8 • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2002
COSTARICA
2 men arrested in student's death
SANJOSE, Costa Rica (AP) Police arrested two men suspected of participating in the killing of an American student last year, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Luis Alberto Castro and Rafael Zumbado were taken into custody on Monday in Golffift, 190 miles south of San Jose.
prosecutor Erick Martinez said.
They are suspected of participating in the death of Shannon Martin, who was fatally stabbed May 13, 2001, as she walked home from a disco in Golfito. The 23-year-old from Topeka was in Costa Rica finishing a research project on
Martin
ferns, and her death came seven days before she was scheduled to graduate with honors from the University of Kansas.
Another suspect, Kattia Cruz, was arrested in November and accused of carrying out the killing.
Lynn Bretz, director of University Relations, said the school was hopeful the arrests would result in charges and convictions in the slaving.
"The University and Shannon's friends and family have waited a long time for these arrests to occur. We thank the Costa Rican government and law enforcement authorities for their persistent and vigilant pursuit of justice in this senseless killing."
Martinez said the two men were suspected from the beginning,but officials were unable to gather enough evidence against them until now.
"We hope with this we can close the case." Martinez said.
All three have been charged with homicide and face 20 to 35 years in jail, he said.
Cruz had told prosecutors that Castro and Zumbado stabbed Martin to death, but the two men have blamed the killing on Cruz. Martinez said.
The motive was unclear, but police have ruled out robbery and sexual assault.
Martinez said the trial could begin in the next few months.
Imposter's concert leads to crowd, police injuries
STATE NEWS
DODGECITY (AP) — Thirteen people and three law enforcement officers suffered minor injuries in a disturbance during a weekend concert at an arena.
Tom Bos, Dodge City's deputy police chief, said concert-goers who paid $20 for their seats inside Roundup Arena became upset Sunday when they realized they weren't seeing the performer they expected — Tejano musician Pedro Fernandez.
Instead, they were being entertained by an unidentified Colorado man posing as Fernandez, and a poor lip-synching rendition of his songs. The concert was organized by a Denver promoter, authorities said.
"Some of the folks in the crowd recognized that the Pedro Fernandez on the stage wasn't the actual Pedro Fernandez," Bos said. "The crowd got disturbed, got a little rowdy and began moving closer to the stage."
Law enforcement officials from Dodge City were out-manned, Bos said, and called in reinforcements from the Ford County Sheriff's Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol and from as far away as Pratt County.
"Eventually, we had to pepper spray the crowd to disperse it." Bos said.
As a result of the pepper spray, 13
people in the crowd were treated on the scene by emergency medical crews, and Bos said one required hospital treatment.
Officer fired after apparent DWI accident
EDWARDSVILLE (AP)—A police officer and member of the FBI drug task force was fired Monday following a weekend traffic accident that occurred when he was apparently driving while intoxicated, Edwardsville Police Chief John Ellison said.
He said that Sgt. Jim Marble was off-duty Friday night when his vehicle rearended a tractor-trailer that had stopped to make a turn on Kansas 32 just inside the Edwardsville city limits.
The truck driver was not injured. Marble was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.
Ellison said Marble was driving a vehicle issued through the FBI drug task force. He said Marble, in his mid 30s, joined the Edwardsville Police Department about five years ago after working previously as a law enforcement officer in Dodge City.
The Kansas Highway Patrol investigated the wreck, and Ellison said he did not know whether Marble was cited. The trooper who handled the accident could not be reached Monday.
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