Jury Finds Husband Guilty In Sleepwalking Murder Trial

PHOENIX - A man who claimed he was sleepwalking when he stabbed his wife 44 times and held her head underwater was convicted today of first-degree murder.

Scott Falater, 43, stared straight ahead and did not react as the verdict was read in a Maricopa County Superior Court. He then hugged his stepfather and kissed his mother.

"It's not over yet," Falater said just before he left the courtroom.

Jurors, who began deliberating Wednesday, also had the option of convicting Falater of second-degree murder. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty.

What Falater did on the night of Jan. 16, 1997, has not been in question. He admitted stabbing his wife, dragging her body to the backyard swimming pool and holding her head underwater.

He has not disputed removing his bloodstained clothes and hiding them and the knife in his Volvo. But Falater testified he has no memory of any of it.

Two sleep experts cited Falater's family history of sleepwalking, job stress and lack of sleep as reasons for his violent sleepwalking episode.

But prosecutors had their own expert witness testify that Falater's actions were too deliberate to constitute sleepwalking.

Man with plan to overthrow government sentenced to life

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A white supremacist convicted of several crimes, including murder, in a plot to create a nation in the Pacific Northwest was sentenced today to life in prison.

U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Eisele followed the jury's recommendation after hearing briefly from Chevie Kehoe, of Colville, Wash.

"I would just like to continue to maintain my innocence in this situation," Kehoe told the judge.

Last month, a jury convicted Kehoe, 26, of racketeering, conspiracy and three counts of murder.

Jurors already have recommended the death penalty for Kehoe's cohort, Danny Lee, 26, of Yukon, Okla., who has a hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

Kehoe and Lee were convicted in what prosecutors said was a plot to overthrow the government and set up a new nation where people of Asian, black, Hispanic and Jewish descent would be banned.

According to prosecutors, Kehoe and Lee's illegal activities included the bombing of City Hall at Spokane, Wash.; a shootout with Ohio police that was videotaped by a police car-mounted camera and broadcast nationwide; and the 1996 murders of three Arkansas residents.

San Diego mayor accused of using improper influence

SAN DIEGO - A San Diego County grand jury has accused Mayor Susan Golding of improperly using her influence to gain a business group's support for a new Padres ballpark.

The grand jury said Golding offered to support a $4 million allocation for a San Diego Hotel-Motel Association advertising program in exchange for the organization's support of a ballpark ballot measure.

The accusation, made public yesterday, did not bring criminal charges. The grand jury recommended prosecutors pursue a misconduct case, which could lead to Golding's removal from office.

2 Special Olympians leave delegation, head to New York

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Authorities were searching today for two Special Olympics athletes who left their nation's delegation and took a trip to New York City.

Basketball players Jose Gallardo, 20, and Maximo Martinez, 21, were in Greensboro for the Special Olympics Summer Games, which begin Saturday and ends July 4.

North Carolina authorities asked New York police to find the men.

Defendant in Shepard killing says he doesn't hate gays

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - One of two men accused of killing gay college student Matthew Shepard said he didn't know at the time of the crime that Shepard was gay.

Shepard's death raised a national outcry against gay bashing.

Aaron McKinney spoke with KGAB radio in his first public comments since he was charged in Shepard's killing last October.

"I don't hate anybody because of their race, or sexual preference or religion or anything like that," McKinney said Wednesday.

Police have said robbery was the main motive in Shepard's death.