Ivan Hancock was handed down a sentence of 15 years to life today in prison by Superior Court Judge Arthur Harrison in a Fontana court room.

Hancock had pleaded no contest last month to one count of second degree murder in the beating death of 15-month old Amber Russell, the daughter of this then-girlfriend, Iyesha Lightcsy. Lightscsy also was charged with murder and later pleaded guilty to child endangerment. She was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Hancock was also charged with murder in the beating death in San Bernardino of Talonia Johnson-Boutee, who was also 15 months old when she died Jan. 2, 2007, after a New Year’s Eve 2006 assault.

I was searching for an interesting story to write about, and came upon an interesting moral dilemma. Well, perhaps it’s not so much a moral dilemma as a test of character. Ready? OK, here it is.

It’s the beginning of the 21st century. You’re a member of an incredibly successful musical group. You and your bandmates have paid your dues, working gigs at run down bars and 3rd rate venues for little or no pay, working your way up the ladder of fame.

Your big break comes in the form of an American Idol type television talent show for singing groups. All that hard work, all those hours and hours of practicing and rehearsing finally pay off, and you and the band are declared the winners.

CESAR LAUREAN GUILTY OF MURDER, GETS LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE
excerpts of an article by Lindell Kay, The Havelock (North Carolina) news

A former Camp Lejeune Marine corporal who killed a pregnant colleague to save his military career will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Cesar Armando Laurean, 23, was found guilty by a Wayne County jury in the 2007 bludgeoning death of 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach. The jury deliberated for less than three hours before reaching its verdict based on testimony from 49 witnesses over a two-week period.

With his mother crying in the background, Laurean was shackled by bailiffs and led away after sentencing by N.C. Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith.

When they say, “It’s a dog’s life,” they mean it’s a downright miserable existence. They, apparently, don’t know my dogs. I would sign up for their pampered lifestyle in a nanosecond. Free meals, comfy bed, lots of time to play, plenty of treats, oodles of love, and absolutely no worries. And in return my spoiled pooches give me unconditional love, acceptance and loyalty.

That’s what dogs do. And they don’t judge. I could rob a bank, cheat on my spouse, hijack a bus filled with kindergartners and my dogs would love me. Even Hitler’s dog loved him. And even Allan Dwayne Schoenborn’s dog loved him.

This is Michael Frederick Schmidt. He, along with his wife, Tracy L. Schmidt, hail from Hastings, Minnesota. This creep owns a spot in hell – he’s earned it.

His wife’s sister gave birth nine months ago to a beautiful baby girl, making Michael and his Missus a newly minted uncle and aunt.

His sister-in-law and her husband, fresh to the parenting game, must have been grateful to have the opportunity to avail themselves of the Schmidts’ offer to babysit their angel.

Ask any parent about the importance of making “couple time” and they’ll likely tell you that it is essential Dad and Mom remember that they were once husband and wife first before the pitter-patter of little feet.

The depths of depravity to which human beings will sink fills me with disgust and loathing. Sometimes there are people so evil and off the charts that the depths to which their urges will sink and the lengths to which they will go to satisfy them are truly unbelievable.

On August 19, 1982, a genetic mistake was slithering around in his pus-filled skin suit masquerading as a human male – David Joseph Steffen. He came across pretty 19-year-old Karen Range, and decided that she was just the victim he was looking to rape. Stalking her to her Roselawn home, he knocked on her door posing as a door-to-door cleaning supply salesman.

Ah, Mother’s Day. The one day a year when I am allowed to sleep in and I don’t have to cook (yippee!!). Of course sleeping in is a relative term as I am first greeted by a crying baby and whining dogs doing the the pee-pee dance at the foot of the bed. Then my loving husband kisses me and says, “go back to sleep honey. I’ll get the kids up and let the dogs out. I’ll take care of everything”

Oh no.

I lay in bed and listen to the deafening noises emanating from my kitchen as my brood prepares me breakfast in bed. I listen with stomach turning intensity to the crashing, and banging of what must be every single pot, pan, bowl and kitchen utensil that my kitchen can offer and on one memorable occasion, the smoke detector going off. I listen to cries of “you’re a butthead! Yeah! Well you’ve got fart breath.” (those two will never be English scholars)

Omar Thornton murdered eight people on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010. He did it because he had stealing from his employer, Hartford Distributors of Manchester, Connecticut, for some time and he’d gotten caught on video by a private detective the beer distributors had hired to make sure there was no mistake.

At the meeting with 50-year-old Hartford Distributors vice president and COO Steve Hollander, 50-year-old director of operations Louis J. Felder and the president of Teamsters Local 1035, 51-year-old Bryan Cirigliano, Omar Thornton was confronted with the evidence.

Omar Thornton was offered the choice of resigning and walking away without any consequences for his actions or being terminated by the company for theft. Without a word, he wrote out a one sentence letter of resignation. He then asked if he could get a drink of water.