Canadian man admits N.Y. hammer attack

A Canadian drifter has admitted he bashed a stranger in the head with a claw hammer in a New York City park. The case was complicated by an identity twist. Douglas Epp pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted murder in the July 2012 attack. He’s been promised a 14-year prison sentence. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office says Epp abruptly started hammering at a Spanish tourist sitting by him on a downtown park bench. Victim Hugo Alejandre was treated for a spinal fracture. Epp initially gave authorities an alias: the name of a former acquaintance who’s known in Canadian chess circles.