Runners-up: Brian Nichols, Phil Spector, a politician and little girl Caylee Anthony
Runners-up for top story of the month:
Brian Nichols, found guilty of murder, armed robbery and kidnapping after launching a courtroom rampage in 2005 that left a judge, a court reporter and two law enforcement officers dead. Nichols was on trial for rape when he broke out of a courthouse holding cell by overpowering a guard and seizing her gun. After committing mayhem in the court he hijacked a car and fled to the apartment of a young woman, Ashley Smith Robinson, forcing himself in at gunpoint. She calmed him down by giving him drugs”the first and only mention of which was in the 14th paragraph of the article reporting the jury’s finding”and reading to him from pastor Rick Warren’s A Purpose-Driven Life. She somehow escaped (hey, addicts are good at conning other addicts too) and called 911. Nichols’ insanity defense, based on the delusion that he was leading a “slave rebellion”even though two of his victims were African Americans, failed. By the way, the unnamed drug was crystal methamphetamine, which Robinson, whose story is recounted in the November 2005 TAR under “antic-of-the-month,”swore off. That day, so far, was her bottom.
Music producer Phil Spector, on trial”again”for murdering B-movie actress Lana Clarkson. Prosecutors alleged that certain factors, including “too much alcohol”and “a woman who doesn’t want him”made him reach for his gun. The June 2007 TAR recounted numerous occasions, reported during the first trial, in which the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee brandished a weapon. His defense inexplicably countered with another such instance: being mistaken for the late actor Dudley Moore. Under the “you can’t make this up”category of things alcoholics do, a witness, Dorothy Melvin, told jurors that being confused by several men for the diminutive star of “Arthur”made Spector irate, which caused him to chase them down the street “screaming and yelling”with gun in hand. Melvin, formerly Joan Rivers’ manager, also testified that she kicked Spector out of Rivers’ Christmas party twice and that on both occasions he waved his gun at guests. Oh, but he never shot any of them”and, therefore, couldn’t possibly have shot and killed Clarkson….Yeah, right.
Jersey City Councilman Steven Lipski, who “swore off booze”two days after being busted for simple assault for urinating on a crowd at a Washington, D.C. nightclub. Despite the bust, Lipski claimed he had spilled a drink and refused to admit he had relived himself while on the second-floor balcony of the 9:30 Club. Any takers on a bet he’ll be unable to keep his promise for more than a week?
Casey Anthony, 22, whose daughter Caylee was last seen June 16 and reported missing July 15, charged with first-degree murder. I usually ignore stories highlighted on the “Nancy Grace”show night after night, but this finally caught my attention when tests revealed that a decomposing body had been in the trunk of Casey’s car, with high levels of chloroform found on the trunk’s carpet. Investigators found evidence on Casey’s computer that she had visited sites explaining how to make chloroform. Numerous reports of Casey “partying”since Caylee’s disappearance have surfaced, along with a string of lies and arrests for forgery and theft. The story of Casey Anthony’s hard partying after her child’s disappearance is likely a tragic example of the truism that there is no way to predict how seemingly bizarre the behaviors of a practicing addict will become, or when.