Page T en THE MICHtC-AN DAILY ITuesday, June 7, 1977 Page Jen TI-IL MlCl'ItC~AN DAILY 'luesday, June '7, 1977 COURT RELAXES DEATH PENALTY: Cop killers reprieved WASHINGTON (.t-States sma' not antomatically sentence to death all persons convicted of killing police officers, the Su- preme Court said in a sharply divided ruling yesterday. By a 5-4 vote, the justices threw out as uncunstitutional a twLisinia law that made death in the electric chair a manda- tory penalty for murderers of police. MANY STATES had similar laws before 1976, but only New York Md Louisiana had such statutes currently on their books. Monday's raling presumably in- validated New York's law as well. Matty states were expected to draft mandatory death penalties if the court had ruled they were constitutional. California, now without a valid death penalty law, had urged the court to ap- prove Louisiana's law. A spokesman for the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund, which op- poses capital punishment, said only three Deuth Row inmates were affected by the court's rul- ins. THE RULING spared the lives of convicted murderer Harry Roberts, whose appeal the court hbird, aid two condemned New York men, the fund's spokesman said. Roberts had been sentenced to die for the Feb. 26, 1974, shoot- ing death of New Orleans police- man Dennis McInerney, who had rysponded to a neighborhood disturbance on Mardis Gras lany. The court's majority noted that Roberts was only 19 at the time, which a jury could con- sider a mitigating circumstance that warranted life imprison- ment instead of the death penalty. IN AN unsigned opinion, the court's majority said, "It is es- sential that the capital sentenc- ing decision allow for considera- Lion of whatever mitigating cir- cumstances may be relevant to the particular offender or the particular offense. "Becattse the Louisiana sta- tute does not allow considera- tion of particularized mitigating factors, it is unconstitutional," the opinion said. Justices William Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Potter Ste- wart, Louis Powell Jr., and John Paul Stevens joined in the decision- CHIEF JUSTICE Warren Bur- ger and Justices William Rehn- quist, larry Blackmun and By- ron White voted to uphold Loui- siana's late. Rehnquist, in dissent, said: "The argument weighing in favor of society's determination to impose a mandatory sentence for the murder of a polio, officer in the line of duty are far stronger than in the case of an ordinary homicide." The VA nurses' case: An analysis, (ConIinued from Page 6) ONE WITNESS testified that Nacrisco had just put an exten- sion tube onto patient John Mc- Crery's IV apparatus, and that Narcisco instritted the witness to keep an eye on McCrery. Minutes later, the patient stop- ped breathing. The doctor who found McCrery PINBALL BOWLING BI LLIARDS at the UNION Open 1 IA.M. said there was a nurse standing at th bedside who stood motion- less even when the doctor or- dered her to assist. The govern- ment's witness fell short, how- ever, when she said she could not positively identify who it was at the bedside. In the case of patient William Losch, testimony from Loesch's mother put both VA defendants in the patient's room before he s t op p e d breathing. Christine Loesch testified that she left Narciso and Perez in her son's room so that she could make a phone call. Moments later, Mrs. Loesch was informed that her son had stopped breathing. MRS. LOESCH said that when she left the two alonetwith her son, "the little one (Perez)" was preparing an injection. Mrs. Losch's testimony con- flicted with her previous state- ments to the FBI. Testifying in court, the witness did not say that she asked her son if some stranger had given him the shot and not one of the nurses, and that Loesch nodded yes. She also did not say she had bumped into a man in a green scrub suit who was entering the room as she was leaving to make the phone call. B o t h statements were made to the FBI during the investigation the week after the A u g u a t 15th breathing failures. Defense attorneys indicated last week that although they don't expect a dismissal of the case, they think some of the government's weakest c o u n t s will be dropped. If Judge Philip Pratt does rule that the case will go on, the de- fense will begin its presentation tomorrow. New State lottery big winner in city By RON DeKETT The Michigan lottery unleashed yet another money making scheme yesterday with its new DAILY lottery game designed to allow players to pick their own winning combination of numbers and collect the same day. Ann Arbor residents seemed to favor the new game, turn- ing out to buy them in large numbers. People were lined up at 6:00 a.m. at the Washenaw Milk & Ice Cream store in order to purchase the new DAILY lottery tickets, employe Douglas Raab said. "LATER IN THE morning they were lined up to the wal but they (generally) would come in spurts," Raab added For a fee ranging from 55 cents to $6.00 the DAILY game allows players to pick their own three-digit numbers. The pay-off-if they are lucky-can be from $41 to $1,0Wt depend ing on the game variations the player chooses at odds from 1 in 333 to 1 in 1000. Washtenaw Milk and Ice Cream, 602 Ashley, is one of two sites picked in Ann Arbor to sell the tickets through a com puter-like terminal because of the number of regular lotter tickets it has sold and because of its location. BUT -DESPITE its relatively proximity to cmpus most ticket buyers are working people and not students, manager James Smith said. "Students won't spend 50 cents or $1.00 on tickets evec day because they've got something better to spend it on. But somebody who works everyday doesn't mind spending a little money on the lottery," Smith said. Smith estimates the Dairy ;sold about 900 tickets the firt day and he predicts the number of players will increase. "WHEN THEY hear over the TV the winning numbers, they are going to ask 'why didn't I pick that number?' When they hear it six times a week they will go out and try it," Smith said. A man munching down on a double decker ice cream cone, in response to his pre-kindergarten son's query about the game said,.-"It's called the numbers racket where I come from." The child examined the lottery form for a few seconds and replied, "But what if I win?" Chicago calm after weekend of rioting CHICAGO W) - Police enforced beefed-up security for the second day in a Puerto Rican neighborhood where weekend riots resulted in the shooting deaths of two persons, injuries to at least 133 persons and extensive property damage. Violence erupted for a second time Sunday night after si hours of rioting in the Humboldt Park area Saturday night had left two men dead, and 116 persons, including 38 policemen, injured. IN SUNDAY'S aftermath, bands made up mostly of hispanc youths threw debris at police and hurled several Molotov cocktails at squad cars. The explosives missed the cars and burst into flame in the streets. Thirteen officers and at least four civilians were injured There were conflicting versions of the initial shootings that touched off Saturday's riot. Police said they did not intentionally fire into the crowd. But Hispanic leaders said police had over- reacted. IN ONE exchange Sunday, about 300 youths and police clad in riot gear threw rocks and bottles at each other. In another inci- dent, a motorist fired a shot at a police car and sped away as police returned the gunfire. One officer was injured, apparently by shattered glass, and a suspect later was arrested. SALE DOWN JACKETS, VESTS PILLOWS & COMFORTERS -- At Rockbottom Prices Ripstop Jacketsr $34.95 Ripstop Vests $19.95 SAVINGS on many more styles 213S. MAIN ST Oren 10 til 5:30 P.M. Emm --- LE y'S - --- - ---- --- a 11 jl Nola al s ow o move= oat WIN mmmmmmRM 310 MAYNARD HOURS uesday - pace on beer U 7-11 P.M. W1/z price on all Wednes ua drinks 7-10 P.M. Friday -15c hot dogs 3 A2-5 P.M. NO COVER 310 AYNARD -