Georgia

Report: Law Grad Charged in Classmate Murder May Have Fantasized About Avoiding Prison for Slayings

A classmate charged in the murder of fellow Mercer University law graduate Lauren Giddings may have written of violence and gore online under the moniker SoL (short for Son of Liberty, it appears) for at least a year or so prior to her slaying, according to the Macon Telegraph. The…

Aug 25, 2011 6:06 PM CDT

Classmate Charged with Killing Mercer Law Grad Now Faces Child Porn Charges

The Mercer University law graduate charged with killing his onetime classmate Lauren Giddings now faces new charges: seven counts of sexual exploitation of children. Police charged murder suspect Stephen McDaniel with the additional counts based on evidence found on a flash drive in his apartment, the Macon Telegraph reports. According…

Aug 24, 2011 12:36 PM CDT

Judge Says Case of Child Molester Who Never Served His Sentence ‘Fell Through the Cracks’

A Georgia judge is taking the blame for the case of a convicted child molester who never served his 15-year sentence. Melvin Moseley was sentenced eight years ago in Muscogee County after pleading guilty to child molestation based on accusations he had sex with a 15-year-old high school student he…

Aug 16, 2011 2:35 PM CDT

Slain Mercer Law Grad Was a Friend to Many, Including the Classmate Now Charged with Her Murder

Remembered at a funeral mass in Laurel, Md., attended by hundreds of mourners on Saturday evening, slain Mercer University law graduate Lauren Giddings was recalled again and again for the joy she brought to others’ lives. Multiple people said she had been their best friend. The 27-year-old Giddings “was the…

Aug 8, 2011 11:44 AM CDT

Classmate of Slain Mercer Law Grad Faces Felony Murder Charge, But Questions Still Remain

Although he hasn’t said anything lately, Stephen Mark McDaniel talked quite a bit before he was charged last night with felony murder concerning the death of his law school classmate, Lauren Giddings. Visibly distraught after being told the 27-year-old’s dismembered torso had been found June 30 in a trash bin…

Aug 4, 2011 12:10 AM CDT

FDIC Sues Law Firm, Says Security Deed Errors in $2.8M Loan Closing Bar Foreclosure

A Georgia law firm and one of its partners has been sued for malpractice by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. over a bad $2.8 million loan. Because a security deed prepared by Jampol, Schleicher, Jacobs & Papadakis for a 2005 loan closing to an investment company was defective, the FDIC…

Aug 3, 2011 6:36 PM CDT

Police Charge Classmate in Murder of Mercer Law Grad Lauren Giddings

A classmate has been charged with the murder of Mercer University law graduate Lauren Giddings, 27, whose dismembered body was discovered in the trash outside her apartment building on June 30. Police charged Stephen Mark McDaniel, formerly identified as a person of interest in the case, report the Macon Telegraph…

Aug 3, 2011 11:28 AM CDT

Teen Ordered to Create Memorial to Toddler Left to Die in Hot Van

A juvenile court judge in Clayton County, Ga., has ordered a teenager to create a memorial to a 2-year-old girl who died at a daycare center after being left in a hot van following a field trip. The teenage girl, whose name was withheld because of her age, also received…

Aug 2, 2011 1:17 PM CDT

But for Timely Calls, Police Might Never Have Found Body of Murdered Mercer Law Grad Lauren Giddings

Terrible though it has been for family and friends of a murdered Mercer University law graduate to know that she is dead, it could have been worse, the Macon police chief and her sister say. But for timely calls to police and an all-hands-on-deck response by authorities, Lauren Giddings’ body…

Jul 28, 2011 5:20 PM CDT

DA’s Office Can Prosecute Ex-Intern Who’s Now Person of Interest in Law Student Slaying, Judge Rules

Stephen McDaniel worked for about three months this spring as an intern in the Bibb County, Ga., district attorney’s office, during his third year in law school. But that won’t prevent the DA’s office from prosecuting the Mercer University law graduate on two burglary charges concerning the apartment building in…

Jul 25, 2011 4:10 PM CDT

US Supreme Court Refuses to Stay Videotaped Execution, Now Set for Tonight

A camera will record the execution of a Georgia inmate tonight due to a request by a death-row lawyer hoping it will provide evidence that a sedative used in animal euthanasia doesn’t work on humans. The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to stay the execution of Andrew DeYoung, convicted…

Jul 21, 2011 11:37 AM CDT

Law Student Cited for Loud Party Challenges Noise Ordinance in State Supreme Court

If no one complains about a law student’s loud party, is there a noise ordinance violation? That legal question is before the Georgia Supreme Court in an appeal by Ian Grady, who was ticketed for a loud party held to celebrate his admission to law school, the Athens Banner-Herald reports.…

Jul 14, 2011 3:41 PM CDT

New Leads in Mercer Law Grad’s Murder, But No Arrest Imminent; Police Chief Announces $12K Reward

Police investigating the murder of a 27-year-old Mercer University law graduate last night searched the next-door Macon apartment of a man who also is a graduate of the law school. However, no arrest is imminent, Macon Police Chief Mike Burns said at a press conference today, reports 13WMAZ. Authorities are…

Jul 13, 2011 4:47 PM CDT

Police Seek Evidence in Mercer Law Grad’s Slaying, Await ‘Pivotal’ Forensic Results

Nearly two weeks after the dismembered body of a 27-year-old Mercer University law graduate was found outside her home in Macon, Ga., police continue to search for evidence in the slaying, including parts of Lauren Giddings’ body. They also await results of forensic tests that are expected to be “pivotal”…

Jul 12, 2011 8:38 PM CDT

Dismembered Body Was Law Grad’s; Investigation Continues

A dismembered body found near the apartment of a missing Mercer University law graduate has been identified as that of the young woman, 27-year-old Lauren Giddings, who served as president of the Federalist Society at the school. The police investigation in Macon, Ga., is continuing, the Associated Press reports. Meanwhile,…

Jul 6, 2011 9:36 PM CDT