Lakers forward Jordan Hill pleads no contest in assault of girlfriend in Houston

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jordan Hill speaks to the media on March, 16, 2012, in Los Angeles, one day after the Houston Rockets traded him to LA. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

  HOUSTON -- Los Angeles Lakers forward Jordan Hill has pleaded no contest to assaulting his girlfriend in February and was sentenced to one year of probation.

Hill, 25, will also have to pay a $500 fine and undergo counseling. The assault charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Hill is charged with assaulting Darlene Luna on Feb. 29 at his apartment while the New York Knicks' former first-round draft pick was playing for the Houston Rockets.

Luna, 29, cried on the witness stand as she recalled the incident and claimed Hill still hasn't apologized. The two avoided eye contact while they were in the courtroom together.

The 6-foot-10 Hill played for Houston from February 2010 until March, when he was traded to Los Angeles.

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Spring middle school teacher pleads guilty to sexually assaulting student

Andre Levelle Thomas, 32, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Spring ISD teacher has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a student.

Andre Thomas was a teacher at Roberson Middle School, when he raped a 13-year-old girl in his classroom in August of last year. On Tuesday, Thomas made a plea agreement and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and ten years probation.

A statement by the victim was made in court Tuesday. In it, she said she had to pretend Thomas was a good teacher, when he was really a horrible teacher, but she said she is a survivor.

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Houston lawyer pleads guilty to scamming veterans

  HOUSTON -- A Houston attorney has pleaded guilty to scamming the finances of some veterans he was hired to help.

Prosecutors in Houston say 73-year-old Joe B. Phillips entered the pleas Tuesday.

Phillips was a court-appointed guardian or Department of Veterans Affairs-approved fiduciary for some veterans. Investigators didn't immediately say how much money was involved.

Phillips pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make false statements, misappropriation by a fiduciary and signing a false income tax return. He faces up to three years in prison for tax fraud and five years on the other counts.

His wife and assistant, 72-year-old Dorothy Phillips, in April pleaded guilty to conspiracy and making a false statement on an income tax return.

Phillips says his wife gambled extensively at Louisiana casinos from 2003 to 2007.

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Man pleads guilty to making, possessing child porn

  HOUSTON -- A suburban Houston man has pleaded guilty to possessing and conspiring to produce child pornography after sexually explicit photos of a child staying in his home were found on his home computer.

A Justice Department statement says Matthew David Eyerly entered his guilty pleas Wednesday in federal court in Houston. He could be sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison for conspiracy and up to 10 years for possessing child pornography.

According to the statement, FBI agents traced child pornography to a computer used by Eyerly in 2006. Agents found Eyerly and, searching his home computer with his consent, found sexually explicit images of children. Some involved the child of a woman with whom he was involved.

Eyerly will remain in custody pending sentencing scheduled for Aug. 1.

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Family pleads for help in mystery of student's murder

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A family is in shock and wants answers after the mysterious murder of a medical student. It's been three days since Gelareh Bagherzadeh was shot while driving and police appear to be no closer to a suspect or a motive. That's why her family is now speaking out.

To every death, there is an aftermath and for this family it is nearly too painful for words. The victim's family was in tears at an emotional Crime Stoppers news conference Wednesday morning.

"I can't think of why anybody would hurt her because she is always being peaceful and just trying to bring peace to this community and society," said her brother, Ali Bagherzadeh.

On Sunday night, Bagherzadeh, 30, was returning from a friend's place, talking on her cell phone, driving through the Galleria area townhome complex where she lived with her parents when she was shot in the head. Her car drove into a garage door. She was found slumped over the steering wheel of the vehicle.

Police say surveillance video at the scene shows emergency vehicles arriving before an earlier report of gunfire in that area, before the shooting that killed Gelareh. Then it shows residents coming outside after the second report of gunfire. That's when Gelareh was killed, according to police.

Neighbors heard gunshots, but there were no eyewitnesses. Security video yielded no clues and nothing was taken from her car.

"At this early stage of the investigation, we're not going to rule out anything than a murder taking place," said Sgt. J.C. Padilla with HPD Homicide.

Bagherzadeh was about to join the staff of MD Anderson in molecular technology. She spent her early years in Iran with her family, immigrated to the U.S. and attended UT Health Science Center.

Her other life was about her friends and her causes -- she helped organize protests against the treatment of women in Iran, such as one in 2010.

"What's important was that she was passionate about Iran and anything she started, she gave it her 200 percent," said her good friend, Kathy Soltani.

She doesn't believe that played a role in her death. Police are investigating a complaint Bagherzadeh filed two years ago.

"I can tell you it was an assault report, how it's titled. Looking at it very closely; we're trying to track that person down named as a suspect in that report," said Sgt. Padilla.

Charges were never filed in that case, but generating leads is what's important now for police and for her family.

"I'm her younger brother," Ali told the media. "We grew up together and she pretty much raised me because when we were kids, my mom used to be a teacher and she would always be out, and (Gelareh) would always watch out for me. She's really loving and sweet-hearted. Any little information can help and I don't know what else to say," said Ali Bagherzadeh.

Police say there is no information that shows there was any threat on Bagherzadeh's life due to her involvement advocating on behalf of Iranian women. The FBI is monitoring the situation.

Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for any information called in to the 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org that leads to the filing of felony charges or arrest of the suspect(s) in this case. Tips can also be sent by text message. Text TIP610 plus your tip to CRIMES (274637). All tipsters remain anonymous.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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1 of 14 men charged in child rape case pleads

  CLEVELAND, TX (KTRK) -- One of the 14 men accused in the repeated sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl accepted a plea bargain Monday during a court hearing in a case that has horrified and divided their small Southeast Texas town.

Isaiah Ross, 21, of Cleveland, was facing life in prison on a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child, but he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Under the deal, Ross agreed to testify against his co-defendants, whose trials are expected to begin next month.

Prosecutors recommended a 15-year prison term for Ross, though his sentencing won't be held until Feb. 6. Ross, his family, his defense attorney and prosecutors declined comment about the guilty plea. A gag order bars anyone potentially involved in the case from speaking to the media.

Authorities say the girl was assaulted on at least five occasions between mid-September and early December 2010 in Cleveland, about 45 miles northeast of Houston. The investigation began that December, after one of the girl's friends told a teacher he had seen a lurid cellphone video that showed the girl being raped in an abandoned trailer.

Six juvenile boys were also charged in the case, and three of them have pleaded guilty.

Most of the adult defendants appeared at Monday's hearing in Liberty, and District Judge Mark Morefield indicated he didn't want any more delays in the case. He said trial dates would likely be announced during a hearing Jan. 5.

"These cases are taking priority. In January, these cases are going to trial," Morefield said.

Prosecutor Joe Warren told Morefield that all DNA testing has been completed. He said the trials of the remaining defendants, who have pleaded not guilty and are expected to be tried separately, could begin in January or February.

Warren didn't detail the results of the DNA testing, which had caused delays.

Warren also told Morefield that a plea bargain offered to another defendant, 19-year-old Jared Cruse, would carry a 25-year prison term in exchange for his cooperation. Cruse is being held without bond and has been charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child. A decision on the plea offer is on hold until Jan. 5, because Cruse intends to hire another attorney. His current attorney declined comment.

Most of the defendants are free on bond, and none of those who appeared in court Monday spoke to the media. Many were allowed to leave the courtroom through a back entrance to avoid reporters.

The suspects range in age from a middle-school student to a 27-year-old, and include two star athletes at the local high school and adults with criminal records.

Most of the men face charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, while four face a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

The case shined an unflattering spotlight on Cleveland after some in the town of about 9,000 residents suggested the girl was culpable in part for what happened, claiming she wore makeup and looked older. Some also accused her parents, immigrants from Mexico, of not watching her more closely.

But those suggestions were sharply criticized by many Cleveland residents, along with community and religious groups outside the city.

Also complicating the case was a belief by many in the predominantly black neighborhood where several of the suspects live that the arrests were racially motivated. All of the suspects are black, while the girl is Hispanic.

The girl, now 12, remains in foster care while her parents, who have health problems and moved out of Cleveland after receiving threatening phone calls, work with authorities to get her back.

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