1. Judge to shut down investment scheme.
A Woodstock millionaire's empire of investment companies will be shut down and dismantled, a federal judge has ruled, breaking up what authorities allege was a Ponzi scheme that roped in investors from across the country. Jim Torchia knowingly, "or at least recklessly," misled his investors, the judge ruled. When investigators closed in, the ruling says, he used "back-of-the-napkin 'valuation' decisions" and "far-fetched assertions" to try to show that his Credit Nation network of companies was financially sound. In reality, Credit Nation had huge operating losses, and liabilities exceeded assets by millions of dollars, U.S. District Judge William S. Duffey Jr. wrote. Read more.
Confronted with an angry crowd that threw rocks and smoke bombs, police at Stone Mountain Park Saturday turned to a seldom-used Georgia law making it illegal to wear a mask. With a few exceptions - like Halloween, theater productions and sporting events - it is against the law in the state to wear face coverings, like masks. The law was enacted in 1951 to combat the Ku Klux Klan. That presented a certain irony Saturday as it was used to arrest eight demonstrators protesting a white supremacist rally. While some questioned use of the obscure law, police officials argued it was an appropriate measure to handle an unruly crowd. Read more.
3. The 3 murders behind what will be Georgia's 5th execution this year.
Bryan Moss was a brave 11-year-old boy who armed himself with an aluminum baseball bat to defend his home against the two men ransacking it. But they had guns, and soon the boy was dead. His 15-year-old sister, Kristin Moss, was just moments behind her brother, getting off the school bus on April 23, 1998. Seconds after walking into her house, Kristin was tied to a chair and, like Bryan, was shot and killed. The children's father, home from work early, was shot and left to die at his daughter's feet. One of the killers, Brandon Rhode, was executed for the three Jones County murders on Sept. 27, 2010. Now his partner, Daniel Anthony Lucas, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Wednesday. Read more.
Deep down, the Braves knew this wasn't a playoff team or even a .500 team. Nobody, however, expected 14 losses in the season's first 18 games, expected to be 10 games out of first place three weeks beyond Opening Day. FanGraphs assesses the Braves' playoff chances at 0.0 percent, and it's not yet May. The hope for 2016 was to be at least competitive for a while, giving fans reason to keep watching and the newly bountiful farm system time to flower. Hope just got tossed in yonder trashcan, which isn't to say the Braves are ready to jettison their grand design. Said John Coppolella, the general manager: "You stick to the plan." Said Fredi Gonzalez, the manager: "There's a process there. You've got to trust the process." Read more.
5. Jurors qualified in the Justin Ross Harris case through Monday.
For nearly two weeks, the Justin Ross Harris trial has focused on selecting a jury to hear the murder case against Harris. So far, 31 have been qualified to be part of a panel from which the 12 jurors and a number of alternates will be selected. Jurors are typically referred to by their designated number, not by name. Here are brief descriptions of each juror who has been qualified, based on how they answered questions from the court and from the attorneys. Read more.
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