Twelve-year-old California boy arrested in stabbing death of sister

(Reuters) - Sheriff's deputies arrested a 12-year-old boy on Saturday in the stabbing death of his 8-year-old sister, a killing that triggered a huge manhunt last month for an intruder the boy said broke into their Northern California home.

Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz told reporters the boy was taken into custody on a charge of homicide.

He was arrested in Valley Springs, the community where Leila Fowler was slain on April 27, when the children were home alone, Kuntz said.

"The citizens of Calaveras County can sleep a little better tonight," Kuntz said.

The sheriff declined to say what led detectives to arrest the boy, whose name was not released. Authorities previously said fingerprints and DNA evidence were collected from the home where Fowler was stabbed to death.

Authorities have said Leila's brother initially told investigators the two siblings were in their family home in the Sierra foothills, about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento, when he heard an intruder, saw a man in the living room who fled on foot, went to check on his sister and found her wounded.

The boy called 911 and his parents, who authorities said were at a Little League baseball game.

His sister was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead six minutes later.

A neighbor initially told investigators she saw a man running away from the Fowler home shortly after the death.

But on May 3, Calaveras County sheriff's spokesman Chris Hewitt said the neighbor recanted her story and refused to describe the possible suspect to a composite-sketch artist.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Peter Cooney)

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British sailing champ dies in America's Cup training off California

(Reuters) - British Olympic champion Andrew 'Bart' Simpson, who won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, died on Thursday when his yacht capsized off the California coast during training for the America's Cup, his racing team said.

Simpson, 36, had been sailing on the Artemis, Sweden's entry in the America's Cup, when the catamaran capsized, according to a statement for the team posted on the Artemis racing website.

"The entire Artemis Racing team is devastated by what happened," said CEO Paul Cayard. "Our heartfelt condolences are with Andrew's wife and family."

(Reporting by Ronnie Cohen; Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Dan Whitcomb)

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California chef sentenced in wife's death

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A chef who told police he cooked his wife's body in boiling water was sentenced Friday in Los Angeles to 15 years to life in prison for second-degree murder.

But in a new twist, he told a judge the story, which could have been a script for a horror movie, was a lie.

David Viens gave a rambling, 45-minute speech during his sentencing hearing, saying that when police questioned him two years after his wife's disappearance, he was hallucinating and therefore, made up the story about cooking his wife.

"I loved my wife. I didn't cook my wife," Viens said. "I'd like the opportunity to testify."

Viens, 49, was convicted in September of killing of 39-year-old Dawn Viens in 2009. Her body was never found.

Police all but demolished the restaurant that Viens and his wife operated looking for evidence of a cooked body but found nothing.

David Viens said the story he gave authorities came after he had been in surgery for injuries he suffered when he jumped off a cliff. Most of the bones in his body were broken and he has been in a wheel chair since then.

"I'm hallucinating the whole time I'm there," he said of the interview. "I'd been on an operating table 12 hours."

Authorities said Viens leaped off the cliff after learning he was a suspect in the case.

In the recorded interrogation presented at trial, Viens said he had argued with his wife of 17 years, taped her hands and feet, duct taped her mouth and went to bed. When he awoke, he said, she was dead.

He told police he then cooked her body for four days to get rid of evidence.

Superior Court Judge Rand Rubin noted that within two weeks after his wife's disappearance Viens had a new girlfriend living with him and went on with his life.

Acting as his own lawyer, Viens argued that he had inadequate representation by his attorney and asked for a new trial.

Deputy District Attorney Deborah Brazil argued against the motion and said Viens received a fair trial. He responded, "I think she's afraid to face me in trial."

Rubin said that the lawyer hired by Viens knew the case and his representation did not fall below the standard required by law.

He said the 122-page motion submitted by Viens was rambling and "almost nonsensical."

Dawn Viens' younger sister spoke briefly saying her loss was double because she was close to Viens.

"I loved him. He was like a father to me," said Dayna Papin. "He changed my life....But I feel no sympathy for him. I will not have any peace for a very long time."

Viens called out to her across the courtroom.

"Nobody loved Dawn Marie Viens more than I did or misses her more," he said. "I never meant for what happened to happen. I lied to police out of fear and my life's been a mess ever since."

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California Democrats lose supermajority in state Senate

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Democrats who control California's legislature lost their supermajority in the state Senate on Friday when a business-friendly moderate from the state's Central Valley abruptly resigned.

Senator Michael Rubio, elected in 2010, said he was stepping down to take a job with Chevron Corp, which will leave fellow Democrats with 26 seats in the Senate. Two other Democratic-leaning seats in the 40-member Senate are vacant.

Rubio had been expected to spearhead the effort to overhaul environmental laws in a more business-friendly fashion.

With the loss of the 27-seat supermajority, Democrats will have to put on hold, at least temporarily, some of their more ambitious plans opposed by the Senate's Republican minority. Rubio is likely to be replaced by a member of his party in a special election.

Democrats in the November election won supermajorities in the Senate and Assembly, which notably gave them the power to pass tax hikes or put constitutional amendments before voters on their own.

Prior to the election, Democratic lawmakers had to court Republican colleagues to be able to reach the required two-thirds vote of the legislature to approve bills to raise taxes, efforts all too often snubbed by anti-tax GOP lawmakers.

Rubio had planned to lead efforts to change the California Environmental Quality Act. He chaired an environmental issues committee seen as key to overhauling the law.

Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, also is in favor of changes to the 40-year-old law. Its critics have long held the law can be used to impose costly delays on construction projects.

(Reporting by Jim Christie; Editing by Jackie Frank)

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