CRIMINAL LAW

The Venezuelan government passed a new gun law that prohibits the commercial sale of firearms and ammunition, moving the country closer to President Hugo Chavez and his administration's goal of disarming all civilians as crime rates continue to rise.

Police made the fist arrest in the Etan Patz case Thursday, when they held Pedro Hernandez, a 51-year-old man from Maple Shades, N.J., on a murder charge. Hernandez confessed to choking Patz to death after luring him into the basement of a convenient store with the promise of a soda.

There's a glimmer of hope that authorities may finally solve the 33-year-old cold case of Etan Patz, a boy who disappeared in 1979 while on his way to the school bus stop.

Forty-five prisoners are abstaining from food in an effort to highlight what they say are inhumane conditions in Virginia's Red Onion State Prison.

Lawmakers rejected the Smith-Amash amendment, which would have barred the indefinite military detention, without charge or trial, of terror suspects apprehended on U.S. soil.

After Former NFL defensive end Johnny Jolly was given shock probation, many sports fans are wondering what the legal term even means. By definition, Shock probation allows defendants an opportunity to receive probation earlier than expected, as a result of the inmate suffering from shock or trauma of being in jail.

Texas, already facing flack for putting an innocent man to death in 2004, likely executed another innocent man in 1989, according to the university's Human Rights Law Review.

The high costs and moral implications of applying the death penalty has led five states to repeal their capital punishment laws in the same number of years.

Will charges be dropped in Mark Abaire's $1 felony case in which he is accused of stealing $1 worth of soda from a Florida McDonald's and now faces up to five years in prison if convicted of the charges?

The International Criminal Court may investigate possible war crimes -- including rape and the conscription of child soldiers -- in Mali committed since political violence erupted there in January.

Jose Baez, who was the lead attorney for Casey Anthony, for the first time publicly confessed details about ABC News' controversial payment of $200,000 to his client Casey. Baez in an interview with PBS's Frontline that aired on Tuesday acknowledged that he and his client were able to mount a successful defense only form the money his client received from ABC News. ABC News paid $200,000 large sum of money to Anthony's family only to gain the exclusive rights to photos of Casey ...

Verna McClain was charged early Wednesday for the murder of Kala Marie Golden and the abduction of her 3-day-old son Keegan Schuchardt. At a hearing McClain, a registered nurse, was denied bail and faces capital murder charges that could lead to the death penalty.

In 1982, Debbie Peagler was desperately trying to escape the clutches of an abusive relationship. Her boyfriend, Oliver Wilson, had been threatening to end her life after years of controlling her every action. Wilson was arrested for his attempts to harm Peagler and although he had put her through years of abuse and tournament, he was released from prison.

The suspects in the Tulsa, Okla., shooting spree were arraigned on Monday, and pleas of not guilty were entered for both defendants Jake England and Alvin Watts.

Alabama's tough new immigration law has faced a torrent of criticism, and Alabama lawmakers are debating new legislation that supporters say will address those concerns.

Zimmerman will be arraigned on second-degree murder charges on May 29.

Angela Corey, special prosecutor appointed in Trayvon Martin case, announced on Monday that a grand jury will not look into the case, leaving the decision on whether to charge the neighborhood watch captain to herself. The decision should not be considered a factor in the final determination of the case. At this time, the investigation continues and there will be no further comment. From the moment she was assigned, Ms. Corey noted she may not need a grand jury, Corey's office said.

The ban on capital punishment -- life without the chance for parole will become the state's maximum punishment -- will apply only to future inmates, not those already on death row.

A new book by William Dear entitled O.J. Is Innocent and I Can Prove It named OJ Simpson's son Jason Simpson as the killer of Nicole Simpson Brown and Ronald Goldman. Dear, a Texas private investigator, spent nearly 20 years investigating the murder and claims now 41-year-old Jason Simpson, the oldest son of OJ Simpson, is the murderer in his new book.

Casey Anthony, America's most hated mother, is still unemployed, but has been attending her school, according to her March probation report.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn's reputation was further damaged on Monday, this time by aggravated pimping charges handed out by a French court.