Houston day care owner, faces charges in fatal fire that killed four toddlers

Jessica Rene Tata, 22, left seven youngsters alone in her home day care while she went shopping, police said.

A Houston day care owner was back in a Texas jail cell Tuesday after her weekend arrest in Nigeria, facing charges of leaving alone four toddlers who later died in a fire.

Jessica Rene Tata, 22, completed the 6,500-mile round trip in the custody of officers from the the Harris County sheriff's department and was quickly ordered held without bond.

She was handcuffed and wearing a body armor vest as officers hustled her into the jail. Authorities said Tata left seven youngsters alone in her home day care while she went shopping at Target on Feb. 24.

She also left a pan of oil burning on a stove, and authorities determined that caused the deadly fire inside Jackie's Child Care in west Houston.

The eldest of the four dead children was just 3 years old, while the youngest was only 16 months. Three other children were seriously injured in the blaze.

Tata, after initially rebuffing law enforcement efforts to interview her, bolted Houston for Nigeria two days after the fire.

Although a native of Texas, Tata had relatives in the African nation. She was arrested Saturday after an international search that landed her on the U.S. Marshals service list of most wanted fugitives.

Tata was charged with four counts of manslaughter, six counts of reckless injury to a child, three counts of abandoning a child under 15 and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

The top count of manslaughter comes with a maximum term of 20 years behind bars.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/03/22/2011-03-22_jessica_rene_tata_houston_day_care_owner_faces_charges_in_fatal_fire_that_killed.html#ixzz1HUC9yGoF

'Regulate' rapper Nate Dogg dead at 41; Rose to fame with Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Dr. Dre

Nate Dogg, whose smooth voice added a soft touch to some of the biggest rap hits to come out of the West Coast, has died. He was 41.

The cause of death was not immediately announced, but the lyricist, born Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, had suffered two serious strokes in recent years.

Hale made his first waves in hip-hop in 1991 as part of the rap trio 213 with Warren G andSnoop Dogg and later rose to fame as a guest vocalist on Dr. Dre's mega-hit, "The Chronic."

But he was best known for the hook he provided on the 1994 hit song "Regulate," with Warren G.

Appearing on the soundtrack of the film "Above the Rim," starring late rapper Tupac Shakur, the song hit No. 2 on the Billboard Top 100.

"We lost a true legend n hip hop n rnb," Snoop Dogg tweeted. "One of my best friends n a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at poly high where we met. I love u buddy luv. U will always b wit me 4ever n a day."

Hale began singing as a child in a Long Beach, Calif. Baptist church where his father was the pastor.

When he was 16, he dropped out of high school and joined the Marines where he served for three years.

When Dr. Dre heard a demo by 213 he was intrigued, and began to work with the group. Their collaboration helped make Snoop Dogg one of hip-hop's biggest stars.

Hale went on to make three solo albums, but was best known for his collaborative work, singing hooks on other rappers' songs.

He was nominated for four Grammy Awards, most recently for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for the 2007 Eminem track, "Shake That."

Hale he was left paralyzed on one side of his body following a stroke that year. He suffered a second stroke in 2008.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2011/03/16/2011-03-16_regulate_rapper_nate_dogg_dead_at_41_rose_to_fame_with_snoop_dogg_warren_g_dr_dr.html#ixzz1GlsIKgVu

Japan man saved from rooftop that floated to sea

TOKYO – Hiromitsu Shinkawa was pushed out to sea while he clung to the roof of his home after a tsunami swept away his wife. For two days, he drifted off Japan's northeastern coast, trying to get the attention of helicopters and ships that passed by — to no avail.

Finally, on Sunday, a Japanese military vessel spotted the 60-year-old waving a red cloth. He was about 15 kilometers (about 10 miles) offshore from the earthquake-ravaged city of Minamisoma, said Yoshiyuki Kotake, a Defense Ministry spokesman.

Shinkawa told his rescuers that the tsunami hit as he and his wife returned home to gather some belongings after Friday's quake. His wife was swept away, Kotake said.

"Several helicopters and ships passed by, but none of them noticed me," he was quoted by another defense agency spokesman, who refused to be identified by name, as saying.

Japanese troops used a small boat to pluck him from the ocean.

Military officials said Shinkawa was lucky that mild weather and relatively calm seas enabled him to stay afloat for nearly two days, the Kyodo news agency reported.

"I thought today was the last day of my life," it quoted him as saying.

Stanley Guidroz charged with murder after cops find wife stabbed to death in backseat of his car

Stanley Guidroz, 53 (left), was charged with murder after a fight with his wife, Pepettra.

A Louisiana man drove aimlessly around the state for seven hours with his dead wife's body in the backseat before surrendering to cops in her fatal stabbing.Stanley Guidroz, 53, was charged with murder after a fight over their rocky seven-year marriage escalated into violence early Wednesday behind a Burger King in Houma, La., police said.Following the 5 a.m. stabbing, Guidroz - with the body of wife Pepettra in backseat - drove his 1999 Ford Mustang for about seven hours, police said.He finally stopped at the police station in Zachary, La., about 100 miles from Houma, parking his car and walking inside.He told officers his wife's dead body was in the back seat of his car. Once cops checked and found the body with multiple stab wounds, Guidroz was quickly placed under arrest.The suspect was returned to Houma to face a second-degree murder charge. Cops said he apparently picked the Zachary police station at random to turn himself in.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/03/10/2011-03-10_stanley_guidroz_charged_with_murder_after_cops_find_wife_stabbed_to_death_in_bac.html#ixzz1GFcNmXDR

Robin Greinke & Steven Neil Beat 3-Year-Old to Death For Wetting His Pants

Robin Greinke and her son, 3-year-old Noah Fake, were visiting Lake Buena Vista, Florida from Illinois. They were at an apartment Tuesday night when Noah, as little boys occasionally do, wet his pants. This didn't summon a maternal change of clothes from mom, however...


Steven Neil apparently has a history of beating on women and children. But the Florida penal system will force him to now fight in a higher weight class.
​She and her boyfriend, 33-year-old Steven Neil, had been drinking that night. And they apparently considered wet pants a sin on par with treason. So they literally spent the next hour spanking, throwing and punching Noah. That would teach him bladder control.

Greinke seemed to notice that Noah was wounded and hadn't endured the beating well. But Neil convinced her they could take him to a doctor the next day. Instead, they decided to drink, eat pizza, and watch a movie as the little boy struggled for his life.

But at some point Greinke noticed that her son wasn't breathing. So she finally called 911.

Medics at first thought he had meningitis because of the bruising. But Noah wouldn't survive. An autopsy revealed that he died of blunt-force trauma to the head.

The couple had been dating for about a year. But Neil's former girlfriends say he has a history of abuse, beating both them and his own children.

He'll now have a chance to test his mettle in a higher weight class, given Greinke's full confession. They're both charged with first-degree murder, child abuse and neglect.