Crime and Court Roundup: A woman accused of killing her lover in Wisconsin has admitted slaying her husband in Minnesota

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A woman accused of killing her lover in Wisconsin has admitted slaying her husband in Minnesota. 39-year-old Angelina O’Mara was in the fourth day of her Minnesota trial when she pleaded guilty yesterday to her first-degree murder charge. She admitted taking a .22-caliber rifle to James O’Mara’s apartment in Sauk Rapids Minnesota, and shooting him once in the head as he was lying on a couch. That happened October 28th of last year. A few days later, police in far northern Wisconsin said the woman’s boyfriend, Michael Pies of Blaine Minnesota, was found shot-to-death at a motel room in Ashland. Angelina O’Mara is scheduled to be sentenced December 21st in Benton County Minnesota for her husband’s murder. Once that case is finalized, officials say she’ll face a first-degree intentional homicide charge in Ashland County in Pies’ death.

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Wisconsin’s attorney general says residents only have about three weeks to claim part of a settlement in a class action lawsuit against the makers of flat screens. The Badger State was included in a billion-dollar settlement of a suit that accused L-C-D screen-makers of conspiring to inflate their prices. Anyone who bought a flat-screen T-V, laptop, or computer screen from 1999-through-2006 could be eligible for anywhere from 25-dollars to over 100 as part of the settlement. You don’t need a receipt – but you’ll be asked a few questions to see if you’re eligible for a check. Van Hollen has been encouraging Wisconsinites to take advantage if they can. The deadline to apply is December sixth. Claims can be filed online at LCDclass-Dot-Com.

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A new judge has been named to hear the cases of two Argyle brothers charged with starting a house fire that killed three young relatives. 32-year-old Armin Wand-the-Third and 18-year-old Jeremy Wand asked for the new judge during a court appearance yesterday in Lafayette County. Later in the day, a regional court administrator appointed Judge Thomas Vale from neighboring Green County to hear the matter. Both Wand brothers were ordered to stand trial after they waived their preliminary hearings. Judge Vale will now schedule an arraignment, where the defendants will enter pleas to numerous charges of homicide, attempted homicide, and arson. Defense lawyers also asked yesterday for a change-of-venue for the Wands’ trials, if they’re not canceled by plea bargains. They’ve asked that the trials either be moved out of the Madison T-V market, or that a jury be brought in from outside the market. One lawyer said the heavy publicity in the Madison area has tainted the jury pool of Lafayette County residents. Armin Wand’s house was burned down in the September 7th blaze. Three of Armin’s children were killed, along with a unborn child carried by his wife. She was seriously injured, and the couple’s young daughter escaped the blaze unharmed.

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Racine Police say more families are coming forward to report that their children were watched by Alexander Richter – a baby-sitter who was charged Monday with 26 sex-related felonies. Richter, who turns 29 next Tuesday, faces two counts of repeated sexual assault of the same child – plus numerous other counts of child sexploitation and possessing child pornography. He’s accused of filming and sexually-abusing young children in his Racine apartment. W-T-M-J T-V in Milwaukee said some of the victims were the children of students at Gateway Technical College – and students said rumors are spreading on campus while the school has said nothing. Police said they’re not sure whether Gateway was the only link that Richter had to his victims, and that’s why they’re still asking the public to report any contact their kids have had with the defendant. Richter’s in jail under a half-million-dollar bond. He’s due back in court a week from today for a preliminary hearing.

Tags: news, crime, courts, minnesota