Crime and Court Roundup: Trial continues in U of M student's murder from Appleton

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A jury in Minneapolis is hearing a fourth day of testimony in the trial of a driver charged with killing a University of Minnesota student from Appleton. Prosecutors tried to show yesterday that 29-year-old Tim Bakdash of Roseville Minnesota acted with intent, when his vehicle struck and killed 23-year-old Benjamin Van Handel of Appleton and knocked down two of his female friends. It happened last April 15th. Brandon Bordeau – who bought the car that Bakdash allegedly used in the incident – said Bakdash first he claimed he hit an animal with it. But later, he admitted he was planning to kill people with whom he had arguments in a bar that night. And Bordeau said Bakdash showed no remorse over what happened.

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The judge in the Milwaukee Catholic church bankruptcy case says there is no child safety crisis in the compensation claims made by 570 victims of priest sex abuse. Susan Kelley said those who contend otherwise have quote, “agendas that don’t match ours.” At a hearing yesterday, Kelley told lawyers on both sides to get back to the process of financially re-organizing the Archdiocese, and paying victims with legitimate abuse claims. Earlier, victims’ attorney Jeff Anderson cited court documents showing that 75 priests and 25 others who were never named by the church committed eight-thousand sexual abuse acts. Victims’ advocates called that a “public safety crisis.” And that sprung politicians into action, as nine Democratic state lawmakers asked the attorney general to investigate. The Justice Department says it takes the matter seriously, but it would not say yesterday if any investigations are taking place. Judge Kelley said she reviewed all of the abusers’ compensation claims. And she could not find quote, “one iota of a public safety crisis to be concerned about.” She said most of the compensation requests come from 44 priests already identified – and most are dead. The judge said her mission is to get the church to pay valid compensation claims and quote, “We’re not here to humiliate people, or bring up matters from the 1950’s.” Kelley also said most of the compensation requests come from 44 priests already identified – and most are dead.

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A former Milwaukee man has pleaded guilty to helping steal almost four-million dollars by staging inside robberies in armored cars with his father. 39-year-old Vincent Cabello of Portland Oregon will be sentenced June sixth, after being convicted yesterday of conspiracy to commit bank larceny and money laundering. His parents, Archie and Marian Cabello, are scheduled to go on trial in April in Portland. Prosecutors said Vincent and Archie Cabello worked for Dunbar when they staged a 1995 robbery in one of its armored cars in Milwaukee, stealing 158-thousand dollars. They reportedly did the same three years later at Milwaukee’s American Security Corporation, stealing 730-thousand. And authorities said they got suspicious after the men staged a 2005 armored car heist in Portland which netted them three-million dollars. Prosecutors said Vincent and his parents used false names to get credit cards and money orders to try-and-hide the stolen cash. And they allegedly filed false tax returns, claiming annual incomes as low as 10-thousand dollars. Meanwhile, the younger Cabello reportedly led officers to even more stolen cash recently. F-B-I agents found a safe deposit box on Monday in Bellevue Washington which had around two-million dollars.

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