District Court Judge John Horne Jr.

He has spent his entire career in the U.S. justice system, and has been involved in almost every court case imaginable - from prosecution in a capital murder trial to the defense of a vegetable.

John Horne Jr. is a district court judge for North Carolina District 16A, serving Scotland and Hoke Counties, but he hasn't always been a judge. He spent 35 years as a criminal lawyer in Laurinburg, N.C., a town of about 30,000. He has served as both defense and prosecutor, in both criminal and civil court. When asked about his most memorable court cases, they range from DUI to capital murder to a court case involving a collard green. A collard green?

"One day I came into work and found out a colleague of mine was at home sick. They sent me to a little town called Maxton in Robeson County. The town had an annual collard green festival. This particular year, the mayor was dressed up as a collard - and got into a fight with a high school dance teacher. I helped with the prosecution."

Local newspapers dubbed it the "Collard Queen Case."

Horne's court cases were usually more serious than this, however. He spent most of his time in criminal court as a defense attorney. Here, he was involved in three capital murder cases and hundreds of others, such as kidnapping, peeping tom, rape, and assault. In civil court, he once won a case involving over $2 million. Looking back on his long and successful career, it is hard to imagine that Horne was unsure of what to do coming out of college.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in political science, Horne wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do. He decided on law school, however, based on the results of an aptitude test he took coming out of high school.

"I had an 'aptitude' for this profession," laughs Horne as he reflects on how he chose his career. Fast forward 38 years, and it becomes clear that his spontaneous decision was the right one.

In 2007, he was appointed as a district court judge by then-Gov. Mike Easley. Since then, he has been re-elected once and plans to run again in the next general election. The transition from attorney to judge went smoothly, Horne said, and has allowed him to spend more time with his loved ones. Even at the end of his career as an attorney, his work week averaged 55 hours and unpredictable. As a judge, he spends about 40 hours a week on the job.

The best part, however, is the stress relieved from not having to head a law firm anymore. "I don't have to worry about running a business," Horne explains. "Being a judge is a completely different experience, but I have really enjoyed it thus far."

In his long career serving the U.S. legal system, Horne's favorite part of his job is having the opportunity to help somebody.

"The most rewarding part is when you've helped somebody, and a lot of things you do aren't necessarily legal problems. I've made life-long friends in my profession, and they often call me when they're simply unsure of what to do - for example, when a relative dies."

Horne has spent his lifetime helping people and fighting crime. He has seen more than the average person even hears about in the news, and his experience is evident in the stories he shares. He shows no sign of slowing down, which is good news for the people of North Carolina. And if there happens to be another "Collard Queen" case, maybe this time he will be serving behind the bench as a judge.

Florida man charged with decapitation of his mother

A Jacksonville, Fla. man, Jumar Henry, has been charged with the murder of his 43-year-old mother. Her body was found in her home Sunday - her head was later found in a bag in a nearby field. Neighbors said they had seen Henry walking away from the house with the bag in-hand. After this brutal murder, Henry apparently visited his father - and then went to church.

Missing woman's remains found

A Texas woman, Laura Garza, has been missing for 16 months. She was last seen leaving a dance club in New York City with a convicted sex offender. He is currently in jail, but for parole violations - he has not been charged with her murder.

Here is an article on the finding of her remains.

Here is a video reporting on the discovery.

Murders - some solved, some not

In a few recent posts on Bonnie's Blog of Crime, she has detailed a few murders. Most of them are recent court cases with the suspects convicted, but she also details the case of Betsy Ruth Aardsma, a woman whose murder has been unsolved for 40 years.

Thoughts of a District Attorney

I recently stumbled upon an interesting blog - "D.A. Confidential" - written by an assistant D.A. in Austin, Tex. He updates the blog frequently, and provides interesting commentary on a wide array of issues. Check out some of his recent posts:

Serial killers - He recently attended an F.B.I. seminar on highway serial killings. Some interesting facts that are pretty creepy.

Dressed for the part? - He gives his thoughts on the attire many people wear to court cases, such as flip-flops and unwashed T-shirts.

Here are a few links to sites detailing specific serial killers and their habits:

Crime Magazine gives links to lots of different articles on serial killers, like Ted Bundy.

About.com gives another series of links.

Allserialkillers.com is a comprehensive list of serial killers.

It is really creepy reading about the actions of such mentally-deranged people. They can act so normal but mentally, their wiring is obviously just messed up. It is a really sad and morbid, but really interesting topic.

Woman on meth suffocates child

Bonnie's Blog of Crime - A woman was finally charged for suffocating her 2-month-old son after she came home and passed out on the couch after a meth binge.

Methamphetamine, or "meth," is a really scary drug that has been the source of several criminal cases in the past few years.

There was a scary story in 2005 about a young Nebraska couple that was high on meth and died in a snowstorm after leaving the safety of their car due to hallucinations. Really awful.

Woman accused of urinating on clothes at Wal-Mart

Dreamin Demon - A Florida woman has been charged with entering a Wal-Mart dressing room, urinating on approximately $163 worth of clothes, then leaving.

The 22-year-old woman's identity was found after she left her wallet - with the soiled clothing - in the dressing room.

Man arrrested trying to break into store, says he is "100-year-old vampire"

Dreamin Demon - An Ohio man, Andrew Whiteman, was found trying to break into a drug store at 3 a.m. on April 23rd. On the way to jail, he warned the police that they were in trouble. The reason? He was actually a 100-year-old vampire and could "smell their blood from the back of the car."

Students OD on cold medicine

Dreamin Demon - In a discomforting new phenomenon, kids are trying whatever ways possible to get "high." A dozen middle schoolers in Florida were taken to the hospital Wednesday - some of whom were "foaming at the mouth."

Here is a link to the specific middle school in question.

Dextromethorphan, a common ingredient in decongestants, is available over-the-counter! It is really amazing what kids today will do to get "high."

South Park Facing Death Threats?

Fox News - The creators of South Park, an animated televison show on Comedy Central, have received death threats from a Muslim group for a recent episode that depicted the prophet Mohammad - in a bear suit. Posted on a Web site, RevolutionMuslim.com, the author of a post said that the creators of the show, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, "will probably end up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show." Van Gogh was a Dutch filmmaker murdered in 2004 after making a documentary on violence against Muslim women.

Comedy Central decided later to censor the episode in a response to the death threats. Parker and Stone say they had nothing to do with the censorship decision.

Houston 13-year-old Suspended for "Pointing Finger Gun" at Teacher

Dreamin' Demon: A 13-year-old Houston girl has been suspended for pointing a finger gun at her teacher at the end of class. The reason? She was "making terroristic threats."

Two Accused of Trying to Extort John Stamos

Crime Blog: Two people, Scott Sippola and Allison Cross, are facing charges due to an attempt to extort actor John Stamos. The couple allegedly tried to bribe Stamos for $680,000 with photos of him they had taken at a party. Stamos said that there was "nothing embarassing" about the photos.

Remember Uncle Jesse from Full House?

The Smoking Gun reported on this extortion plot and gave a link to the affadavit.

Man Sentenced in Obama Death Plot

An Arkansas man, Paul Schlesselmen, was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for a 2008 plot to kill then-Senator Barack Obama, along with dozens of other African-Americans. While we may have come a long way in civil rights in America, it is frightening to know that there are still racists like this prowling the streets.

In 2008, Schlesselmen was charged for plotting this killing spree with another man. They both plead not guilty.

Man Tortures, Kills 4-Year-Old For Wetting His Pants

A Michigan man is facing life in prison after torturing, and eventually killing, the son of his girlfriend. Brandon Joshua-Frederick Hayes, 24, allegedly "systematically beat" the son of his girlfriend, 4-year-old Dominick Calhoun. The reason? He wet his pants. I hope this guy gets what he deserves for such a horrific crime.

Phillies Fan Vomits on Girl

Friday, a 21-year old Phillies fan, Matthew Clements, was charged with intentionally vomiting on an 11-year-old girl, the daughter of an off-duty cop. He did so after the father complained to stadium personnel about Clements cursing loudly and spitting during the game.

Here is an ESPN article on this.

Masters Hit-and-Runs

While the Masters tournament may be over, there are things leftover for Augusta Police. There are over 20 hit-and-runs from the weekend that are yet to be resolved.

Roethlisberger Exonerated

Roethlisberger faces no charges: In a widely-publicized controversy, Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, will face no charges related to the allegations he sexually assaulted a girl at a bar in Milledgeville, Ga. This is the second time that Roethlisberger has faced such allegations. Last July, a Nevada woman sued him, claiming he had raped her in 2008. That lawsuit is still in court.

Serial Rapist, Burglar Caught

Two serial criminals were caught in Georgia:

Serial burglar: A 21-year-old serial burglar was finally caught Wednesday in Lowndes county.

Serial rapist: A serial rapist was indicted Wednesday; he may be linked to 11 attacks.

Blogs on Crime

For my first blog post on crime and other issues of conflict - a topic that I find extremely interesting - I will give the links to a few established blogs on crime. I hope they are helpful - I am looking to them to get a better idea of how to convey information in a concise fashion, while keeping things relevant and interesting! I will post again soon with a look at crime and conflict in the world as it develops.

The General Blog of Crime is a blog maintained by eight criminologists that are friends from grad school. It gives a good look at a wide array of crimes, from murder to drugs to bullying. There is also interesting commentary and blog posts about other current events.

Crime Blog simply gives daily headlines in the topic of crime. It is a good place to look for current happenings, with links to news sources for all headlines.

Crime Weblog is a blog with lots of links to daily articles, videos, and more.

Crime and Consequences is a blog covering a wide array of current events of crime and punishment. Although it is focused in California, it also gives plenty of nationwide coverage.

Crime Scene is the Washington Post's blog about "Local, National and International Crime and Criminal Justice." It is updated multiple times daily.

LAPD Blog is a blog published by the Los Angeles Police Department. It gives the viewpoint from those serving in criminal justice in one of the most dangerous cities in America.

Grits for Breakfast is a blog featuring commentary on the Texas justice system by a former journalist.

These are just a few of the many blogs on crime and criminal justice on the web. I hope they are of use in finding out what is going on around the country - from different perspectives - every day.