6 Accused Of Murder Of Teen Who Was Beaten

[The_Edge]

Halifax scraps 2014 Commonwealth bid

The two levels of government pulled the plug amid increasing criticism about the growing cost of the Games and the lack of transparency in the bid process.

Last month, some city councillors said they would withdraw their support if the final estimated price tag exceeded the initial estimate of $785 million.

On Thursday, the city and the province revealed the bid budget, with inflation factored in, was more than double the original estimate.

"The province of Nova Scotia has always said we would only support the Games if they are the right size for the province," Barry Barnet, the province's health promotion minister, said at a news conference.



He said the province was committed to contributing $300 million to the Games. The federal government had said it would spend $400 million if Halifax won.

"With a budget projection of $1.7 billion, this was simply beyond our reach," said Barnet.

Premier Rodney MacDonald has said the federal government's commitment was based on inadequate information and, as a result, was too small.

Bruce DeVenne, the Halifax man who led public opposition to the bid, said the decision was good news because the city will not be saddled with a huge debt.

"When you look at the reality of what these games cost . . . this is a good thing for Halifax homeowners," he said in an interview.

DeVenne said the escalating cost of the event mirrored a pattern set in other cities that have bid for the Games.

An independent analysis also revealed a number of "significant risks" for the provincial and municipal governments.

The risks included:

-Questionable revenue projections.

-A higher than anticipated requirement for public funding - estimated at 92 per cent.

-Insufficient contingency funding, which would have left the province vulnerable to cost overruns.

Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly said the concerns raised by the report were too big to ignore.

"We were hopeful we would be in a position to support the Games but . . . we cannot support going forward," Kelly said in a news release.

"We will not jeopardize our fiscal position."

The mayor said costs were driven up by the fact Halifax would have to build a new stadium and other facilities to stage the Games.

Halifax beat Hamilton, Ottawa and suburban Toronto's York Region in December 2005 to become Canada's candidate to host the Games.

The cost of preparing the Halifax bid has been pegged at $14.3 million, with the province and Ottawa each contributing $3.5 million, the city $3 million and the rest coming from corporate sponsorships and merchandising deals.

Secrecy surrounding the Halifax bid undermined public support amid widespread speculation that the final cost would be much higher than anticipated.

In January, the head of the bid committee, CEO Scott Logan, admitted he had been too cautious about disclosing information.

With Halifax out of the running, the remaining contenders for the games are Glasgow, Scotland, and Abuja, Nigeria.

Final bids are supposed to be filed with the Commonwealth Games Federation in London, England, by May 9.

The winner will be announced in November.
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Good job Nova Scotia, you don't need that much debt.

 

[Kairi]

Six people have been accused of brutally murdering a 15-year-old boy who was lured to a home, beaten, shot dead, burned, shovelled into paint cans and thrown in a dumpster.

The remains of Seath Tyler Jackson, from Marion County, were today recovered from the quarry they were dumped in by dive teams.

Six suspects ranging in ages from 15 to 37 have been arrested in connection with his death, which friends say was all over a girl.

Authorities say that Seath was lured to a home in Summerfield on Sunday night by his ex-girlfriend Amber Wright, 15, who had been texting him 'non-stop' claiming she wanted to get back together with him.

The murder was all part of a carefully constructed plot by Wright's new boyfriend Michael Bargo, 18, who enlisted five others to help him carry out the gruesome murder, according to police.

Detectives said Wright and another girl, Charlie Ely, lured Jackson to Ely's Summerfield home. Friends said they believe Jackson was lured for revenge in what became a teenage love triangle.

Once inside the home, he was hit in the head with a wooden object and was shot multiple times with a .22 calibre , according to detectives. When Seath tried to escape, he was tackled, held down and shot again.

His body was then placed in a bath tub and his knee caps were broken. According to the report, when he was in the bathtub he started showing signs of life and was shot again.

He was then tied up, placed in a sleeping bag and burned in a fire pit.


Deputies said his remains were then shovelled into five-gallon paint containers and thrown into a dumpster.

According to WFTV, Seath's parents reported him missing on Monday and thought he had run away.

Yesterday, the mother of 16-year-old Kyle Hooper told the sheriff's office that her son had witnessed the murder.


The teenager, who has been charged with murder, later allegedly told detectives that the group carefully plotted and carried out the crime.

He allegedly told detectives that the house Seath was killed in had been cleaned with bleach and his remains shovelled from the fire pit.

mber Wright, 15, Kyle Hooper, 16, Charlie Kay Ely, 18, Michael Shane Bargo, 18, Justin Soto, 20, and 37-year-old James Young Havens III have all been arrested.

Havens is the step-father of Wright and Hooper. He is charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. The others are charged with first-degree murder.

Hooper, Ely, Wright and 20-year-old Justin Soto admitted their roles in the gruesome killing, according to the affidavit.

According to WFTV, investigators believe Bargo was the ring leader in the slaying of Seath Jackson and that he wanted to kill the 15-year-old simply because he 'hated him'.

It was also believed to have been part of the break up between Seath and Amber Wright.

Hooper, Wright, Ely, Soto and Bargo were all involved in the planning and luring of Jackson to the home, deputies said.

Hooper allegedly told detectives that he witnessed Bargo shoot Jackson.

Deputies said Havens was aware of the plan to kill Jackson and that he assisted in disposing of the remains. He also gave Bargo a ride to the city of Starke in an effort to avoid being caught, deputies said.

When Bargo was asked today by a reporter if he was innocent while he was being led away by authorities, he gave the middle finger.

The murder weapon has yet to be found.