David DePape, who was arrested by San Francisco police officers as he was beating Paul Pelosi, the husband of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, called a reporter at the local Fox News affiliate to say “I’m so sorry I didn’t get more of them” in regard to his attack on Pelosi. This is one of the stranger things I’ve heard of coming from someone charged with murder. Continue reading “Pelosi Attacker Calls Reporter: ‘I’m Sorry I Didn’t Get More Of Them’”
Seattle: New Years Eve arsonist pleads guilty but will not face hate crime charges
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| Musab Mohamed Masmari |
The man who tried to kill a crowd of 750 people packed inside a popular Seattle gay bar by setting it afire on New Year’s Eve has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of arson.
Despite some evidence that he was motivated by hatred of LGBT people, Musab Mohammad Masmari will not face federal hate crime charges.
The Seattle Times reports that Masmari, a 30-year-old American-born man of Libyan extraction and upbringing, reached an agreement with prosecutors on Friday to plead guilty to arson. Though prosecutors had substantial reason to believe it was an anti-LGBT bias crime, he will not face federal hate-crime charges. Prosecutors said that Masmari’s motives will be addressed by the judge during the sentencing phase, which comes next week.
The plea agreement specifies that prosecutors will only seek a five-year prison sentence for the crime. However, prosecutors told KOMO-TV that the judge was free to ignore their recommendations and sentence Masmari to a prison term ranging up to 20 years.