Death penalty protocols put on hold for review
A state panel has put new Maryland death penalty protocols submitted by Gov. Martin O'Malley on hold for further review. Sen. Paul Pinksy, who is the co-chairman of the panel, says members have questions about the kinds of chemicals used in lethal injections, and what kind of medical expert should be on hand. A hearing hasn't yet been scheduled before the panel, and it's unclear whether one will take place this year or whether the panel will wait until the Legislature convenes in January. A de facto moratorium on capital punishment has been in place since late 2006, when the state's highest court ruled Maryland's lethal injection protocols weren't properly approved by a legislative committee.
- Associated Press
Laurel woman, 3 children held at gunpoint in house robbery
A woman and three children were held at gunpoint while their Laurel home was emptied of electronics at midday Saturday, Anne Arundel County police said Monday. A 26-year-old woman told police that two men, one with a handgun, came in an unlocked front door of the residence in the 200 block of Ertter Drive shortly before 1 p.m. When the woman, inside with children ages 11, 5 and 4, told the armed robber that she had no money, he held the group at gunpoint while another man made several trips in and out, taking electronic items, police said. The victims were ordered into a bedroom and the men left in a dark blue minivan or SUV, police said. Both men had bandannas and sunglasses covering their faces; the man with the handgun spoke with a Jamaican accent, police said.
- Andrea F. Siegel
Clarksville man is charged in auto-accident death
A 28-year-old Clarksville man was charged by Howard County police with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated and hit-and-run as the result of an accident that left one person dead and another hospitalized. Police said Ray William Wolfrey of the 12900 block of Route 108 was driving south on Route 108 near Guilford Road on Saturday night when his Volkswagen GTI rear-ended another car, sending it off the roadway and into a telephone pole. Mary Valenzuela, 53, of the 7900 block of Sleaford Place in Bethesda was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the Volkswagen Passat she was driving, 51-year-old Kevin Hans of the 13000 block of Clarksville Pike in Highland, was transported to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, police said. Wolfrey's vehicle was located a short time later and he was arrested, police said.
