Hasta La Gadget!

By Daniel Wallis

DENVER, March 31 (Reuters) – A teenage Colorado girl whose remains were found dumped in a suitcase in a remote park area last month died from a drug overdose, the local coroner’s office said on Tuesday.

Kelly Mae Myers, 18, was reported missing in the mountain town of Grand Junction in December by relatives who said she may have tried to hitchhike to visit friends in Salt Lake City.

Police believe Myers died at a hotel in West Valley City, Utah, and that her body was then taken to the Cactus Creek area of Colorado. They have named two people of interest in her death.

“The cause of death is mixed drug intoxication and manner of death is undetermined at this time,” the Mesa County Coroner’s Office in Colorado said in a brief statement.

It added that because of the nature of the investigation, no further information would be released at this time.

The West Valley City Police Department last week identified Raymond Cordova, 47, and Eduardo Nasario Delacruz, 30, as people of interest in the case. They are both in custody in Mesa County on unrelated drug charges, online jail records showed.

Police said Myers was believed to have been picked up by Cordova and to have driven to Utah with him. They said the hotel room in West Valley City was rented by Delacruz.

Cordova is suspected of disposing of the suitcase containing Myers’ remains, the police department said. (Reporting by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Peter Cooney)

(Adds TMZ report that death considered suspicious, ex-girlfriend detained)

LOS ANGELES, March 31 (Reuters) – The grandson of billionaire Getty oil founder J. Paul Getty, Andrew Getty, was found dead on Tuesday at his Los Angeles area home, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The cause of death for Andrew Getty at his home in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles was not immediately clear, the paper said.

Celebrity news website TMZ reported that Getty, the son of Gordon Getty and an heir to his grandfather’s fortune, was found in a bathroom of the home at about 2 p.m. under suspicious circumstances and that a former girlfriend was being detained as a potential witness or suspect.

A Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman told Reuters that detectives were conducting a death investigation at a home in the Hollywood Hills, where a white male was found unconscious and not breathing.

The spokeswoman said she could not identify the dead man.

Getty’s grandfather, J. Paul Getty, merged several smaller oil companies into Getty Oil in the 1960s.

At one time one of America’s richest men, he was also an avid art collector who established the trust that funds the J. Paul Getty Museum and several other institutions. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Sandra Maler)

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The Connecticut Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a new trial for a brain-damaged man sentenced to life in prison for the 1987 killing of his wife’s 88-year-old grandmother — a conviction protested by high-profile supporters including writers Arthur Miller and William Styron.

The court ruled 4-2 that Richard Lapointe, 69, was deprived of a fair trial because prosecutors failed to disclose notes by a police officer that may have supported an alibi defense. The decision upholds an earlier ruling by the state Appellate Court, which in 2012 overturned Lapointe’s convictions for capital felony murder, sexual assault and other crimes. At his trial in 1992, Lapointe was convicted of killing Bernice Martin, who was found stabbed, raped and strangled in her burning Manchester apartment. A judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of release.

Lapointe’s lawyer and supporters said the evidence showed he could not have committed the crimes and his mental disability made him vulnerable to giving a false confession. His case became a cause celebre, receiving widespread publicity as advocates for the mentally disabled and other supporters rallied to prove his innocence.

Justice Richard Palmer wrote in the majority opinion, “The state deprived the petitioner of the opportunity to avail himself of highly relevant alibi evidence. … Fundamental fairness requires that the petitioner be afforded the opportunity to have a second jury consider that exonerating testimony.”

Palmer added: “Our conclusion takes due account of the fact that the state’s case against the petitioner was relatively weak, founded as it was on highly questionable admissions.”

Hoboken, New Jersey, lawyer Paul Casteleiro, who represented Lapointe in the appeal, said he would seek bail for Lapointe as soon as possible and planned to visit him Wednesday in prison. He said temporary living arrangements for Lapointe, who was arrested in July 1989, have already been put in place if he is able to post bail.

“It’s a just opinion and it does justice, finally, after 25 years,” Casteleiro said. “We had compelling evidence and the jury was deprived of it.”

A spokesman for the chief state’s attorney’s office said prosecutors were reviewing the ruling and had no comment.

At issue in the case were Lapointe’s whereabouts when the fire at Martin’s apartment began. Lapointe, who had gone to the apartment to check on Martin at the request of a family member, called 911 to report the fire shortly before 8:30 p.m. on March 8, 1987. Firefighters found Martin’s body inside.

Manchester Sgt. Michael Ludlow later talked with state fire marshals and took notes of the conversation. The defense said Ludlow’s note indicated that the fire started between 7:50 p.m. and 8 p.m., when Lapointe’s now-ex-wife, Karen Martin, said he was home, showing Lapointe couldn’t have started the fire.

Defense lawyers said they didn’t know about Ludlow’s notes until 1999, and if they had known, they would have presented more evidence of an alibi for Lapointe at his trial.

Assistant State’s Attorney Timothy Sugrue argued there was plenty of other proof, including Lapointe’s confession, physical evidence including a semen stain and pubic hair and his telling a family friend that Bernice Martin had been raped before police had any information of a sexual assault.

Lapointe’s lawyers and supporters say the confession was false. They cite his mental disability and say the pubic hair didn’t match Lapointe and the semen stain only showed it came from someone with the same blood type as Lapointe.

Lapointe suffers from Dandy-Walker Syndrome, a congenital brain malformation that results in hydrocephalus, or water on the brain.

Palmer wrote that it was difficult to imagine why Lapointe would want to kill Martin.

“One searches the record in vain for evidence that he ever was physically violent, that he suffered from a mood disorder, psychosis, drug addiction or anything else that could explain why, after visiting the victim every Sunday for years, he suddenly went back to her apartment on the Sunday in question and brutally murdered her, without his wife noticing either that he had left their house or any change in his demeanor or appearance upon his return,” Palmer wrote.

Welcome to the 2015 season — a faint glimmer of hope arrives on warmer winds for long-suffering Mets fans.

After a long, frozen offseason, the New York Mets are set to open against the Washington Nationals this Sunday on ESPN.

Last year was the sixth straight non-winning season for the Mets. The 2014 payroll of $84 million produced 79 wins and 83 losses.

And yet, there was a sense of genuine hope from fans going into Spring Training. The buzz from the pitching staff, free agents and returning faces all pointed towards a brighter season. Fans have even voted with their wallets: ticket sales are up nearly 20 percent over last year.

Then — in perhaps typical Mets luck — starting pitcher Zach Wheeler tore a tendon in his pitching arm, needs Tommy John surgery and will be out for 14 months. Relief pitcher Josh Edgin also has to undergo Tommy John surgery, and will miss all of 2105. The team announced they were placing all their bets on 41-year-old Bartolo Colon as their opening day pitcher — all leaving fans wondering if their precarious confidence was short-lived, and if the curse of the Mets would take its toll on yet another season. Would the saying “There’s always next season” happen again this year?

But do Amazin’ enthusiasts still have a reason to believe? Despite the early setbacks in Spring Training, could this still be the year the team makes the postseason for the first time since 2007?

Here are five things to watch in 2015:

1. The Starting Rotation

Rather than a triple threat of young hot Mets pitchers Matt Harvey (25 years old), 2014 MLB Rookie of the Year Jacob DeGrom (26) and Wheeler (24) forming a nucleus of an impressive rotation, the team has been forced to reconsider keeping pitcher Dillon Gee, who has been on the trading block.

Gee, age 28, has been something of an inconsistent player for the team. Last year he was 7-8 but overall in his career he has won 40 games and lost 34. If he makes the rotation this year, fans hope he will return to 2013 form when he struck out 142 batters in 199 innings.

The other big question mark, and the cause for most excitement is Harvey, who is coming off Tommy John surgery and last threw a Major League pitch in Aug. 2013. But Mets fans have good reason to be enthusiastic. He has looked solid in Spring Training, clocking a 99-mph fastball in his first outing.

The rotation also has deGrom returning. Not only did he capture the team’s first Rookie of the year since Dwight Gooden in 1984, he has quickly become a fan favorite. In fact, the Mets crack promotional staff has decreed May 2nd as Jacob deGrom Garden Gnome day.

2. The Outfield: Nowhere to Go But Up

The past few seasons for the outfield have been an unmitigated disaster. From drawing the ire of fans for gaffes that saw them ranked next to last in defense in the league, to a lack of offensive production, the Mets outfield has inspired more jokes than confidence.

However, the team made their outfield and their offense a priority this offseason. In a surprise move, the Mets signed Michael Cuddyer from the Rockies, who brings a solid bat, and defense to left field. Center fielder Juan Lagares, fast becoming a fixture on the highlight reel for circus catches, won a Gold Glove in 2014. Right fielder Curtis Granderson has been a bright spot, if a bit inconsistent, since coming over from the crosstown Yankees.

3. Cautious Optimism Combined with a New Attitude

Winning teams have winning attitudes. The Mets have tried, and failed, to create a winning culture for the past few years. They just didn’t have the talent to do it. With losses, swagger disappears.

This year feels a bit different. Not only is Harvey coming back but there seems to be a new mix of positive chemistry in the clubhouse with some of the new players and old guard.

Exhibit A: In Spring Training, bullpen reliever Bobby Parnell and third baseman David Wright called out rookie pitcher Noah Snydergaard for eating in the clubhouse instead of sitting on the bench during a game. Players being held accountable for their actions? That’s not always been the case with the Mets, who have had their share of clubhouse antics (see Vince Coleman).

Here’s hoping that attitude translates to camaraderie and a winning record during the season.

4. Post Ponzi Payroll

The 2015 payroll is close to $97 million dollars — a 15 percent increase over last year. The biggest reason? The Cuddyer singing. For the first time in years, the team went after a genuine big league bat for the outfielder, set to earn $21 million in the deal.

Is it a signal the purse strings have finally loosened in a post-Bernie-Maddoff Ponzi scheme world? Will the Mets compete again for free agents that have recognizable names?

Mets fans can only hope free agents see CitiField as an enticing place to land.

5. New CitiField Dimensions

Speaking of CitiField, the fences have been moved in five to 11 feet in right center field, which should help Mets sluggers like Granderson, Lucas Duda and David Wright. Right-center field will be 380 feet from the plate, down from 390 feet. This is the second time the team has moved in the fences — all in a bid to propel the big red home run apple to pop up more frequently.

Time will tell if that change affects the ERA of the hometown pitchers.

In 2015, fans are hoping the increased firepower at the plate, combined with the new faces on the mound make for a winning season — and a long-awaited appearance in the postseason.

It may be only the beginning of April, but hey, the Mets are tied for first. Optimism is in the air and in the hearts of fans.

More fun facts about the Mets:

• The Mets are the 7th most valuable franchise in Major League Baseball with263 million in revenue last year; their payroll ranked 23rd out of 30 Major League teams in 2014
• Cuddyer is a childhood friend of Mets captain David Wright. Both grew up in Norfolk, Virginia
• Steve Gelbs from the MSG Network is the new Mets sideline reporter for SNY, replacing Kevin Burkhardt who jumps to Fox Sports after eight years with the team
• Speaking of announcers, fan favorite Bobby Ojeda will not return to SportsNet New York’s Mets pre- and postgame studio after a contract dispute
• On Aug. 29th Mets will give away ’86 champion bobble head dolls during a Red Sox game
• At age 41, Bartolo Colon is the second oldest pitcher still playing in the league. He finished 2014 with a 15-13 record and a 4.09 ERA in 31 starts

As any good bridesmaid knows, it’s not about you — it’s about the bride. And yes, this goes even for celebrities. While they’re typically in the spotlight, these women took to the sides of their favorite brides to help celebrate their big days. Take a look at these star bridesmaid photos.