Teen convicted in fatal restroom fight
WILMINGTON, Del. — A Delaware judge Thursday convicted a 17-year-old girl of criminally negligent homicide over a school bathroom fight that left a 16-year-old classmate dead.
Family Court Judge Robert Coonin delivered his ruling after hearing a week of testimony in the nonjury trial for three teenage girls charged in the death of Amy Joyner-Francis. All three were 16 when the fight happened and were tried as youthful offenders.
Two of the girls were charged with misdemeanor conspiracy. The judge acquitted one and convicted the other, saying there was evidence that she kicked Joyner-Francis during the fight. Sentencing is set for May 23.
The families of Joyner-Francis and the girl who was acquitted left the courthouse without commenting.
An autopsy found that Joyner-Francis died of sudden cardiac death, aggravated by physical and emotional stress from the April 2016 fight at Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington.
All three girls charged in the case opted not to testify. The Associated Press is not naming them because they are minors.
Kansas wraps up voter-fraud case
WICHITA, Kan. — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has announced his first prosecution of a noncitizen voting illegally since lawmakers gave him the authority in 2015 to prosecute voter fraud.
Victor David Garcia Bebek pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of voting unlawfully in 2012 and 2014, according to a news release Wednesday from Kobach’s office. The plea deal calls for a $5,000 fine and unsupervised probation for up to three years.
Bebek’s defense attorney did not immediately return a phone message left at his office seeking comment.
The initial charges were filed under seal in February, and the prosecution was not made public until Wednesday when Kobach’s office sent out its announcement.
Between 2003 and 2013, the state documented 30 cases in which noncitizens registered to vote, federal court filings show. The evidence in those cases showed only three instances in Kansas where noncitizens voted.
U.S. to Puerto Rico: Add 3rd vote option
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The federal Department of Justice said in a letter addressed to Puerto Rico’s governor that a coming referendum to decide the future of the island territory’s political status should include the current status as an option.
Gov. Ricardo Rossello had submitted a draft of the ballot that listed only two options: statehood or independence/ free association. If a majority chose the latter, a second referendum would be held in October and would ask voters to choose between the two.
The Department of Justice said that kind of ballot would raise questions about the vote’s legitimacy.
The ballot “is not drafted in a way that ensures that its result will accurately reflect the current popular will of the people of Puerto Rico,” the letter said.
The Justice Department also said the draft contains ambiguous and potentially misleading statements and that it cannot provide $2.5 million in federal funds to hold the referendum as proposed.
Rossello said late Thursday that he would accept the Justice Department’s amendment for the June 11 referendum. Legislators expect to vote on the amended ballot next week.
Michigan city rethinks ‘sanctuary’ label
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s capital reversed a decision to call itself a “sanctuary city” that protects immigrants regardless of their legal status, bowing to pressure from a business community concerned that the term would draw unwanted attention to Lansing from President Donald Trump’s administration and cost the city federal funding.
The City Council voted 5-2 late Wednesday to reverse course just nine days after unanimously deciding to call Lansing a sanctuary. The term “sanctuary city” has no legal definition and varies in application, but it generally refers to jurisdictions that do not cooperate with U.S. immigration officials.
However, the Lansing policy set out last week in an order from Mayor Virg Bernero will stay in effect. It bars employees from asking about immigration status, except as required by state or federal law or a court order. Police also are prohibited from holding immigrants for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless federal authorities have a judicial warrant.
Trump has warned that sanctuary cities could lose federal money for refusing to cooperate with immigration authorities.