Lion Leaps Through Car Window, Mauls Woman To Death

Rules are there for a reason.

A woman has been killed in an attack by a lion at the Lion Park in the Lanseria/Honeydew area of Johannesburg.

Sources say another person was injured and the pair may have been driving with their car window open.

This is the third attack at the park in the past four months.

Scott Simpson, assistant operations manager at the Lion Park, said that details are still sketchy but he believes that a woman and a man were driving in the lion camp with windows open.

One of the lions jumped through the passenger window and bit the woman. The man was injured trying to push the lion off the woman.

"Our staff working at the top of the camp tried to get the lion away from the car. Ambulances were called immediately but it was too late," he said.

Simpson said visitors to the park are given plenty of warning not to leave their windows open.

"We make it so clear. We put signage up everywhere that people must keep their windows closed. We hand them a slip of paper when they enter the park, I really don’t understand why people think its okay to leave windows open," he said.

Via: www.enca.com/south-africa/woman-killed-lion-park-attack

Dog poisoner dies after shooting himself with toxic dart

Karma was exceptionally cruel to one dog meat vendor in Hunan province, who was killed after accidentally shooting himself with the same kind of poisoned dart he used to take down dogs.

The unidentified man ran a lucrative dog meat-selling operation along with five others, who'd later admitted to killing more than 1,000 canines to be sold to restaurants. The ringleader had reportedly been demonstrating how to use a crossbow when it suddenly went off, shooting a poisonous dart into his leg. He died on his way to the hospital, according to SCMP.

The other members of the operation were later arrested, and confessed to freezing the canine carcasses with the intention of selling the meat to restaurants.

The lethal darts, when not in the hands of the hopelessly incompetent (may he rest in peace), are apparently very effective when it comes to hunting down strays. In December, we reported that dog thieves in a Hubei village were killing up to eight dogs per day using 15-centimeter-long winged darts. As you might expect, however, this isn't the first time the illegal business of poisoning dogs has resulted in human casualties. Last year, a man in Guangdong province who'd gotten in a scuffle with a local villager ended up using one of his toxic syringes to kill him. Two years before, an animal-lover who'd stepped in to stop a dog-meat dealer became the target of a poisoned needle. Most recently, in Shanghai, a man strangled a dog thief to death after discovering that his pet had been poisoned.

For those of you adventurous enough to taste dog meat in China—keep in mind how much of the toxic meatdoes end up making it to restaurants. 

Via: http://shanghaiist.com/2015/05/27/dog-poisoner-dies-shooting-self-toxic-dart.php

Teacher Who Taught Class on Depression Dead by Suicide

The 31-year-old teacher who hanged herself in a Placentia high school classroom earlier this week had previously taught a class unit on suicide and depression.

Jillian Jacobson, a photography teacher at El Dorado High School, experienced a similarly tragic death in her family before she took her own life. Her father, Richard Prisbrey, committed suicide at the age of 55 in 2011. He had gone missing, and was found in his car in the desert with a bullet wound to his head, according to AP. Jacobson openly talked about her father's death to her students, and even did a week-long session on depression. She encouraged students to get help if they ever felt sad, and told them that they should never resort to suicide.

When students arrived for their first period class around 8:40 a.m. on Monday, they found that the classroom door was locked. After asking another teacher to unlock the door, they discovered Jacobson hanging from the ceiling. Paramedics arrived and tried to revive Jacobson, but she was declared dead at the scene.

“It’s sad for the students and fellow teachers who witnessed that,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi told the L.A. Times.

Even though Jacobson didn't leave a suicide note, authorities believe she had taken her own life. However, they do not know the motive behind her suicide and are interviewing her family to gain more insight. Authorities have scheduled an autopsy for her this week.
Jacobson was well-liked by her students and colleagues, and they described her as someone who seemed happy, according to the OC Register. Records showed that she lived in Anaheim with her 34-year-old husband.

Grief counselors have been speaking to students about Jacobson's death. “Everyone is still crying,” freshman Madelyn Pippin, one of Jacobson’s students, told the OC Register. “It’s just so sad walking past her door, knowing what happened inside.”

Students tweeted out photos of themselves with Jacobson, sending their condolences.

Via: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-teacher-dead-at-el-dorado-high-school-20150302-story.html

If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone, remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt, and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.

Man Dies After Having Sex With Scarecrow

A man was found dead in his home after having sex with a scarecrow that he had dressed up in a wig, lipstick and strap-on sex toy.

The rotting remains of Jose Alberto were discovered in his home after neighbours reported a foul smell coming from the building.

Police forced their way into the home in San Jose de Balcare, eastern Argentina, and were stunned to discover the 58-year-old shepherd lying dead.

Next to him lay a scarecrow that had been dressed up as a woman - but wearing a strap-on sex toy.

Rodolfo Moure, a spokesman for the prosecutor, said: "I initially thought there were two bodies but then I realised one was a scarecrow wearing lipstick and a long-haired wig.

"It was lying next to the deceased and had a six-inch strap-on penis.

"There were no signs of violence and we are working on the assumption that the man died during sex with the scarecrow.

"Straw had been stuffed inside the old clothes that had been sewn together to make the scarecrow.

"We are now waiting the results of an autopsy.”

Neighbours said the man, who was known to live alone and had no mobile phone, was often seen as a loner.

Via: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/man-died-after-having-sex-5451965

Out-of-date GPS Causes Man To Drive Off Bridge

An out-of-town driver following his car’s outdated GPS system drove off of a demolished Indiana bridge, killing his wife in the passenger seat, deputies said.

Iftikhar Hussain, 64, drove the couple’s 2014 Nissan Sentra off East Chicago’s Cline Avenue bridge — which closed in 2009 and is barricaded with bright orange barrels and cones. The car burst into flames after the 37-foot-plunge into pavement below, The Times of Munster reported.

His wife, 51-year-old Zohra Hussain, died from burns, police said. Iftikhar Hussain was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injures.

Lake County deputies said Hussain was likely following directions from his GPS navigation system, which instructed him to turn onto a ramp to the now-demolished bridge over the  Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal. The couple, from Chicago, were driving to visit family in Indiana and likely didn’t know the area, Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Patricia Van Til said.

While the road leading up to the bridge is marked with large signs that read “road closed,” orange barrels and other barricades, Hussain was likely paying more attention to his GPS than the road, deputies said.

The Cline Avenue bridge closed in 2009 after deterioration from years of use from heavy semi-trucks made it a safety risk. A year later, officials condemned it. Construction of a new bridge over the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal is scheduled to begin this spring.


Via: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gps-may-have-told-man-to-drive-off-indiana-bridge-cops/ar-AAacOJs?ocid=DELLDHP

Husband Dies After Grabbing Steering Wheel During Fight

HOUSTON — A man was killed Friday after grabbing the steering wheel of a car his wife was driving as they argued, police said.

The Ford Explorer rolled over just around 1:45 a.m. CT on Interstate 69 here, and the man, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected. He was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition and later died, according to the Houston Police Department.

The names of the couple, who had moved recently to Houston, were not released.

The woman, who was wearing her seat belt, told officers that she and her husband were having a heated argument.

"The female didn't have any injuries," Sgt. J.D. Rossman said. "She was evaluated by a DWI officer and found not to be intoxicated."

Her husband grabbed the wheel from the passenger seat and jerked it, she said to investigators. The vehicle swerved. She lost control. It climbed over the median into oncoming traffic and rolled over, landing on an adjacent access road.

She was trapped inside until rescuers were able to extricate her and was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

No charges are expected to be filed, Rossman said.

Via: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/27/arguing-couple-traffic-accident/70545050/

20 Years in Prison - Wrongfully Convicted Man Dies Just Months After Release

A Brooklyn man who spent over two decades in prison for a crime he didn't commit died less than a year after he was exonerated by the Kings County District Attorney. Sharrif Wilson, 38, passed away on Saturday night at Mount Sinai Hospital; he had been hospitalized since December after complaining of breathing problems. His attorney Adam Perlmutter tells the Daily News, "He was a young healthy man when he went in and he was a sick unhealthy man when he came out."

Wilson and his alleged accomplice Antonio Yarbough spent more than two decades in prison for the 1992 murders of Yarbough’s mother, his 12-year-old sister and another 12-year-old relative. Wilson, who was 15 at the time of his arrest, had confessed to the murders and testified against Yarbough as part of a plea deal, but he later recanted, saying his confession had been coerced.

Yarbough, who discovered the bodies of his loved ones and called 911, later told CNN, "Before you know it, I had this photograph shoved in my face, and I was being threatened and slapped around, and they wanted me to sign a false confession. And I wouldn't." Wilson said, "I was scared, afraid; I was lied to, manipulated into believing that I was going to go home, if I do tell... what they said happened." Watch a powerful interview the two men granted to CNN after their release:

In 2013, DNA testing revealed that blood under one of the victim's fingernails matched DNA found on the body of another murder victim from 1999, Magdalia Ruiz. Both Yarbough and Wilson were already in prison by that time for the Yarbough murders. Last February, the two men were finally released and their convictions overturned following a review of the case that was completed by Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson.

Since ousting longtime Kings County DA Charles Hynes, who lost a nasty reelection bid in 2013, Thompson has been reviewing dozens of potential wrongful convictions that happened on Hynes's watch. And the dubious legacy of homicide detective Louis Scarcella has prompted an investigation into over 50 convictions that may have been won through coerced confessions and discredited witnesses. (Hynes is also being investigated by the feds for allegedly using state asset forfeiture funds to fund his failed 2013 campaign.)

Hynes’s office "resisted requests to reinvestigate" the Wilson and Yarbough case for months, the Times reported last year. When he was finally released last February, Wilson said, "I was young, afraid, not used to being in the precinct and the justice system. I didn’t know much then. It was pretty easy for them to coerce me into giving false statements."

Wilson suffered from acute respiratory distress syndrome, which was allegedly exacerbated by his lengthy prison term. "I find it heartbreaking that a boy could serve (21) years for a crime he didn’t commit and finally come home and have only 11 months to spend with his family,” Yarbough said in a statement released over the weekend. "My heart breaks for the family and the mother that lost her son not once but twice."

The murderer of Yarbough's family remains at large. Wilson's lawyer says his family is planning to file a civil suit against the city and New York state.