Free Republic

Relatives say man was angry about abortion When the first of three blue body bags was carried out of the two-story house on N. 39th St. Saturday morning, screams and sobs erupted from the crowd of relatives and onlookers gathered along the yellow police tape. The wailing grew louder when a man emerged from the house cradling the last body bag in his arms. Less than half the size of the first two, this one contained the body of a 2-year-old girl. It was grim confirmation of what those standing in the cold for about three hours had known but...

In death, Democrat causes a party stir Some question quiet handling of woman's bountiful bequest By Ken Herman AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Tuesday, January 28, 2003 Other than the usual list of trial lawyers and party committees, the top donor to the Texas Democratic Party in 2002 was an unknown 91-year-old woman who died in 1999 and split most of her $1.9 million estate between the state and national parties. And, true to form for Texas Democrats, the inheritance from retired secretary Martha Hughes, who never married and left nothing to family members, has ignited finger-pointing in a party that needs...

It was a Friday evening, and Chad Traywick and his wife, Darda, had just returned to their Houston, Texas, home only to find themselves surrounded by swarms of police – including the SWAT team and a van from the coroner's office. After police pulled the shocked couple from their truck and patted them down, Det. John Hill informed Traywick that the police wanted to search his house. As the detective explained, a local photo-finishing store had called police to report that Traywick had apparently beheaded and mutilated a newborn baby and had taken pictures of the infant. The SWAT team...