DA: Iraq war vet stalked victims SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The Iraq war veteran would carefully stalk each of his victims from among the thousands of homeless living in Southern California. ADVERTISING He would then stab them repeatedly with
DA: Iraq war vet stalked victims
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The Iraq war veteran would carefully stalk each of his victims from among the thousands of homeless living in Southern California.
He would then stab them repeatedly with a knife that could cut through bone, police say.
For his fourth and latest victim, they say, Itzcoatl Ocampo selected a homeless man featured in a Los Angeles Times story about a killing spree that terrorized those living on the streets for weeks.
And Ocampo, 23, had plans for more, until he was chased down by bystanders Friday night after the fatal stabbing of a 64-year-old homeless man. He was caught with blood on his hands and face, authorities say.
Ocampo was charged Tuesday with four counts of murder and special allegations of multiple murders and lying in wait and use of a deadly weapon. Three victims were stabbed more than 40 times each with a single-edged blade at least 7-inches long. Ocampo’s family said he was troubled after he returned from Iraq in 2008.
Average age of autos hits record
DETROIT (AP) — That clunker in America’s driveway has reached a record old age, but there are signs that people may be growing confident enough in the economy to get a whiff of that fresh new car scent very soon.
The average age of a car or truck in the U.S. hit a record 10.8 years last year as job security and other economic worries kept many people from making big-ticket purchases such as a new car.
That’s up from the old record of 10.6 years in 2010, and it and continues a trend that dates to 1995, when the average age of a car was 8.4 years, according to a study of state vehicle registration data by the Southfield, Mich.-based Polk automotive research firm.
However, Polk Vice President Mark Seng says that a rebound in sales last year and expected growth for the next couple of years is likely to slow the growth rate in the age of cars as a whole in America.
Airbus beats U.S. rival for orders
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Airbus took in a record number of orders for new commercial aircraft last year as strong demand for its revamped single-aisle plane helped it best U.S. rival Boeing Co. in the race for orders for the fourth year running.
The European jet maker said Tuesday that it took in 1,419 net new orders in 2011, worth $140 billion, well above Boeing’s total of 805 aircraft. That topped the previous record of 1,413 net orders recorded by Boeing in 2007.
Airbus also delivered 534 aircraft last year, up from 510 a year earlier and keeping the title of world’s biggest jet maker that it has held since 2003. Boeing delivered 477 aircraft in 2011.
Teen boy held in his sister’s death
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A 15-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting his older sister at their family’s rural Arkansas home was being held on a $750,000 bond after an initial court appearance Tuesday, and formal murder charges are expected by the end of next week, authorities said.
Prosecutor David Gibbons said he plans to charge the boy as an adult “because of the nature of the crime.” The boy hasn’t been identified because of his age and his court hearing was closed to the public. The boy was appointed a public defender. His next court date is March 1.
Authorities said the boy showed up at the local sheriff’s department on Sunday morning and told investigators that he had shot and killed his 16-year-old sister at their home near Ozark, a town roughly 120 miles northwest of Little Rock with about 3,600 residents. Franklin County Sheriff Anthony Boen said Tuesday that authorities were still awaiting preliminary autopsy results.
