KU tops Tigers
The University Daily
Cedric Hunter leads 'Hawks to 70-68 victory over MU. See story on page 13.
KANSAN
Sunny, warmer High, 30s. Low, teens. Details on page 3.
Published since 1889 by students of the University of Kansas
Vol. 95, No.80 (USPS 650-640)
Wednesday, January 23, 1985
Alexander convicted; confession called key
By KEVIN LEATHERS Staff Reporter
Donald E. Alexander, 19, was found guilty yesterday in Douglas County district court of all charges in connection with the August death of an 80-year-old Lawrence woman.
Sentencing was set for Feb. 22 by Mike Malone, associate district court judge. Malone also ordered a pre-sentencing order to determine a fair sentence for Alexander.
After nearly three hours of deliberation, the eight-woman, four-man jury returned guilty verdicts on first-degree murder, rape and aggravated burglary.
As the verdict was read, Alexander became attentive for one of the few times during the trial. He appeared unemotional and apologetic. His parents also showed no signs of emotion.
ALEXANDER WAS arrested Aug. 22, 17 days after Marguerite L. Vinyard, 2100 Tennessee ST., was found dead in in her home. Vinyard was found by her sister lying on her bedroom floor. An autopsy indicated that Vinyard had died from blows to the head and chest and that she had been sexually assaulted.
The jury heard closing arguments and instructions on the legal definition of insanity yesterday morning, then went into deliberation about 11 a.m.
The defense earlier had presented testimony from Elias Chediak, a Lawrence psychiatrist, that Alexander should be found not guilty because he was mentally ill and suffered from "a brief reactive psychosis" at the time of Vinyard's death.
Chediak testified that that Alexander was under considerable stress and was mentally unstable at the time of the woman's death. Chediak said Alexander had dealt with his stress through drug and alcohol abuse. He then sent Alexander to develop a plan to kill himself.
But late last week, the state introduced as evidence a signed, written confession from one of his friends.
assistant district attorney Jerry Wells, helped convict Alexander.
"WE HAD A great deal of evidence and testimony." Wells said. "But I feel his written confession was by far the single most significant piece of evidence."
Wells said that even though the burden of sanity was on the state, he felt confident that testimony during the trial from Herbert Modlin, a Topека psychiatrist, and other witnesses easily proved Alexander's sanity "beyond a reasonable doubt."
Defense attorney Wesley Norwood said that he would file a post-trial motion for acquittal on the grounds that Alexander should have been found not guilty by reason of mischief. Norwood also said he would file a motion for a new trial, but he would not say on what grounds.
Under Kansas law, conviction of first-degree murder carries a mandatory life prison sentence. Rape, listed as a class B felony under Kansas statute, carries a minimum sentence of five years for burglary is a class C felony, and it carries a minimum sentence of three years in prison.
WELLS SAID HE spent hundreds of hours preparing for the case and was pleased with the outcome.
"The evidence certainly justified such a verdict." Wells said. "It was a difficult case to try because of the brutality involved. But our witnesses, testimony and scientific evidence all were very credible. I feel as if we tried the case very soundly."
Wells also said he wasn't surprised by the length of the iurv's deliberation.
"I was pretty sure it would be either very lengthy or very brief," he said. "This type of case and the amount of evidence involved generally causes people to form a definite opinion about what should happen. The longer the deliberations, the greater the uncertainty of the verdict."
Norwood said he planned to file his motion for acquittal first and wait for the court's ruling on that before he filed his motion for a new trial.
Wells said Norwood *motion for acquaint*<sup>4</sup>
would be "argued just as vigorously" as the
motion of the original case.
Lorraine PaulKANSAN
Julie Rhodes, 932 Kentucky St., pushes Patrick Mauk, son of Dick Mauk, 2120 Haskell Ave., along Jayhawk Boulevard during the New Life Student Fellowship march against abortion. Rhodes said Patrick's mother, who died bearing the child, chose to have the baby despite the danger of the pregnancy.
Group holds campus rally on abortion
By HEATHER R. BIGGINS Staff Reporter
Six-month-old Patrick Mauk, dressed in a blue snow suit with a fleece-lined hood, slept in his stroller unaware that he was the product of a decision that cost his mother's life.
Patrick also was the most persuasive demonstrator yesterday in a march protesting the 12-year anniversary of the law to legalize most abortions所说的。
"Patrick is our most convincing weapon." said Julie Rhodes, a member of the New Life Student Fellowship, which sponsored the march.
Equipped with signs denouncing abortion, marchers in the campus protest silently walked from the Chi Omega fountain to the Kansas Union A 90-minute rally, held on Friday. The group was questioned about 30 people. Only one pro-choice advocate joined the group in its march.
Some heads turned when pro-choice advocate Dick Powers, Lawrence junior, waved wire coat hangers in the air shouting, "This is the device you're fighting for."
Powers said Reagan showed concern for the unborn child, yet showed indifference toward children affected by welfare cuts.
PRESIDENT REAGAN'S backing of the anti abortion movement could help it gain traction.
Jan Mauk, Patrick's mother, lost her life because of her opposition to abortion.
Seven months into her fifth pregnancy, doctors told her that there was a serious complication. Mauk had eclampsia, a disease that robs the fetus of nourishment and often proves fatal to the fetus or the mother. She had a choice. She could have an abortion or risk losing her life in hopes of saving her baby.
Mauk chose to have the baby. In August, she died of cerebral hemorrhage during
See MARCH, p. 5, col. 1
Reagan praises movement as thousands protest abortion
By United Press International
WASHINGTON — More than 70,000 shruvering protesters marched on Congress yesterday to demand that abortions be outlawed, and President Reagan — in his strongest anti-abortion statement to date — told them "God bless you for your courage."
District of Columbia police officials said 29 protesters, including one juvenile, were arrested at the Supreme Court following an hour-long, slogan-chanting and singing demonstration. Those arrested refused to leave the plaza in front of the building.
Leaders of the anti-abortion movement
met late in the afternoon with a 'last supportive' president to urge him to press their effort to pass a constitutional amendment banning all abortions.
THE PRESIDENT IS a solid pro-lifer
down to his gut, said jack Wilke.
president
In Washington, police estimated that 71,000 people turned out for the annual March for Autism.
The meeting and the Supreme Court demonstration climaxed a day of activities across the nation, including protests and lobbying of state legislators, marking the 12th anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1973 decision legalizing most abortions.
Reagan, in a short speech to the crowd by a special telephone hookup from the White House, said he supported their "long march" to overturn the rulings, but admonished them to reject "violence as a means of settling this issue."
"We cannot condone the threatening or taking of human life to protect the taking of life."
When he finished his speech, Nellie Gray, head of the Right to Life, told Reagan her group wanted to ban abortion without exceptions.
"GOOD FOR YOU, and I support you." Reagan replied. "I feel a great sense of
solidarity with all of you. God bless you for your courage."
White House spokesman Larry Speaks said the statement did not alter Reagan's support for abortion when a mother's life is in danger.
Wilkie said the president had reiterated his condemnation of the violence in a meeting with the prosecutor.
"He said, again, and all of us responsible leaders have said time and again we are deeply distressed by it," he said "We condemn it. Our entire movement is a nonviolent movement. We exist on an ethical basis to stop violence."
Willke, then addressed himself to television viewers who might consider violence.
"Those of you listening out there, don't throw
them."
Anti-abortion leaders in Texas said they were confident the Texas legislature would pass a bill "inhibiting" a woman's right to an abortion. Demonstrations on both sides of the issue were held across the state of Connecticut. In California, lobbyists from both sides converged on the state capitol for a series of demonstrations and news conferences.
The question of violence — 30 bombings and arson incidents at abortion facilities in two years — has shadowed activities on both sides. The state has issued a notice during this year's commemorations.
Monte Rogers, operator of the incinerator near the smokestack, feeds the fire with trash. Rogers said yesterday that the three campus incinerators were used to burn anything from old records to experimental mice.
Refuse goes up in smoke in three KU incinerators
By NANCY HANEY Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
Ases to ashes and dust to dust is the philosophy of a feef of the departments on e-mail.
Old photographs, office records and carcasses of research animals are among the items regularly destroyed in the University of Kansas' three incinerators. One is in Snow Hall, another in Malot Hall and one behind the power plant by the smokestack.
He said the incinerator near the smokestack had been used to burn outdated records from the KU police. Lawrence Memorial Hospital and occasionally outdated stamps from the Post Office.
Bob Porter, facilities operations supervisor, said the natural gas fired incinerators were used to dispose of unwanted items efficiently.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL Protection Agency must be notified 24 hours before each burning to be sure no harmful fumes are emitted. Porter said Operators use a mackenstock whenever refuse is brought in, which is almost every day. Porter said.
"We don't burn any food products or anything that would emit colored smoke.
The smoke caused by trash-burning, filters through the smokestack, he said. The smokestack's other purpose is to emmit smoke, boilers used to heat campus buildings.
The University replaced its original incinerator in the 1950s, Emil Trybom, physical plant supervisor for the incinerator, said. The first incinerator, a
4-by-5-foot brick structure, was built along with the smoketack in 1923.
Trybom said the burning process required one operator to stir the trash while it was burning. After the trash is reduced to ashes, it is put in bags and hauled to the Douglas County landfill, he said.
THE INCINERATOR near the smoke stack resembles an oven, and the operator working yesterday wore gloves as he thrashed the ashes with a rake to speed the burning.
The incinerator in Snow Hall is used primarily to burn research animals after students are finished with them. Doris Jones manages manager for biological sciences, said
"Animals that have been used in labs or pieces of flesh from the human anatomy"
Belote said the incinerator in Snow Hall burned the remains until there was no residue. She said the biology department must always dispose of research animals in this way to meet environmental standards.
THE INCINERATOR in Malolt is used once a week to burn research animals. John Ward, superintendent of animal husbandry, said the dead animals were kept in a holder during the week until all of them were burned on Fridays.
Gary Mason, associate professor of journalism, said he sent old photographs to his daughter.
"Photographs are hard to destroy. They need to be burned at high temperatures because they just melt otherwise," he said.
Porter said the incinerator by the smokestack was used primarily for University departments and as a back-up for the other two incinerators.
By MICHAEL TOTTY
Bill introduced on drinking age could cost jobs
Staff Reporter
People under 21 who work in taverns or restaurants that serve beer could lose their jobs under a bill introduced yesterday to a Kansas House committee.
The House Federal and State Affairs Committee voted to consider a bill that would raise the state's legal drinking age to 21 and rejected two compromise proposals that would allow 18- to 21-year-olds to work in establishments that serve beer.
But the bill will permit 18-year-olds to
get 32 percent beer in grocery and
costume stores.
The panel presented its proposal after less than two hours of testimony from beer and liquor industry and student representatives. Committee members will discuss the bill before voting on whether to submit it to the full House.
THE ASSOCIATED Students of Kansas, a statewide student lobbying group, said 18- to 21-year-olds should continue to be able to sell or serve beer if the drinking age was raised. ASK has proposed that 18- to 21-year-olds work in clubs that serve wine and spirits.
Mark Tallman, state director of ASK, told the committee, "A higher drinking age may cause a serious employment problem for people, especially in college communities."
Also at the hearing, a lobbyist for the state's tavern owners — the only lobby group still fighting the proposed drinking age increase — said his group planned to introduce its own bill in the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee today. The bill
See HOUSE, p. 5, col. 3