The newest World News: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

For 22 murder victims, LA Riots leave legacy of justice eluded - Fox News

Twenty years ago, Los Angeles erupted in riots after four cops were acquitted in the videotaped beating of Rodney King, but during an uprising supposedly in the name of justice, some people got away with murder.

During the five "Days of Outrage," a disbelieving nation watched on television as looters broke store windows and emptied shelves, Korean grocers sat atop their stores with assault rifles and fires were set throughout South Central and other parts of the city. Beatings, including the brutal one administered to truck driver Reginald Denny, were captured on video by news crews.

“Can’t we all just get along?” pleaded King as the city was plunged into violent chaos. The phrase became a rallying cry for a city determined to heal after being torn apart by racial divisions.

The police were overwhelmed, and the National Guard was called in to help quell the violence. When the mayhem subsided five days later, nearly 1,600 buildings were destroyed or damaged and more than 2,300 people were hurt. The final cost of the riot was estimated at more than a billion dollars, including $735 million in property damage.

“Can’t we all just get along?”

- Rodney King, motorist whose beating by police led to LA Riots

But the human toll is the most disturbing legacy of the riots. Some 53 people were killed in what police have classified as riot-related homicides and accidents. Of those, some 22 homicides remain classified as open and unsolved.

The dead for whom justice remains elusive include a 15-year-old boy shot as he stood on a corner, a Good Samaritan who tried to douse flames set by a crowd of angry looters, a hard-working immigrant who insisted on making grocery deliveries even as his neighborhood burned, a suburban man shot when he came to check on his store and John Doe No. 80, whose identity may never be known.

Here are their stories:

- Arturo Carlos Miranda, 23, was killed on April 29, 1992, at the intersection of 120th St. and Central Ave. Miranda, a Mexican-American, his nephew Valentin Moreno and another friend were driving back from a South Central park when an unidentified blue car pulled up next to theirs and someone fired a shot at the trio. Miranda was struck in the chest. Inexplicably, his nephew and friend first drove Miranda home before taking him to Martin Luther King Hospital, where he died.

- Dwight Taylor, a 43-year-old African-American, was walking home from work when he was shot in the neck and killed the same night, in a drive-by attack on W. Martin Luther King Boulevard.

- Eduardo Canedo Vela, a 33-year-old Mexican-American, was driving with two friends in the riot zone that night when their car broke down on Slauson Ave. Vela stayed with the car while his companions went to find a phone. When they returned, he’d been shot in the chest.

- Anthony Lamarr Netherly, 21, an African-American, was found between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. shot in the head at the intersection of 78th and San Pedro streets. The driver who found him loaded Netherly into his car and took him to Martin Luther King Hospital, where he died in the emergency room.

- John Henry Willers, 37, of Salt Lake City, stopped on a busy road in Mission Hills to help some people involved in a head-on collision and was gunned down.

- Elbert Ondra Wilkins, 33, was with pals just before midnight at 92nd St. and Western Ave. when shots rang out from an unidentified car driving by. One bullet hit Wilkins in the chest, ripping into his aorta. Wilkins’ friends drove him to Martin Luther King Hospital, where he later died.

- The body of Nissar Daoud Mustafa was found by demolition workers in the rubble of the J.J. Newberry department store on Aug. 12, months after rioters set it ablaze. The 20-year-old was classified as a John Doe, until the coroner, who determined he burned to death, identified him through dental records.

- Ira Frederick McCurry, 45, pleaded with looters not to burn down the store adjacent to his home on Avalon Blvd. He was shot through the right eye and died at the scene.

- Police believe Meeker Mardah Gibson, 35, had stopped to use a pay phone at a Pomona gas station when someone blasted him in the chest with a shotgun.

- William Anthony Ross was initially listed as John Doe No. 79, when his body was found in a looted and torched grocery store in Koreatown. The owner found the 25-year-old African-American’s body on May 1. He was curled up under a metal desk in the rear of the store, a large wad of cash stuffed in his pocket.

- Howard Epstein, a 45-year-old Orlanda resident, was driving through South Central to check on a business he owned in the riot zone on the afternoon of April 30 when a driver pulled up next to him and shot him once in the temple. His Ford Thunderbird careened into a tree and as he lay mortally wounded, rioters robbed him and looted his car. He died at the scene, and when police arrived the hostile crowd forced them to tow away the car with the body still inside.

- As the rioting raged on, Thanh Lam, 25, continued to make deliveries to customers of his family’s small grocery store in Compton. Police believe the Vietnamese-American was stopped at a red light on Alondra Blvd. when a late 1970s or early 1980s blue Cadillac pulled up alongside him. An African-American male in the passenger seat yelled a racial slur at Lam and then opened fire. Lam was shot four times, three hits to the chest and one to the back.

- One of the riot’s youngest victims was Gregory Davis Jr. The 15-year-old African-American boy was shot once in the forehead as he walked near Vermont and 43rd streets on April 30.

- Police found the knife that was used to stab Adolpho Morales to death, but they were unable to lift prints from it. The 37-year-old’s body was found on W. Pico Boulevard.

- Louis Amari Watson, 18, was with a group of people at the corner of Vernon and Normandie avenues when someone shot him in the head.

- John Doe No. 80, is a white male, approximately 35, who stood just under 5 feet tall and weighed 117 pounds. The only remaining unidentified victim from the riots, his body was found May 2 in a burned out Pep Boys on S. Vermont Ave. It appears he suffered a skull fracture, likely from a punch, before dying in the store of smoke inhalation.

- Police believe George Antonio Sosa was looting a store in Huntington Park when someone shot him in the chest.

- Ernest Neal Jr., 27, was standing on the corner of Western Ave. and 92nd St. during the rioting when a car rolled up and someone shot him in the head..

- Kevin Andrew Evanshen, 24, became known as “the Good Samaritan,” after he tried to douse a Venice store as it was being looted on May 1. He climbed onto the roof and was hosing down the flames when he fell through. Firefighters later recovered his charred body; whoever set the blaze is guilty of felony murder.

- Police believe Wilson Alvarez, 40, was beaten to death by a throng of stick-wielding looters after he threw stones at them.

- The body of Carol Ann Benson, a 43-year-old African-American woman, was found on Harbor Freeway near downtown L.A. Police believe a hit-and-run driver struck the South Central resident and that her body had been dragged underneath a car.

- It was three weeks after the riots ended that a worker from a nearby business found the body of Juan Veron Roberto Salgado, 20, in the rubble of a burned out clothing store, Collective Merchandise, on Main Street. The coroner reported the cause of death as smoke inhalation and burns and it was ruled a homicide.

Police say all the cases above remain open. But with the passage of time, evidence is lost forever and witnesses fade from the reach of prosecutors. Authorities privately acknowledge the possibility of solving these homicides, and bringing to justice the people who committed them, become more remote with every year that passes.

“With regards to the specific cases being handled by our division, I can tell you that we had a whole team of detectives that collected all the available video from the surrounding stores and from the news media after the riot was quelled,” said LAPD Detective Olivia Spendola of the Major Crimes Division.

“Our detectives combed through every piece of footage to try and identify suspects or vehicles and witnesses, but we never got any leads from that work and we still haven’t 20 years later,” she added. “But you never give up hope.”

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Washington fugitive found dead in mountain bunker - CTV.ca

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Secret Service issues stricter behavior standards - CBS News

(CBS NEWS) WASHINGTON -- Moving quickly to try to put its record of bad behavior behind it, the Secret Service has issued strict new behavior guidelines.

The enhanced standards were sent out to all Secret Service personnel, and are effective immediately.

It's the latest attempt by the agency to get control of the sex scandal enveloping the agency, amid new questions about a culture of inappropriate behavior.

The agency handed down the new "enhanced standards of conduct" two weeks after the Secret Service prostitution scandal broke in Colombia, as allegations of inappropriate behavior expanded to four countries.

An internal agency memo says personnel should "consider your conduct through the lens of the past several weeks."

Among the enhanced standards: Foreign nationals cannot enter employees' hotel rooms, excluding hotel staff and official counterparts. Patronizing in non-reputable establishments is not allowed. And drinking alcohol can only be done while off-duty and in moderate amounts. It's prohibited within 10 hours of reporting for duty.

Next week, more than 100 Secret Service personnel are scheduled to take an ethics in law enforcement class. The agency says more of these additional training sessions will be held throughout the year.

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Allegations of partying, drinking and inappropriate sexual activity have expanded to four countries.

The Secret Service says it has yet to launch formal investigations into the new allegations.

"You know nothing's changed in Washington if heads don't roll," Sen. Charles Grassley (R, Iowa) said on "CBS This Morning" Friday. He said officials must be held accountable, but stopped short of calling for Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan to step down.

As a number of lawmakers demand a wider investigation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a different take on correcting the culture of the agency.

Asked by CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes Thursday what he thinks should be done "if it turns out this is a recurring problem," Reid replied, "Hire more females."

To see Whit Johnson's report, click on the video in the player above.

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US Escalates Google Case by Hiring Noted Outside Lawyer - New York Times

The Federal Trade Commission is examining Google’s immensely powerful and lucrative search technology, which directs users to hundreds of millions of online and offline destinations every day. The case has the potential to be the biggest showdown between regulators and Silicon Valley since the government took on Microsoft 14 years ago.

Then as now, the core question is whether power was abused. The agency’s inquiry has focused on whether Google has manipulated its search results, making it less likely that competing companies or products appear at the top of a results page.

A spokeswoman for Google, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., declined to comment.

Federal Trade Commission officials cautioned that no decision had been made about whether to bring a formal case against Google. But the hiring of Beth A. Wilkinson, a former Justice Department prosecutor who played a lead role in the conviction of the Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, immediately catapulted the investigation to another level. The agency has hired outside litigators only twice in the last decade.

“It’s a watershed moment when you hire someone like this,” said David Wales, a former Fed-eral Trade Commission official now in private practice with Jones Day. “This shows Google that if it doesn’t give you the remedy you want, you’re going to litigate.”

Several antitrust experts compared the hiring of Ms. Wilkinson — who has brought about 40 major cases in government and private practice and won them all — to the government’s hiring of David A. Boies to represent it against Microsoft.

“It increases the likelihood that there will be a case,” said Douglas Broder, a law partner at K&L Gates in New York and the author of several textbooks and articles on antitrust law.

The Microsoft case in the late 1990s transformed the tech industry, reining in its most powerful company and allowing for the rise of new companies like Google. Now Google wields the same sort of power that Microsoft once did, and is under the same sort of scrutiny.

It has been involved in one privacy controversy after another over the last year. Indeed, the announcement of the hiring of Ms. Wilkinson — made by the Federal Trade Commission’s chairman, Jon Leibowitz, at a meeting in San Francisco with reporters — eclipsed Google’s formal response earlier Thursday to a fine by the Federal Communications Commission for obstructing a separate investigation.

“In an important case, you want to do a thorough investigation,” Mr. Leibowitz said, calling Ms. Wilkinson “a world-class litigator.”

Ms. Wilkinson is a partner at the law firm of Paul, Weiss in Washington. She previously worked at Latham & Watkins, where she was co-chairwoman of the white-collar crime practice group. Her work at the F.T.C., which will be part-time, begins on Monday.

“Technology is transforming our society,” Ms. Wilkinson said in an interview. “It affects people at every level. As a mother, I see it with my kids. As a professional, I see it affecting our work. And in society, it impacts privacy, competition, our interactions with other people — just about everything.”

She added: “Working on the investigation will be a great challenge. I don’t underestimate Google.”

No one else was underestimating it Thursday either.

Mr. Broder said antitrust cases charging the abuse of a monopoly are difficult to prove.

“There is a lot of very complex economics involved,” he said. “It can be done. But Google will undoubtedly bring to bear tremendous resources itself.”

Any decision about filing a suit is likely to be months away.

David Streitfeld reported from San Francisco. Edward Wyatt reported from Washington.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: April 26, 2012

An earlier version of this article published online referred incorrectly to the number of major cases brought by Beth A. Wilkinson, an antitrust lawyer. They total about 40 of all kinds, not just those in private practice.

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Martin attorney: Zimmerman should go back to jail - CNN International

Discussing Zimmerman's financesvar cnnWindowParams=window.location.toString().toQueryParams();if(typeof cnnWindowParams.video!="undefined"){if(cnnWindowParams.video){cnnLoadStoryPlayer('bestoftv/2012/04/27/ac-geragos-hosting-omara-zimmerman.cnn','cnnCVP1', '640x384_start_art' ,playerOverRide,T1);}} else {$('cnnCVP2').onclick=function(){if ($$('.box-opened').length){$$('.box-opened').each(function(val){Element.fireEvent(val,'click');});}cnnLoadStoryPlayer('bestoftv/2012/04/27/ac-geragos-hosting-omara-zimmerman.cnn','cnnCVP1','640x384_start_art',playerOverRide,T1);};$('cnnCVP2').onmouseover=function(){$('cnnCVP2').className='cnn_mtt1plybttn cnn_mtt1plybttnon';};$('cnnCVP2').onmouseout=function(){$('cnnCVP2').className='cnn_mtt1plybttn';};}Defense lawyer Mark O'Mara says he learned about the money on WednesdayThe revelation came as the lawyer was shutting down Zimmerman's Internet presence "The lying has already begun," Trayvon Martin family attorney saidZimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin

(CNN) -- The Trayvon Martin family attorney says George Zimmerman should be back in jail because he failed to tell a judge he had $200,000 during a recent bond hearing.

"They tried to portray themselves as indigent that they did not have any money," said Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for Martin's family. "We think the court should revoke his bond immediately. And he should held accountable for misleading the court

Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of unarmed 17-year-old Martin, has been given about $204,000 from supporters his lawyer Mark O'Mara said Thursday.

The donations Zimmerman received will be discussed at a court hearing Friday morning in Florida, O'Mara said.

O'Mara told CNN's "AC360" that Zimmerman told him Wednesday of the donations as they were trying to shut down his Internet presence to avoid concerns about possible impersonators and problems with his Twitter and Facebook accounts.

"He asked me what to do with his PayPal accounts, and I asked him what he was talking about," O'Mara told Anderson Cooper. "He said those were the accounts that had the money from the website he had. And there was about ... $204,000 that had come in to date."

O'Mara had said earlier this month that he believed Zimmerman had no money. "I think he's indigent for costs," he said, adding that Zimmerman's relatives had few assets.

Zimmerman, 28, was released Monday on $150,000 bail, 10% of which his family put up to secure his release. He is accused in the February 26 death of Martin, who was African-American.

Asked whether knowledge of the money might have made a difference to Judge Kenneth Lester Jr., who presided at Zimmerman's bond hearing, O'Mara said, "It might have."

O'Mara continued, "I'm certainly going to disclose it to the court tomorrow -- coincidentally, we have a hearing."

The hearing was originally scheduled to discuss issues about the unsealing of Zimmerman's criminal file, but the donations could overshadow that issue.

Crump said the Zimmerman's failure to reveal that he had the money shows that he is being dishonest.

"If his testimony at the bond hearing is any indication of what is to come than the lying has already begun," Crump said.

O'Mara said he was prepared to "deal with any fallout," but predicted Lester would not feel misled. "I told him what I knew at the time, which was exactly what I was aware of."

The money has been placed in a secure account since O'Mara learned about it, he said, adding, "Nobody's touching it until we figure out how to handle it."

But criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos said Lester might not react benignly. "I know a lot of judges who would remand the guy back into custody immediately," he said. "If you've got more money stashed in an account and you could just pay the bond and be gone, that gives a lot of judges concern."

Though the account has been closed, O'Mara said he intends to open a legal defense fund for Zimmerman. "I've had dozens, hundreds actually, of people wanting to donate," he said.

O'Mara, who said he charges $400 per hour for family law cases, estimated Zimmerman's defense costs could reach $1 million. "You can really go through a lot of money on a case like this, with the intensity of it," he said.

Although details of the shooting remain murky, it is known that Martin ventured out from the Sanford home of his father's fiancee and went to a nearby convenience store, where he bought a bag of candy and an iced tea. On his way back, he had a confrontation with Zimmerman, who shot him.

Zimmerman had called 911 to complain about a suspicious person in the neighborhood, according to authorities.

In the call, Zimmerman said he was following Martin after the teen started to run, prompting the dispatcher to tell him, "We don't need you to do that." Zimmerman pursued Martin anyway but then said he lost sight of him.

According to an Orlando Sentinel story later confirmed by Sanford police, Zimmerman told authorities that after he briefly lost track of Martin, the teen approached him. After the two exchanged words, Zimmerman said, he reached for his cell phone, and then Martin punched him in the nose. Zimmerman said Martin pinned him to the ground and began slamming his head onto the sidewalk, leading to the shooting.

Police have said Zimmerman was not immediately charged because there was no evidence to disprove his account that he'd acted in self-defense. A police report indicated he was bleeding from the nose and the back of his head.

Watch Anderson Cooper 360° weeknights 10pm ET. For the latest from AC360° click here.

April 20, 2012 -- Updated 1703 GMT (0103 HKT)

Here's a look at the timeline of events in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, and the ensuing uproar.April 19, 2012 -- Updated 0210 GMT (1010 HKT)

The judge in George Zimmerman case has received high ratings from defense lawyers but isn't known as a "soft touch." April 11, 2012 -- Updated 2226 GMT (0626 HKT)

State Attorney Angela Corey is known to be ready to pursue what she believes is right, even amid media glare and public pressure.April 11, 2012 -- Updated 1537 GMT (2337 HKT)

There may be sufficient evidence to charge George Zimmerman, but not to convict, says Alan Dershowitz.April 20, 2012 -- Updated 0930 GMT (1730 HKT)

Florida authorities have picked 17 people to tackle whether the state's "stand your ground law" should be changed.March 21, 2012 -- Updated 0122 GMT (0922 HKT)

A 2005 Florida law allows people to "stand their ground" against public attacks. Some believe it's effective while critics say the law goes too far.

National attention on the Trayvon Martin shooting has put Sanford in the spotlight. Residents agree the death is tragic yet remain divided when it comes to racism.April 5, 2012 -- Updated 1630 GMT (0030 HKT)

Interest in the Trayvon Martin case is sharply divided along partisan and racial lines, according to a new study by Pew Research Center. Today's five most popular stories More

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Sunday, April 29, 2012

UN, AL urge Syria to meet ceasefire commitment - Xinhua

UNITED NATIONS/DAMASCUS, April 27 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Arab League (AL) urged Thursday the Syrian government to fulfill its ceasefire commitment, while Syria said it has done so and accused the armed groups of violating the truce.

"The secretary-general remains deeply troubled by the continued presence of heavy weapons, military equipment and army personnel in population centers, as reported by United Nations Military Observers, which is in contravention of the Syrian government's commitments to withdrawing its troops and heavy weapons from these areas," a statement released Thursday by Ban's spokesman said.

Ban has demanded that Syria "comply with its commitments without delay."

"The secretary-general reminds all concerned parties, particularly the government of Syria, of the need to ensure that conditions for the effective operation of the United Nations Military Observers are put in place immediately, including a sustained cessation of armed violence," the statement said.

Ban "is gravely alarmed by reports of continued violence and killings in Syria, including shelling and explosions in various residential areas as well as armed clashes," said the statement.

"He condemns in the strongest terms the continued repression against the Syrian civilian population and violence from any quarter. This situation is unacceptable and must stop immediately," the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Arab League (AL) said at an extraordinary meeting at the ministerial level that it would ask the UN Security Council to stop violence and protect Syrian civilians immediately.

AL Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi expressed his sorrow over the ongoing violence in Syria, urging to maintain the ceasefire.

Arabi called on the UN Security Council to deploy monitors to Syria as soon as possible, demanding the Syrian government to facilitate their work.

Currently, there are 15 observers on ground in Syria, six of whom were dispatched evenly to Homs, Hama and Daraa. The number of the team is to grow to 100 within the next month and eventually would reach 300 in accordance with the UN Security Council's recent resolution.

Arabi said that Arab foreign ministers had authorized him to invite all the Syrian opposition parties to meet in Cairo on May 16.

Also on Thursday, Syrian Minister of Information Adnan Mahmoud said his country has abided by international envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan, stressing that the halt of violence requires an even-handed and transparent observation as well as stopping the armed groups' violations.

Syria's official statistics showed that a total of 1,300 violations of the UN-backed ceasefire have been committed by armed groups since the truce went into effect on April 12.

Mahmoud accused armed groups of ramping up their crimes, kidnappings and assassinations since the activation of the ceasefire.

On the opposition side, representatives of the Popular Front for Change and Liberation in Syria called on all parties in the country to launch an inter dialogue in a bid to resolve the year-long crisis.

Qadri Jamil, leader of the group, said it was the first Syrian opposition to express its willingness to start a dialogue with the government.

Russia hailed the stance of the opposition, vowing to support the launch of an inter-Syrian dialogue.

Alexander Lukashevich, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, called on countries that have influence on the opposition to devote their efforts to starting the inter-Syrian dialogue rather than carrying out scenarios that could interfere in the implementation of Annan's plan.

Special Report: Syrian Situation

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Senate OKs renewing Violence Against Women Act - San Francisco Chronicle

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China dissident escapes from house arrest - Los Angeles Times

Chen Guangcheng, shown in an undated photo, spent four years in prison after exposing forced sterilizations and other abuses by family-planning authorities. (Associated Press)

BEIJING — The blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng escaped from house arrest last weekend during a rescue operation mounted by supporters, but his whereabouts and condition are now unknown, activists said Friday.

The rescue of Chen, whose plight has attracted worldwide attention, was apparently timed to coincide with U.S.-China discussions on human rights taking place this week in Beijing and the visit next week by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Some reports have suggested that Chen was seeking political asylum and might have tried to flee to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

At least two people who were involved in the rescue from a village near Linyi in Shandong province have been arrested, and family members who were involved in a brawl with local authorities after Chen's escape have been arrested.

Hu Jia, a veteran activist, reported on Twitter that Chen was at the U.S. Embassy, but activists in the United States said that was not the case.

"The situation is very dangerous," Yang Jianli, a rights activist based in Washington, said in a telephone interview. "We don't know if Chen is in a safe place or has been perhaps arrested by authorities."

Details of the rescue operation have not been disclosed. He escaped Sunday from the house where he'd been held the last 18 months. The following day, according to activists who have spoken to family members, enraged local officials stormed into a family house in the village and a knife fight broke out.

"In the middle of the night, they climbed over the wall, kicked in the door and entered," Chen Kegui, the dissident's nephew, told activists in a recorded telephone call. Shuanghou Township leader Zhang Jian, who was in charge of enforcing the house arrest, was reportedly injured in the melee.

Chen Guangcheng, a 41-year-old lawyer blind since childhood, spent four years in prison after exposing forced sterilizations and other abuses by Chinese family-planning authorities. After his release in September 2010, he and his wife were placed under local house arrest and reportedly beaten.

Supporters worldwide have launched appeals on Chen's behalf, many using photographs of themselves wearing sunglasses in tribute to the sightless dissident. In December, actor Christian Bale tried to visit Chen's village but was roughly pushed away by plainclothes security.

"There are many dissidents in China who are facing the same scenario of house arrest, but Chen has received the most attention, and we hope if we resolve his case we can move forward on others," Yang said in the telephone interview.

Yang also said that He Peihong, a supporter who had led the campaign for Chen's release, had been taken into custody at her home in Nanjing on Friday morning.

barbara.demick@latimes.com

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Pakistan deports Osama bin Laden family to Saudi Arabia - Times of India

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New evidence disclosed in death of Marine's wife in Calif. - USA TODAY

VISTA, Calif. (AP) – Brittany Killgore was hoping to unwind for three days after filing for divorce from her Marine husband serving in Afghanistan.

By Gregory Bull, AP

Jessica Lynn Lopez, right, is led out of court April 19 in Vista, Calif.

By Gregory Bull, AP

Jessica Lynn Lopez, right, is led out of court April 19 in Vista, Calif.

Prosecutors believe things quickly went wrong when she met another Marine for a night out.

"She sent a text saying, 'Help,'" Patrick Espinoza, a deputy district attorney in San Diego County, said Thursday. "She was missing from that point on."

Authorities said Killgore's body was found in brush near Lake Skinner on April 17, hours after paramedics were called to a San Diego motel and found another woman with self-inflicted cuts and a suicide note.

Killgore's message to an unidentified friend was disclosed at an arraignment for Louis Ray Perez, 45, who pleaded not guilty to murder.

The brief hearing offered the most details yet of what authorities believe happened to the 22-year-old Killgore after she disappeared on April 13.

Espinoza said investigators found Killgore's blood and a weapon in Perez's car. He also said Perez told investigators he dropped off Killgore in downtown San Diego's bustling Gaslamp District, but investigators concluded that he lied about his whereabouts and stayed about 60 miles north in Fallbrook, where Killgore lived.

Jessica Lynn Lopez, 25, the woman authorities said was found by paramedics at the motel, also has pleaded not guilty to murder.

The prosecutor said Lopez and Perez once lived together but didn't indicate when or where. Lopez currently lives a mile from Killgore's second-floor apartment overlooking Camp Pendleton.

Espinoza didn't disclose a possible motive or other details about the death during the hearing, and he later declined to elaborate on the investigation.

It's still unclear how Killgore died and whether the unspecified weapon authorities said they found in Perez's car was used in the killing.

Perez's attorney, Jeff Reichert, said Lopez's suicide note shows "very, very clearly" that she killed Killgore and that his client was not involved.

"The court has information in its hands that exonerates my client on this charge," Reichert said.

However, details of the note were not released, and Superior Court Judge Kimberlee Lagotta ordered it to be sealed.

Perez, a Marine for 16 years who is married and has lived in the San Diego area for 10 years, has also pleaded not guilty to stealing an assault weapon. The prosecutor said Perez stole the weapon and a motorcycle from a trailer at Camp Pendleton.

The death has shaken many at Camp Pendleton and neighboring Fallbrook, known for its rolling hills and avocado orchards. The Killgores lived in one of several apartment complexes on Ammunition Road that advertise special rates for military members and is close to a base entrance.

Killgore recently separated from Marine Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore, who was in Afghanistan when she disappeared. She cited irreconcilable differences in her divorce filing but gave no other details.

Cory Killgore made his first public comments about his wife's death in a statement released Thursday by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

"My wife Brittany was beautiful beyond words and her murder has left me devastated," the statement said. "My duty to her memory is now to ensure her good reputation remains intact, and help law enforcement and prosecutors secure justice for the person or persons who took her away from me."

Cory Killgore has not been named as a suspect or person of interest in the killing. The couple married in July 2010.

The judge set bail at $3 million each for Perez and Lopez and scheduled a preliminary hearing for May 30. If convicted, they could face maximum sentences of life in prison.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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US-Japan deal withdraws 9000 Marines from Okinawa - CNN

By Bob Kovach and Chelsea J. Carter, CNNApril 27, 2012 -- Updated 0651 GMT (1451 HKT)

About 9,000 Marines will be transferred off the Japanese island of Okinawa under a new deal by U.S. and Japanese officials.NEW: The agreement creates "political space" for Japan, a defense official saysDefense Secretary Leon Panetta: About 9,000 Marines will be moved off OkinawaRoughly half of those Marines will be transferred to Guam, joint statement saysTensions have sometimes been high on Okinawa between locals, U.S. personnel

Washington (CNN) -- Roughly half the U.S. Marines on Okinawa will be transferred under an agreement announced Thursday that will reduce the military footprint in Japan, easing local resentments over the amount of land being used by American forces.

Some 9,000 Marines along with their family members will be transferred under the agreement, with about 5,000 being sent to Guam as part of a military build up on the U.S. territory in the Pacific, according to a joint statement released by the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee.

"I am very pleased that, after many years, we have reached this important agreement and plan of action," Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said.

The announcement by the committee, which included the top U.S. and Japanese defense officials, ends years of seesaw talks aimed at cutting the American presence on the island south of Tokyo.

Though no exact timetable was given for transfer of the Marines, preparations are under way at Guam.

"Recognizing the strong desires of Okinawa residents, these relocations are to be completed as soon as possible while ensuring operational capability throughout the process," the statement said.

Of the Marines being transferred, about 2,700 will be sent to Hawaii and still others will rotate through a base in Darwin, Australia. The relocations are in line with President Barack Obama's goal to have the military have a geographically-distributed presence in the Pacific

The transfer leaves between 9,000 and 10,000 Marines belonging to the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force on Okinawa.

"So, in the end, we are sustaining the same -- the same presence in the western Pacific that we've intended for some time," said a senior U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as a matter of routine during a briefing with reporters.

It's hoped the reduction of forces on the island chain will reduce the friction between locals and military personnel, which has been exacerbated in recent years by cultural misunderstandings and isolated criminal acts.

The call for the U.S. military to leave Okinawa escalated following the 1995 rape of 12-year-old Japanese girl by three U.S. military personnel, a crime that outraged the Japanese and led to calls by many that American troops leave.

In 1996, spurred in part by Japanese anger on Okinawa, Washington and Tokyo signed an agreement to reduce the amount of land being occupied by U.S. forces.

About 40,000 U.S. personnel are based in Japan, though more than three-quarters of the military bases are located on Okinawa. At its height, U.S. military operations on Okinawa accounted for about 20 percent of the land use on the island chain.

In 2006, the U.S. and Japan reached an agreement that would relocate thousands of Marines off the island once the Marine Corps Air Station at Futenma was closed and moved to Camp Schwab. That plan stalled after widespread protests over the proposed location and costs for the new air base.

Futenma is not addressed under the agreement announced Thursday to move the Marines.

"I think what we've done with the agreement is ... to create the political space for the government of Japan to move this forward on its own timeline," the defense official said.

As part of the agreement, the United States will begin returning lands on Okinawa in phases as the Marines depart.

Part of the $8.6 billion cost to relocate the Marines from Okinawa to Guam will be picked up by Japan, which has agreed to pay $3.1 billion toward the costs, the Security Committee Statement said.

The U.S. military has had an almost continuous presence on Okinawa since 1945.

The Battle of Okinawa, which lasted 82 days from late March through June 1945, was the last major campaign for U.S. forces in the Pacific during World War II. More than 100,000 civilians, 100,000 Japanese troops and 12,000 Americans were believed to have died in the fighting for the island chain, roughly 1,000 miles south of Tokyo.

Okinawa has been a major launching point for U.S. forces over the years, and much of the U.S. assistance to last year's Japanese earthquake was launched from the bases.

Bob Kovach reported from Washington, Chelsea J. Carter from Atlanta. CNN's Phil Gast and Greg Botelho contributed to this report.

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