San Diego: Missing girl’s neighbor charged with murder

A neighbor of a 7-year-old girl who vanished from her bedroom was charged with murder, kidnapping and possession of child pornography Tuesday.

David Westerfield, 50, the lone suspect in the death of Danielle van Dam, pleaded innocent to the charges and denied the allegations against him in state Superior Court. He remained in jail without bond.

The three-page complaint against Westerfield did not provide specific dates for the alleged kidnapping and murder.

The single count of murder includes a so-called special circumstance murder during kidnapping that carries the possibility of the death penalty or life in prison if Westerfield is convicted.

San Diego County Dist. Atty. Paul Pfingst said no decision has been made on whether to seek the death penalty.

Washington, D.C.: U.S. citizens cautioned on travel to Liberia

The State Department warned U.S. citizens Tuesday to avoid travel to Liberia.

Fighting in Bomi county and a declaration of a state of emergency by the government on Feb. 8 “represent a further deterioration in the security situation” in the African country, the department said.

The U.S. Embassy may be unable to help Americans beyond Monrovia, the capital, the statement said.

Missouri: Three plead guilty in deaths of tigers

Three people have pleaded guilty to taking part in a black market scheme that involved the deaths and butchering of four tigers.

The guilty pleas Monday stemmed from an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service into illegal trading of the exotic animals.

Freddy Wilmoth of Gentry, Ark., pleaded guilty to illegally transporting the big cats to Todd and Vicki Lantz of Cape Girardeau. Todd Lantz, 39, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell an endangered species illegally, and Vicki Lantz, 40, pleaded guilty to assisting in the sale.

All three were free on bail. Sentencing was set for May 20.

Possessing big cats violates no federal law, but killing the animals is prohibited.

Hides, meat, skulls and teeth of tigers, leopards and other big cats can fetch $5,000 to $20,000 from collectors, wildlife officials say. Tiger bones, worth up to $250 a pound, primarily go to people who practice traditional Chinese medicine, both overseas and in major U.S. cities with large Asian populations.

New York City: 73 bikers charged after fatal brawl

Federal prosecutors have charged 73 members of a biker gang with being part of a racketeering enterprise after a fatal melee at a catering hall.

Authorities said the fight, which left one man dead and at least 10 others injured, came from turf tensions that had boiled over between the Pagans motorcycle gang and the Hells Angels, which sponsored Saturday’s Hellraiser Ball, a motorcycle and tattoo expo, at a popular catering hall on Long Island.

Nassau County Chief of Detectives Herbert Faust said the 73 Pagans who allegedly crashed the expo were also charged with riot, attempted gang assault and various weapons offenses.

On Sunday, authorities charged Raymond G. Dwyer, 38, of Oceanside, whom they identified as a member of the Hells Angels, with second-degree murder in the shooting of Robert Rutherford, 51, a purported Pagan member from Lancaser, Pa.

Dwyer remained in jail on Tuesday.