Crime Time

Insanity defense planned for Irving woman accused of strangling her kids

The attorney for a woman accused of strangling her children to death in Irving last week will pursue an insanity defense, it was revealed Friday during Saiga Akhter's first court appearance, KTVT/Channel 11 reported.

Akter is accused of killing her 5-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. She was heard on a 911 recording released by police telling an operator that she killed them because they were autistic and that she wanted normal children.

The judge denied a request by her attorney that bail be lowered from $1 million on each count, but the judge denied that request, Channel 11 reported.

Mexican army kills top drug lord in shootout at safe house

Mexican soldiers shot and killed on the country's biggest drug lords Thursday during a gunfight near the city of Guadalajara.

Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel was one of the top three leaders of the Sinoloa Cartel, and was key to its producing large amounts of methamphetamine in remote, clandestine labs and then smuggling the drugs into the United States, according to the FBI.

The army was closing in on one of the Coronel's safe houses in an upscale neighborhood when Coronel opened fire, the Associated Press reported.

-- Lance Murray

Governor considers pardon for Billy the Kid

Pat Garrett shot and killed Billy the Kid in July 1881, according to most historical accounts.

Some people believe Garrett shot somebody else and that Bill the Kid, aka William Bonney, actually moved to Texas and died in 1950 under the name of "Brushy Bill" Roberts.

According to lore, Billy the Kid killed 21 people -- one for each year of his life -- but some historians believe the total was closer to nine victims.

And, now there's a new chapter in the controversy over whether Garrett killed the Kid.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is considering granting a pardon to the Kid, something that Bonney had hoped to receive from Gov. Lew Wallace in the 1800s, but never received.

Garrett's descendants are pretty upset by the idea, believing it defames their famous relative, and will meet with Richardson next week, the Associated Press reported.

What do you think? Should Billy the Kid be pardoned?

-- Lance Murray

French couple arrested after corpses of 8 newborns found

Authorities in France say that a husband and wife have been arrested after the corpses of eight babies were found in two places in the village of Villers-au-Tertre.

The village is near the city of Lille and has about 700 residents.

CNN is reporting that the woman has admitted giving birth to and then killing the babies. She has been charged with voluntary manslaughter, CNN reported.

Two of the bodies had been hidden for more than 20 years, according to media reports.

-- Lance Murray

Police: High-ranking cartel gang leader captured in northern Mexico

Police in Mexico say that they have captured a suspected drug cartel lieutenant who reportedly helped lead the La Linea gang that worked for the Juarez cartel.

Regelio Segovia Hernandez had a nearly quarter million dollar reward offered for his capture.

He is suspected of being in charge of killings, drug distribution, extortion and kidnappings around the Ciudad Juarez area across the border from El Paso, Texas.  Police say that Segovia Hernandez himself participated in five killings at a ranch in 2008 in the state of Chihuahua, the Associated Press reported.

-- Lance Murray

Officer, 2 suspects killed in gun battle during undercover drug operation

A Chandler, Ariz., police officer and two suspects are dead after a shootout during an undercover drug operation

Two other Chandler officers were wounded in the gun battle inside a south Phoenix home. Police aren't yet releasing details of the shootout or what might have started it, the Associated Press reported.

-- Lance Murray

Guman kills 3, himself inside San Antonio home

Police in San Antonio are investigating a bloodbath at a home in a gated community on the city's north side.

A man entered the gun with two handguns and fatally shot a woman and two men before turning the gun on himself, the Associated Press reported.

Three children were playing outside when they heard shots, the AP reported. The children ran inside and discovered their dead mother, police said. The children then fled the house, the Associated Press reported.

-- Lance Murray

Body of ex-NBA player found; reportedly shot 12 times

The body of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright has been found in a wooded area southwest of Memphis, according to media reports.

Sources told Fox News that he had been shot at least 12 times and that a murder investigation has begun.

Wright, who was last seen on July 19, played at the University of Memphis and for 13 years in the NBA.

-- Lance Murray

Local blotter: Mosque blaze investigated; son listened to demons; victim's daughter missing

Star-Telegram reporters have been busy this news cycle on these headlines:

Suspected hate crimes at Arlington mosque investigated

Affidavit: Demons led son to try to kill parents in Bedford house fire

Shooting suspect surrenders after 5-hour standoff in Dallas

Fort Worth police seek whereabouts of stabbed woman's daughter

Man fatally shoots himself during traffic stop in Godley

Man killed in fiery weekend wreck still unidentified, police say

And of course, the "most read" headline on the newspaper's Website continues to be:

T bus hits, kills pedestrian in downtown Fort Worth (right)

You can unpack all of these stories at Star-Telegram.com.

-- Compiled by Bill Miller from the works of Elizabeth Zavala, Domingo Ramirez Jr., Deanna Boyd, Mitch Mitchell and Terry Evans.

Bogus bridal expo scam broken up; real Star-Telegram show set for August

The Dallas Morning News has a story today about the arrest of a woman in Pittsburgh, Pa., who is accused of bilking potential exhibitors and advertisers for wedding expos that didn't exist.

One of the bogus bridal shows was reportedly scheduled for December at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, but no such expo was ever booked, the paper reported.

The Star-Telegram, producer of the Metroplex¹s longest-running bridal show for more than 20 years, will present the latest Star-Telegram Bridal Show on Sunday, Aug. 15 at the Gaylord Texan.

Our show is in no way affiliated with the organizer of the "sham" bridal event that had been touted for December at the Gaylord, said Debbie Yarbrough, the Star-Telegram's marketing features manager.

Official details of the Star-Telegram¹s upcoming bridal events are always available online at Star-Telegramweddings.com.