PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — A trucker convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a runaway big-rig crash that took the lives of a man and his daughter was sentenced Thursday to seven years and four months in state prison.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge made the final ruling for Marcos Costa, 46, after hearing lengthy statements from friends and relatives of the victims George and Angelina Posca.

Costa, a Brazilian national who had been living in Everett, Mass., was convicted in July by a jury that rejected charges of second-degree murder.

He was driving a 25-ton, double-decker car hauler through the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles when his brakes failed on April 1, 2009. The truck barreled down the Angeles Crest Highway and smashed through traffic in the foothill town of La Canada Flintridge, killing the Poscas and plowing into some shops.

Runaway big rig driver gets prison in deadly crash - The Associated Press

Amid the scenic setting, earth is also a star in fictional features ('The Descendants,' 'The Forgiveness of Blood') and documentaries ('The Island President,' 'Bitter Seeds').

There are hardly more striking film festival settings than this former mining town: an 8,750-foot-elevation box canyon flanked on the sides by sheer red-rock cliffs and capped at its end by a misty waterfall. So it seems only fitting that land itself — and in particular its custodianship — played such a prominent part in the just-concluded Telluride Film Festival.

Labor Day weekend festival's most memorable new films cast the land in a starring role, using terra firma as a narrative linchpin. Not surprisingly, some of those earth-first story lines were found in documentaries , but at least two fictional features — "The Descendants" and "The Forgiveness of Blood" —use the land for critical dramatic effect.

George Clooney as Matt King, a real estate lawyer and the sole trustee of 25,000 acres of inherited, virgin Hawaiian property poised to be sold to resort developers. The deal, which will bring King and his greedy relatives a windfall, isn't his primary concern, though. King's wife is in an irreversible coma following a boating accident, and the father of two girls abruptly must learn not only how to be a single dad but also, more fundamentally, an engaged human being.

Telluride Film Festival: Movies get in touch with the land - Los Angeles Times

Marvel solicitations for November revealed the new Thunder God that will be replacing Thor after Fear Itself wraps up. This marks the second white character replaced by Marvel in the last two months. With the loss of Thor and Ultimate Spider-Man, the percentage of white characters to minority characters drops from 91% to 90.8%. Based on these disturbing statistics, I expect someone to don a Hatemonger costume at NYCC and pester Axel Alonso about this disturbing turn of events.

DC hinted at a big September yesterday, noting that eight relaunched titles had eclipsed the 100K presales mark that indicates a highly successful book. The books are currently stored in a warehouse in Los Angeles and is under high alert looking for an uninsured teenage driver looking to finish the collapse of the industry started six years ago in Mesa.

Daredevil #1 and pulled it off of the shelf. Daredevil was a favorite of my mother, as she's a lawyer, an Irish Catholic, and has a thing for dispensing vigilante justice when the system has failed. She even went as far as to read the classic Frank Miller run during law school but had fallen out of touch with the character over the last decade.

Anyways, my mother noticed the Daredevil comic sitting on the wall, pulled it off the shelf and saw the shiny new #1 sitting in the upper left corner. "Oh, they brought him back," my mother said, probably thinking that the book had gotten cancelled sometime in the mid-90's when my father stopped collecting comics. As I looked on in astonishment, Mom opened the book and gave it a read.

The All-New, All-Different IGW: Why #1s Are Good for Comics - The Outhouse

She had admitted causing the death of 80 year old Misak Ranjbar in Glendale, California, after running him over as he crossed the road last September.

Judge spares mother jail after she plotted attack on internet 'troll' who posted horrific comments about disabled daughter 'In this particular case, there is a tragic loss of a father of a family. On the other hand, another family could have lost their daughter,' said Glendale Police Detective Ashraf Mankarios.

Woman who killed 80-year-old man while texting at the wheel is banned from ... - Daily Mail

Jeff Bradford poses with his friends and family during a fundraising run earlier this year to benefit Duke University's Tisch Brain Tumor Center, where he received treatment in 2009.

Until then, the 34-year-old Cary resident led a relatively charmed life: happily married with three young children and a successful career as an attorney.

Bradford initially thought he escaped unscathed. But what happened the next day set off a series of events that led to an ending no one - least of all Bradford - could have envisioned.

Bradford initially thought he escaped unscathed. But what happened the next day set off a series of events that led to an ending no one - least of all Bradford - could have envisioned. "Whether you're religious or not, I think it's definitely an example of the Lord working in mysterious ways," Bradford says.

An unlikely savior - Cary News

Some of the stories the AP is covering Tuesday. A full Sports Digest will be sent about 3 p.m. All times EDT: - Hall of Famer Carl Eller and lawyers for retired NFL players meet with representatives of owners and current players at a New York law firm for talks aimed at ending the lockout.

Some of the stories the AP is covering Tuesday. A full Sports Digest will be sent about 3 p.m. All times EDT: - Hall of Famer Carl Eller and lawyers for retired NFL players meet with representatives of owners and current players at a New York law firm for talks aimed at ending the lockout. - ANAHEIM, Calif - The Rangers, winners of 11 straight, open a series against a Los Angeles Angels team that is in second place in the AL West and four games behind Texas. Game starts 10:05 p.m.

Some of the stories the AP is covering Tuesday. A full Sports Digest will be sent about 3 p.m. All times EDT: - Hall of Famer Carl Eller and lawyers for retired NFL players meet with representatives of owners and current players at a New York law firm for talks aimed at ending the lockout. - ANAHEIM, Calif - The Rangers, winners of 11 straight, open a series against a Los Angeles Angels team that is in second place in the AL West and four games behind Texas. Game starts 10:05 p.m. - NEW YORK - The NBA releases its 2011-12 schedule in which the season opens with the champion Mavericks hosting MVP Derrick Rose and the Bulls - if the season opens on time. To be sent 2:15 p.m.

Some of the stories the AP is covering Tuesday. A full Sports Digest will be sent about 3 p.m. All times EDT: - Hall of Famer Carl Eller and lawyers for retired NFL players meet with representatives of owners and current players at a New York law firm for talks aimed at ending the lockout. - ANAHEIM, Calif - The Rangers, winners of 11 straight, open a series against a Los Angeles Angels team that is in second place in the AL West and four games behind Texas. Game starts 10:05 p.m. - NEW YORK - The NBA releases its 2011-12 schedule in which the season opens with the champion Mavericks hosting MVP Derrick Rose and the Bulls - if the season opens on time. To be sent 2:15 p.m. - SHANGHAI - Yao Ming, the face of basketball in China, is expected to officially announce his retirement after an eight-year NBA career beset by leg injuries. Announcement about 2 a.m. Wednesday.

BC-AP Sports Preview Digest - SI.com

A jury convicted a trucker of involuntary manslaughter Friday but rejected charges of second-degree murder in a runaway big-rig crash that took the lives of a man and his daughter.

Marcos Costa, 46, of Everett, Mass., was also convicted of vehicular manslaughter but was absolved of inflicting great bodily injury on a motorist who survived the accident. The jury deadlocked on the great bodily injury enhancements in the cases of two other motorists.

The judge declared a mistrial on the two great bodily injury allegations, and prosecutors said they had not decided whether to refile those charges. Sentencing was set for Sept. 8.

Deputy District Attorney Carolina Lugo said outside court that she believed Costa could face a possible maximum sentence of nine years in prison, but his attorney, Edward Murphy, said Costa is eligible for probation and he would seek that outcome. He said the defendant also could be released for time served since he already had spent 20 months in jail before trial.

Jurors reach some verdicts in runway truck deaths - San Francisco Chronicle

A trucker charged with killing another driver and a 12-year-old girl committed no crime when his 18-wheeler lost its brakes on a steep mountain road and smashed into their car, his lawyer argued Wednesday.

Marcos Costa, 46, was following directions on his GPS to get through the San Gabriel Mountains, saw no warning signs and never meant to cause the accident that sent his 25-ton car hauler careering across an intersection in the Los Angeles foothill suburb of La Canada Flintridge, defense lawyer Edward Murphy told jurors.

Marcos Costa, 46, was following directions on his GPS to get through the San Gabriel Mountains, saw no warning signs and never meant to cause the accident that sent his 25-ton car hauler careering across an intersection in the Los Angeles foothill suburb of La Canada Flintridge, defense lawyer Edward Murphy told jurors. "Insidious geography" and the lack of a runaway truck safety ramp were to blame for the April 2009 crash, Murphy said during closing arguments in the five-week trial.

On Tuesday, prosecutors said Costa showed gross negligence by ignoring an off-duty firefighter's warning that the Angeles Crest Highway through the mountains was too dangerous for his rig and he should turn around.

Trucker's defense argues Calif. crash was no crime - San Francisco Chronicle

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Darrell Mavis rejected prosecutor Carolina Lugo's requests to admit into evidence accident photos of 12-year-old victim Angelina Posca and her father, Angel, who died Apr. 1, 2009, after Marcos Costa's big rig careened out of control down Angeles Crest Highway.

The truck bulldozed through the Posca's car before striking other vehicles at Foothill Boulevard and eventually coming to rest inside the old Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse .

Costa is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, felony reckless driving and vehicular manslaughter stemming from the accident in which the brakes went out on his 25-ton, 18-wheeler truck.

Although prosecution witnesses testified that 46-year-old Costa's brakes were smoking far north of the bustling La Cañada intersection, and Lugo pointed out Costa's truck never should have been on the narrow, mountainous road, defense attorney Edward Murphy has told the jury a lack of judgment is not murder. Murphy further told the 10-man, two-woman panel that Costa inspected his brakes before every trip and that the state did not prohibit trucks his size on Angeles Crest Highway until after the 2009 accident.

Murder Trial: Jurors Won't See Death Photos, Judge Rules - Patch.com

LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 07/01/11 -- The Fourth of July holiday weekend is here and the celebrations have already begun in Southern California. It is important to remember to have a designated driver when hitting the road after consuming alcoholic beverages. It is also important to note that prescription drugs and any other drugs that impair a person's ability to safely operate a motor vehicle can cause that person to be arrested for Driving Under the Influence in the State of California. Extreme caution should be exercised before getting behind the wheel of a car after consuming alcoholic beverages, using any medications, or drugs. If a person is arrested for Driving Under the Influence, it is not the end of the world. With the help of a competent attorney, a person can overcome the difficulties found in this situation. Drunk-driving arrests trigger administrative hearings that can result in the loss of driving privileges. A DUI Defense lawyer can help to retain the license or obtain a temporary driver's license. This hearing must be scheduled within 10 days of the arrest.

A first-offense DUI is typically a misdemeanor, unless there are aggravating circumstances, such as an accident with injuries, where the District Attorney's office may file it as a felony DUI. Regardless of the particular circumstances of the arrest, the State of California takes any DUI, even a first offense, very seriously. The prosecutor will seek a conviction unless presented with evidence or testimony that weakens or undermines the case.

Therefore, drivers should be careful this holiday weekend and not operate a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, medication, or drugs. If you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of a DUI arrest, the Law Offices of Jonathan Franklin will be open throughout the holiday weekend. Please contact 310-273-9600 to schedule a convenient time to discuss your situation.

DUI in Los Angeles -- Law Offices of Jonathan Franklin Provides Tips on ... - istockAnalyst.com (press release)