Blogger's Note

     I just wanted to take a quick moment to share: this photo I took during the Ken Bluew trial, (posted on day 205), of the Saginaw County Medical Examiner demonstrating how he believed former Buena Vista Police Officer Ken Bluew strangled Jennifer Webb on the then-Saginaw County prosecutor placed an honorable mention in the MPPA's Best of 2012 general news category. A few people I work with and others from different areas of the state for MLive did really well. If you'd like to see the winners you can find them here!

Day 256/365

     My last assignment today was the sentencing of a woman who was recently convicted of embezzlement. She ran a funeral home in Bay County and reportedly embezzled over $400,000 from her customers. She got the maximum sentencing possible today, with a minimum of seven years to a maximum of twenty in prison, along with having to pay over $460,000 in restitution. A number of the victim's family members made statements on their behalf, saying everything from, "I feel sorry for you," to, "You're pathetic," to, "You're evil incarnate." The convicted woman, Erica C. Kaznowski, showed absolutely no emotion throughout the entire sentencing, even as she looked into the eyes of an 86 year-old woman who cried as she stated what dire straits she, her husband, and their adult children are in now that the money set aside for their funeral arrangements is completely gone. To see the article, you can find it on MLive here.

Day 205/365

     Today's post is a two-for-one from the Ken Bluew trial. The Saginaw County Medical Examiner testified today, stating that Jennifer Webb died from being in a choke hold, and not from hanging herself with an extension cord from the roof rack of her car. The Saginaw County Prosecutor asked him to demonstrate what he meant by a choke hold, and thus the gem that is today's top photo was born. The bottom one is Bluew watching the medical examiner walk down off of the stand and out of the courtroom, (or, at least, that's what it looked like to me). Since where I'm allowed to sit in the courtroom is behind Bluew and to his left, most of my shots of him are him in profile like this photo, but I still liked this one even if it's been overdone a bit by now. If you'd like to see more photos or articles from today's coverage, you can find them on MLive here.