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U.S. NEWSThursday 29 October 2015
Witch wins protective order against warlock in Salem court
COLLIN BINKLEY Christian Day, right, a self-described warlock, sits with his attor-
Associated Press ney Paul R. Moraski in district court Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015,
BOSTON (AP) — A judge in Salem, Mass.
granted a protective or-
der against a warlock on Associated Press
Wednesday, spelling relief
for the Salem witch who shop nearby, Day said. The a pagan church in Salem. Witch priestess Lori Sforza, seeking a restraining order against
accused him of harass- two are still business rivals. Day, 45, who now lives self-described warlock Christian Day, testifies in district court
ment. “This is a business dispute in Louisiana, owns occult Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, in Salem, Mass.
The two squared off in gone wrong. That’s all it shops in Salem and New
court before a Salem Dis- was,” Day said. “They don’t Orleans. Described on his Associated Press
trict Court judge, who want me to make snide website as the “world’s
granted the protective or- remarks on Facebook; I best-known warlock,” he The judge hearing the the order.
der to witch priestess Lori won’t make snide remarks organizes the Festival of the case said he was dis- “I’m going to fight this ev-
Sforza. She had accused on Facebook.” Dead in Salem, a series of mayed by the volume of ery step of the way be-
self-proclaimed warlock Halloween events every late-night calls Day made cause it’s unjust,” he said.
Christian Day of harassing During the hearing, Sforza October that culminates in to Sforza. After hearing the Salem, home of the 17th-
her over the phone and on reportedly told the judge a Witches’ Halloween Ball. decision, Day, who didn’t century witch trials, has
social media over the past that she can see into her The pair made headlines in testify, denied making the a tourism industry built
three years. own future, saying, “That’s 2011 when they cast spells calls and then stormed out around the occult that
During testimony that at why I’m here today.” Sfor- together to try to heal ac- of the courthouse, accord- reaches fever pitch in Oc-
times became heated, za, 75, uses the business tor Charlie Sheen, who had ing to The Globe. He told tober, drawing thousands
Sforza accused Day of name Lori Bruno and says called himself a “Vatican reporters he would appeal of visitors.q
making incessant phone she is a psychic witch who assassin warlock” during an
calls at night and humiliat- descends from a line of Ital- interview on national televi-
ing her on Facebook, The ian witches. She also leads sion.
Boston Globe reported.
Day’s lawyer countered
that the dispute stems from
a onetime business part-
nership that fell apart years
ago.
Before 2012, Day let Sforza
perform psychic readings
rent-free at one of his oc-
cult shops in Salem, he told
The Associated Press in an
interview after the hearing.
Their relationship fell apart
when Sforza revealed plans
to start her own witchcraft
Former Saudi airman files appeal of 35-year rape sentence
KEN RITTER In this Jan. 28, 2015 file photo, former Saudi Arabian air force about the appeal. The appeal also faults Mi-
Associated Press sergeant Mazen Alotaibi appears in court in Las Vegas. Savarese said Judge Ste- ley for rejecting arguments
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former fany Miley should have told that Alotaibi deserved a
Saudi Arabian air force ser- Associated Press jurors they could consider a new trial after a witness re-
geant serving a minimum lesser felony charge of stat- canted after trial.
of 35 years in Nevada pris- sel, we have a job to do.” ly,” Chairez said. “If that’s utory sexual seduction that Rashed Alshehri told the
on is appealing his convic- Alotaibi’s trial lawyer, Don carries a one-to-five year judge in September 2014
tions on kidnapping, rape Chairez, said he did the grounds to have the case sentence. he lied during testimony
and other charges involv- best he could at trial, and “There was a way for the about how intoxicated Alo-
ing a 13-year-old boy at a hopes Alotaibi wins his ap- overturned, I hope it ben- jury to find him guilty with- taibi was before encoun-
Las Vegas Strip hotel. peal. out letting him out the door tering the boy at the Circus
Mazen Alotaibi’s defense “There were things we efits Mazen.” if they found consent and Circus hotel on New Year’s
attorneys say in Nevada could have done different- went with statutory sexual Eve 2012. The judge ruled
Supreme Court documents Clark County District Attor- seduction,” Savarese said. the change in Alshehri’s
posted Monday that Alo- However, Nevada state account wouldn’t have af-
taibi didn’t get a fair trial ney Steve Wolfson didn’t law says a child under 16 fected the verdict.
due to errors by the judge can’t consent to sex. “Testimony regarding the
and poor representation by immediately respond Alotaibi was found guilty defendant’s presumed
a trial lawyer who gambled in October 2013 of kidnap- level of intoxication is ... at
the jury would believe the Wednesday to messages ping for luring the boy to best another handful of
sex was consensual. the hotel room, sexual as- sand on an already expan-
“We hate to second-guess sault for acts with the boy in sive beach of evidence,”
a colleague,” attorney a bathroom, and lewdness the judge wrote.
Vincent Savarese said with a child for fondling Alotaibi was sentenced last
Wednesday of the appeal and kissing the boy on the January. He’s now 26. With
he filled with attorney Dom- way to the room. The jury credit for time served, he’ll
inic Gentile. “But, as Mazen also found Alotaibi guilty of be 57 before he’s first eli-
Alotaibi’s appellate coun- misdemeanor coercion. gible for parole.q
