Daily Edition: San
José, Costa Rica, September 10, 2003
|
|
|
|
Slaying Victim's Mom Satisfied
with Preliminary Murder Hearing
Kansas native Jeanette Stauffer said she was "satisfied" with the results of
yesterday's preliminary hearing for the killing of her daughter, University
of Kansas student Shannon Martin, who was stabbed to death May 13, 2001 in
the southern Pacific port town of Golfito.
(Click for more)
Pacheco: President to the End
President Abel Pacheco yesterday reiterated that he will not resign as
President in light of the recent campaign-finance scandal, though it is
still not clear who Pacheco thinks is calling for him to step down.
(Click for
more)
Costa Rica Proud of Its
Infant Mortality Rate
To commemorate National Children's Day, Health Minister Rocío Sáenz
yesterday conducted a recap of recent actions taken to reduce the country's
infant mortality rate -- the lowest in Latin America behind Cuba and the
54th lowest in the world, registering 10.18 deaths for each 1,000 births.
September 10
Short Documentary Presentation
Don’t miss today's presentation of the film "Pura Vida" by Hüseyin Akin, at
7 p.m. at Alliance Française, Av. 7, Ca. 5. Info: 222-2283.
Poetry Round Table
poets Alejandro Cordero, Gabriela Arguedas, María Amanda Rivas and Joan
Brenes will discuss the poetry of Argentine Andrés Neuman at 7 p.m., at the
Spanish Cultural Center, Av. 13, Ca. 31. Info: 257-2919.
Art Conference
María Iovino, curator of the art exhibit by Oscar Múñoz, is talking tonight
about his work, which includes videos, drawings, photos, and installations
at 7 p.m., at TEOR/ética Gallery, Av. 9/11, Ca. 7. Info: 233-4881 or
221-6971.
Slaying Victim's Mom Satisfied
with Preliminary Murder Hearing
By Tim Rogers
trogers@ticotimes.net
 SO FAR; SO GOOD: Jeanette Stauffer and husband Brad are in Golfito for preliminary hearing. TT/ Tim Rogers |
Kansas native Jeanette Stauffer said she was "satisfied"
with the results of yesterday's preliminary hearing for the killing of her
daughter, University of Kansas student Shannon Martin, who was stabbed to
death May 13, 2001 in the southern Pacific port town of Golfito.
Yesterday's preliminary hearing in Golfito was the second time suspects
Kattia Cruz, 27, Rafael Zumbado, 52, and Luis Alberto Castro, 32, were
formally charged with murdering Martin.
Golfito Prosecutor Erick Martinez charged the three Costa Rican suspects
with first-degree murder during a separate preliminary hearing last May. But
sources close to the investigation claimed the evidence presented against
the two male suspects was weak, prompting Stauffer to file a motion for
formal representation in the proceedings as the mother of the victim.
The judge granted Stauffer participation in the case last June and she hired
area lawyer Juan Carlos Arce, who, with the help of a special investigator
sent to Costa Rica from the Kansas Bureau of Investigations (KBI), retraced
the investigation, interviewed new witnesses and filed a second set of
murder charges in July.
During yesterday's hearing, presided by Judge Paul Hernandez and attended by
the three suspects, their defense lawyers, Prosecutor Martínez, Stauffer and
Arce, the accused were presented with both sets of charges.
According to courtroom sources, the defense counsel denied the charges and
proceeded to read large sections of the Costa Rican penal code, as an
apparent vague effort to be saying something with their allotted time.
"The defense had nothing new, they had no arguments," according to a
courtroom witness, who wished not to be identified.
Stauffer also read a statement to the judge, thanking the court for treating
her fairly and blasting her daughter's killers as having acted: "Worse than
animals at a slaughter."
Arce, meanwhile, told the judge he was going to introduce unspecific new
evidence in the upcoming murder trial, along with four new witnesses who
have not yet been identified. There are now 20 witnesses who will be called
by Arce and Prosecutor Martínez to testify against the three suspects.
Arce also told Judge Hernandez that several of the witnesses are claiming
they are being threatened by suspect Castro, better known by the street name
"Caballo" (The Horse), who was arrested for the Martin killing last year,
but later let out of jail on conditional freedoms. Suspects Zumbado and
Cruz, known by the respective nicknames "Coco" and "La Panteonera" (The
Grave Robber), are both behind bars.
Arce requested that Caballo be returned to jail before the trial, in order
to conduct more interviews without witnesses fearing for their safety. The
KBI's Larry Thomas is expected to return to Golfito Sept. 18 to help conduct
interviews, according to Stauffer.
According to sources close to the investigation, Cruz -- who could face 30
years in jail -- might try to seek a plea-bargain in exchange for a lighter
sentence. The strongest evidence presented in both sets of murder charges
appears to be against Cruz, and her testimony is considered key to getting
convictions against the two male suspects.
Stauffer, however, is not sure how she feels about a plea bargain.
"The murderers didn't show my daughter any mercy," she said.
The judge now has 48 hours to decide whether to sentence Caballo to another
preventive prison sentence and set a date for the trial.
"I feel confident that we are where we need to be and I feel like an end is
in sight," a relieved Stauffer said last night.
Pacheco: President to the End
By Tim Rogers
trogers@ticotimes.net
 STILL THE BOSS: Pacheco TT photo |
President Abel Pacheco yesterday reiterated that he will not
resign as President in light of the recent campaign-finance scandal, though
it is still not clear who Pacheco thinks is calling for him to step down.
Asked by journalists to identify the groups asking for the President's
resignation, Pacheco replied: "Read the newspapers and you will find the
names of these people." However, confusion remained as to whom the President
was referring.
Unlike last week, when Pacheco appeared defensive about his rumored
resignation, the President appeared to be in better spirits this week,
addressing the situation with humor and irony.
"Those who are hoping that I will die in office can forget about it," the
69-year-old President said. "I feel better everyday and I will be at the job
until May 8, 2006 [the last day of his term]."
Pacheco, faced with a campaign-finance scandal that has shaken the
foundations of his anti-corruption administration, joked about what would
happen if he resigned.
"If I resigned, I would be replaced by [First Vice President] Luis Fishman,
as if he were elected with different campaign money," Pacheco said. If
Fishman and Second Vice President Lineth Saborio also resigned, the new
President would become congressional president Mario Rodondo, who was also
elected with the money raised by the ruling Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC),
he continued.
"If all the PUSC deputies resigned, you would find the other party [National
Liberation] is in the same situation [facing campaign-finance scandal]," the
President said. "And if all the deputies go, who is going to govern the
country?"
On a more serious note, Pacheco said: "I made a promise to all the people
who elected me -- the campesinos, the housewives, the professional workers
-- and I have to comply with it."
Costa Rica Proud of Its
Infant Mortality Rate
By Fabián Borges
fborges@ticotimes.net
To commemorate National Children's Day, Health Minister Rocío Sáenz
yesterday conducted a recap of recent actions taken to reduce the country's
infant mortality rate -- the lowest in Latin America behind Cuba and the
54th lowest in the world, registering 10.18 deaths for each 1,000 births.
President Abel Pacheco stressed that Costa Rica's infant mortality rate is
actually the best in Latin America, considering Cuba's statistics are warped
by the fact the government aborts infants born with severe disabilities.
"Unlike Cuba, Costa Rica accepts all the children that God gives us and try
to make their lives as good as possible," Pacheco said.
The infant mortality rate measures the number of deaths of children under
the age of one that take place in a country during a given year. The United
Nations and other international organizations use it as an indicator to
measure a country's level of development and quality of life. On average,
countries with low infant mortality rates have high life-expectancy rates.
Since 1997, Costa Rica has implemented a system of detailed analysis of each
infant death with the purpose of trying to discover and eliminate flaws in
the healthcare system. Following each of the 700 infant deaths reported last
year, local healthcare personnel checked the family's medical records,
interviewed the mother and conducted an autopsy to determine the exact cause
of death.
The majority of infant deaths occur during the first month, with most dying
during the first day. Acute respiratory problems and diarrhea have been
identified as the leading causes of death among newborns. To combat these
illnesses, the Health Ministry is aiming to strengthen neonatal care at the
country's hospitals.
Additional efforts will be made to train healthcare personnel working at
rural Integral Attention Basic Healthcare Facilities (EBAIS) to better
address these weaknesses during infants' monthly checkups.
The Health Ministry also is working on strengthening the sanitation
standards at public and private healthcare facilities and launching a
national awareness campaign to prompt young mothers to undergo early
pregnancy detection.
"In general terms, we are proud of these results," Sáenz said. "Infant
mortality reflects the quality of life of people living in the country."
Daily News | Home | Top Story |
Business News | Central American News
Editorial Cartoon |
Weekend | Exchange Rates |
Fishing |
Culture | Classified Ads
Display Ads
| Subscribe! |
Travel Guide | Archives |
Links |
About Us |
Newsstand Locations
Contact Us
