CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Friday, February 18, 1994
3
Teen found guilty of murder in carjacking
Accomplice as guilty as shooter, says jury
By Liz Chadwick Kansan staff writer
A Topeka teenager was found guilty of felony murder and aggravated robbery yesterday by a Lawrence jury.
The jury found that Courtney Crockett, 17, took part in an attempted carjacking last September that resulted in the murder of Edward Lees, 29, of Lawrence.
The juvenile court jury deliberated approximately three hours before coming back with a guilty verdict at 2:50 p.m. yesterday.
"I don't think he ever understood being there could cause you to be as guilty as the shooter," said Shelley Bock, Crockett's lawyer, referring to Crockett being an accomplice in the carjacking.
Lawrence police reported that Lees was shot by Crockett's companion, Abraham Orr, who will be tried in Lawrence as an adult in March.
Crockett testified Wednesday that he and Orr had planned to rob Lees of his vehicle, but he said he was surprised when Orr shot the man.
Crockett described the events of Sept. 18. He said that he and Orr moved to Lees to
inquire if Lees had a car phone. Lees shook his head no and started to back away. Crockett said he turned away from Lees' vehicle, and while he was walking away, he heard a shot.
"When I heard the shot, I just stood there," Crockett said. "I started running after I heard the second shot. Abe came running up behind me, saving. 'I think I shot someone.'
Jerry Wells, Douglas County district attorney, said that although there was no evidence that Crockett planned to murder Lees, those who assisted in a crime were as guilty as those who committed the actual crime.
"If you aid and assist in a felony you can be found reasonably responsible for that felony as well as the principal actor," he said. "The second step in the judicial-thinking process is
that if you can foresee what might happen, you are responsible."
Wells said that, to the best of his knowledge, the Crockett case was the first of its kind in Lawrence — a person was found guilty of a murder, yet had not done the actual killing.
Bock said his client had never been in trouble before.
"This is every parents' worst nightmare. You raise your kid for 17-and-a-half years and through the actions of another you see him wind up in a situation like this," Bock said.
Because Crockett was tried as a juvenile, he can be made to serve time only until he reaches the age of 21.
Bock said he thought the maximum time
Crockett could get is three years, one month, and 11 days.
William L. Williams, a member of the jury, said that he struggled with his decision to convict Crockett of murder.
But Williams said that he felt the evidence to convict was conclusive.
"Me and the other jury members unanimously found Crockett guilty of the robbery charge," he said. "We spent three quarters of our time to find excuses not to convict the kid. It was obvious he didn't have a lot of opportunities to do more with his life."
"We would have done a disservice to the victim if we hadn't found Crockett guilty," he said.
Junk mail an annoyance; ends up in wastebasket
Mailing lists are prime resources
Junk mail makes up 40 percent of all mail delivered in Lawrence. Many people consider it a hassle and don't even open it, but it is an increasingly profitable business for direct mail marketers.
By Cheryl Cadue
Kansan staff writer
Photo illustration by John Gambie/KANSAN
Jeremy Patnoi, Englewood, Colo., freshman, said finding junk mail in his mailbox used to be a pleasant surprise.
"I guess when I first came to KU, I didn't get that much mail," he said. "So even if I got a little junk mail, I was kind of happy to get something."
The excitement of junk mail has worn off for Patnoi because he said now he rarely reads it.
Angela Gottlob, Winfield sophomore, said her junk mail went straight to the trash can.
"It's a waste so I don't even open up the envelope," she said. "It's a waste of paper and it could waste a lot of people's time if they read all the junk mail."
Yorka Velasco, La Paz, Bolivia,
senior, said junk mail was more of a waste of paper than a waste of her time.
Mostly, I don't look at it," she said. "Junk mail doesn't really waste any of my time because it doesn't take anything to throw it away."
Theresa Nuckels, state deputy attorney general, said that short of getting rid of the mail box, junk mail could not be stoned.
"All you can do to stop junk mail completely is to not use the postal service," she said. "You can slow it down, but you can't stop it."
Nuckolls said she sometimes misspelled her name or used her initials to trace how her name was sold.
Nuckolls said most people were unaware of the various ways their names got on mailing lists. Names are bought and sold through subscriptions to magazines, newspapers, credit cards, even through donations to charities and political organizations.
Besides writing directly to companies and asking for a name to be removed from the mailing lists, people can do several things to slow the amount of junk mail they receive. People can stop responding to telemarketers and junk mail offers and always pay in cash.
Matt Lawlor, Augusta junior, said that credit card applications were the biggest and most annoying aspect of junk mail, but that he would not go out of his way to stop them.
“It’s annoying you get my credit card applications daily,” he said. “I probably wouldn't write to get my name off a list because it’s a hassle.”
Bill Reynolds, postmaster of Lawrence, said that a small number of people complained to the post office about junk mail, but that the
U. S. Postal Service would always deliver bulk mail advertising unless people wanted to pay more for postal service.
Because bulk mail advertising makes up 40 percent of the mail delivered in Lawrence, bulk mail advertising provides postal carriers with a job even if most people do not read their junk mail, Reynolds said.
"If we lost that 40 percent, we would lose a certain percentage of our employees," he said. "It's more expensive to deliver one piece of mail than to deliver 10 pieces of mail."
Doug Patterson, sales associate at Radio Shack in The Malls Shopping Center, said Radio Shack had a database of names and addresses for the store's advertisements. But he said Radio Shack did not sell the list to other companies.
"For our mailing list, we simply ask a customer when they make a purchase for their name and address," he said. "Bulk mail advertising is a prime way of generating business. Without bulk mailing, Radio Shack would not be as profitable as it is."
To reduce junk mail
■ Direct Marketing Association,
Mail Preference Service 6 E.
43rd St. New York, NY., 10017
■ The companies who sent the
unwanted mail.
People may write and request their name be removed from mailing lists to:
Other tips to reduce junk mail:
Do not respond to telemarketers because telemarketing and direct mail industries are interconnected.
Do not respond to junk mail offers
Source: Kansas Attorney General's Office
Use cash for purchases.
Regents approve repair funds review accreditation report
By Jamle Munn
Kansan staffwriter
TOPEKA - The Board of Regents gave KU a passing grade for its accreditation report yesterday, but Allen Field House, which will receive major safety improvements, shared a less than perfect billing along with Corbin Residence Hall and campus parking lots.
However, in a blanket vote, the Regents approved money for Corbin renovations, a renovation study for Lewis and Templin halls, an increased parking repair budget and a recital hall for the Lied Center.
Chancellor Gene Budig said that all of the University's programs were fully accredited but that four had been re-examined in 1992. Architectural engineering, computer engineering, engineering physics and petroleum engineering had been cited for deficiencies at that time.
Coming attractions
"All of our deficiencies are being addressed," Budig said, "and I think the report acknowledged that."
According to the Regents report, all of the accreditation concerns will be resolved before the 1995 review.
Martine Hammond-Paludan, director of academic affairs for the Regents, said the availability of computer technology often had caused the accreditation concerns for the engineering programs.
The report also said that KU's School of Law had been cited by the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools for lack of resources but that a student fee increase of $20 per credit hour had helped raise $300,000 for faculty salaries, library enhancement and student financial aid.
In addition to the upgrades made for KU's accredited programs, the Regents approved major capital
"But I believe we'll make all the requirements," he said.
David Shulenburger, vice chancellor of academic affairs, said he didn't know exactly when the next report on the law school would arrive.
John Montgomery, chairman of the Board of Regents, left, confers with Regent Frank Sabatiini, right. The Regents met yesterday in Toopeka.
improvements for the campus.
Ed Meyen, executive vice chancellor, said that improving Allen Field House was a particularly important task.
"This project has to move first," Meyen said. "It's the most critical of the safety features."
The State Fire Marshall's office reviewed the field house in December 1991 in response to a request made by the Lawrence Fire Department.
In that evaluation, the State Fire Marshall's office said, "Allen Field House presents one of the most significant life-loss potentials in Kansas when fully occupied."
Meyen said the project would cover the building's entire ceiling and therefore require special timing.
The target date for the completion of the project is prior to the first game of the 1994-95 basketball season, he said.
Malaysians hope to share cultural spice
By Denise Nell Kansan staff writer
Weng Kim Yee, Kelantan, Malaysia junior, said that knowledge about his culture was limited among people at the University of Kansas.
"I have friends who ask me where Malaysia is." he said.
Yee, a vice president of the Malaysian Student Association, said the group would attempt to increase awareness of the Malaysian culture when it sponsored Malaysian Cultural Night '94 at 6 p.m. Saturday at Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread.
The theme for the night is "A Journey To Our Land." Members of the group will perform different traditional dances and songs, present a costume parade and simulate a Malay wedding ceremony.
At the end of the event, an ethnic dinner will be served by the students. Yun Eee Lim, Sabah, Malaysia, junior, and the group's other vice president, said Malaysian food was similar to food served in Chinese restaurants in the United States but spicier. A typical dish is curry chicken, she said.
"It's a bit spicy for Americans, I think," she said. "But we'll try to make it a little less spicy."
Yee said that almost all of the 200 tickets originally available for the event had been sold.
Last year was the first year the group held the event. Yee said at least 80 percent of last year's tickets were purchased by non-Malaysians.
"The main purpose is to introduce our culture to more people." he said. "This year, we are targeting more cultures, especially Americans."
Lim said she hoped the event would
Winston Heng, Sarawak, Malaysia senior and the group's president, said Malaysia was smaller than Kansas. About 200 Malaysian students attend KU.
help to clear up another common misunderstanding about Malaysia. Many people believe everyone from Malaysia is Malay, but Malaysia is actually comprised of three races of people: Malay, Chinese and Indian.
Heng said the group had been preparing for the event since this time last year.
"It's to let people know what Malaysia looks like, what it is like," he said. "A lot of people don't know where Malaysia is. It's kind of a small country."
Tickets are still available today and can be purchased at the SUA box office in the Kansas Union.
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