NEWS OF THE WEIRD
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Four Italian men, part of a winemaking family in Paola, died at their family vineyard in early October after being overtaken by carbon dioxide in the small shed where they were fermenting the grapes. The Daily Beast reported that Santino and Massimo Carnevale, 70 and 45, and Giacomo and Valerio Scofano, 70 and 50, were all related. Police believe one of the men went in to stir the grapes, was overcome, and the next went in to help, one after the other. One woman who tried to go in fainted near the entrance, but survived. Paola’s mayor said the tragedy brought “pain to the whole community.”
The Litigious Society
Mauro Restrepo was hoping that Palos Verdes Estates psychic Sophia Adams could help him remove a curse that was put on him by his ex-girlfriend, NBC Los Angeles reported. When he arrived at her business for his first session, Adams read his tarot cards and said he had “mala suerte,” or bad luck.
She told Restrepo that the curse could ruin him, his children and his marriage unless he paid her $5,100 to remove it. Restrepo paid her $1,000 as a down payment, but shockingly, she “did not in any way help (Restrepo’s) marriage,” alleged a lawsuit filed by Restrepo on Oct. 1 in Torrance Superior Court. He claims he has suffered sleepless nights, anxiety and anguish, and he’s seeking at least $25,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.
Bright Idea
Jeanine Bishop, 67, of Sebastian, Florida, was discovered dead in the bed of a pickup truck in a Walmart parking lot on Oct. 5. ClickOrlando. com reported that detectives later interviewed her fiance, Michael Despres, 56, who first made “cryptic” comments about her whereabouts. But finally he admitted that he killed her at their home and later took her body to the parking lot, where he “staged” her in the truck. Despres was charged with premeditated first-degree murder.
Least Competent Criminal
Derbyshire (England) police were hunting down a 36-year-old suspect in a string of thefts on Oct. 4 when they came across him trying unsuccessfully to hide — in a closet, under a blanket ... with his feet sticking out the bottom, the Mirror reported. The police department posted photos of the incident on Facebook, where Sgt. Tarj Nizzer quipped: “If you run from ... police, you will only go to jail tired. In this case he had his blanket ready for his sleep in the cell.”
Odd Job
The city council of Christchurch, New Zealand, has officially ended its contract with The Wizard of New Zealand (also known as Ian Brackenbury Channell) after 23 years of service. Over his tenure, the Wizard cast spells and entertained tourists to the tune of $16,000 per year, but the city no longer believes his services are necessary, Oddee. com reported. Officially, Christchurch’s “promotional landscape is changing,” said the council’s Assistant Chief Executive Lynn McClelland, with “programs that will ... showcase a vibrant, diverse, modern city.” For his part, the Wizard called the council “a bunch of bureaucrats who have no imagination. I am the original image of Christchurch. They will have to kill me to stop me.”
Awesome!
ABC News reported on Oct. 20 that in Wellington, New Zealand, police went above and beyond for a certain emergency call. When a dispatcher answered the call, a little voice started out, “Hi. Police lady?” The 4-year-old then went on to say, “I’ve got some toys for you. Come over and see them.” Around then, an adult took the phone, confirming that it was not an emergency, but the dispatcher sent Constable Kurt over anyway. The little boy showed off his toys to the officer and had a “good, educational chat” about the use of the emergency number (111 in New Zealand). “He did have cool toys,” Constable Kurt confirmed. He reciprocated by turning on his patrol car’s lights for the boy.