The online trending legal news for the week of April 15 had a little bit of everything from headlines surrounding the potential end of the Barry Bonds legal saga to buzz about a prostitute-killing serial killer.
We've been following the Barry Bonds trial closely here, and it appears to have finally come to an end. Online searchers have been interested in the home run champ's trial with searches for “Barry Bonds” peaking on Wednesday, April 13, according to Google Trends.
A federal jury found the slugger guilty of one count of obstruction of justice in the trial that centered around whether or not the home run king lied to a grand jury about his alleged steroid use. ESPN reports that decision from the jury was muddled, with U.S. District Judge Susan Illston declaring a mistrial for the three charges of whether or not Bonds lied to the grand jury.
The news source reports that the ballplayer's lawyers will try to get Illston to throw out the obstruction conviction. ESPN also reports that prosecutors are currently considering whether to subject Bonds to another trial – so the online chatter may continue…
Baseball wasn't the only sport caught in the middle of controversy this week as the University of San Diego's all-time leading scorer in basketball, Brandon Johnson, was indicted for allegedly fixing games, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Johnson was one of 10 people allegedly involved in the case, which centers around sports bribery and illegal bookmaking. Two others with ties to the San Diego basketball program were also indicted, including assistant coach Thaddeus “T.J.” Brown.
Online interest in the “point shaving” scandal peaked on Tuesday, April 12, Google Trends data suggest.
Moving to the world of crime a number of revelations about a Long Island serial killer have emerged. Reuters reports that since December of last year, at least nine bodies have been found on Long Island – four of which are believed to be prostitutes who advertised on Craigslist. The New York Daily News reports that the killer used one of his victims' cell phones to call her younger sister and confess to the murder. Authorities continue to investigate the case.
There has been a lot of apparent interest in the killer's deeds as “Long Island serial killer” was one of the most popular searches on Tuesday, April 12, according to Google. Online Americans can't seem to get enough information about the case, as Google Realtime search reveals social users continue to mention the “Long Island serial killer” minute-to-minute.
Another topic that social users are buzzing about is President Barack Obama's budget speech, delivered on Wednesday. Google Realtime results reveal frequent updates about the topic. His talk on the nation's deficit covered tax reform in depth, which could inspire many legal headlines.
Next week promises to hold a number of prominent legal stories, particularly in the legislative world, as the Obama budget speech set the ground for a potentially long battle between Republicans and Democrats about the future of our nation.
