Body of western NY girl, 5, found; 2 in custody

(interestingly enough most brutal murders are committed by people the victim knew. Of course random stranger massacre does happen but is usually more kill a whole buncha folks at once variety. Makes you wonder what the story behind this one is)

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — A trusted family friend killed a 5-year-old western New York girl at her great-grandmother's home, put her body in a trash bag and dumped it in an alley garbage can, police said Monday.

Niagara Falls Chief Detective William Thompson said two people were in custody and will be charged in the death of Isabella Sarah Tennant. The second person was involved after the girl was already dead, Thompson said.

At a news conference Monday afternoon, Thompson said Isabella was visiting her great-grandmother's house in downtown Niagara Falls. She was last seen alive around midnight Sunday by a 16-year-old boy who often did chores for the woman. Her family reported her missing around 6 a.m. and her body was found fully clothed four hours later in an alley a few blocks away.

Thompson said there were signs of injuries but no indication of sexual abuse.

"As far as we know, he was a trusted family friend," Thompson said. "It's a terrible crime. It tears at your heart."

The boy was taken into custody Monday morning and was cooperating with police. The second suspect, also a 16-year-old boy, came to police later in the morning and helped lead police to Isabella's body.

"I imagine it was his conscience," Thompson said.

Police have not identified the suspects yet. They are expected to be charged Monday evening and Thompson said they will be charged as adults.

An autopsy is planned for Tuesday.

Ill. man pleads not guilty in captive teen case

( yet another example of the kidnap and keep phenomena, usually some teen girl nabbed and held hostage has one or more children with their captor by the time anybody gets caught. It’s always bizarre every time I find one of these cases. Whether it’s the guy who kept the girl under his bed, or the one who had his victim chained up in his back yard, it harkens back to a simpler time, a time when a man would go out into the great big world and kidnap his child bride and return home to life free of blind anemic albino offspring, my how times have changed.)

By JIM SUHR, APBELLEVILLE, Ill. — An Illinois man pleaded not guilty Monday to a sex charge involving a teenager who claims he held her captive in his house for more than three years.

Steven Johnson, 25, and his mother were arrested Thursday after a police raid on their home in Washington Park. Police acted after a 19-year-old St. Louis woman told investigators that Johnson kept her captive there for three years, repeatedly sexually assaulting and beating her. She told police Johnson fathered her 2-year-old son during that time.

Johnson was charged Saturday with five crimes, including promotion of prostitution and drug and weapons violations. But St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly has said only one, aggravated criminal sexual assault, relates to the teen. That charge accuses Johnson of having sex with her while she was underage.

Johnson entered his plea Monday in St. Clair County court and told the judge he plans to hire his own attorney.

His mother, Owida Johnson, 54, also made her first court appearance on misdemeanor child endangerment charges in connection with the case. She was scheduled for trial Nov. 5.

Police took two children from the Johnsons' home. One was a 2-year-old boy identified as the teen's son. Kelly has declined to identify the second child. He said both are in the custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Police said previously that the teen met Johnson socially and went to his home voluntarily but then wasn't allowed to leave. The teen claimed she was able to escape Aug. 20 with help from a relative.

Washington Park Police Chief David Clark has said a three-day lag between when the teen escaped and made her report to police and the raid on the home was largely spent trying to substantiate her story.

The Johnsons remained jailed in Belleville in lieu of bond.

Photos scrutinized in Alaska bear mauling probe

(photo finish…sorry I had to)

By RACHEL D'ORO, APANCHORAGE, Alaska — The grizzly bear stares at the camera with a look that appears ominous in the last photograph snapped by Richard White just before the animal mauled him to death in Alaska's Denali National Park.

The photo is among 26 taken of the male bear by the 49-year-old San Diego backpacker Friday afternoon. National Park Service investigators are scrutinizing the images, hoping to gain a better understanding of the attack.

The death is the first known fatal bear mauling in the park's nearly century-long history.

Chief Park Ranger Pete Webster says most of the photographs show the bear grazing. The last five photos begin with the bear lifting its head, then looking toward the camera, then moving a couple yards closer.

A state trooper fatally shot the bear Saturday.

Superman and Wonder Woman: Together at Last!

( not sure how to feel about this, Lois Lane has been a part of the Superman story practically as long as Lex Luthor, she’s an Icon in her own right, an otherwise normal woman in outlandish circumstance overcoming the odds with her wits and moxie. In short Lois Lane despite her odd alien love obsession was Awesome and more importantly human. She gave us the perspective of the story from a humans point of view no matter how oddly skewed in the aliens favor it was. It made people feel like Superman was trying to be one of us, “see he’s even got a girlfriend and she has a job and stuff”, Wonder Woman is nothing like Lois Lane she didn’t grow up in the land of mortal men and I can’t help but feel this is the comic company’s response to the assumptions of some viewers that the woman who was born and raised in a place with absolutely no men anywhere might be not exactly what could be called straight.  Putting aside her obvious fetish aspect of running around doing magical shibari on everybody, Wonder Woman is almost as alien as Superman (no I don’t go for the affectation of calling the man of steel Clark, I don’t know him like that). She also comes from a utopian society far from the world of mortals ,a place without pain or fear inhabited by giants.  So on that level I suppose it makes sense but it does raise the question of how they can relate to the public both in their own worlds and in the world of the viewer.

Stunningly beautiful flawless people making out may be the makings of some ok porn, or even not so bad fan fiction but it has no story, Lois could be threatened by things which was sadly too often her role in all this but she had weakness, she could feel, although she was tough and smart  and hung up on hot foreign exchange student. There was a story there, there was motive, even when the story was ridiculous it had someone there to translate, to identify with. Without Lois where is Superman’s human soul? The aspect of a god trying to live as a man evaporates and we have only the god on his throne)

Josh Grossberg, eonlineWe're not going to get into the mechanics of superhero sex, but let's be honest, Lois Lane was never really a good fit for Superman, right?

In the new issue of DC Comics' Justice League out Wednesday, the Man of Steel has struck up a romance and potential long-term relationship with someone a little more his speed: Wonder Woman. 

Holy hookups, Batman!

The story of Justice League issue 12, penned by Geoff Johns with art by Jim Lee, finds the power couple engaged in a midair embrace and sharing a passionate kiss, which will no doubt delight the fanboy cognoscenti.

The Amazonian warrior princess had previously flirted with Superman in previous storylines, but the creators tell Entertainment Weekly this affair will have serious ramifications, some even dire, among all the Justice League heroes and villains for years to come.

Guess Wonder Woman's lasso is gonna come in handy.