State Senator calls for help to bury Boston bomber- Man accused of lying about bombing seeks release

Published May 05, 2013

FoxNews.com

A Massachusetts state senator says the federal government should intervene in the quest to find a final resting place for the elder Boston Marathon bomber.

State Sen. Harriet L. Chandler, D-Worcester, said Uncle Sam needs to alleviate a Wochester funeral home’s onerous burden of having accepted Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s corpse on Friday after it was released by the state medical examiner.

Peter Stefan, owner of the Graham, Putnam and Mahoney Funeral Parlors has told The Boston Herald his business has been beset by protesters since accepting the body, and he cannot book any new business until convincing a cemetery to provide a plot for the body.

 “The federal government needs to step in,” said Chandler. “But I’m not sure what they’re going to do or where will they go. Peter Stefan is a very respected and respectable funeral home director in Worcester. He’s a good man. This can’t continue. He’s taking a financial loss as a result of this.”

Stefan accepted Tsarnaev’s body Friday after it was initially sent to a North Attleborough funeral home, where it was greeted by about 20 protesters.

“We have a body for burial that has caused a lot of controversy and we can’t continue to play this game,” Stefan told The Herald.  “Under normal circumstances, the government would say it’s (the funeral parlor’s) responsibility to find a place for burial, but this is not normal circumstances. This is a nightmare.

"My problem here is trying to find a gravesite,” Stefan added. “A lot of people don't want to do it. They don't want to be involved with this. I keep bringing up the point of Lee Harvey Oswald, Timothy McVeigh or Ted Bundy. Somebody had to do those, too."

View the original article here

Judge: Lindsay Lohan will go to trial March 18 for lying to police

Lindsay Lohan may want to make nice with her old lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley.

All motions made by Lohan's new New York City lawyer, Mark Heller, to delay or do away with altogether the actress' scheduled March 18 trial were denied today by a Southern California Judge, who scolded the attorney for not being in compliance with California court procedures.

Which means Lohan's trial on charges of reckless driving and lying to police about a car crash she was in last year, is on.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Dabney said there is no good reason to delay the case.

He also told Heller he needed to bring a lawyer with him on March 18 who can guide him through the differences between New York and California procedures. 

Dabney said either someone assists him who is competent in criminal law in California, or Lohan waives her right to say she wasn't adequately represented.

Heller was seeking a delay to prepare his defense, and to allow her more time to undergo psychotherapy counseling and perform community service.

Heller's motion to dismiss the case outright because, he contends, Lohan wasn't read her Miranda rights by the Santa Monica police was also denied. Dabney said that was a matter for the trial.

After the hearing, Heller and the prosecutor went into a conference room for a private meeting.

Lohan did not attend the hearing.

The "Mean Girls" actress has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges that also include obstructing officers from performing their duties while investigating the June crash.

Lohan was on probation at the time of the crash and could face up to 245 days in jail if a judge determines she violated the terms of her sentence in a 2011 necklace theft case.

View the original article here