'Batman killer should die for crimes'

US prosecutors to seek the death penalty against the man accused of killing 12 people in a Colorado cinema.

James Holmes, accused of mass killings at a theatre in Colorado, has tired to change his plea to guilty to avoid the death penalty. Picture: RJ Sangosti Source: AP

PROSECUTORS overnight said they will seek the death penalty against the man accused in last year's movie theatre attack that killed 12 and wounded 70 in Colorado.

The much-anticipated disclosure came in a court hearing held four days after prosecutors publicly rejected an offer by James Holmes' lawyers that the former neuroscience graduate student would plead guilty to avoid execution.

Unidentified women embrace outside of the courtroom in the case of Aurora theatre shooting, after hearing that the prosecution will seek the death penalty in the case against James Holmes. Picture: Brennan Linsley Source: AP

Elsewhere, six more people have died at a Chinese mine just days after a deadly explosion there, an Afghan teenager has stabbed dead a US soldier, Australian kidnap victim Warren Rodwell is preparing to charge his abductors,  an American man screaming about Allah has shot dead his father after an Easter church service and the girlfriend of a Russian tycoon found dead in the UK says she doubts he would have killed himself.

Rescuers with excavators search for buried mine workers at the site of a landslide in Lhasa, China, one of a number of deadly mining accidents in the country in recent days. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

Shain Gandee, a star of the MTV reality show BUCKWILD, has been found dead in a car along with two other people, the doctor on the French version of Survivor has committed suicide after the death of a contestant, female tourists are avoiding India after horrific crimes against women there, two tourists have also been abducted and assaulted in Rio and a brave housewife has become the first woman to run for parliament in Pakistan's volatile tribal region.

Mugshots showing Jonathan Froudakis de Souza (left), 20, and Wallace Aparecido Silva, 22, who allegedly raped a foreign tourist in a minibus in Rio de Janeiro. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

North Korea's new premier will likely focus more on the economy than nukes, Coney Island is in need of a bumper summer after the devastation of Superstorm Sandy and Nelson Mandela enjoyed a visit from his family in hospital.

Also, Indonesian police found hundreds of turtles at Jakarta's airport, Iran is out for world supremacy in the race for the largest tub of ice cream, the Philippines will not set the bar lower than 5'4" for the height of its police, the Obamas enjoyed some Easter festivities at the White House, Saudi women are now allowed to ride bikes (provided they do so in approved areas), while elderly men everywhere are being advised to ride women's bikes as they're less likely to fall off them.

US President Barack Obama attends the White House Easter Egg Roll alongside the Easter Bunny on the South Lawn of the White House. Picture: Saul Loeb Source: AFP

In entertainment, Chris Brown agrees that it is hard to make people like him, Orlando Bloom will profess his love to someone other than Miranda Kerr when he plays Romeo on Broadway, a Breakfast at Tiffany's manuscript is up for sale with a price to match its jeweller namesake, John Farnham has been voted the nation's best-ever voice, Brad and Angelina may travel many leagues to film in Australia, Ryan Gosling doesn't like it when people call Eva Mendes "Baby", and Julio Iglesias says he is cool with being uncool (he's sold 300 million records so that probably helps).

Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom arrive for the 2013 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

In sport,  Australian cyclist Simon Gerrans has won the first stage of the Tour of the Basque country, a stunning strike from Chelsea's Demba Ba has knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup, new Sunderland boss Paolo Di Canio has denied being a racist and fascist, Paris doesn't want to say au revoir to David Beckham, Bayern Munich and Juventus are primed for the Champions League encounter  and India wants an Olympic boxer tested for heroin use.

Chelsea's Demba Ba scores a goal past Manchester United's goalkeeper David De Gea during their FA Cup quarter-final. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

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WA's chat line killer loses appeal

A MAN who killed a woman a month after meeting her on a social media networking service has failed in an appeal against his 10-year sentence.

Matthew Shane Dodd, 27, was convicted last year of the unlawful killing of mother-of-four Shannon Pearce, 27, whose decomposed body was found in bushland near Geraldton on Christmas Day, 2010.

A jury accepted Dodd had savagely attacked Ms Pearce, leaving her with horrific injuries including a double fracture of her jaw, a broken nose and missing teeth.

The jury was told it appeared Dodd had attempted to have sex with Ms Pearce, whom he met through the phone-based social media network Divas Chat, despite abusing her physically and verbally as they travelled from Perth to Geraldton.

After she resisted his advances he lashed out, the court heard.

Ms Pearce's body was found a week after the attack.

Trial judge Justice Henry Wisbey said the unlawful killing was among the most serious of its kind and jailed Dodd for 10 years.

In appealing against the sentence, Dodd argued there was a lack of evidence as to Ms Pearce's specific cause of death, no weapon or depravity were involved, and the evidence did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that she died as a result of the assault.

On Friday, Justices Robert Mazza and Michael Buss in the WA Court of Appeal decided the sentence was fair.

"The appellant committed an unprovoked and savage attack upon a vulnerable, unarmed and defenceless woman," Justice Buss said.

After the attack, he had demonstrated "callous indifference" to her plight, he said.

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Newtown killer had death spreadsheet

This undated photo circulated by law enforcement shows Adam Lanza. Source: AP

WHILE you were sleeping reports emerged that the Sandy Hook shooter kept a huge spreadsheet of mass murders and was determined to get the highest score.

The New York Daily News reported that Adam Lanza carefully planned the massacre for years and based his attack and suicide on violent video games. Searching Lanza’s home, investigators found a 2.13m by 1.23m spreadsheet listing body counts, names and weapons used in previous mass shootings.

Police positioned outside the home of Nancy Lanza on December 18, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. Nancy Lanza was killed by her son Adam before going on his rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

Also, Hillary Clinton announced her support for gay marriage, a maid was sentenced to death for killing a child with a cleaver, activists say the Syrian war has killed 6800 women and children, the family of a man who fell to his death in an airport elevator well believe the airport was negligent, a woman ordered to pay $222,000 for illegal music downloads says she can't afford that, the source of donor organs infected with rabies has been identified and a victim's lawyer says there are hundreds more cases of tabloid phone hacking in the UK.

A Syrian internally displaced woman and child are reflected in a puddle of water in the Bab al-Hawa camp along the Turkish border in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

Cypriots are angry at being the EU's guinea pigs, the Republican Party has admitted it needs to win over more minority voters, police investigating an on-campus death found explosives in a university dorm, a self-confessed "troll" who stole 100,000 iPad users' email addresses has been jailed, the men accused of gang-raping a tourist in India have appeared in court and the spectre of Saddam Hussein still lingers in many of Iraq's landmarks.

Cypriots show their palms reading "No" during a protest against an EU bailout deal outside the parliament in Nicosia. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

Police in Japan want to charge 10 drivers over a $4 million, multi-car pileup involving eight Ferraris, one Lamborghini and a Mercedes-Benz, if you like skiing where people have a snowboard in one hand and an AK-47 in the other then Kashmir may be the place for you, and a Chechen strongman had admitted to taking over the PA at a soccer game to yell

(FILES) This file picture taken on December 4, 2011 shows crashed Ferrari sports cars on the Chugoku highway in Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi prefecture, western Japan on December 4, 2011. Police in Japan said on March 18, 2013 they want to charge 10 drivers over a four million USD, multi-car pileup involving eight Ferraris, one Lamborghini and a Mercedes-Benz. JAPAN OUT AFP PHOTO / YOMIURI SHIMBUN Source: AFP

Lindsay Lohan has avoided jail with a plea deal which will send her to rehab, Gina Riley has revealed her battle with breast cancer, the actor who played Captain Peacock on Are You Being Served? has died, after selling 80 million copies The Da Vinci Code is now free, two men have appeared in court for allegedly plotting to kill Joss Stone, celebrities may be under the pump for their opposition to fracking, 30 Seconds to Mars are launching their new single in space, and the man cast as Satan in a miniseries looks devilishly similar to Barack Obama.

Mehdi Ouazzani in his role at Satan in the History Channel's "The Bible" miniseries. Picture: The History Channel Source: Supplied

In sport, Tiger Woods has confirmed he is dating Lindsey Vonn, India completed an easy win in the third Test against Australia, there have been accusations of racism and coin throwing at the Chelsea-West Ham game, England have begun their Six Nations post-mortem, a cricket umpire has been banned for 10 years over corruption claims and Rio Ferdinand has withdrawn from the England squad.

Tiger Woods confirmed he is dating Lindsey Vonn and posted this picture of the pair on Facebook. Source: Supplied

 

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