Darren John Bridgeman, 37, from Malvern, Worcestershire sentenced to life in prison by a judge in Florida.

Darren John Bridgeman, 37, from Malvern, Worcestershire sentenced to life in prison by a judge in Florida.In June 2006, Darren John Bridgeman, 37, from Malvern, Worcestershire, killed Tracy Bennawit, 33, because he discovered that she had a new boyfriend. He then fled back to the UK and tried to join the French Foreign Legion to avoid being caught.Bridgeman, who said Bennawit "threw me out like garbage" when their relationship turned sour, eventually gave himself up after a manhunt across Europe. He was extradited to the US, where a jury took less than six hours to convict him of murder on Friday night after a week-long trial."It's the verdict he deserved," said Adam Strickland, Bennawit's boyfriend, who was shot in the chest and seriously wounded in the ambush. Bennawit's son, Caelin, 14, witnessed the attack but was not hurt.Lawyers for Bridgeman, who was also Bennawit's business partner in a failed video game shop, argued unsuccessfully that their client was guilty only of manslaughter because he acted in the heat of passion.

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John A. "Junior" Gotti was hit with new federal charges Tuesday

John A. "Junior" Gotti was hit with new federal charges Tuesday involving three gangland slayings -- including one ordered by his infamous father
"What should be noted today is whether you violate the federal law today, tomorrow, or 20 years ago, the FBI and its law enforcement partners will pursue the matter to its logical conclusions," said Steven E. Ibison, special agent-in-charge of the Tampa, Fla., FBI office.

charges marked the latest in a string of attempts in recent years by the government to put away Gotti, who prosecutors say followed in the footsteps of his mob boss father in leading the Gambino crime family. And just like his "Teflon Don" father, the younger Gotti has proved to be highly skilled at evading convictions on a variety of mob indictments brought against him.Gotti's attorney denied the charges and accused the government of holding a grudge against him for beating previous prosecutions. Over the years, a parade of mob turncoats who testified against the Gambinos "never accused John Gotti of drugs or murder — never happened," said Charles Carnesi."What you have is a bunch of people in law enforcement who are disgruntled about the fact that he did fight those cases successfully," the lawyer said. "That's what this case is about."
The latest case was brought in Florida after a series of failed prosecutions in New York City. Another indictment accused five Gotti associates of various crimes, including murder.The conspiracy indictment against the 44-year-old Gotti accuses him of being a chief in an arm of the Gambino crime family that operated in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania since about 1983. The enterprise was involved in everything from murder and kidnapping to witness tampering, money laundering and cocaine trafficking, and had its fingers in legal and illegal businesses and union locals, federal authorities said.Federal prosecutor Robert O'Neill said the indictments showed that the defendants were "trying to gain a foothold" in Florida, and they alleged that some of the crimes took place there.Prosecutors alleged that Gotti "oversaw" the slaying of reputed Gambino associate Louis DiBono in the parking garage of the World Trade Center in Manhattan in 1990. The elder Gotti was convicted of ordering that slaying, which was related to DiBono's contract to install fireproofing at the trade center. Prosecutors did not provide specifics about the younger Gotti's involvement in the hit.The late mob boss had been caught on tape boasting, "Know why he's dying? He's gonna die because he refused to come in when I called. He didn't do nothing else wrong," prosecutors said.Prosecutors also accused Gotti of having two men killed in drug turf disputes: George Grosso in 1988 and Bruce John Gotterup in 1991, both in Queens. The indictment also alleges he possessed and trafficked more than 5 kilograms of cocaine.Gotti "has led a life of violence, including these three murders," prosecutor Elie Honig said while successfully arguing against bail in federal court in Manhattan."He's never been charged with murder before," Honig said. "Now he's been charged with three."
A magistrate ordered Gotti held without bail until agents transport him to Florida. It was unclear how soon he would depart.Gotti, wearing a navy blue polo shirt, shook his head at one point as the prosecutor described the charges, but showed no other reaction. FBI agents had arrested Gotti early Tuesday at his Long Island home.
It is not the first time Gotti has been rounded up by federal agents.
In 1999, he pleaded guilty to racketeering crimes including bribery, extortion, gambling and fraud. He was sentenced to 77 months in prison and was released in 2005.
But less than two months before he was released, prosecutors brought a separate racketeering case for an alleged kidnapping and attempted murder plot against Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa — an outspoken critic of the Gottis. The trials in 2005 and 2006 ended in hung juries and mistrials after Gotti used the defense that he had quit the mob for good in the late 1990s. "It's enough now. They got to let go," Gotti after the third trial, saying he hoped to return to a quiet life with his wife and six children. If convicted of the new charges, Gotti faces up to life in prison. His father died in prison six years ago while serving a life term on his 1992 murder and racketeering charges.

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Meloney Jackson borrowed a gun from a neighbor under arrest for the shooting death of her husband

Meloney Jackson of Florida is under arrest for the shooting death of her husband, Kevin Jackson. Mrs. Jackson borrowed a gun from a neighbor allegedly to shoot Mr. Jackson.How do you borrow a gun from a neighbor at 5am. I realize it’s Florida and all but how the hell would you even approach that with a neighbor. I wonder what reason she gave to the neighbor to borrow the gun. “I’m gonna go shoot me some rats?”
Mrs. Jackson denies the shooting but a gun dealer claims she was in his shop trying to buy a gun for self defense from her husband.Not surprisingly the Jacksons were in the middle of a divorce.

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Bill Nesmith may have violated county policy by carrying a loaded gun in a county-owned vehicle

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Chief Bill Nesmith may have violated county policy by carrying a loaded gun in a county-owned vehicle.Nesmith, 59, was arrested Saturday night at his Indian Rocks Beach condo after his wife, Beverly, told Pinellas County deputies he threatened to kill her and then himself, an arrest report said.Deputies evacuated neighboring condos as a precaution before Nesmith was called out of the home, sheriff's spokesman Jim Bordner said.He was released from the Pinellas County Jail on Sunday after posting $5,000 bail.A .380 automatic handgun was found inside a Hillsborough County vehicle Nesmith drives and a .38-caliber revolver was found in his personal vehicle, Bordner said.Both guns were loaded, he said.Bringing weapons onto county property, including vehicles, is a violation of policy, County Administrator Pat Bean said."I will make certain someone talks to him," she said. "We go from there. He will be treated the same as any other county employee."Bean said she is holding off on making a separate decision about the gun because the county is waiting to see whether anything further develops out of the Pinellas sheriff's investigation."We want to wrap it up all at one time," she said. "And so, we're waiting to see what's going to happen."
After the county reviews the discovery of the gun, someone will have to decide on discipline, Bean said."Depending on how severe the recommendation is, that would be me," she said.Bean said she didn't recall any other discipline issues relating to Nesmith, who was hired as assistant chief in January 1994 and was promoted to fire chief in October 1996.Nesmith oversees fire protection and emergency services in a 931-square-mile area and manages a budget of more than $110 million. He is paid $139,000 a year.On Monday, Nesmith was placed on paid leave.
Sheriff's deputies will meet with the state attorney's office on March 17 to report on the domestic battery investigation, and prosecutors will determine whether to proceed with the charge, Bordner said.Deputies have been called to the Nesmith residence before, Bordner said.
On Feb. 25, the sheriff's office responded to the home on a report of a domestic argument in progress, Bordner said. The matter was peacefully settled within an hour and no charges were filed, he said.

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Driver was Jerome Lamar Joe of Holiday Florida. passenger is Isaac Flowers of Clearwater

Tampa Police Officers responded to a "shots being fired" call in the area of Ybor City this evening at 12:50AM. The suspect vehicle was a purple car.
Sergeant James Harris of the District III Street Anti-Crimes Squad observed a
1998 Plymouth Breeze, 4door, bearing Fl Tag 627-JJM near N. Nebraska Ave & E. Floribraska Ave. As it matched the description of one of the vehicles involved in the shooting incident, he ran the tag. The registration check showed that the vehicle was reported as stolen through the Pasco County Sheriffs Office on February 11, 2008.
Sgt Harris continued to follow the vehicle until additional officers responded to stop it. The vehicle was successfully boxed in at Nebraska Ave & E. 3rd Ave. As officers approached the vehicle, they observed the driver jump into the back seat and the passenger making furtive movements. When the vehicle doors were opened to extricate the occupants, the passenger was observed holding a loaded Beretta 92 9mm pistol in his hand, concealing it under his leg. The suspects were removed from the vehicle without incident and the gun was recovered. Search of the occupants and the vehicle revealed gloves. The driver had a screwdriver of the type used to commit auto burglaries and a quantity of rock cocaine. The driver was charged with Grand Theft Auto, Auto Burglary, Possession of Burglary Tools, Possession of Rock Cocaine, and Habitual Traffic Offender. The passenger was charged with Grand Theft Auto, Auto Burglary, Possession of Burglary Tools, and Carrying a Concealed Firearm.
Additionally, he had outstanding warrants out of Pinellas County.The driver was Jerome Lamar Joe of Holiday Florida.The passenger is Isaac Flowers of Clearwater, FL
A check by Officers in the Ybor City area did not reveal any reported incidents.

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