Accused Ohio serial killer, in video, admits sex with victims (Reuters)

CLEVELAND (Reuters) – Jurors in the capital murder trial of accused Ohio serial killer Anthony Sowell watched on Friday as he admitted in a videotaped interrogation to having sex with six women whose remains were found on his property.

In the video, jurors see a Sowell who is at times talkative and animated when discussing his house or relationship with ex-girlfriend Lori Frazier, but who sometimes appears agitated when the subject turns to the remains found in his home.

Sowell, 51, is on trial accused of murdering 11 women and assaulting four others, and could face the death penalty. The bodies of the women were found in and around his house after police raided his home in 2009 to arrest him for rape and assault.

Sowell, in video shown to jurors, never confesses to hurting or killing any of the women found at his house, although he does discuss meeting women and refers to dreams and fantasies as detectives ask him direct questions.

Sowell appears to concentrate as he tries to remember information about the women he met, what they were wearing, and their height and weight. He is seen rocking in his chair grabbing his head and repeating: "I don't remember."

At one point, two detectives show Sowell a diagram outlining where they found six bodies and asking him repeatedly which body was "his first" and which "the last".

"I don't remember actually killing anyone," Sowell says and tells the detectives he can't distinguish the women he dates from the six bodies that had been found by then by police.

"I was separated ... I see flashes," he says.

Throughout the interview, Sowell is asked if the women he describes meeting were "one of the six". Never does Sowell hint that there were more remains to be found on his property.

Sowell admits to having sex with "the six" women but when Smith says, "If we took DNA from you will we find it on them?" Sowell responds, "I don't want to do that."

Sowell talks about meeting women and bringing them to his house. But he never gives any details about what happened to them or how their remains came to be in his house. "Maybe all I did was strangle ... that's what I did," he says.

He says, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over again as the interrogation goes on late into the night and the detectives offer to give him time to think.

Sowell agrees with detectives that he should help give the families of the victims closure but appears to have problems distinguishing fact from fantasy.

"I'm telling you the best I can," he says.

At one point, Sowell seems to grasp what is going to happen to him, "My life is over," he tells detectives.

(Editing by James B. Kelleher and Cynthia Johnston)

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Suspect in Seattle lesbian stabbing admits attack (AP)

SEATTLE – A man wearing a shock sleeve to control outbursts and hand mitts to prevent him from stuffing dangerous items into his mouth testified Wednesday that he committed the horrific rape and stabbing of a lesbian couple in Seattle two summers ago.

"I was there and I was told by my God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to attack my enemies, and I did so," Isaiah Kalebu said under questioning by one of his lawyers.

Closing arguments in the case were presented later in the day, and a jury began deliberations before adjourning until Thursday.

The trial started three weeks ago, but the testimony was the first time jurors had seen Kalebu, who was previously so disruptive in court that the judge barred him from attending.

He watched the trial via closed circuit television from another courtroom before indicating he wanted to exercise his constitutional right to testify in his own defense.

He was wheeled into court in restraints, wearing an electroshock sleeve, a yellow shirt and dark tie, and the oversized white mitts. He recently was hospitalized after swallowing a small pencil.

Prison guards stood by ready to activate the Taser-like sleeve in case Kalebu acted out, but he remained docile. The courtroom had been rearranged to prevent jurors from seeing his restraints.

Kalebu, 25, testified while sitting at the defense table, and even remained sitting while the jurors filed in — usually everyone in the courtroom must rise. He kept his hands by his lap as he was sworn in.

He answered only two questions on the stand: One about whether he knew about the events, and another about whether he'd been diagnosed with mental illnesses. He answered the latter affirmatively as prosecutors objected on hearsay grounds.

Kalebu is accused of slipping in an open window of the couple's home in Seattle's South Park neighborhood and repeatedly raping and stabbing them during a two-hour attack. One woman, Teresa Butz, died naked and blood-soaked in the street in front of her home as neighbors tried to help. Her partner survived and told the jury that Kalebu was the man who did it.

He's also suspected in an arson that killed his aunt and one of her tenants in Pierce County, south of Seattle, but has not been charged in that case due to a lack of forensic evidence.

Kalebu is not pursuing any type of mental-health defense. His lawyers, Michael Schwartz and Ramona Brandes, have argued that he didn't commit the crime — a contention prosecutors say is disproved by DNA evidence and witnesses.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty due to Kalebu's history of mental illness. Experts have found that although he might suffer from bipolar disorder, he has been faking or exaggerating the symptoms. In January, he was found competent to stand trial.

If he's convicted, he could face life in prison with no opportunity for release.

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Ex-Nvidia analyst admits insider trading charge (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A former Nvidia Corp financial analyst pleaded guilty on Friday to a criminal charge in the U.S. probe of insider trading at expert networking firms and hedge funds.

Sonny Nguyen, 39, told U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in New York at the plea proceeding that in 2007 and 2008 he tipped former Primary Global Research consultant Winifred Jiau about chipmaker Nvidia's quarterly financial results before they were announced to the public.

Jiau, a former technology consultant with Primary Global in California, is scheduled to go on trial before the same judge on June 1. Nguyen, who was released on $100,000 bond, is expected to testify at the trial, the court heard.

Nguyen is among at least 14 people who have been charged in the investigation of expert networking firms that match investment managers with public companies.

Nguyen pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud.

"I provided material nonpublic information to my co-conspirators ... about Nvidia Corporation quarterly financial results and in exchange I received similar stock tips," Nguyen told the judge.

He identified two co-conspirators: Winifred Jiau and Stanley Ng. It was not immediately clear who Ng is.

Santa Clara, California-based Nvidia said in a statement that it put Nguyen on administrative leave after the company was told he intended to admit to involvement in the case.

"He has now resigned. This was a clear violation of law and our company policies," the Nvidia statement said. "We continue to cooperate fully with the New York U.S. attorney's office and the FBI."

Court records indicate that later on Friday a hedge fund manager, Samir Barai, is expected to plead guilty to charges of trading on illegal tips provided by Jiau.

The case is USA v Jiau et al, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 11-161.

(Reporting by Grant McCool; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

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