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Days after his death, convicted killer Zarinsky still hampers justice system

by MaryAnn Spoto/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 6:15 PM

Even in death, suspected serial killer Robert Zarinsky continues to entangle the legal system.

Less than a week after he died behind bars, attorneys in a wrongful death suit, brought by the family of a Keansburg teenager killed 30 years ago, are headed to court Thursday to try to sort out the case.

Zarinsky's death last Friday night ended all hope for Jane Durrua's family to see him tried next month for the teenager's fatal beating and sexual assault in 1968. But the family's attorney is pressing forward with the civil suit.

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ACLU files suit on behalf of prohibited prison preacher

by Jeff Diamant/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 6:12 PM

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of a prison inmate in Trenton, contending his religious freedoms were violated when prison officials forbid him -- an ordained minister -- from preaching.

Howard N. Thompson Jr., convicted of murder in 1985 and sentenced to 30 years to life, was ordained as a Pentecostal minister in 2000 and preached regularly for other prisoners for years before corrections officials in June 2007 prohibited preaching by inmates.

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On tape, terror suspect says he's 'going to start something'

by John P. Martin/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 5:59 PM

For nearly 40 minutes one night in March 2007, Dritan Duka and his two brothers sat in his Cherry Hill home listening intently to "Constants of Jihad," a recording they had downloaded from the Internet.

The lecture, from a Yemeni cleric, called Muslims to arms and urged them to consider themselves holy warriors when others call them terrorists.

"I'm going to start something," Duka said the next day, according to recordings played today at his terrorism conspiracy trial in Camden. "We have enough people. We are seven of us...You can do a lot of damage, seven people."

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Group sues New Brunswick officials in change-in-government flap

by Chandra M. Hayslett/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 5:46 PM

The grass-roots organization working to change the form of government in New Brunswick filed a lawsuit today against the city clerk and council, seeking to overturn the clerk's decision that denies residents a say in determining the next form of government.

City Clerk Daniel Torrisi twice denied petitions submitted by Empower Our Neighborhoods, which collected hundreds of signatures of residents who want to vote on if the form of government should change, from an at-large to ward-based system.

EON hopes the latest lawsuit, filed in state Superior Court, will allow the people's voices to be heard.

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Six struggling hospitals will share $44M in state funds

by Susan K. Livio/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 5:38 PM

Six financially struggling hospitals will share a $44 million pot of state money to avoid having to cut services or close their doors, state Health and Senior Services Commissioner Heather Howard said today.

State health spokeswoman Donna Leusner said 13 hospitals competed for a piece of the Hospital Stabilization Fund. They requested a total of $144 million, she said.

The seven that lost out on financial assistance are at serious risk of closing, said Betsy Ryan, president and CEO of the New Jersey Hospital Association.

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Morristown 6th-grader's cause of death still a mystery

by Lawrence Ragonese/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 5:27 PM

A 12-year-old Morristown girl who died at her home on Monday "did not suffer any trauma or injury before she died,'' authorities said today.

But police are still trying to pinpoint the cause of death of sixth-grader Karen Martinez, with further medical testing to be done by the Morris County Medical Examiner's Office to solve the mystery of her passing, according to a statement issued by Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi.

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Murder suspect's mother testifies son suffered behavioral problems

by Margaret McHugh/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 4:29 PM

Four months before Jonathan Zarate killed his next-door neighbor in July 2005, his mother took him to a psychiatrist because she was concerned he was defecating in his pants and all over the bathroom, showing an aversion to touching items and and taking very long showers, she testified today at his murder trial.

But the psychiatrist who evaluated Zarate in March 2005 did not diagnose the teen with any mental illness or prescribe any medication, and concluded the problem was a lack of communication between Zarate and his mother, Flora Mari, Morris County Executive Assistant Prosecutor Robert Lane pointed out.

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Teen enters not guilty plea in stabbing death of New Brunswick man

by Jim O'Neill/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 3:56 PM

A not guilty plea was entered this afternoon on behalf of a 19-year-old New Brunswick man, who was brought into a Middlesex County courtroom to face charges of fatally stabbing another city man and wounding his companion.

Eujevel Lopez remained silent during the brief hearing on charges he killed 20-year-old Luilly Hernandez and wounded the victim's companion during a fight Sunday on Gerorge Street near Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick. Police are withholding the name of the companion, who is a witness to the slaying.

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Settlement in drunken fan case to be made public

by The Associated Press

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 2:36 PM

The amount money given to the family of a 2-year-old girl paralyzed by a drunken driver leaving a Giants game at the Meadowlands in 1999 will be made public.

A state appeals court has overruled a lower court decision last year that sealed the amount of the settlement between the family of Antonia Verni and Aramark, the stadium's concessionaire.

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Victim of Clifton church shooting aids lung transplant

by The Associated Press

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 2:30 PM

Lungs from a good Samaritan who was killed in a church shooting in Clifton are breathing new life thanks to a transplant.

The 21-year-old who received the organs is getting out of Newark's Beth Israel Hospital today.

Dennis Malloosseril, 25, was killed inside the St. Thomas Syrian Orthodox Knanaya Church on Nov. 23 when he interceded in a dispute between 24-year-old Reshma James and her estranged husband, Joseph Palliparath.

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Signs aim to deter suicides on Victory Bridge

by The Associated Press

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 2:27 PM

State officials hope new crisis-intervention signs will deter some people from jumping off Victory Bridge in Middlesex County.

The 110-foot span, part of Route 35 that connects Perth Amboy and Sayreville, has been a draw for people wishing to commit suicide.

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Cranbury man pleads guilty to charges that led to cop's death

by Guy Sterling /The Star-Ledger

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 1:55 PM

A Cranbury man with a history of fleeing authorities pleaded guilty today to three criminal charges stemming from a car chase last year that led to the death of a Newark police sergeant.

William Rodriguez, 22, faces a sentence of 30 years in prison with no opportunity for parole after pleading guilty to felony murder, eluding and escape before Superior Court Judge Michael Nelson in Newark. He was named in a 14-count indictment returned late last year in connection with an incident that took the life of Sgt. Tommaso Popolizio on March 3, 2007.

Popolizio, a 33-year-old father of four, died after his police cruiser flipped over during a chase on Doremus Avenue in Newark. He and several other officers had responded to a report of drag racing when he pulled over Rodriguez and arrested him.

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Informant testifies suspects shared radical beliefs

by John P. Martin/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 11:42 AM

The FBI informant who befriended three ethnic Albanian brothers accused of plotting a terror attack in South Jersey today described how the men became friendlier and shared their radical beliefs in the late winter and spring of 2007.

The informant, Besnik Bakalli, testified that one of the brothers, Eljvir Duka, gave him an Internet password to watch "Constants of Jihad" a lecture which extols an Islamic crusade. Another, Dritan Duka, told him, "there is no peace without fighting." And the third, Shain Duka, warned him not to discuss the topic of a jihad with strangers.

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Union sheriff's officer critical after crash

by Alexi Friedman/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 11:23 AM

A Union County Sheriff's officer is fighting for his life in a Newark hospital today after a vehicle traveling at more than 100 miles per hour slammed into his unmarked squad car Tuesday night in Elizabeth, authorities said. Police had been pursuing the vehicle after an armed robbery in Newark, authorities said.

Sheriff's Officer Chris Coon, who is the stepson of Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich, is in critical condition after sustained life-threatening injuries from the 10:45 p.m. accident on South Broad Street near Routes 1&9, said Sebastian D'Elia, a Union County spokesman.

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Early slide erased on Wall Street

by The Star-Ledger Business Desk

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 11:02 AM

NEW YORK - Wall Street overcame an early slide and traded mixed today as investors absorbed more evidence of a still-weakening economy, including a disappointing report on the services sector.

The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing executives, said the services sector contracted dramatically in November as slower spending hurt insurers, retailers and hotels.

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Informant is due back on stand at Fort Dix plot trial

by The Associated Press

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 8:58 AM

An informant in the case of five men accused of planning to attack soldiers at Fort Dix is scheduled to testify today about a period of the case that jurors haven't heard much about.

In what's likely to be his last day of direct examination by government prosecutors, Besnik Bakalli will be asked about the three months leading up to the men's May 2007 arrests.

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Atlantic City minor league baseball team makes charitable offering

by The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 8:46 AM

Just in time for Christmas, here's the perfect stock for the recession: a share in a New Jersey minor league baseball that guarantees investors will receive no profit.

According to a report in the Press of Atlantic City, money from shares of the Atlantic City Surf will go to the team, a marketing company, and a charity. For $150, fans get an official stock certificate of ownership and team merchandise worth $80. But they will not get a share of the team's profit.

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No injuries as Paterson firefighters battle home blaze

by The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 7:42 AM

Paterson Firefighters were battling a blaze at a home at Summer Street and Hamilton Avenue, according to a report in the Record.

The report said the 2 1/2 story, three-family home still had heavy fire in the attic, but no other homes were jeopardized, a Paterson fire official said. Firefighters had safely evacuated all occupants, and no one was harmed in the blaze.

Christie says he will decide about Gov bid in four to six weeks

by The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk

Wednesday December 03, 2008, 7:01 AM

Former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said he will decide in four to six weeks whether to seek the Republican nomination for governor of New Jersey, according to a report in PolitckerNJ.com.

A day after leaving office, Christie was honored for his service Tuesday at an event in the lobby of the Essex Couty Hall of Records. "I would ask everyone to have a litte patience with me," Christie said, according to the report. "I want to take time to talk to folks over the course of the next four to six weeks. It's a personal decision and I will come to a decision based on what's best for us (his family)."