My friend Peter Gartrell at his newspaper in Wyoming asked me to post this story around the internet, because they aren't publishing on Christmas. it's not a very political story, but it's a sordid tale of murder and mayhem:
Christopher Robert Hicks and Jacob Paul Martinez, both 19 and of Gillette, Wyo., stand accused of murdering 16-year-old Bryce Chavers on the orders of Kent Alan Proffit, who Chavers was supposed to testify against in a third-degree sexual assault trial. Proffit allegedly asked the men to kill Chavers in return for helping them get out of trouble with a drug dealer. Saturday deputies charged all three men with killing 19-year-old Jeremy Forquer, who they were worried would "snitch" on them about unknown activities. They also charged 15-year-old Michael Frank Seiser with accessory after the fact and with Chavers' murder. Hicks, Martinez and Proffit could all face the death penalty.