Daily Dispatch News

By Alicia Cruz The Black Urban Times Photo/memorytorch.net  The trial of the Fayetteville man accused of murdering and raping five-year-old Shaniya Davis in 2009 is underway after Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons ruled that 32-year-old Mario Andrette McNeil is capable of helping in his defense. Jurors heard opening statements before a packed courtroom in the McNeill murder trial held at the Cumberland County courthouse almost two weeks ago. Almost immediately, Ammons ceased the proceedings in order to ascertain the mental stability of McNeil and declare if he was able to assist in his own defense. Prior to the start of opening statements, Ammons ruled last Monday on a motion by McNeill's lawyers to prevent prosecutors from telling the jury that McNeill knew where Shaniya's body had been hidden. He said the state can tell jurors that McNeil's first two attorneys, Allen Rogers and Cory Brewer, told Fayetteville police where to find Shaniya's body, and may say those a...

By Alicia Cruz Associated Content Rapper Jay-Z announced last week that he would sell his stake in NBA team the Brooklyn Nets. After launching Roc Nation Sports, a sports management agency, Jay-Z (nee Shawn Carter) had to sell due to NBA rules against "double-dipping." According to the NBA rules, agents cannot have title to a team and represent an athlete. So in order for Carter to venture on with his sports management endeavor, he had to sell his stake in the Nets. Carter, who relocated the Brooklyn Nets to his hometown borough from neighboring New Jersey this season, is married to mega entertainer Beyonce Knowles-Carter. The dynamic duo have a beautiful daughter, Blue Ivy. See full article here

By Alicia Cruz Associated Content I know many of us have been called for jury duty and it can sometimes be a serious inconvenience, but once you're selected to sit on a trial, you're expected to take that duty seriously. A man in Oregon learned that lesson the hard way. A WCTI TV12 news article reported that the juror was jailed after the sitting judge noticed a "glow" reflecting the man's chest as the jurors were supposed to be watching a video, reported TV station KGW in Portland. The judge cleared the courtroom and excused all jurors except the cell phone user juror. His contemptuous conduct earned him two days in jail and while he admitted there was no excuse for his behavior, he said he felt his jail sentence was, "harsh." When a person's life or freedom lies in your hands and requires your undivided attention, you don't text or do anything else that diminishes your ability to fairly and accurately judge evidence. I say the punishment fit t...

  By Alicia Cruz The Black Urban Times WCNC North Carolina has reported that the 16-year-old Air Force Jr. ROTC student missing from Charlotte and found dead November 15 in Milton, Massachusetts may have been a stow-away inside an aircraft wheel well when he fell to his death as the plane descended towards the airport.  Phil Orlandella, director of communications at Logan International Airport confirmed for NewsChannel 36 that local police are investigating the possibility that Delvonte Tisdale may have fell from an aircraft, which would explain the horrific injuries to his body and the fact that he was found with no shirt or shoes. "We have been requested to look into that possibility," Orlandella said Tuesday. "It's something that theoretically can happen. It's a remote possibility." However, prosecutors have declined to co-sign the stowaway theory. Orlandella added that officials are cross-checking records of arriving flights heading to Runway...

By Alicia Cruz Senior writer Theblackurbantimes Feliz Cumpleanos! My, how time flies when it comes to children. Look who has graduated to "young lady" status. Yes, that's the daughter of late rapper, Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls). T’Yanna Wallace is Biggie's oldest child. She just celebrated her 16th birthday in pure style...just like her father would have wanted, I'm sure. T'Yanna was a mere toddler when her father was murdered as he sat in a vehicle in Los Angeles, California on March 9. 1997. Biggie, born Christopher Wallace , was gunned down while leaving a Vibe magazine party after the Soul Train Music Awards. His rise to success began during his short tenure as a crack dealer on the streets of New York. Thanks to producer, Sean "Puffy" Combs , Biggie left the lifestyle to hone his skills as a gifted rapper. On the night of the mysterious shooting, as hundreds left the party, Biggie's entourage rolled out of the parking g...

By Alicia Cruz nj.newsroom.cruz@gmail.com The New Jersey Newsroom A NEW LOVE In April of 2005, 36-year-old Monique Johnson , a matron at the Shelby County jail in Memphis, Tennessee, met Tony Hayes, a handsome young Memphis police officer while he was moonlighting as a security guard in her old apartment complex in East Memphis. The euphoria in their relationship began to fade as quickly as it started when Monique says that Tony began acting very jealous and possessive. She became suspicious of his behavior and began checking him out. She learned that Tony had not lied about how many times he had been divorced, but he was lying to her about his current marital status. Tony Hayes had married his third wife only three months prior to meeting Monique and was separated from that wife at the time he met Monique. Once learning from Tony’s current wife that they were, in fact, separated, Monique decided to continue seeing Tony, despite the reservations she had. For a few months, ...

By Alicia Cruz The Black Urban Times Camp Pendleton Murder suspect has profiles on sadomasochism websites; described sexual preferences and interests in asphyxiaphilia, electro-torture, rape SSgt Louis Perez S an Diego County officials still have not divulged a motive or much other information in the murder of Brittany Killgore, but during an arraignment hearing for Staff Sergeant Louis Ray Perez, a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, new details emerged. According to Deputy District Attorney Patrick Espinoza, Killgore sent a text to a friend on April 13,  the night she disappeared, that read, "Help." After that, Killgore was never heard from or seen again until April 17 when police found her body in Riverside County, California near Lake Skinner. How Killgore died and how she met Perez, who is married, remains a mystery. Killgore was married to Marine Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore, who was deployed to Afghanistan at the time of her murder. Reports say the 22-year-ol...