Community Activists Are Demanding Charges Against Vigilante

Houston community activists are demanding charges against a man who shot and killed two burglary suspects in Pasadena.

On Monday, they held a protest in front of Joe Horn’s home on Timberline.

“Mr. Horn did not have to kill those men,” said Quanell X. “We believe that Mr. Horn became judge jury and executioner at the same time.”

Horn’s actions were recorded during his call to 911.

Horn claims the men he shot and killed had busted into his next door neighbor’s house.

The shots he took followed repeated warnings from the dispatcher not to go outside.

“Had this black man been on the phone the same way, he would be under the jail and not see the light of day,” said Quanell X.
Pasadena resident reportedly shoots suspected thieves

Robert Hammons lives in the area. “I think they’re the ones turning this into a racial matter, it’s not racist.”

Another neighbor said the shooting had nothing to do with race and that Horn was only trying to protect his family, which he considers to be this entire neighborhood.

But Horn’s actions have ignited a criminal investigation, and could cost him his freedom.
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Yes, I do believe that his actions were that of a vigilante. If any of my readers disagree, please do so respectfully. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Top News Stories as Reported by 11 News

Texans top Saints, 23-10

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Everett discharged from hospital

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Sugar Land: Safe City, USA

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Breaking the cycle of child abuse

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HPD officer killed in gun-cleaning accident

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Dad fulfills fallen Galveston soldier's last wish

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Conroe firefighters save Santa

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Copper thieves cut phone lines for cash

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Boy found after HPD issues Amber Alert

Houston Police issued an Amber Alert Sunday after a 4-year-old boy went missing.

Temple's Lawyer Subpoena Chronicle's Reader

Attorneys for a former high school football coach convicted in the shooting death of his pregnant wife want the Houston Chronicle to identify a reader who posted a comment about the case on the newspaper’s Web site.

The thread, posted in the “reader comments” section, suggests that the juror spoke about the deliberations while the trial was still ongoing.

David Mark Temple’s attorneys issued a subpoena Friday calling for the Chronicle to appear in court Monday, with registration information the reader may have given the newspaper.

The comment was posted around 9 a.m. Thursday, about seven hours before a jury found David Mark Temple, 39, guilty of shooting Belinda Tracie Temple in January 1999. Belinda Temple, a special education teacher at Katy High School, was eight months pregnant.

In the posting, the reader, who goes by the screen name “REFster,” wrote: “Psst ... My boss is on the jury. Thinks they’ll have a verdict this afternoon.”

After another reader asked REFster if he knew how his boss would vote on the verdict, REFster replied: “He is playing it very close to the vest. I’m sorry to say at this point, I got nada.”

The last comment by REFster was posted about 6 p.m. Thursday.

About 2,000 comments were posted about the Temple case.

Jurors are not allowed to talk about a case outside the jury room while a trial is underway, and are instructed not to discuss the case with their spouses, family members or friends. They are also ordered to avoid any media reports. Jury deliberations are also supposed to remain confidential until a trial has ended.

Jurors in the Temple trial are scheduled to begin hearing testimony in the punishment phase of the case on Monday.

Defense attorney Dick DeGuerin said he did not know what he would ask the court to do about possible jury misconduct. The jury could be polled on whether they had violated the court’s instructions, DeGuerin said.

Prosecutor Kelly Siegler declined to comment Friday.

The Chronicle’s management said they had not decided how to

respond to the subpoena.

Gag Order Lifted in Benton Case

An appeals court lifted on Friday a gag order that prevented attorneys for a teenage girl accused of fatally stabbing a gang member from commenting on some aspects of her case, including plea negotiations and the potential outcome of her retrial in January.

The unanimous decision by the Fourteenth Court of Appeals means Ashley Paige Benton and her attorneys are free to talk publicly about such matters — including whether they believe prosecutors can secure a conviction — without fear of sanctions by a judge.

Councilmember calls for HPD Crime Lab investigation

Houston city leaders are reacting to the latest findings of troubles within the Houston Police Department’s crime lab.

Problems that could innocent people behind bars.

It is Mike DeGeurin’s job to defend.

"The bottom line is as a public we do not want a possibly innocent person to be convicted wrongfully,” said the famed defense attorney.

Now he has some new ammunition when he has a client accused of a crime in Houston. A document created by HPD Crime Lab Managers showing what they call "Issues with DNA.”

There have been 12 issues since the lab began taking cases in June of 2006.

Crime Lab timeline

Nov. 2005
New DNA section opens
2006
March 2
Accreditation denied
March 3
New Outside Proficiency Test
FBI Audit Finds issues
May 23
First Contamination Issue (Test Case)
June 19
DNA Lab Accredited and Casework begins
Nov. 29
Second Contamination Issue
Dec. 4
Third Contamination Issue
2007
Jan. 29
Fourth Contamination Issue
Aug. 3
Cheating on Proficiency Test Alleged
Aug. 22
Evidence Tampering Alleged
Aug. 24
“30 Day Squad” Internal Investigation Launched
Aug. 27
Lab Temporary Reorganization
Sept. 11
HPD Internal “Issues” timeline distributed to employees
Sept. 12
DNA section closed for deep cleaning
Sept. 21
Employee told Internal Investigation Report sent to Chief Hurtt
Oct. 4
Crime lab Whistleblower J. Phillips resigns
Oct. 5
J. Phillips asked to stay on paid leave
HPD announces investigation launched
Nov. 1
J. Phillips Comes Forward
HPD says Investigation “Ongoing”
Nov. 2
J. Phillips gives more details of troubles
Nov. 12
“Insider” speaks
Nov. 13
11 News discloses DNA Issues document
Nov. 14
11 News reports FBI Audit Details

There were six issues within two weeks in August and September.

It’s a timeline obtained only by 11 News. A timeline that had DeGeurin’s interest peaked.

"This can have a huge impact on an individual case,” he said.

That's why so many people are questioning why very few people, if anyone outside the department, were told about the issues.

And of the shutdown of the DNA lab for cleaning on Sept. 12.

City Councilmember Ada Edwards sits on the city’s public safety committee.

"All I know is what I've seen on TV and that's what bothers me,” said City Councilmember Ada Edwards, who sits on the city’s public safety committee. "It doesn't bother me it angers me."

It appears that the district attorney's office didn't know either.

Even though it is something, they are going to see over and over again in cases now making their way through the courts.

“Any defense lawyer who has a case in Harris County that involves scientific evidence, it is now presumed to be bad science,” said 11 News legal expert Gerald Treece.

Potentially hundreds of cases.

"The gleam in my eye is, here is proof. It is not just a supposition on my part that they make mistakes,” said DeGeurin. “Here is proof that they do.”

Now plenty of people are asking for a full accounting. Asking for all the details.

"I brought it up yesterday at council. (I) asked the mayor for a full briefing either through the public safety committee and or through his mayor’s report,” said Edwards.

The details do exist.

But HPD has yet to release them.

The lab is required under its accreditation to keep detailed records on all problems.

"There is no reason this should be kept secret,” said DeGeurin. “There is no reason it should be explained or spun. Just we’ve got a problem.

“Deal with it.”

Electric Companies Pay Off Lobbyists

Have you ever wondered why Texas' residents electricity bill is so how? Well, read the following:

The electricity industry paid for 343 lobbyists -- almost two for every lawmaker.

CenterPoint Energy paid for 16 lobbyists, spending somewhere between $645,000 and $1.3 million.

American Electric Power, which provides electricity to parts of south and west Texas, had seven lobbyists. It paid between $725,000 and $1 million.

The Association of Electric Companies in Texas paid for 21 lobbyists, spending between $460,000 and $975,000.

The total lobbying tab for all of the electricity industry was somewhere between $10 million and $20 million.

Where does that leave you? Critics say it can cut the consumer almost completely out of the legislative process. They say the industry gets much of what it wants, despite complaints by customers.

Nooses Hung At Baytown Refinery

Exxon Mobil confirmed some disturbing news Tuesday: On separate occasions in the past three days, a noose has been found hanging from scaffolding at the Baytown refinery.

But what they don’t know is who was behind the acts, or why they did it.

“Anytime I hear of any incident like this I’m surprised, concerned, upset by it,” Dena Marks of the Anti-Defamation League said. “It is a symbol of hatred and a symbol of racism.”

But the Anti-Defamation League says companies and corporations should be concerned and upset as well – for legal reasons.

Just last month, four contract workers were fired from their jobs at FMC Technologies in Houston after two different incidents of nooses being hung on the job.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently settled cases with companies in Alabama and Pennsylvania to the tune of a million dollars for nooses found at plants there.

And Conroe saw a million-dollar suit last year after coworkers physically choked Charles Hickman with a noose in a company bathroom.

“They need to be concerned about it because it’s a sign of intimidation and racism, and nobody wants that in their workplace,” Marks said.

Exxon Mobile released a statement on the incidents late Tuesday afternoon.

“These actions are completely unacceptable, and we are investigating this matter. These actions violate Exxon Mobil’s Harassment in the Workplace Policy which prohibits any form of harassment in the company workplace. The objective of this policy is to provide a work environment that fosters mutual employee respect and working relationships free of harassment. Harassment will not be tolerated, and Exxon Mobil is taking prompt action to address this matter,” the statement read.

Todd Hoeffner Claims He Is A Victim of Fraud

Although Todd Hoeffner was indicted in June on charges of bribery and wire fraud, he claims that he was not a perpetrator but a victim. According to yesterday's news story, the government alleges he used kickbacks to persuade two employees of The Hartford insurance company to settle hundreds of his silicosis cases, and indicted all three of them. The 14-count indictment accurately reflected the payments, Hoeffner acknowledges, but not the context in which they were made.

In a 37-page civil court filing known as a "cross-claim," Hoeffner insists that he was the target of an extortion plot in which routine settlements were held hostage by a claims manager and her boyfriend, who were looking for a nest egg to fund a comfortable post-divorce life together.

Adding to the intrigue is the identity of her boyfriend: the head of the company's claims handling division that dealt with silica cases. Hoeffner accuses the two of working together to force him to pay up or risk getting nothing.

Crowne Plaza Reduced to Rubble

The Crowne Plaza Hotel in the Medical Center was reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds Sunday.

It was a part of a plan to make way for development in the area.

By the year 2011, the site will be home to Texas Children’s Hospital Maternity Center.

It will be a 15-floor, 720,000-square foot space that will host an estimated 5,000 births a year.

Wife of Executed Killer Moves Lawsuit

A lawsuit filed against a judge who prevented a convicted killer from making a last-minute appeal by not extending office hours has been withdrawn from one court and moved to another, an attorney for the inmate’s widow said Saturday.

The original lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Houston, accusing Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon Keller of violating Michael Richard’s rights by preventing his attorneys from filing an appeal hours before his execution.

A notice of dismissal filed Thursday offered no explanation, but on Saturday civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen said that he wanted the lawsuit moved to Austin because that’s where Keller’s court is.