Stories from Sunday, December 11, 2016

David Robinson fidgets a bit as he puts on the microphone for his second interview with reporters. The setting is the same as his first interview, the family room at Jefferson City Correctional Center. Robinson meets with a reporter and two photographers without restraints. He wears gray sweats and a white T-shirt. He has been afforded some conveniences for good behavior. The young female guard does not seem to share any of Robinson's apprehension with this meeting...

The package in Mary Green’s hand as she browsed the Plowshares International Fair-Trade Market had an elephant sketched on the front. “It’s a giftbox, with stationery,” she explained. “From Sri Lanka.” She, like many of the hundreds of shoppers who turned out Saturday morning at Abbey Road Christian Church, was enjoying the display of handcrafted goods from far-flung artisans...

David Robinson's secondary education was supplemented with time behind bars. One of the lessons of which he was aware was to be careful what you say and who you say it to in the Scott County Jail. "I know how Scott County roll," Robinson says. "They like doing that jailhouse-informant thing."...

The lawyers for David Robinson expected Albert Baker, 40 at the time, to recant under oath at an appeal Nov. 5, 2004. Two months prior, Baker had sat down and talked with investigator Butch Johnson. He did not submit to be recorded, and he did not sign an affidavit. But Baker agreed to recant and offered remorse for lying and pinning Sheila Box's murder on Robinson...

In August 2004, Butch Johnson, an investigator with the Missouri Public Defender's office, sat down with 21-year-old Romanze Mosby in an interview room at South Central Correctional Center in Licking, Missouri. Johnson sought to elicit information that could help his client, David Robinson, then 36, of Sikeston, Missouri...

Perryville, Missouri, firefighters still were putting out a fire at Atlas Roofing late Friday morning after it started Thursday night, according to public information officer Jeri Cain. Highly flammable roofing materials allowed the fire to spread quickly, and it spread to other buildings, Cain said. Employees were inside, but escaped the burning building without injuries, Cain said...

Nobody involved knew much about Sheila Box. David Robinson says he never had heard her name until he was charged with her murder. Albert Baker testified he had seen her buy crack with two children in a Suburban on July 4, 2000 -- a month before her killing -- but did not know her name...

By the end of the evidentiary hearing May 15, 2015, the lawyers for David Robinson thought they had presented an ironclad case for actual innocence. The two witnesses in the case had recanted under oath, and they had a confession from a man who was not their client. Robinson's lawyers, Jim Wyrsch and Jonathan Potts, said Robinson's case was the best actual-innocence case they had seen -- stronger than Missouri's precedent...

Major case squad members arrested an 18-year-old in relation to the shooting death of a 19-year-old Vanduser, Missouri, man about 5 p.m. Thursday. The Scott County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged Sean Thomas with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. His bond was set at $5,000 cash or surety. Major case squad members arrested Thomas between 8 and 9 p.m. Thursday, according to Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter...

Three juveniles were charged with making a terrorist threat last week at Central High School, according to a Cape Girardeau Police Department news release. A police investigation revealed the students had plans to shoot students but had not set a date for their plans, according to the release. The investigation included interviewing each student, the release stated. No firearms were found in the juveniles’ possession on school property or at their residences, according to the release...

Today in History Today is Sunday, Dec. 11, the 346th day of 2016. There are 20 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 11, 1816, Indiana became the 19th state. On this date: In 1792, France's King Louis XVI went before the Convention to face charges of treason. (Louis was convicted, and executed the following month.)...

Gary and Linda Littlepage of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Loni Marie Littlepage of College Station, Texas, to Michael Harrison Patke, son of David and Sherrie Patke of College Station. Loni is a 2006 graduate of Jackson High School and graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology in 2010 from Texas A&M University. ...

Dr. Melissa Reidy and Dr. Christopher Griffith were married Sept. 3, 2016, at Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church in Estes Park, Colorado. Deacon Stan Rymes performed the ceremony. Music was provided by the bride's brothers, Chris Reidy of Fallon, Nevada, and Tim Reidy of Milton, Georgia...

Adelaide Parsons was named for her late grandmother. The younger Adelaide never knew the elder, but said that if the stories are true, Adelaide Fitzpatrick had a maverick streak. "She was one of the first women in Cape [Girardeau] to drive a car," Parsons said. "And smoke cigarettes."...

This photo was taken near my birdfeeder Dec. 6, 2013, after an early winter snowstorm. The bird is a native to Europe and western Asia. It is called the European starling or "common starling." The European starling is an aggressive songbird about the size of the American robin...

The Christmas cantata, "Go Sing It On the Mountain," will be performed by the combined choirs of Westminster Presbyterian Church and Centenary United Methodist Church under the direction of Mike Dumey at 10:45 a.m. today at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1820 Perryville Road in Cape Girardeau...

AUGUSTA, Maine -- OK, I admit it. I pick up castoff gloves I find along the side of the road. You never know; these gloves that have blown out of the backs of pickup trucks can, if you're patient, be useful. You just need to hold onto that lonely left until you can match it up with a nearly matching right...

Sugarplums are beginning to dance in my head as I think about what I will bake and prepare for sweet treats over the Christmas holiday season. Of course there are all our traditional family favorite recipes we will enjoy, but I like to add a few new items each year...

I remember the first party I ever hosted. I was 5, and my mom invited all of my kindergarten girlfriends and their moms for a holiday singing gathering. We noshed on homemade cookies dunked in hot cocoa made from packets of powder dissolved in boiling water. ...

Normally around Christmastime, we begin wondering what to buy those we really care about. This could be a spouse or child or friend or someone who means a lot to us. If we know them well enough, we can get a gift that really means something, but there are times I think we try to buy the love of others with expensive gifts...

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is the celebration of Advent. Advent means "coming," and it is used to mark the coming of the Christ child. Advent usually begins the first Sunday after Thanksgiving and is celebrated through Christmas Eve. Each week, some, but not all, Christians in their homes and churches use Advent wreaths, on which they light one candle to mark the expected arrival of the Christ child...

Janie buzzed around the house, dusting hastily. As she worked, she chattered incessantly, telling me about her week and her plans with her children. I hire someone to clean our house sporadically, and Janie's a jewel. By the time she leaves, I'm tempted to quit what I'm doing and join her in the work of cleaning houses...

During the season of Advent, we focus on four virtues of the life of faith: hope, peace, joy and love. On this third Sunday of Advent, we spend time meditating on the presence of joy in our lives. If I am being honest, however, this is the Advent virtue with which I most struggle...

Submitted by Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary This 8- and 10-year-old bonded pair must stay together. The smaller one is deaf, and they need a loving home. They are available for adoption at Safe Harbor; call (573) 243-9823.

Whether or not you celebrate the Jewish holy days, a good brisket recipe is a nice thing to have in your winter repertoire. Brisket is a tough and fairly inexpensive cut of meat that gets amazingly tender after some quality time in the oven, and it requires little attention or care while it cooks. That's a nice characteristic in a piece of beef...

Happy birthday to Kevin Lape, Kim Wagoner, Leroy Uhrhan, Daniel Rains, Christina Daniels, Jason Ourth, Scott Hendrix, August Asmus, Kayla Chapman, Albert Eftink, Susie Seyer, Vernon Pobst, Siddie Swain, Paul Lappe, Marie Elfrink, Tyler Bollinger, Brian Hamm, Jae Hopkins, Jeannie Williams, Candace Witcher, Alfred Kluesner, Vera Redfern, Charley Robinson, Ron Kiefer, Randall Hibdon II, Carolyn Waither, Bob Uhrhan, Austin Dirnberger, Ruth Massey, Leann Knuckles, Lester Eichhorn, Ashton Lee, Todd Surface, Joshua Griffin and Addison Lincoln.. ...

Submitted by Mary Klaproth The Cape Girardeau County FCE Council recently installed officers for 2017 at the December FCE County Council meeting. They were installed by Mary Gosche (back row), FCE consultant, with a theme of prescription for success. From left are Darlene McCain, vice president; Jean Rehak, treasurer; Agnes Wachter, recording secretary; Mary Klaproth, president-elect; Sarah Ross, corresponding secretary; and Barbara Barks, president. They will assume their duties Jan. 1.

Monday: Chicken strips or French dip sandwich, baked potato wedges, steamed broccoli, whole-grain bread or bun and strawberries and bananas or iced cherry cake. Tuesday: Saucy pork chop or Romano chicken, sweet potato and apples, seasoned green beans, whole-grain hot roll and sugar-free tropical fruit with strawberries or apricot crisp...

Where do you celebrate the holidays?

Today, our newspaper begins a series of stories on the murder conviction of David Robinson. It is a long story. We will present it over four days in print, and in six parts in video. Robinson was convicted of shooting Sheila Box on Aug. 5, 2000. Our investigation began, in some respects, in 2009, when the case was first brought to the attention of a former Southeast Missourian crime reporter, Bridget DiCosmo. ...

O Lord God, may we not be self-seeking but instead lift one another up in love. Amen.

In the Nov. 29, 2016 newsletter from Cape’s Mid-America Teen Challenge, director Jim Bolin outlined the following under the heading “Our Time to Build”: “The past six years we have seen our student population nearly double in size. Our current student population is 180, and there is no sign in it slowing down. ...

For the third Cape Girardeau City Council election in eight years, the eligibility of a candidate has come into question; but this time a candidate will be excluded from the race; city officials have determined council candidate Jess Hopple isn't eligible to run for one of three council terms because he hasn't been a Cape Girardeau resident long enough to satisfy the city charter's requirements...

Willie James Southerland Sr., 65, of Jackson died Friday, Dec. 9, 2016, at his home. He was born Feb. 22, 1951, in McRae, Georgia, to Marylee Southerland. He and Clara Silman were married March 30, 1981, in Chicago. Willie received his bachelor's degree from Southeast Missouri State University in 1995. He had been a cook at the Jackson Manor...

Roger Duncan Scott, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 9, 2016, at his home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel, with the Rev. Weston Wildauer officiating. Burial will be at Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery in Cape Girardeau...

Larry Brian Schuler, 39, of Jackson entered heaven Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016. Larry was born Nov. 8, 1977, in St. Louis. He was the son of Joy and Mike Teson of Jackson and Lawrence Schuler of Wright City, Missouri. Larry was always full of life. He was very artistic; he loved children; and he had a heart of gold. Larry will be greatly missed and was too well-loved to ever be forgotten...

Sue Platt, 85, of Pineville, Louisiana, formerly of Jackson, died Friday, Dec. 9, 2016, at Lexington House in Alexandria, Louisiana. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Lucille Osman, 95, of Cairo died at 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, 2016, at Daystar Nursing & Rehab. She was born Sept. 21, 1921, in Cairo, the daughter of Virgil and Wilma Hock Hastings. She married Karon Osman on Dec. 25, 1940, and he preceded her in death Jan. 30, 1987...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Paul Michael Dirnberger Sr., 74, of New Hamburg passed away Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016, at his family home. He was born Oct. 27, 1942, in Cape Girardeau, the son of the late Oscar Michael and Anna Lucille Heisserer Dirnberger. He married Frances Ann Scheffer on July 14, 1962, and she survives of the home...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Richard A. Courtois Sr., 88, of Perryville died Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, at Independence Care Center of Perry County. He was born Aug. 21, 1928, in Perry County, son of Albert and Mary Gertrude Elder Courtois. He and Theresa Kirn were married Oct. 28, 1950. She preceded him in death May 14, 2013...

The Scott City Fire Department responded to the following calls: Dec. 2 n At 1:03 a.m., a vehicle fire on Interstate 55, mile marker 90. n At 5:31 p.m., motor-vehicle collision in the 2400 block of Main Street. Dec. 3 n At 5:41 a.m., emergency medical service in the 200 block of Jetta Mae Drive...

The Jackson Police Department released the following calls. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Brittany L. Ridenour, 23, of Chaffee, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree property damage and third-degree domestic assault. n Terri L. Ridenour, 22, of Chaffee, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Wednesday n Medical assists were made at 5:35 a.m. on Park Place; 7:26 a.m. on North Water Street; 9:50 a.m. on South Silver Springs Road; 11:52 a.m. on William Street; 1:02 p.m. on Sycamore Circle; 1:35 p.m. on North Main Street; 5:44 p.m. on South Ellis Street; and 7:35 p.m. on South Silver Springs Road...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs n Matthew R. King, 43, of Cape Girardeau was issued a summons for driving while intoxicated. n A suspect was in custody pending formal charges of driving while intoxicated, driving while revoked, no insurance and failure to signal...

Daughter to Asia Wade of Mound City, Illinois, Saint Francis Medical Center, 9:26 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. Name, Arie Starr. Weight, 7 pounds, 2 ounces. Second daughter. Wade is the daughter of Akia Wade of Anna, Illinois. Daughter to Clay Austin and Tiffany Marie Mothershead of Jackson, Saint Francis Medical Center, 11:53 a.m. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri lawmaker says Republican President-elect Donald Trump's promises to slash corporate income taxes could lend momentum to his proposal to eliminate the taxes completely in the state, a move that would make Missouri one of few states without business income taxes...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A new state bike trail will enable cyclists to access the Katy Trail from Columbia and ride nearly all the way to Kansas City. A 47.6-mile segment of Rock Island Trail State Park, which cost $15.5 million, was to open Saturday, The Columbia Missourian reported. It connects in Windsor with the Katy Trail, which continues west to Pleasant Hill, about 30 miles southeast of Kansas City...

Paving repairs will reduce northbound U.S. 61 to one lane between Gloria Drive and K Land Drive in Jackson. Missouri Department of Transportation crews will perform the repairs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily Monday through Dec. 22, according to a MoDOT news release...

HUNTINGTON, Ind. -- A full parking lot and 50-hour workweeks belie the anxiety at the United Technologies-owned factory outside a small northeastern Indiana city, where Mike Harmon and co-workers wonder whether they aren't stockpiling parts for when the company sends their 700 jobs to Mexico...

PELHAM, N.C. -- In today's racially charged environment, there's a label even the KKK disavows: white supremacy. Standing on a muddy dirt road in the dead of night near the North Carolina-Virginia border, masked Ku Klux Klan members claimed Donald Trump's election as president proves whites are taking back America from blacks, immigrants, Jews and other groups they describe as criminals and freeloaders...

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Prosecutors are using the Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof's own words to portray him as a cruel angry racist at his death penalty trial. Roof's two-hour confession to killing nine people at a church Bible study, recorded the day after the shooting, was introduced as evidence Friday, along with a handwritten journal found in his car...

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump's presidential transition team Saturday challenged the veracity of U.S. intelligence assessments Russia was trying to tip the November election to the Republican. A top Senate Democrat demanded a full congressional investigation...

WASHINGTON -- Seven years before Thomas Sims defended Sammie Stokes in a South Carolina death-penalty trial, he had prosecuted Stokes for assaulting his ex-wife. The trial record shows Sims never told the judge in the murder case about that earlier prosecution, not even when the ex-wife took the stand against his client to recount the assault...

NEW YORK -- Even as homicide rates have climbed in other American cities, New York City is again on pace to have a near-record low number of shootings. Police there partly are crediting refined tactics that include collecting more data and forensic evidence to go after the worst offenders...

OAKLAND, Calif. -- To set foot in the Ghost Ship on a party night was to pass through the doors of an old warehouse and enter an exotic world glowing with rainbow lanterns, guarded by figures of Asian deities and pulsing with a welcoming vibe. Performers who came to play the electronic dance party last weekend and those looking to be awed by the sounds and scene wanted to be among people who accepted them for who they were. ...

ISTANBUL -- Two explosions struck Saturday night outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul after fans had gone home, an attack that wounded at least 20 police officers, Turkish authorities said. One of the blasts was thought to be a car bomb, and the second appeared to have been caused by a suicide bomber...

WASHINGTON -- President-elect Donald Trump moved closer to nominating Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of State on Saturday, a decision that would bring a business leader with close ties to Russia into the Cabinet. Trump privately has signaled he plans to tap Tillerson for the powerful Cabinet post but had not formally offered him the job as of Saturday evening, according to people who have spoken with Trump and his transition team...

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Joe Piscopo's Frank Sinatra impression, made famous from his days on "Saturday Night Live," has gotten an update. It's no longer "New York, New York," but "NJ, NJ," the actor, standup comic and potential 2017 Republican candidate for governor is crooning...

ATMORE, Ala. -- Defenders of a condemned inmate in Alabama are calling his execution an "avoidable disaster," but the state prison commissioner said there was no visible evidence he suffered during a lethal injection. Death-row inmate Ronald Bert Smith Jr. coughed, and his upper body heaved repeatedly, for the 13 minutes as he was being sedated, and his arms appeared to move slightly after two tests were administered to determine consciousness...

STOCKHOLM -- Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Saturday accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, saying it helped his country achieve the "impossible dream" of ending a half-century civil war. A smiling Santos received his Nobel diploma and gold medal at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, for his efforts to end a conflict that has killed 220,000 people and displaced 8 million...

SEOUL, South Korea -- The previous time South Korea's parliament voted to impeach a president, ruling party lawmakers bawled and hurled ballot boxes, a man set himself on fire in front of the National Assembly, and thousands held candlelight vigils night after night to save late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun...

MANAMA, Bahrain -- Drawing the U.S. deeper into the Syria conflict, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced Saturday he is sending 200 more troops to accelerate the push on the Islamic State's self-declared capital of Raqqa. The 200, to include special operations troops, are in addition to 300 authorized for the effort to recruit, organize, train and advise local Syrian Arab and Kurdish forces to fight IS. Carter said the expanded U.S. involvement was approved by President Barack Obama last week...

MEDFORD, Ore. -- A flock of wild turkeys has sparked ire after causing power outages in Medford. Wild turkeys flying into Pacific Power Lines have been responsible for four morning outages in the last month, cutting off power for more than 1,600 residents and businesses. Pacific Power spokesman Monte Mendenhall said it's unclear how the utility will resolve the issue. It is illegal to shoot or hunt in Medford city limits. And trapping turkeys is thought to be difficult and time-consuming...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff Middle School student recently was suspended and referred to juvenile authorities after bringing an airsoft replica gun to school. It was the the second incident involving the controversial toys this semester. School officials said no students were threatened or harmed in either incident...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — A year ago Friday, a Poplar Bluff teenager was killed in a hit-and-run accident. Since then, neither of the drivers who allegedly struck her have stood trial for her death. The case against one of the suspected drivers is ongoing, as a failure-to-appear warrant remains outstanding for his arrest...

A new tenant will be moving into the Marquette Tower, bringing a new dining option to downtown Cape Girardeau. The owners of Primo Vino LLC, who are responsible for Cask, a craft spirits and beer lounge, and Primo Vino, which specializes in wine, on Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, are jumping into a new venture: restaurant ownership. And it will begin with Baristas Coffee Bar on the first floor of 338 Broadway...

Submitted by the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri Libby is 4 years old. She is spayed and housebroken. Libby is available for adoption at the Humane Society; call (573) 334-5837.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas! Not only is Christmas a joyous time to step back and remember the reason for the season and spend time reflecting with family ... Oh, who am I kidding? Christmas is just another reason for moms to overbook and overschedule themselves and their families...