Jewellery's web blog

Defense attorneys will appeal Maurice Johnson’s conviction and sentence of life without parole for his role in the 1999 Valentine’s Day Cleveland triple murder.

Mitchell Bryant, co-counsel for Mr. Johnson, said Tuesday afternoon he and his co-counsel, Steven Ward, will file an appeal after Judge Amy Reedy sentences his client on a related conviction for especially aggravated robbery charge

Mr. Bryant said he was disappointed the jury found his client guilty Monday on three counts of first-degree murder for the Feb. 14, 1999, slayings of O.J. Blair, 18; Cayci Higgins, 19; and Dawn Rogers, 25.

Prosecutors alleged that Mr. Johnson and co-defendant Michael Younger broke down tiffany jewelry the back door at 431 19th St., bound the three victims’ hands behind their backs and shot them in the backs of their heads as they knelt on the floor.

The jury on Monday convicted Mr. Johnson evening after about six hours of deliberation and took three hours Tuesday to decide on the sentence. They could have chosen the death penalty or life with parole.

Teri Walters, niece of Ms. Rogers, spoke to the jury in what’s known as a victim impact statement before they began deliberating Mr. Johnson’s sentence.

“I tried to let them know how much she loved her children,” Ms. Walters said. She emphasized all of the milestones her aunt would miss — birthdays, graduations, weddings and other special events.

Ms. Walters said it was hard to influence someone to choose a death sentence because that has to be an individual decision.

But she said Mr. Johnson’s life sentence will still allow him to see his family, even if it’s through glass.

“He’ll still get to experience milestones with his children,” she said.

Ms. Rogers won’t see her children grow, she said.

Despite the pain she feels for her family’s loss, she said, she still feels sympathy for Mr. Johnson’s family.

Richard Fisher, who was co-prosecutor with Paul Moyle, said the district attorney’s office and silver bangles especially Cleveland police detective Duff Brumley’s tenacious efforts investigating the case were what made the conviction possible.

Mr. Younger and Twanna “Tart” Blair also are charged in the case and face the death penalty.

Mr. Fisher said he and the defense attorneys for Ms. Blair are to meet with Judge Reedy on Friday to set a date for her trial. No date is set for Mr. Younger’s trial.

Name of Product: Children’s “Groovy Grabber” tiffany Bracelets

Units: About 4 million

Manufacturer: A&A Global Industries, of Cockeysville, Md.

Hazard: The paint on the metallic band beneath the decorative cover contains high levels of lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The recalled bracelets are made of flexible metal bands wrapped in tiffany accessories decorative plastic covers. The bracelets come in various colors and designs, including smiley faces, Chinese symbols, dogs, cats, aliens, checker boards, and flames.

Sold in: Vending machines located in malls, discount, department and grocery stores nationwide from November 2005 through March 2007 for 25 cents.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled bracelets away from children and discard them.

Customer Contact: For additional information, contact A&A Global Industries at (800) tffany keys 638-6000 ext. 314 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at http://www.aaglobalind.com

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products — such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals — contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s hotline silver bangles at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270 or visit CPSC’s Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC’s Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.

Firm’s Recall Hotline: (800) 638-6000

CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772

CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Credit: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Investigators said Friday that they’d busted a criminal ring that was running a cockfighting, methamphetamine and marijuana operation at a home near Kapowsin in southeastern Pierce County.

Sheriff’s detectives found an active meth lab and hundreds of marijuana plants on a 4-acre property tucked off Meridian Avenue East, spokesman Ed Troyer said. They also seized stolen property, found two assault rifles and confiscated at least 51 fighting roosters, Troyer said.

Investigators arrested a 38-year-old man after the morning raid in the 32400 block of Meridian Avenue East. He was booked into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of drug charges, possession of stolen property, animal fighting and professional gambling.

Sheriff Paul Pastor said the operation was an example of how animal abuse and other crimes are linked.

“We found weapons, drugs, stolen cars and cockfighting all in one place,” he said. “We will continue to move against locations like these whenever we find them.”

Detectives were looking for at least one other person and say more arrests tiffany could be made.

“We believe they were manufacturing and selling marijuana and meth and fighting animals,” Troyer said. “Right now, we know who the organizers are. There could be other people that we may go after that were out there gambling, too.”

Officers from the Sheriff’s Department, Seattle police, the state Gambling Commission and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department spent several hours on the property, documenting evidence, dismantling the drug-making operations and rounding up and removing the roosters. Animal control officers from Tacoma and Lakewood also helped out.

The raid began as a search for illegal weapons, Troyer said.

“It snowballed into this,” he said.

Sheriff’s SWAT and meth lab teams serving a search warrant at the silver bangles property found roosters and chickens, some in cages and others tied to posts. Investigators also found a fire pit and the ring where they believe the cockfights took place.

Illegal cockfighting might have been taking place at the property for some time, according to court documents.

A woman granted a domestic-violence protection order against the man arrested Friday wrote in a sworn affidavit filed in December that he “was planning cockfights in the house” at that time.

The bust was not related to another cockfighting silver rings broken up in the Seattle area this week, Troyer said.

Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268

stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com

blog.thenewstribune.com/crime

Staff writer Adam Lynn contributed to silver bracelets this report.