News on the go: May 2, 2013

Maura Zurick

Steve Smith, the Ohio man sentenced to death for the rape and murder of his girlfriend’s 6-month-old daughter, was executed by lethal injection. Smith was held and executed at the state prison in Lucasville for the baby’s death in 1998. The Ohio Parole Board and Gov. John Kasich turned him down unanimously.See the full story on https://kentwired.com/ohio-executes-man-who-killed-raped-6-month-oldState Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said Wednesday that the federal government has no plans to remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism that includes countries like Iran, Syria and Sudan. The decision is sure to anger officials in the Cuban capital of Havana, which denies any links to terrorism. The Cuban government said its inclusion on the list in due to a political vendetta. The United States has also kept an economic embargo on the Communist nation for 51 years.See the full story on https://kentwired.com/us-keeps-cuba-on-state-sponsors-of-terrorism-listA Vermont woman showed off her new face Wednesday, six years after her ex-husband disfigured her with lye. The woman, Carmen Blandin Tarleton, had a face transplant surgery at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in February. She spoke publically for the first time at a news conference at the hospital Wednesday. In 2007, Tarleton, 44, and mother of two, was attacked by her now ex-husband Herbert Rodgers, who believed she was involved with another man. Police said he a beat her with a bat and poured lye on her face. Rogers pleaded guilty in 2009 and was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison.Conrad Murray, the doctor convicted of involuntarily killing pop sensation Michael Jackson, appeared to be on trial again Wednesday. Murray said he gave Jackson what he asked for—infusions of a powerful anesthetic to help the singer sleep. Jackson offered Murray $150,000 a month to travel with him on his “This Is It” concert tour. A coroner ruled that 50-year-old Jackson died of an overdose of the anesthetic propofol on June 25, 2009, while under Murray’s care. The drug is not intended for home use.All information is from The Associated Press.Maura Zurick is the nation and world editor and the city editor for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].