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Elliot Spagat

This 2011 photo provided by the Reis family shows Karen Reis, left, and her brother David Reis at his winging ceremony for the Navy. The Reis siblings were among the four people found dead in a New Year's Day shooting at a condominium in a toney neighborhood on San Diego Bay, the victims' father said Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. David Reis, 25, was an aviator in training at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar since September, and his sister was a girls volleyball coach and worked at a grocery store. (AP Photo/Reis Family Photo)

Navy pilot killed self in San Diego murder-suicide

Elliot Spagat, Julie Watson The Associated Press

Last updated Wednesday, January 4, 2012 - 1:51pm

SAN DIEGO -- A New Year's Day shooting that left four dead at a condominium near San Diego was a murder-suicide involving a 25-year-old Navy pilot who killed himself, officials said Wednesday.

Crime, Murder-suicide, Pilots, U.S. Navy, National Read more Comments

Blackout a reminder of power grid vulnerabilities

Elliot Spagat, Michael R. Blood The Associated Press

Last updated Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 6:17am

SAN DIEGO -- Power has been restored to millions of people in the Southwest and Mexico, but questions linger over how such a massive outage could have been caused by a single utility worker doing a minor repair job.

Thursday's blackout has puzzled authorities and experts and was a reminder that the nation's transmission lines remain all too vulnerable to cascading power failures.

Blackout, Electricity, Power grid, Power outage, National Read more Comments

DNA led to suicide ruling in mysterious mansion death

Elliot Spagat The Associated Press

Last updated Friday, September 2, 2011 - 4:56pm

SAN DIEGO -- Footprints spotted on a dusty balcony and traces of DNA found on knives and pieces of rope helped investigators conclude that the mysterious death of a woman found hanging naked at a historic California mansion was a suicide, authorities said Friday.

The overwhelming physical evidence suggests that Rebecca Zahau bound her ankles and wrists, tied a rope around her neck and hung herself from the balcony of her pharmaceutical tycoon boyfriend's home in suburban San Diego in July, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said.

Mystery, Suicide, National Read more Comments

Killer of 2 California girls gets life in prison

Elliot Spagat The Associated Press

Last updated Friday, May 14, 2010 - 3:34pm

SAN DIEGO -- A sex offender who admitted murdering two teenage girls was sentenced to life in prison without parole Friday after crying as the victims' families denounced him, the legal system and his mother.

Crime, National Read more Comments

Boy to be sentenced in Border Patrol agent's death

Elliot Spagat The Associated Press

Last updated Thursday, April 29, 2010 - 12:07pm

SAN DIEGO -- A 17-year-old Mexican faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced for killing a Border Patrol agent who was shot eight times in the head, neck and torso in a remote mountainous area.

Crime, Immigration, International, National Read more Comments

Toyota casts doubt on Prius case

Elliot Spagat, Tom Krisher The Associated Press

Last updated Monday, March 15, 2010 - 2:42pm

SAN DIEGO -- Toyota cast doubt Monday on a California man's claim that his Prius sped out of control, saying the report is inconsistent with the findings of the company's preliminary investigation.

Business, Safety, National Read more Comments

(The Associated Press) A California Highway Patrol officer helped slow this runaway Toyota Prius from 94 mph to a safe stop on Monday after the car's accelerator became stuck on a San Diego County freeway, the CHP said.

Feds to probe cause of runaway Prius in California

Elliot Spagat The Associated Press

Last updated Tuesday, March 9, 2010 - 6:45pm

EL CAJON, Calif. -- The government sent investigators Tuesday to examine a Prius that sped out of control on a California freeway, and Toyota said it wanted to interview the driver as the besieged automaker dealt with a high-profile new headache that raised questions about the safety of its beloved hybrid.

Safety Read more Comments

(LENNY IGNELZI/The Associated Press) John Albert Gardner III is escorted by sheriff deputies as he glances toward the judge at an arraignment where he pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in the case involving teenager Chelsea King in a San Diego Superior Courtroom Wednesday in San Diego.

Chelsea King suspect investigated for other crimes

Elliot Spagat The Associated Press

Last updated Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 2:09pm

SAN DIEGO -- A convicted sex offender charged with murdering Chelsea King in Southern California is under investigation in last year's disappearance of a 14-year-old girl and the attempted kidnapping of another teenager, authorities said.

Crime, Featured, National Read more Comments

(The Associated Press) In this undated family photo released by the King family shows Chelsea King, the missing 17-year-old teen from Poway a suburb of San Diego. The parents of a 17-year-old girl who failed to come home after a run in the park are pleading for people to come forward with information.

Sex offender charged in Chelsea King case

Elliot Spagat The Associated Press

Last updated Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 6:25pm

SAN DIEGO -- A 30-year-old convicted sex offender was charged Wednesday with murdering and raping or attempting to rape 17-year-old Chelsea King, who disappeared last week after heading out for a run in a park.

John Albert Gardner III stood in court in shackles with his eyes cast downward, showing no emotion, as an attorney entered pleas of not guilty in the potential death penalty case.

Crime, National Read more Comments

People attend a candlelight vigil held at St. Michael's Catholic Church for missing teenager Chelsea King Tuesday March 2, 2010 in Poway, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Mourning begins for SoCal teen after body is found

Elliot Spagat The Associated Press

Last updated Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 7:47am

SAN DIEGO -- Thousands of mourners walked the sidewalks of a wide avenue in silence, holding candles and tearfully embracing.

National Read more Comments

Man in Calif. teen case got light sentence in 2000

Elliot Spagat The Associated Press

Last updated Tuesday, March 2, 2010 - 2:01pm

SAN DIEGO -- A sex offender suspected in the disappearance of Chelsea King served only five years in prison for molesting a girl a decade ago after prosecutors rejected a psychiatrist's advice to seek a stiffer punishment, court documents state.

Crime, National Read more Comments

Search resumes for Calif. teen; sex offender held

Elliot Spagat The Associated Press

Last updated Monday, March 1, 2010 - 1:51pm

SAN DIEGO -- Authorities and volunteers widened their search Monday for a 17-year-old girl missing in San Diego County who may have been abducted by a registered sex offender.

Crime, National Read more Comments

Quakes hits wide area of US-Mexico border region

Elliot Spagat The Associated Press

Last updated Wednesday, December 30, 2009 - 3:27pm

SAN DIEGO -- Authorities say hospitals were briefly evacuated in the Mexican border city of Mexicali after a magnitude-5.8 earthquake. There are no reports of injuries or major property damage.

Earthquake, National Read more Comments