National Roundup

Washington
Man convicted of triple murder gets 10 years in weapons case
VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — A man convicted of killing three people has been sentenced in federal court to 10 years in prison for illegal weapons possession after he completes three life sentences.

The Columbian reports 38-year-old Brent Luyster was sentenced Monday.

In November, a federal jury found Luyster guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of ammunition following a trial in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

Andrea Sibley was sentenced to about a year in federal prison for purchasing at least nine firearms for Luyster between 2015 and 2016.

None of those firearms were used in the 2016 slayings of Luyster’s best friend, Zachary Thompson; friend Joseph LaMar; and LaMar’s partner, Janell Knight at LaMar’s home near Woodland. Luyster also shot and wounded Thompson’s partner, Breanne Leigh.

The firearm used in the shooting was never recovered.

Kansas
House committee rejects bill on ‘child aggressors’
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas House committee rejected a law proposed by Attorney General Derek Schmidt after a county judge called a young girl an “aggressor” in a sex crime.

The House committee voted Monday to table the bill, which would prevent judges from reducing a sentence if they found a child victim younger than 14 was an aggressor in such crimes.

The bill was in response to outcry after Leavenworth County District Judge Michael Gibbens sentenced a 67-year-old man in December to less than six years in prison for soliciting a 13-year-old on Facebook. The judge said the victim and another young girl were “more aggressor than a participant” in the case.

The Wichita Eagle reports committee members said the legislation was well-intentioned but judges must have discretion in such cases.

Maryland
Basketball ­players sue ­‘Fortnite’ game makers over dance
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — Two former University of Maryland men’s basketball players are suing the makers of “Fortnite,” claiming the video game’s creators misappropriated a dance they popularized online.

The federal lawsuit, filed Monday in Maryland, accuses North Carolina-based Epic Games Inc. of unfairly profiting from the “Running Man Challenge” dance that Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley performed in social media videos and on Ellen DeGeneres’ TV show in 2016.

The suit says the “Running Man” dance that “Fortnite” players can purchase for their characters is identical to the dance that Nickens and Brantley created.

Other artists, including Brooklyn-based rapper 2 Milly and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star Alfonso Ribeiro, also have sued Epic Games over other dances depicted in the game.

The company didn’t immediately respond Tuesday to an email seeking comment.

Washington
U.S. appeals court blesses AT&T’s $81B merger with Time Warner
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has blessed AT&T’s takeover of Time Warner, defeating the Trump administration by affirming that the $81 billion merger won’t harm consumers or competition in the booming pay TV market.

The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington came Tuesday in the high-stakes competition case, approving one of the biggest media marriages ever. It was already completed last spring soon after a federal trial judge approved it, as phone and pay TV giant AT&T absorbed Time Warner, the owner of CNN, HBO, the Warner Bros. movie studio, “Game of Thrones,” coveted sports programming and other “must-see” shows.

Many observers had expected the decision favorable to AT&T from the three-judge appeals court panel, which upheld the trial judge’s June ruling.

Alaska
Attorneys aim to avoid trial in cruise ship ­murder case
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An attorney for the Utah man accused of killing his wife during a cruise to Alaska in 2017 says the parties hope to reach agreement on a plea and avert trial.

Jamie McGrady told a federal judge Monday that the aim is to resolve the case short of trial.

Kenneth Manzanares has been charged with murder in the death of his wife.

His attorneys, in court filings, say they sought expert help in examining Manzanares. They say tests that were done addressed Manzanares’ mental state at the time of his wife’s death, which they say is a critical component for any resolution.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgess pushed the proposed trial date from May tentatively to September to give the parties more time to talk.

New Jersey
Superintendent in defecation case upset with police
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A former school superintendent who made headlines after he was charged with defecating on another high school’s track has asked New Jersey’s attorney general to investigate whether police acted unlawfully when they took his mug shot and released it to the media.

In a letter to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal on Monday, attorney Matthew Adams said the actions by the Holmdel Police Department were designed to “create a media spectacle” around the charges against Thomas Tramaglini.

Tramaglini was issued summonses in May after police alleged he repeatedly defecated on the Holmdel High School track. He eventually pleaded guilty to relieving himself in public on one occasion and paid a $500 fine. He resigned as superintendent of the Kenilworth school district.

Adams alleged that state law prevents police from taking and releasing mug shots of people charged with low-level offenses such as those faced by Tramaglini. According to his letter, a review of arrest reports provided by the township involving similar violations of municipal ordinances since 2007 revealed no instances in which mug shots were released.

“The malicious and unlawful conduct by one or more representatives of the Holmdel Township Police Department achieved exactly what was apparently intended, and Dr. Tramaglini has sustained significant harm,” Adams wrote.

Messages seeking comment were left with an attorney for the police department and the attorney general’s office. His attorney has said Tramaglini has a medical condition that affects his bowel movements when he runs.

Tramaglini has already filed a notice of intent to sue the police department for potential damages of more than $1 million due to loss of income, harm to his reputation, emotional distress and invasion of privacy.

The Tramaglini case received national exposure after details came to light and he became the subject of what Adams wrote was “reckless, inaccurate and sophomoric news stories.”