More than 100 youths charged in NY gang wars

NEW YORK: More than 100 members of three New York City street gangs who waged years of deadly turf wars have been charged.

The three gangs operating in west Harlem were accused of two homicides, 19 non-fatal shootings and 50 incidents in which firearms were used, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said Wednesday.

The 103 indictments capped a 4.5-year investigation.

Many of those charged were taken into custody Wednesday.

"The deadly and dangerous feud between the Manhattanville and Grant Houses dates back decades," Vance said. "In the last four years, it has escalated into a bloody turf war marked by violence for the sake of violence.

"He said prosecutors and investigators analyzed more than 40,000 prison calls, screened hundreds of hours of surveillance video and reviewed more than a million pages of social media exchanges.

The gangs in some cases recruited members as young as 10 and 14 to carry out violent crimes, authorities said.

Canadian charged in webcam attack found guilty

TORONTO: A jury on Monday convicted of first-degree murder a Canadian man accused of attacking a Chinese student in her Toronto apartment as her boyfriend watched via webcam in China.

Brian Dickson, 32, had offered to plead guilty to manslaughter, but the prosecution rejected the lesser charge in the death of Qian Liu.

Justice Anne Molloy imposed a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.Liu was found dead in April 2011, just a few hours after her boyfriend in China watched via webcam as she tried to fend off an attacker who appeared at her door.

The boyfriend told police he saw Liu struggling with a man before her computer was shut off.The case received international attention.Robert Nuttall, Dickson´s lawyer, said his client has been "absolutely remorseful for a very long time."

"He didn´t say anything. He just accepted the verdict," Nuttall said.The prosecution presented the theory that Dickson forced himself on Liu then killed her by asphyxiation to cover it up.

Liu, who was 23, had moved to Canada to study English. Dickson lived in an apartment in the same house as Liu, just outside the campus of York University.

Police said Liu´s laptop computer, webcam and mobile phone were taken from the apartment the night of the attack. Police said the online chat was on a live streaming camera and was not recorded.Liu´s father wiped away tears as the verdict was read.

Man charged with felony stalking of Selena Gomez

LOS ANGELES: A man arrested twice in one week at Selena Gomez´s house was charged Monday with felony stalking and violating a court order to stay away from the singer-actress.

Che Cruz, 20, pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday afternoon, and his bail was set at $160,000.

He was arrested Friday after he returned to Gomez´s home just hours after he was released from jail in a case in which he was ordered to stay away from her.
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The Los Angeles district attorney´s office said Cruz jumped the fence at Gomez´s home before his second arrest.

If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison. He is due back in court on April 17.Cruz was first arrested after breaking into Gomez´s guest home on March 30, and he acknowledged in court Wednesday that he trespassed at her property.

He was ordered to stay away from Gomez and her home, was put on probation, and was sent to jail for up to 45 days, but he was released two days later.

Within hours of his release, sheriff´s deputies re-arrested Cruz at Gomez´s home in Calabasas.

Gomez, the former "Wizards of Waverly Place" actress turned pop star, was at home when Cruz was arrested the first time after he broke into her guest house.

It was unknown whether Gomez was home during Friday´s intrusion.