Lennox

Apr 1 2011

John Floyd Thomas Jr.

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A 74-year-old man pleaded guilty today to the sexually motivated killings of seven women in the Southland during the 1970s and '80s and was immediately sentenced to seven life prison terms, one without the possibility of parole.

John Floyd Thomas Jr.—nicknamed the Westside Rapist—pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree murder involving victims who ranged in age from 56 to 80 years old.

Feb 15 2011

Suspect sought

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A body was found buried in the back yard of a residence in the Lennox area today, and detectives sought a person of interest in connection with the case.

Homicide detectives were sent to the dilapidated property near 112th Street and Inglewood Avenue last night after a woman told them a body was buried there, said sheriff's Lt. Don Slawson.

Investigators want to talk to the woman's boyfriend, identified as Marcos Lomeli, according to broadcast reports.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.