Fla. executes man for killing Tampa teen in 1983
Criminal Law
A Florida rapist convicted of murdering his girlfriend's teenage daughter more than 25 years ago has been executed.
Wayne Tompkins was pronounced dead at 6:32 p.m. Wednesday after he failed to get courts to listen to his claims of innocence. He was put to death by lethal injection for the murder of 15-year-old Lisa DeCarr, who disappeared from the Tampa home she shared with Tompkins and her mother on March 24, 1983.
Her mom and others thought she had run away, but her body was found a year later under the home's porch. She had been strangled with the belt of her pink bathrobe.
Despite a flurry of last-minute court appeals, Tompkins' attorneys were unable to get a court to issue a stay so they could perform more DNA testing.
Related listings
-
Ex-La. insurance CEO pleads not guilty to theft
Criminal Law 02/03/2009The former chief of Louisiana's state-backed insurance company pleaded not guilty Monday in a criminal case that accuses him of fraudulently spending the firm's money for personal travel and entertainment. Terry Lisotta was arraigned in Baton Rouge o...
-
Teen accused in taped Fla. beating pleads guilty
Criminal Law 01/29/2009One of five teenagers accused in the videotaped beating of a Florida girl has accepted a plea deal.Eighteen-year-old Mercades Nichols pleaded guilty Tuesday to battery and tampering with a witness. The State Attorney's Office said a kidnapping charge...
-
Supreme Court reviews speedy trial issue
Criminal Law 01/14/2009The Supreme Court appeared unlikely Tuesday to favor a broad rule that rewards criminal defendants with dismissal of charges against them because of trial delays by their taxpayer-funded lawyers. The court heard arguments in a case from Vermont in wh...
Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?
IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.
Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.
Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.