Cops gone bad: 'Death Row Romeo' on notorious list

By James Eng, NBC News In law enforcement, as in most every other profession, there are good ones and bad ones, but what most people seem to remember are the really bad ones. Manuel Pardo, a former Florida police officer turned serial killer who was scheduled to be executed Tuesday, was one of the latter, officials say. He shot nine people to death in the late 1980s, claiming he was a "soldier" ridding the streets of the wicked. Most of Pardo's victims were reportedly involved with drugs, and Pardo claimed he was doing society a favor by ridding the streets of low-lifes who "have no right to live." Authorities say he was a cold-blooded serial killer; one retired detective described him as "Ted Bundy-esque," while a retired prosecutor called him "very cold." Michael Tabman, a former Fairfax County, Va., police officer and former FBI agent, said law enforcement agencies have better screening tools these days to weed out potential problem applicants, "but we haven't perfected predicting behavior." 'Death Row Romeo' faces execution in Florida He said people attracted to police work often have personalities that are "machismo-oriented" and "comfortable with a lot of authority," among other traits. "A lot of that is a type of personality that in a perfect storm … can morph into anti-social behavior," said Tabman, an author who also blogs about crime and security.  Herewith are some other notorious cases involving cops gone bad: M. Spencer Green / AP file Former Bolingbrook, Ill., police Sgt. Drew Peterson arrives at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet, Ill., for his arraignment on charges of first-degree murder on May 8, 2009. Drew Peterson The former Bolingbrook, Ill., police sergeant was convicted in September of murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio, who was found dead in her bathtub in 2004. Authorities presume his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, who vanished in 2007, is also dead; Peterson is a suspect but has never been charged in that case. Before his 2009 arrest, according to media reports, Peterson seemed to taunt authorities, joking on talk shows and even suggesting a "Win a Date With Drew" contest. After his conviction, Savio's family members said justice was finally served. "Game over, Drew," Stacy Peterson's sister, Cassandra Cales, said. "He can wipe the smirk off his face. It's time to pay."  Via KTLA / AP file A frame from a video shot by George Holliday from his apartment in a suburb of Los Angeles shows a group of police officers beating Rodney King as other officers watch on March 31, 1991. Rodney King beating It was perhaps the most famous of all homemade videos – the 1991 clip of Los Angeles police officers beating black motorist Rodney King following a car chase. A year later, a California jury acquitted three officers and deadlocked on charges for a fourth. The verdict sparked violent race riots in Los Angeles, and by the time order was restored, more than 50 people had died. A federal jury later convicted two of the police officers, Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell, of a federal charge of violating King's civil rights and sentenced them to 30 months in prison. King died in June at age 47. Katrina bridge shootings In the chaos after Hurricane Katrina, six unarmed civilians were shot – two of them fatally – on the Danziger Bridge in New Orleans on Sept. 4, 2005. One of the dead, Ronald Madison, was a 40-year-old mentally disabled man who was shot in the back. Police claimed they opened fire because they thought people were shooting at them from the base of the bridge. Getty Images file Cars pass over the Danziger Bridge July 14, 2010 in New Orleans. In August 2011, four former New Orleans police officers -- Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius, Anthony Villavaso and Robert Faulcon – were convicted of civil-rights violations and firearms and other charges in the shootings. A fifth former officer, Arthur "Archie" Kaufman, who was assigned to investigate the shootings, was convicted of helping to orchestrate a cover-up. "The officers who shot innocent people on the bridge and then went to great lengths to cover up their own crimes have finally been held accountable for their actions," Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's civil rights division, said when the men were sentenced to long prison terms in April. Reuters file Former New York City police officer Justin Volpe in 1997. Abner Louima beating Louima, a Haitian immigrant, was brutally beaten and sodomized with the handle of a toilet plunger in the bathroom of the 70th Precinct station house in Brooklyn, N.Y., after being arrested outside a night club in August 1997. One cop, Justin Volpe, was sentenced in 1999 to 30 years in prison for what the judge called an "unusually heinous" crime and a "barbarous misuse of power." Another, Charles Schwartz, who was initially accused of holding Louima down, pleaded guilty to perjury and was given a five-year sentence. Two other officers who were indicted for allegedly trying to cover up the assault had their convictions reversed due to insufficient evidence. Chicago Sun-Times / AP Former Chicago police officer Jon Burge, convicted of lying about the torture of suspects, walks to his attorneys' office following the first day of his sentencing hearing at the federal building in Chicago on Jan. 20, 2011. Louima sued New York City and its main police union and won a $8.75 million settlement. Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.com   Jon Burge Burge was a former Chicago Police Department detective and commander who, along with the "Midnight Crew" of officers under his command, allegedly beat and tortured criminal suspects in the 1970s and '80s in order to gain confessions. Victims said they were burned with cigarette butts, smothered with plastic bags, shocked in the genitals and forced to play Russian roulette with a .44-caliber gun. Although Burge was protected by the statute of limitations on the claims of abuse, he was convicted of lying about the torture. He was sentenced in January 2011 to 4 ½ years in prison. The city agreed to pay more than $7 million to settle two torture lawsuits involving Burge. More content from NBCNews.com: Amid protests, Michigan passes anti-union 'right to work' measures Gay student asks Justice Scalia to defend his 'bestiality' comments Marijuana sales? Lots of obstacles still to weed out in Washington, Colorado California exodus as thousands quit state for Texas, Ariz., elsewhere Banking giant HSBC to pay record $1.9 billion in money-laundering case Video: Massive gas line blaze caught on camera Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Cops: Teens kill woman who says, 'Get a job'

By NBC Philadelphia Three teens charged in the fatal shooting of a western Pennsylvania woman had targeted her, police say, after she told them to "get a job" when they tried to bum a cigarette from her boyfriend.   Beaver Falls police have charged two 14-year-olds and one 13-year-old with criminal homicide and other charges in Saturday's shooting of Kayla Peterson, 22. She was shot at about 3:30 p.m. that day and died at a Pittsburgh hospital two hours later. Read the original story at NBC10 Philadelphia The attorney of one of the teens said he was just "in the wrong place at the wrong time" when Velasquez. That teen was identified as the gunman by police and Peterson's boyfriend. Beaver Falls Police Chief Charles Jones says officers are still searching for the other two teen suspects.

Sudan: Israeli 'spy vulture' nabbed

Sudanese officials say a GPS-tagged vulture captured in the western part of the country was transmitting photos back to Israel. One of the Israeli ecologists tracking the vultures has rejected the claims, saying the GPS tracking is merely for researching the bird's movements. This is the GPS tracking device (left) that would have been found on the downed vulture in Sudan, according to Hebrew University professor Ran Nathan. A file photo of a vulture tagged by researchers at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In October, two PhD students tagged more than 100 young vultures -- 25 with GPS tracking -- in an effort to study their behavior and movement. Sudan: Israeli vulture with GPS-equipped camera caught by officials in western Sudan Israeli scientists say a number of vultures tagged with GPS to study migration routes Expert: GPS tracking of this sort used in hundreds of studies around the world Griffon vultures are an endangered species in the Middle East, Hatzofe says (CNN) -- A vulture captured by Sudanese authorities is actually an Israeli spy on a secret reconnaissance mission, a pro-government newspaper in the east African nation has claimed. Government sources say the vulture, found in western Sudan, was tagged with a GPS-equipped camera to take and send pictures back to Israel, according to a December 8 story in the Alintibaha newspaper. The bird also wore an ankle label reading "Hebrew University Jerusalem," "Israel Nature Service" and the contact details of an Israeli avian ecologist. The ecologist, Ohad Hatzofe of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, has rejected the Sudanese government claims -- saying the vulture, which can fly up to 600 kilometers in a single day, was tagged with GPS equipment to study its migration pattern. "The Sudanese accusations are untrue," Hatzofe told CNN. "The GPS gear on these vultures can only tell us where the birds are, nothing else." He said: "This is ordinary equipment that is used around the world to detect movement of wildlife. There are hundreds of studies using this technology on everything from butterflies and sea turtles to sharks and whales." Hatzofe also cast doubt on the practicality of using vultures as secret agents: "I'm not an intelligence expert, but what would be learned from putting a camera onto a vulture? You cannot control it. It's not a drone that you can send where you want. What would be the benefit of watching a vulture eat the insides of a dead camel?" The Griffon vulture is an endangered species in the Middle East, according to Hebrew University Jerusalem professor Ran Nathan. His students, Roi Harel and Orr Spiegel, tagged more than 100 vultures -- 25 of them with GPS trackers -- as part of a project to observe the behavior and movement of younger vultures. Hatzofe says the data from the tagged GPS vultures isn't transmitted solely back to Israel, but to the animal-tracking website Movebank, where other scientists can analyze the data. The Israeli scientists first knew something was amiss in early December, when the GPS system (pictured above) indicated the vulture was on the ground and was moving along a road in western Sudan. The Griffon vulture is not a migratory bird, but it isn't uncommon for them to make their way into northern Africa, according to Hatzofe, who says the vulture's wing tag included a message asking anyone who found the bird to contact him or the university. "My email address is on the vulture," he told CNN, "but I never got a message." The Israeli government declined to comment on this story, and repeated calls to Sudanese officials went unanswered. Hatzofe says that the real danger of claiming that GPS-tagged birds are spies is that it could prompt government officials to kill animals they capture. "There is nothing new about birds tagged for studies, and if governments will not reject these types of rumors, then others will grab their weapons and hunt down wildlife -- the exact opposite of what conservationists want." CNN's Dominique van Heerden contributed to this report.

FBI: 2 Alabama men plotted jihad in Africa

By Pete Williams, NBC News FBI agents have arrested two Alabama men accused of plotting to wage violent jihad in Africa. Mohammad Abdul Rahman Abukhdair, 25, and Randy Wilson, also known as Rasheed Wilson, 25, both U.S.citizens living in Mobile, were arrested Tuesday on terrorism charges.  Prosecutors say they planned to travel to Mauritania, in West Africa,  intending to prepare to engage in jihad. Wilson was arrested Tuesday morning in at the Atlanta airport while preparing to begin a journey to Morocco, investigators say. Abukhdair was arrested in Augusta, Ga., at a bus terminal, also beginning a trip to Morocco. Investigators say the men met online two years ago when Wilson was living in Mobile and Abukhdair was living in Egypt. Last year, prosecutors say, the men were introduced to someone who turned out to be an undercover FBI operative. Court documents say they explained that they had already formulated a plan to wage jihad overseas. Earlier this year, court documents say, the two thought they detected FBI surveillance, so they threw their laptop computers into Mobile Bay and opened a men's fragrance store to make it appear they had no plans to leave the country.  But the actual FBI surveillance continued until they were arrested Tuesday. The fragrance store closed after four months because of a lack of business.  Pete Williams is NBC News' justice correspondent More content from NBCNews.com: More graves found at notorious Florida reform school for boys Marijuana sales? Lots of obstacles still to weed out in Washington, Colorado California exodus as thousands quit state for Texas, Ariz., elsewhere Banking giant HSBC to pay record $1.9 billion in money-laundering case Video: Massive gas line blaze caught on camera Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Suspected gas line blast sends flames soaring

WSAZ Flames shoot into the air near Sissonville, W. Va., Tuesday after a suspected gas line explosion. By Kari Huus, NBC News A suspected gas line explosion rocked an area near Sissonville, W.Va., Tuesday, sparking multiple fires, and burning and melting several structures, according to reports from the area. No injuries or fatalities had so far been reported from the blast, which was reported at about 12:40 p.m. ET., according to KSAZ-TV, based in Huntington, W. Va.  Video showed flames leaping high into the sky and across Interstate 77, the north-south arterial that goes through Charleston, W. Va., about 10 miles south of Sissonville. Portions of I-77 were closed and traffic was being diverted. KSAZ reported. "The flames are shooting 50, 75 to 100 feet. There's fire everywhere," said Kanahwa County Commissioner Kent Carper, speaking from the scene, West Virginia Metro News reported. "Gas company is on the scene working with emergency officials to get the gas shut off, then we'll assess if we have injuries or casualties. At this time it's a fairly chaotic scene," he said, according to the report. KSAZ reported that the gas line had been capped, citing emergency officials, but NBC News did not have independent verification. Carper told 58-WEHS that several homes and other structures were damaged by fire and intense heat from the blast. "It's caused houses to melt and burn way far away," he said. "Many structures are on fire in a large fire area stretching hundreds and hundreds of feet." He said that the explosion occurred very close to Cedar Ridge Nursing Home in Sissonville, an unincorporated area with a population of about 4,000. Officials of a plant in the vicinity of the blast, NGK Spark Plugs, said that they had shut down for at least two work shifts, according to the report. Residents in the area, including children at Sissonville Elementary school had been directed to shelter in place, according to KSAZ. This story will be updated as additional information becomes available. More content from NBCNews.com: More graves found at notorious Florida reform school for boys Marijuana sales? Lots of obstacles still to weed out in Washington, Colorado California exodus as thousands quit state for Texas, Ariz., elsewhere New York Hasidic counselor found guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing girl Pentagon identifies SEAL killed during hostage rescue Video:Troubling signs in paradise Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Remains found at Rivera crash site

Remains have been found at the site where Jenni Rivera's plane is believed to have crashed Investigators cannot say whose remains they are yet and wouldn't describe their condition DNA tests are under way; results could take from a day to weeks, official says (CNN) -- Investigators have found human remains at the site of a crash in northern Mexico believed to have killed Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera, but the family continues to hold on to a sliver of hope for a miracle. Civil aviation officials say they believe no one survived the crash. Yet Rivera's family says hope is the last thing to go. Authorities would not describe the condition of the remains, but said they do not know how many people they belong to. The remains were found Tuesday at the site of the wreckage and were transported to Monterrey, the same city the private Learjet took off from, said Priscila Rivas, spokeswoman for the state's public ministry. It is too early to tell if Rivera's remains were among those found, Rivas said, but DNA tests are under way. Test results could take anywhere from a day to weeks, she said. Rivera's brother, Lupillo, arrived in Monterrey from the family's home in Lakewood, California. Before he left California, he described the situation as "95% bad news," but added that the family is clinging to the small hope that Jenni Rivera somehow survived. A makeshift altar with flowers, balloons and candles appeared on the family's front lawn. "I trust in God, and he gives me strength," said Rivera's mother, Rosa Rivera. "I know that if indeed (she's dead), I would thank God for the time he shared her with me, for the precious time she called me Mother." Six others, including two pilots, were thought to be on board the plane, which lost contact with air traffic controllers soon after takeoff. Born in Long Beach, California, to Mexican immigrant parents, Rivera, 43, released her debut album in 1999, according to her website. She sings traditional Mexican ballads, and was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award in 2002 in the category of "Best Banda Album." In October, People en Espanol named Rivera to its list of the 25 most powerful women. Famous for her music, she is also known for her tumultuous personal life. The singer was a single mom at the age of 15 and is the mother of five, her website said. Rivera's "I Love Jenni" reality show began airing on Telemundo's mun2 network last year. She is a judge on the popular TV show "The Voice Mexico," which was scheduled to air Sunday night on Televisa. Noting its concern for Rivera, Televisa said it would air a special report on the singer instead. "To all her fans who are suffering, I say thank you, and don't suffer. Soon we will have news of her," Rosa Rivera said. CNN's Jaqueline Hurtado and CNNMexico.com contributed to this report.

LZ: Drunken driving not about NFL

A police officer arrests a driver who failed a sobriety test. LZ Granderson says football players have a low rate of DUIs. LZ Granderson: NFL slammed after player's arrest on intoxication manslaughter charge But drunken driving is not an NFL issue, he says, since it happens in all walks of life Granderson: General population, mostly young men, have much higher rate than NFL We need to talk about the culture that promotes excessive drinking, he says Editor's note: LZ Granderson, who writes a weekly column for CNN.com, was named journalist of the year by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and is a 2011 Online Journalism Award finalist for commentary. He is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter: @locs_n_laughs (CNN) -- Over the past few days we've heard a lot of criticism directed at the National Football League after the arrest of a Dallas Cowboy player on an intoxication manslaughter charge. And justifiably so: A 25-year-old father-to-be who was riding in the player's car is dead. But we can't fall into the trap of making this conversation all about the NFL or even professional athletes. Doing that is a cop-out. Legendary country singer Randy Travis was arrested this year on a driving while intoxicated charge. South Carolina state Rep. Ted Vick was arrested this year on a charge of drunken driving. Florida's Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said Joshua Postorino, a Georgia Tech assistant basketball coach, was "swerving all over the road" before being arrested last week on a driving under the influence charge. We can try to make this conversation about NFL players -- but of the nearly 2,000 men who suit up per season, 14 DUI arrests are made, according to USA Today. That equates to a .7% percent rate. The rate for men in the general popul ation ages 20 to 29, the age bracket of most NFL players, is twice that. Meanwhile, men 21 to 34 are responsible for 42% of all DUI deaths. Become a fan of CNNOpinion Stay up to date on the latest opinion, analysis and conversations through social media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion and follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter. We welcome your ideas and comments. This issue isn't about football players. The MetLife Stadium doesn't stop serving alcohol at the beginning of the third quarter because officials are afraid the players are going to try to drive home drunk. If we want to use this tragedy in Dallas to talk about DUIs, then perhaps we need to be more focused on the men who watch the games, not play them. The stats suggest the average guy probably doesn't need to go the full six degrees of separation before finding a connection with another guy who got behind the wheel of a car when he shouldn't have. Jerry Brown's family praying for Brent Attorney: Cowboy 'not doing well' When I look back at my 20s, I know I've been lucky more than once, and I thank God that his grace covered me when my pride put me -- and others -- in harm's way. Too proud to say I've had too much to drink because men are supposed to be able to handle our liquor. Too proud to say I need a ride home, because that would be asking for help -- and men don't like to do that. Too proud to admit I might've been out of control, even though being out of control is the main side effect of excessive drinking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says men are much more likely than women to drink excessively and drive at high speeds. Men average about 12.5 binge drinking episodes a year; Women average 2.7. And yet we want to make this entire conversation about sports, when this is no more a sports story than a rerun of "Sex and the City." Last year Alan Hale, a state representative and bar owner from Montana, got on the House floor and advocated for a repeal of all DUI laws because they hurt small businesses and "they're destroying a way of life." FYI: There is no professional sports team in Montana. Our culture promotes a casual attitude about intoxication -- from "The Hangover" to Jamie Foxx's Grammy-winning "Blame It" -- and then gets all pious when something bad happens because of alcohol. If we want to have a grownup conversation about DUIs, that's where it should start: Otherwise we're just sucking up oxygen. Does this mean the NFL should ignore drunken driving arrests of its players? Of course not. But the CDC says adults got behind the wheel drunk an estimated 112 million times in 2010 -- nearly 300,000 times a day -- and that 81% of all drunken drivers are men. So whatever thoughts we may be harboring about athletes who drink and drive, it would be wise to extend those feelings far beyond the realm of sports. Nearly 11,000 people are killed each year because of alcohol-impaired driving. But since 1998, there have only been three NFL players who have been suspected of having killed someone because of driving drunk. You can do the rest of the math from there. Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion. Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion. The opinions in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson.