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| Folks, We Don't Make This Stuff Up... |
| This is our little section devoted to the weirdest, most outrageous news articles we could find in a reputable news page. Enjoy! (For fairness purposes, we have discluded news pertaining to Tonya Harding, Ross Perot, or anything to do with the Democratic National Commitee.) |
| TEXAS Man faces 20 years in shooting over phrase Houston / A Texas man is facing up to 20 years in prison for shooting his girlfriend because he thought she was about to say �New Jersey.� Thomas Ray Mitchell, 54, was convicted Wednesday of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for shooting Barbara Jenkins in March 1999. Although he did not claim insanity as a defense, relatives testified Wednesday that Mitchell gets angry, curses a,d bands on walls when he hears certain words and phrases, including �New Jersey,� �Snickers,� �Mars� and �Wisconsin.� They said Mitchell had been committed numerous times to mental facilities for periods of three weeks to three months since 1985 but had never harmed anyone. On Tuesday, the first day of his trial, Mitchell did not react when the phrase �New Jersey� was uttered twice within earshot. On Wednesday he appeared to be holding his ears closed with his fingers when relatives testified about his problems. Defense attorney Maria Luisa Mercado argued that Mitchell did not understand what he was doing when he was arrested and was asked by police to make a statement about the shooting. Investigators said he told them he shot Jenkins because he thought she was about to say �New Jersey.� Prosecutor Mo Ibrahim said Jenkins died recently but that her death was not related to the shooting. (From national wire services) |