DOE described him) with decades of experience apparently decided that March 23, 2023 was the perfect day to back up his 30-year personal collection of explicit content onto a DOE computer. One can only imagine the IT department's reaction upon discovery. The employee remained blissfully unaware of his colossal mistake for six months until officials showed up for what must have been an extraordinarily awkward conversation.
PC Gamer has more details:
The man admitted breaching DOE rules but simply "did not think it was 'very wrong' to have adult images on an unclassified computer" and the DOE "was spying on him 'a little too much' given that the systems were unclassified." He also described the DOE software used to investigate the upload as "spyware" before going on to the Spanish Inquisition line.
In mitigation, the man outlined a history of depression, alongside both medical and psychiatric treatment. In 2017 he was diagnosed with "major depressive disorder, moderate, recurrent, in full remission for approximately one year" and "ADHD with problems in focus, attention, follow-through, procrastination, distractibility, and impulsivity.”
According to his appeal, which was helpfully made public thanks to DOE guidelines, the employee insisted he thought his personal drives were "partitioned" from the DOE network, keeping his extensive collection private. Spoiler alert: they weren't. He attributed the upload to experiments with AI-generated "robot pornography,” clarifying these were images of humans for AI training, not mechanical fantasies, while coping with depression.
According to a filing, "The Individual was using his personal cellphone to view the generative images, but he wanted to view larger images, so he viewed the images using his government-issued computer," adding "He also reported that, since the 1990s, he had maintained a “giant compressed file with several directories of pornographic images,” which he moved to his personal cloud storage drive so he could use them to make generative images."
So this guy not only had a massive porn collection he'd been accumulating since the 1990s, he wanted to feed them into an AI to make more.
The judge in the appeal wasn't buying it, dryly noting: "The Individual's attempt to link his generative pornography to mental health is too attenuated." The ruling concluded the upload resulted from "a lack of knowledge" rather than malicious intent, which is probably the kindest possible interpretation.
Computers, tablets, big digital tvs, cell phones are trivially cheap and suitable for looking at wh*cking material pictures in private.
External multi terabyte hdds providing private storage space are cheap too.
This looks like the guy set up a honey trap.
A "secret p*rn stash" set up to be not so secret, containing a few pictures among many that trigger exploits in decoding software, will ultimately give access to sensitive information belonging to interesting people at the DOE to interested parties.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Pete Hegseth's jet has made an emergency landing after a high-stakes NATO summit on the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Secretary of War's Boeing C-32A was flying over the Atlantic on Wednesday when a crack in the windshield forced it to return to England, stopping at RAF Mildenhall.
'The plane landed based on standard procedures and everyone onboard, including Secretary Hegseth, is safe,' chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted on X.
It comes after a string of European defense ministers were targeted by Russian GPS jamming following meetings to discuss the Ukraine war.
Earlier, Hegseth delivered a stern warning to Vladimir Putin that the United States was prepared to use all available military means to bring about the end of the conflict.
Hegseth told a meeting of NATO leaders in Brussels: 'If there is no path to peace in the short term... the US War Department stands ready to do our part in ways that only the United States can do.'
America 'remains clear-eyed about the fact that the most effective deterrents to Russian aggression are number one: a lethal, capable and European-led NATO, and number two: a combat credible Ukrainian military', he added.
His latest remarks contrast sharply with his stance during his February visit to NATO headquarters, where he suggested that US attention would pivot away from Europe in favor of more urgent challenges elsewhere in the world.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] An Air Canada Boeing 737 Max passenger jet clipped two adjacent aircraft while maneuvering on the ramp at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The Daily Mail reported this, citing a video posted on social media.
The footage shows the plane approaching a parking space between two other airliners. However, the space between them proved too narrow, causing the aircraft's wings to clip the adjacent aircraft.
The incident involved an aircraft whose last flight, according to FlightAware, was on October 10 from Quebec City to Toronto. The nature and extent of the damage have not been disclosed.
Air Canada declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. Airport authorities have also yet to provide any official information.
According to the Daily Mail, experts are expressing concern over the rise in such incidents amid staff cuts at the Federal Aviation Administration.
#4
"Faulty Boeing assaults like a wedge
Peaceful pair! Brother aircraft on edge!
We contend this offends
Our Canadian friends!"
- mystery missive delivered by sledge
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The second most powerful solar flare in four months was recorded. This was reported on October 15 by the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Scientists believe a multi-month peak in solar flare activity could occur today. The laboratory noted that they expect flare activity to reach level X on this day for the first time since early summer.
"The graphs show a continuous increase in background solar radiation, which has quadrupled in the last 24 hours and is approaching the M level. In other words, the Sun is currently generating X-ray fluxes at the level of strong flares, even in the absence of explosions," the scientists explained.
Earlier, on the night of October 14, the Sun ejected one of the largest solar prominences of 2025. According to coronagraph data, the plasma filament has already moved approximately 20 million kilometers from the star. Scientists clarified that its trajectory passes between Mercury and Earth, and neither planet will be in the ejection's path
Since the beginning of the day on October 15, scientists have recorded 11 solar flares. This was reported by the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the Space Research Institute (IKI) and the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“Since the beginning of the day, 11 flares have already occurred, including two strong M-level events (one of the flares was the second strongest in the last four months),” the laboratory’s Telegram channel said.
The Flare Activity Index (FAI) reached 8.1, exceeding the red alert level. This high reading is due to a series of powerful flares that have occurred over the past two days.
The last time such activity was observed was in May, when two high-class flares occurred. The absolute maximum of the current 25th solar cycle was recorded in October of last year.
Experts predict that the first effects of this solar activity will reach Earth tomorrow, October 16. The main impact is expected at the end of the week, from October 17 to 19. It is during this period that severe geomagnetic storms and bright auroras are possible.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Alexander Melnik
[REGNUM] Another flashpoint has emerged in Africa. This time, it's Madagascar: the island nation, not known for its political stability, has experienced another coup.
The "Generation Z" student protests that began in late September led to the flight of the country's president, Andry Rajoelina, and the seizure of power by the military.
REASONS FOR THE COUP
The coup d'état in Madagascar was a natural result of accumulated internal contradictions and socio-economic difficulties.
The immediate trigger was, first and foremost, problems with electricity and water supplies, which were particularly acute in the capital, Antananarivo, where residents were left without water and electricity for more than 12 hours a day.
What was particularly painful for the capital's residents was that for six years they had been paying regularly for utilities that were not actually provided.
At the same time, the overall economic situation continued to deteriorate. This is evidenced by the 78% of the population living below the poverty line, as well as limited access to higher education.
The drought-stricken south of the country and tropical cyclones ravaging the east have created a dire humanitarian situation. High levels of corruption and nepotism at all levels of government have long been notorious.
Adding to the growing unrest were accusations against the head of state of an anti-national, pro-French stance: Rajoelina also holds French citizenship.
All of this forced the youth of Generation Z to take to the streets with demands for access to public services, which quickly escalated into calls for a change in government.
CHRONICLE OF THE FALL OF THE REGIME
Demonstrations of the "Gen Z Madagascar" movement began on September 25, first in the capital and then spreading to other cities. The protests quickly degenerated into riots and were accompanied by unbridled looting.
Protesters set fire to the homes of prominent politicians close to Rajoelina, including Senator Lalatiana Rakotondrazafy and MP Naivo Raoldina. Bank branches, stores, and other commercial establishments were also robbed.
In the four days since the unrest began, more than 20 people have died and more than a hundred have been injured in clashes with security forces, according to the UN.
To quell public discontent, Madagascar's president dismissed the energy minister on September 26, but this had no effect. On September 29, Andry Rajoelina decided to dissolve Prime Minister Christian Ntsaya's government. This measure also failed to produce the desired effect: the protests were so intense that it was no longer possible to quell them with ritual resignations.
General Rufina Zafisambo was appointed the new prime minister on October 6, hoping to regain control of the situation. However, the prime minister himself soon condemned the actions of law enforcement agencies and called for negotiations with the protesters.
On October 11, one of the largest demonstrations took place in Antananarivo. Soldiers from the elite CAPSAT unit refused to open fire on the protesters and supported them.
On the morning of October 12, the unit's command announced it had established control over all of the country's armed forces. General Demosthenes Pikulas was appointed the new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
The frightened president, fearing a violent overthrow, "evacuated" the country on a French military plane on October 13, in agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron. In other words, he fled. Meanwhile, the French authorities are publicly calling the protests "Madagascar's internal crisis" and claiming they are not interfering in any way.
According to French media, former Prime Minister Christian Ntsai and businessman Mamy Ravatomanga, a close ally of Rajoelina, also left the country and flew to Mauritius on a private jet on October 11.
That same day, the fugitive president released a video message, claiming he had been evacuated to a "safe place" after "a group of military and politicians" attempted to kill him.
On October 14, he announced the dissolution of the National Assembly, to which 130 of the 163 parliamentarians approved the launch of impeachment proceedings. Rebel leader Mikael Randrianirina announced the seizure of power and the dissolution of the Senate, the Supreme Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Electoral Commission, and the High Council for the Defense of Democracy and the Rule of Law. The lower house was allowed to continue its work. The constitution was suspended.
WHO RULES THE ISLAND NOW?
Madagascar is currently governed by a military council, which includes the heads of the army, police, and gendarmerie. The council has promised to form a civilian government and hold elections within two years. Rebel leader Colonel Randrianira has been appointed chairman of the council.
He commanded an infantry battalion in the city of Toliara, and from 2016 to 2018, he led his native southern region of Andruj under President Heri Rajaonarimampianina. During his time there, the colonel earned a reputation as a practical administrator close to the people.
However, a conflict with the central government cost him his career. In November 2023, he was arrested and charged with "threatening state security" after criticizing the military leadership. The court sentenced him to one year of suspended imprisonment. Although the charges were dropped in February 2024 and he was reinstated as an officer, he was removed from all command positions.
The second character with more "weight" is Lieutenant General Demosthenes Piculas, originally from the Maintirano region in western Madagascar.
Pikulas, 54, was long considered the "invisible technocrat of the army." He led the humanitarian response command center during the catastrophic famine in the south of the country, and then, from 2021 to 2023, headed the military academy in Antsirabe, which trains all future officers of the Madagascar Armed Forces.
Pikulas was a strict disciplinarian. His former subordinates recall that he forbade discussing politics within the military establishments, demanding "think like an officer, not like a candidate for parliament." According to him, the army should be a guarantor of peace, not its destroyer.
Today, the general is carefully crafting the image of a "stabilizer" of the regime, a man who must prevent a split within the army and keep the country from descending into chaos.
The third most senior figure on the military council is Colonel Nonus Mbina Mamelison, the new commander of the National Gendarmerie. He is around 50 years old and spent most of his career in the Gendarmerie's judicial police, investigating corruption and abuses of power.
His appointment was a signal to civilian structures that the military was ready to cooperate with the police and legal authorities of the state.
Mamelison is a reserved and straightforward officer, nicknamed "a bulldog in uniform" by his subordinates. He maintains a low public profile and rarely appears in the national news.
WHO IS BEHIND GENERATION Z?
A number of foreign experts believe that financial structures from the United States may be involved in the internal political crisis in Madagascar.
This island nation is home to rich deposits of rare earth metals. Influential American interests and financial institutions supporting President Donald Trump see Malagasy instability as an opportunity to strengthen their positions.
Looking at the course of the coup in the context of the country's history, it can be seen that in 2009, it was the elite CAPSAT unit that played a key role in bringing the current president to power by staging a coup d'état.
Rajoelina was then the mayor of Antananarivo and President Marc Ravalomanana's main opponent. And then, 16 years later, military personnel from the same structure removed Rajoelina from power.
However, the actions of young people inspired by the example of their peers in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Peru cannot be underestimated: the effective rebellion of “Generation Z” is driven by the need for systemic change.
Meanwhile, his ability to quickly coordinate and mobilize could very well be used by outside forces to stage another revolution somewhere.
[Breitbart] China was able to intercept “vast amounts” of the most classified British government documents including national security intelligence for several years by simply buying a relevant data centre, reports state of an affair that is said to have been covered up and buried with legal threats against former government members.
Former advisor to the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Boris Johnson cabinet, Dominic Cummings, has asserted he was in the room when a senior civil servant revealed that China had been reading some of the most sensitive documents in the British government, because it had been able to buy the data company Whitehall used to internally send files.
People inside government, including Cummings, were threatened that discussing what they’d been told was “illegal”, he states, and so the story was effectively buried at the time in 2020. Nevertheless, Cummings appears to have decided to come forward now, as accusations swirl in Westminster over the collapse of a China spying trial over the now-left-wing government’s apparent refusal to legally classify China as a ‘enemy’.
Cummings told a forthcoming podcast that the spying scandal was like a “sci-fi novel” nobody would bother to write because it’s so unbelievable that any government could be so naive to transfer critical information through a data centre owned by China. Going into specifics is “illegal to discuss” but they are nevertheless “fucking mental”, he said.
Hillary Clinton’s private, unsecured server and personal email for State Department communications comes to mind as almost as stupid.
A report on these claims in The Times states four government insiders and a Conservative former security minister have confirmed Cummings’ version of events, albeit in vague terms presumably dancing around those claimed legal threats. The paper states the documents seen by China include the very highest tiers of classified information including material from the “intelligence services. Material from the National Security Secretariat in the Cabinet Office”.
The Spectator has splashed on the means of the espionage, claiming to reveal China intercepted the material by buying a company that controlled a data centre used by the British government to transfer files. An unnamed source told the magazine that the leak was the result of a “stratospheric fuck-up”.
The Cabinet Office — the British government’s omni-ministry which is among the most powerful if least understood by the public — denied the claims on Thursday. The BBC reports a spokesman said: “It is untrue to claim that the systems we use to transfer the most sensitive government information have been compromised.”
Last month, charges were dropped against two Britons accused of spying on behalf of China, with accusations made the prosecution was deliberately sabotaged from within the government. Prosecutors attempted to gather evidence for the trial but were blocked or otherwise unable to succeed, it was claimed, and the law to prosecute a spy requires them to have been serving an “enemy” of the country, and the government was apparently unwilling to apply that label to Beijing.
It is reported now by The Daily Telegraph that in one case, when a senior civil servant was asked to testify against the alleged spies — who both denied the charges — that he failed to do so and instead responded that the government is committed to a “positive relationship” with China.
The revelations by Cummings, if borne out, would seem to absolutely prove that the Chinese government — at the very least — acts like an enemy, further underlining the scale of the failure of the collapsed spy case and quite possibly making explicit why Cummings chose this moment to reveal a scandal he’d been threatened with legal action to keep quiet.
That the Prime Minister, the country’s former top prosecutor, apparently did nothing to prevent the case collapsing has led to accusations — unproven — that is was complicit in allegedly sabotaging it. The role of his national security advisor, Jonathan Powell, has also been under scrutiny.
Brexit leader Nigel Farage has stated, even before the Chinese data centre allegations, that Britain’s lackadaisical approach to cyber security places the future of the Five-Eyes intelligence sharing partnership with the United States at serious risk. He said last week: “America has been concerned about our weakness on China ever since the Huawei fiasco in 2020…. this is very serious”.
#2
Cummings told a forthcoming podcast that the spying scandal was like a “sci-fi novel” nobody would bother to write because it’s so unbelievable that any government could be so naive to transfer critical information through a data centre owned by China.
It's every bit as stupid to use computers made in China.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/16/2025 11:36 Comments ||
Top||
#3
They upload a bunch of attack programs disguised as sexy robot pictures or something?
[IsraelTimes] Rejecting appeal, High Court backs government’s decision last year to bar her from country, citing her antisemitic views, Holocaust denial and Islamophobia
Australia’s application of this law is seriously erratic, as far as I can tell.
Far-right US influencer Candace Owens has lost her bid to enter Australia after the country’s highest court on Wednesday backed the government’s decision to deny her a visa over concerns she could "incite discord" in the community.
Owens, who has built a large online following for her controversial conservative views, applied for a visa to undertake a speaking tour in November 2024.
Her application was rejected in October 2024 by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, citing her record of downplaying the Holocaust and making Islamophobic comments. Burke has powers to deny non-citizens entry based on character requirements under the Migration Act.
Owens appealed to the High Court on the grounds that the power burdened the freedom of political communication, an implied right. Unlike the US, Australia does not have an express constitutional right to free speech.
The High Court on Wednesday unanimously sided with Burke and ordered Owens to pay the government’s legal costs.
Over the course of the year, Australia has used the same law several times to bar Israeli officials and pro-Israel activists from entry, most notably far-right Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, who had his visa revoked in August for inciting “hate and division,” according to Burke.
The court said the Migration Act provisions imposed a burden on political communication but served a legitimate and justifiable purpose in protecting the Australian community from visitors who would "stir up or encourage dissension or strife on political matters."
"The implied freedom is not a ’personal right.’ It is not unlimited and is not absolute," said High Court judges Stephen Gageler, Michelle Gordon and Robert Beech-Jones in a joint judgment.
Burke said the decision was a "win for social cohesion."
"Inciting discord might be the way some people make money but it’s not welcome in Australia. Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else," he said in a statement.
The judges noted Burke denied Owens a visa after examining her views and comments on areas including "Holocaust denial, Islamophobia ...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do... ," anti-racism, Black Lives Matter and antisemitism, women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights, and COVID-19 and anti-vaccination."
Burke found her views to be "extremist and inflammatory comments towards Moslem, Black, Jewish and LGBTQIA+ communities which generate controversy and hatred," concluding that meant she failed the "character test" required for a visa because of the risk she would "incite discord" in the community.
He also concluded that allowing her into the country would not be in the national interest.
"Ms. Owens Farmer’s submissions should be emphatically rejected," said High Court Judge James Edelman in a separate judgment.
Owens’ lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.
Over the course of the year, Australia has used the same law several times to bar Israeli officials and pro-Israel activists from entry, most notably far-right Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, who had his visa revoked in August for inciting "hate and division," according to Burke.
The ban sparked a diplomatic row between Canberra and Jerusalem, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of being a "weak" politician who "betrayed Israel" and "abandoned" his country’s Jewish community.
In June, Australia barred pro-Israel activist and influencer Hillel Fuld because his presence would constitute a risk to "health, safety or good order," Burke’s office said at the time.
Last year, it blocked former justice minister Ayelet Shaked for similar reasons.
In July, Australia also canceled the visa of US rapper Kanye West, over concerns he promoted Nazi ideologies in his song "Heil Hitler ...late Fuehrer of Germany, founder of the Third Reich, currently communing with his pals Himmler and Heydrich. He is reincarnated every few days, sometimes every few hour if it's an election year, as a politician somebody doesn't like... " released in May.
#2
Looking at Australia's politics I suspect the deciding factor was her erstwhile "Islamophobia" and nothing else.
"Inciting discord might be the way some people make money but it’s not welcome in Australia. Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else," he said in a statement.
Western Civilization, specifically Western style democracy in a free and open society is institutionalized and ritualized discord and division.
Monolithic unity and harmony is a despotic and totalitarian concept.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gregor Spitzen
[REGNUM] German public opinion is shaken by the recent knife attack by a 17-year-old girl on her adoptive mother in Herdecke, North Rhine-Westphalia. This is not only because the victim was the newly appointed mayor, Iris Stalzer, and the perpetrator was a member of the family's immediate circle.
But also because many don't understand why, despite the mother having been stabbed at least ten times, the case is being investigated not as attempted murder, but only as grievous bodily harm. And why isn't the alleged perpetrator in custody, even though this is clearly not the first time she has injured her adoptive parents?
Other questions remain.
For example, regarding the adoption process.
A Green Party (later SPD) politician adopted a clearly mentally unstable migrant girl from a culturally alien environment—from Mali—which undoubtedly played a role in the family drama. What role did the "fashion" for such ostentatious adoptions play here?
However, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, voicing such sensitive details would be treading on the thin ice of political correctness and playing into the hands of the "unruly right-wing extremists" of the Alternative for Germany party.
That's why in Germany, neither government officials, nor journalists, nor public activists who look to the prevailing opinion try to dig too deeply.
POISONED RELATIONSHIPS
On the morning of October 7, the 57-year-old mayor wanted to use the shower in the basement of her home, where she encountered her adopted daughter. She also wanted to shower. A heated argument erupted over who would shower first, eventually escalating into a fight.
The 17-year-old daughter allegedly attacked the woman with two knives and then attempted to set her adoptive mother's hair on fire using deodorant spray and a lighter. Doctors later counted 13 stab wounds to the mayor's upper body, including his lungs.
The seriously injured official persuaded her adopted daughter to go upstairs and call an ambulance, promising not to turn her over to law enforcement. After emerging from the basement, the injured woman, covered in blood, sank into a chair, while her daughter called emergency services and the police.
Before the police arrived, the girl hid the knife and her bloody clothes in a backpack belonging to her 15-year-old half-brother (a boy of Haitian descent). She then carefully washed away the blood. After the police responded to the call, the girl reported that several burglars had broken into the house and attacked her mother.
Iris Stalzer was airlifted to the hospital because her life was in danger. Investigators later discovered bloody objects and the murder weapon, leading them to suspect the children.
During a brief interrogation at the hospital, the mayor claimed to know the culprits but did not want to name them. Meanwhile, her husband returned from his trip and persuaded Iris Stalzer to reveal details of the attack.
The premise for it was the girl's arguments and attitude towards her adoptive parents, who had been making life difficult for the family for some time.
Unlike her 15-year-old brother, the girl felt inferior and disadvantaged, which often led to arguments. That summer, the teenage daughter threatened her adoptive mother with a knife, and the police suspected the family of engaging in "reverse domestic violence" behind closed doors, where the source of danger was not the parents, but the children.
FEATURES OF THE LAW
But why did the German police only consider Iris Stalzer's dozen stab wounds to be "serious bodily harm"? The explanation is simple: first, the victim survived; second, it was her adopted daughter who called 911 when Stalzer lay on the floor with serious wounds. It seems she ensured that her adoptive mother didn't die.
This fact is interpreted differently by everyone.
Some insist the girl prepared with feeling, thought, and deliberation to torture her victim at length and didn't want her to bleed to death prematurely. Others, however, are certain that murder was clearly not part of the frenzied African woman's plans.
German law sided with the latter. To use legal terminology, the girl's actions were deemed to be preventing the so-called success of the crime.
If a criminal attempts to minimize the consequences of their actions or abandons the crime at an early stage, without going through with it, this is considered a renunciation of the attempt. This exempts the would-be killer from charges under more serious statutes, such as attempted murder.
Therefore, a dozen stab wounds will only be considered as causing grievous bodily harm.
Moreover, the attacker voluntarily called an ambulance for her foster mother. "Voluntarily" in this context means the police weren't at the door, leaving her little choice.
However, the daughter only called the police and paramedics after her adoptive mother swore to the sweet girl that she would not press charges. At the same time, the child concealed the true story of the incident, claiming it was a fictitious robbery.
As a result, the mother did not keep her word and gave testimony.
Was the refusal to continue killing really voluntary if the daughter stopped only because she believed her mother's promise?
According to the prosecutor's office, yes. After all, if Stalzer had died without being able to speak to the police or even anyone else, she would not have been able to implicate her daughter in the crime.
Another important point: if criminal law prescribed the same punishment regardless of whether the victim died or not, the perpetrator would essentially have no incentive to try to save her. Quite the contrary: it would incentivize criminals to complete their crime.
In Germany, serious bodily harm carries a prison sentence of six months to ten years. This penalty is meted out only if the crime was committed "with the aid of a weapon or other dangerous instrument."
Detention typically requires a basis for detention - a previous escape, a risk of escape, a risk of concealment (i.e., the risk of destruction of evidence or influence on witnesses), and a risk of recidivism.
Although both adopted children apparently had a history of physical violence against their parents, their mother is currently safe. The children have been placed in the custody of the juvenile department.
Since they committed crimes only within the family, the prosecutor's office obviously does not assume that there is any danger to others, so there was no talk of an arrest.
On the one hand, Iris Stalzer and her husband are undeniable victims of the unprovoked aggression of mentally unstable teenagers. On the other hand, Stalzer, as a prominent exponent of leftist-liberal ideology, very likely held overly liberal views on youth education and failed to properly manage it.
The girl, who had lived in a volatile environment unfamiliar to Europeans before her adoption, remembered something from her past and constructed an improvised flamethrower. And since life in prosperous Germany had already taught her to consider herself the center of the universe, the flamethrower and knife were used without hesitation simply because she was not given the bathroom.
A combination of specific experiences, educational mistakes, and a difficult character led to a high-profile crime that continues to be discussed throughout Germany to this day.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...late Fuehrer of Germany, founder of the Third Reich, currently communing with his pals Himmler and Heydrich. He is reincarnated every few days, sometimes every few hour if it's an election year, as a politician somebody doesn't like...
