Sofas Kill

Woman kills husband with pull-out couch

She allegedly was mad because he was drunk and wouldn't get up

'ST PETERSBURG - A Russian woman in St. Petersburg killed her drunk husband with a folding couch, Russian media reported on Wednesday.

St. Petersburg's Channel Five said the man's wife, upset with her husband for being drunk and refusing to get up, kicked a handle after an argument, activating a mechanism that folds the couch up against a wall.

The couch, which doubles as a bed, folds up automatically in order to save space. The man fell between the mattress and the back of the couch, Channel Five quoted emergency workers as saying.

The woman then walked out of the room and returned three hours later to check on what she thought was an unusually quiet sleeping husband.

Police refused to comment.

The St. Petersburg Emergency Services Ministry said a private rescue service removed the man's body.

Video on the television channel's Web site showed emergency workers sawing away the side panels of a couch to remove a man in his underwear lying headfirst between the cushions.

Emergency workers said the man died instantly.'

Sunflower Seeds Kill

Investigators: Teen distracted by sunflower seeds prior to trooper death

'ADAMS COUNTY - The district attorney announced formal charges Monday against the 17-year-old driver involved in a car crash that killed a Colorado State Trooper.

Cody Loos was charged with careless driving resulting in death and careless driving resulting in bodily injury. Both charges carry a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

"We are satisfied that the facts of this case support the charges," said Sgt. John Hahn of the Colorado State Patrol. "These charges are a logical conclusion to this case. Our hope as an organization is that the filing of the charges will help the victims in this case and their families to get closure and resolution."

The North Metro Accident Investigation Team was called in to conduct the investigation because there were law enforcement officers involved in the crash. They say Loos, who was driving a 1994 Ford pickup on I-76, looked down for some sunflower seeds on his console and when he looked back up, traffic was backed up in front of him, leading to the crash.

According to investigators, traffic on I-76 had backed up because 65-year-old Terrance Rice had lost a 2,500 gallon plastic water tank he was towing at about 4:30 p.m. on October 11. Troopers Zach Templeton and Scott Hinshaw had stopped to help load it back onto Rice's trailer, which he was towing with his 1997 Dodge pickup.

Investigators say at about 5 p.m., after the truck and trailer were moved onto the median and the tank had been loaded back on, Loos, distracted by his sunflower seeds, swerved onto the shoulder and then the median to avoid hitting the traffic which had slowed in front of him.

That's when Loos' Ford pickup slammed into the trailer and the two state troopers, authorities say.

Hinshaw suffered fractures to his left fibula and right tibia. He was still wearing his motorcycle helmet when he was struck. Troopers tell 9NEWS Hinshaw is expected to undergo more surgery this week.

Templeton, who arrived in his patrol car and was not wearing a helmet, suffered a broken tibia, broken femur, lacerated spleen and severe head trauma. He was airlifted from the scene, but died the following day.

Rice faces a charge for spilling the load on the highway, which carries a $100 fine.

An investigation of the crash concluded that drugs or alcohol were not factors.'

Vanity kills.

Report: Kanye's Mom Died of Plastic Surgery Complications

'LOS ANGELES -- Donda West, mother of Kanye West and former chairwoman of Chicago State University's English department, has died, a spokesman for the rapper said. She was 58.

Donda West died Saturday night in Los Angeles, said the spokesman, who asked for anonymity because not all family members had been notified.

"The family respectfully asks for privacy during this time of grief," the spokesman said.

Her publicist, Patricia Green, told BBC News that Donda West passed away "as the result of complications from a cosmetic surgical procedure." Green gave no further details.

Donda West was known for the strong bond she shared with her son, by whose side she was often seen at parties and award shows.

Kanye West, 30, often spoke of his close relationship with his mother, who raised him alone after her husband left when Kanye was 3.

She was the inspiration for the song, "Hey Mama," on Kanye West's 2005 album "Late Registration," in which he sings: "Hey Mama, I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I'm so proud of you ... I appreciate what you allowed for me. I just want you to be proud of me."

Donda West frequently defended her son against critics who accused him of penning misogynistic lyrics and other purported transgressions.

"I support my baby," she said in a Chicago Sun-Times interview. "He is telling how he feels and he is speaking the truth as he sees it."

In May, she published the book "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Star," in which she paid homage to her famous son.'

Watering Lawns Kills

Water wars: Man killed in fight over watering

'SYDNEY, Australia - A 66-year-old man was bashed to death while watering his lawn following an argument with a neighbor over the city's water restrictions, police and media said Thursday.

Todd Munter, 36, was charged Thursday with murdering Ken Proctor, who lived on a nearby street in suburban Sylvania. Munter did not enter a plea and it was not immediately known whether he had an attorney.

Munter, who appeared distraught and close to tears, was to remain in custody until his next court appearance on Nov. 15.

Police prosecutor Sgt. Bruce Baldwin did not give details of the murder charge.

Police alleged in a statement that Munter approached Proctor Wednesday as he watered his lawn with a hose at 5:30 p.m. and an argument ensued. Television and radio news bulletins reported the argument was over Sydney's water restrictions.

Proctor reportedly sprayed Munter with the hose. Police allege Munter responded by punching and pushing Proctor to the ground and kicking him.

An off-duty police officer intervened and arrested Munter, the statement said. Proctor was taken by ambulance to hospital but died soon after, police said.

Proctor was complying with Sydney's water restrictions when he was killed. Watering with hand-held hoses is allowed on Wednesdays and Sundays before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.

All major cities in Australia have water use restrictions as the nation experiences its worst drought in a century.'

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Trampolines Kill

Woman's death points to trampoline risks

'LOVELAND - Last week's death of a Loveland woman while she jumped on a trampoline with her children was rare, but injuries on the device are common.

Most trampoline-related accidents do not result in severe injury, said Dr. Donald Peck Leslie, medical director at Shepherd Center, a leading rehabilitation center in Atlanta, Ga.

"Often we see long bone injuries in the arms or legs," Leslie said. "It's a rare occurrence to see death."

Sarah Comstock, 32, suffered fatal injuries to her spine and head while jumping on a trampoline July 12, said Louis Greek, investigator for the Larimer County Coroner's office.

Her two children were jumping with her at the time of the accident, but details haven't been made public.

Comstock was buried Monday.

From 2000 to 2005 there were on average 88,563 emergency department visits per year for trampoline-related injuries for children up to 18, according to a study done at Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I.

Of those injuries, 95 percent occurred at home.

That was a significant increase from 1990 to 1995 when emergency visits were at approximately 41,600 per year.

Six people died from trampoline-related injuries in 2000, the most recent statistics available from the Consumer Product Safety Commission report.

In 1999, 40 percent of all trampoline-related injuries were to the leg and foot, 29 percent to the arm and hand, 20 percent to the head, neck and face and 10 percent were to the shoulder and trunk, according to the Foundation For Spinal Cord Injury Prevention, Care and Cure.

Serious injuries to the spine or brain can cause paralysis, internal hemorrhaging and death.

"If it's serious, it's typically a brain and spinal injury," Leslie said. "If it is serious enough to cause death it was a very high spinal injury, or injury to the brain."

Spinal injuries closer to the neck can paralyze the person's ability to breathe.

"We have people who are permanently on a ventilator because of these high cervical injuries," Leslie said.

Most trampoline injuries occur to children, according to a 2000 Consumer Product Safety Commission Report on trampolines, although victims who died in trampoline accidents range from age 3 to 43.

The report suggests placing the trampoline at ground level, using spotters and adult supervision, avoiding stunts and allowing only one person on the trampoline at a time.

"The problem with the trampoline is, if you have more than one person at a time, the weight displacement could throw someone off," Leslie said. "It seems like there are better ways to have fun and exercise."'

Karaoke Kills

Report: 25 killed in China karaoke blast

'BEIJING (AP) - A blast ripped through a karaoke parlor and bath house in northeast China, killing 25 people and injuring 33 others, state media reported Thursday.

Xinhua News Agency said the cause of the Wednesday night blast in Tianshifu township in Liaoning province was being investigated. Several employees and the wife of the parlor owner, who was killed, were being questioned, it said, without saying if they were suspects.

Xinhua initially put the death toll at five, but said 25 bodies were found when rescuers had finished clearing away debris from the blast.

China has suffered a string of blasts, fires and accidents in shopping malls, movie theaters and other public places despite repeated government promises to improve safety. Many are blamed on lax safety procedures and negligence.

In 2005, a fire in an illegally run bar in the southern city of Zhongshan killed 26 people. Local officials said the bar lacked fire extinguishers and its emergency exit was too narrow.

In China's worst recent nightclub disaster, a fire blamed on a welding accident tore through a disco in the central city of Luoyang in December 2000, killing 309 people.

Local reports at the time said the building had failed 18 safety checks in two years.'

Headboards Kill

Yikes!

Headboard crashes through windshield, 1 killed

'LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - A Loveland woman was killed after a heavy headboard blew out of the bed of a pickup truck and crashed into the windshield of a Suburban in Wyoming.

Wyoming Highway Patrol says 56-year-old pickup driver Brian Soukup of Livermore, Colorado, was cited for driving with an unsecured load.

The accident happened Monday on Wyoming 230 about 10 miles south of Laramie.

The 250-pound headboard blew out of the bed of Soukup's pickup and crashed into the windshield of a Suburban that 54-year-old Lois A. Dewey was driving.

The Suburban went off the road, struck a culvert and rolled over, killing Dewey. A Texas woman in Dewey's vehicle was injured.

The headboard also struck a van, but no other injuries were reported.'

Lawns Kill

Life term for killing teen who walked on lawn

Ohio man said boy knew how he cared for his grass and provoked him

'BATAVIA, Ohio - A man who fatally shot a teenage neighbor because he walked on the man's carefully tended lawn was sentenced to life in prison.

Charles Martin, 67, must serve 18 years before he can be considered for parole, Clermont County Common Pleas Judge William Walker ordered Wednesday, adding that he would urge that Martin never be considered for parole.

The man was convicted last month of murder in the March 2006 shotgun killing of 15-year-old Larry Mugrage Jr., a high school student.'

Vegans Kill

Vegan parents sentenced to life in prison in son's death

'ATLANTA (AP) - Vegan parents in Georgia have been sentenced Wednesday to life in prison after their six-week-old son died of malnutrition.

The baby weighed only three and a-half pounds. He'd been fed mostly soy milk and apple juice. Vegans typically do not consume animal products.

Defense lawyers had argued the first-time parents didn't know the infant was in danger until minutes before he died in April of 2004.

Jurors deliberated about seven hours before convicting the couple last week. Jade Sanders and Lamont Thomas were convicted of malice murder, felony murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children.'

Circuses Kill

Circus trapeze artist falls 40 feet to his death

Performer working without a net plummets headfirst during Calif. show

'MONTEBELLO, Calif. - A circus trapeze artist working without a net fell 40 feet to his death during a performance, authorities said.

Roberto Valenzuela, 35, of Brownsville, Texas, fell headfirst and died Monday night, said Sgt. Jacqueline Gonzalez of the Los Angeles County Police Department.

He was performing with Circo Hermanos Vazquez (Vazquez Brothers Circus.) The troupe had traveled from Mexico for the show at the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, Gonzalez said.

County firefighters happened to be at the show to monitor the act following Valenzuela’s, which involved fire, Gonzalez said.

The firefighters tried to help Valenzuela, but he died at the scene, she said. The sheriff’s department was investigating.'

Hot Tubs And Hooch Kill

Woman found dead in hot tub; alcohol believed factor

'GRAND JUNCTION (AP) - A Mesa County woman found dead in a hot tub had alcohol in her system, and authorities say that likely contributed to her death.

A friend found the body of 44-year-old Debbie Moore early Monday when he went out to put the cover back on the spa.

Forty-eight-year-old Lane Tucker says he and his wife got into their hot tub Sunday evening along with Moore and another man - after they'd all started drinking.

Mesa County Coroner Rob Kurtzman says preliminary toxicology reports show Moore did have alcohol in her bloodstream.

Kurtzman warned that mixing alcohol and hot tubs puts people at greater risk for injury or death.'

Seniors Kill

U.S. tourist kills mugger with bare hands

Retired GI puts armed Costa Rican in headlock, companions fend off others

'SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - An American senior citizen killed an alleged mugger with his bare hands, and his traveling companions aboard a tour bus fended off two other assailants in the Atlantic coast city of Limon, police said.

A retired member of the U.S. military aged about 70 put suspect Warner Segura in a head lock and broke his clavicle after the 20-year-old and two other men armed with a knife and gun held up their tour bus, Luis Hernandez, the police chief of Limon, 80 miles east of San Jose, said Thursday. Segura was later declared dead, apparently from asphyxiation.

The two other men fled when the 12 senior citizens started defending themselves during the Wednesday attack. Afterward, the tourists drove Segura to the Red Cross where he was declared dead. The Red Cross also treated one of the tourists for an anxiety attack, Hernandez said.
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The tourists left on their Carnival cruise ship after the incident and Hernandez said authorities do not plan to press any charges against them.'