Former Senate candidate Gomez joins GOProud

Former Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez (R-Mass.) is joining the Board of Directors of the conservative gay group GOProud, the group announced Tuesday.

Gomez ran against then-Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in the special election to replace John Kerry, now secretary of State.

"We are truly honored to have Gabriel Gomez join the GOProud Board of Directors, GOProud Board of Directors Chairwoman Lisa De Pasquale said in a statement.

Prior to running for office Gomez, a former Navy SEAL, worked as an investment banker. In a statement Gomez said he was honored to join the organization.

"I'm looking forward to working with the rest of the GOProud board and staff, reaching out to young voters, conservative activists and lawmakers with our message of free markets, limited government and personal responsibility. I often said during my campaign that I did not support any type of discrimination and groups like GOProud are important, now more than ever, as we expand the conservative moment."

Gomez has indicated that he's considering running for office again, according to The Boston Globe.

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Former Sen. Harry Byrd Jr. dead at 98

Former Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr., the Virginia Democrat-turned-independent who made his name urging fiscal discipline, died on Tuesday at the age of 98.

Byrd served 17 years in the Senate, from late 1965 until January, 1983. Byrd replaced his father, Harry Flood Byrd, after poor health forced him to retire from his Senate seat.

The younger Byrd won the 1966 special election for the remainder of his father’s term before breaking with the Democratic party. He won re-election as an independent in 1970 and 1976.

In the Senate, Byrd pushed for fiscal restraint and supported Virginia’s stance against desegregation. 

Byrd is survived by his son, Tom Byrd, the president and publisher of The Winchester Star.

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Former Sen. Harry Byrd Jr. dead at 98

Former Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr., the Virginia Democrat-turned-independent who made his name urging fiscal discipline, died on Tuesday at the age of 98.

Byrd served 17 years in the Senate, from late 1965 until January, 1983. Byrd replaced his father, Harry Flood Byrd, after poor health forced him to retire from his Senate seat.

The younger Byrd won the 1966 special election for the remainder of his father’s term before breaking with the Democratic party. He won re-election as an independent in 1970 and 1976.

In the Senate, Byrd pushed for fiscal restraint and supported Virginia’s stance against desegregation. 

Byrd is survived by his son, Tom Byrd, the president and publisher of The Winchester Star.

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Former Senate candidate Gomez joins GOProud

Former Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez (R-Mass.) is joining the Board of Directors of the conservative gay group GOProud, the group announced Tuesday.

Gomez ran against then-Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in the special election to replace John Kerry, now secretary of State.

"We are truly honored to have Gabriel Gomez join the GOProud Board of Directors, GOProud Board of Directors Chairwoman Lisa De Pasquale said in a statement.

Prior to running for office Gomez, a former Navy SEAL, worked as an investment banker. In a statement Gomez said he was honored to join the organization.

"I'm looking forward to working with the rest of the GOProud board and staff, reaching out to young voters, conservative activists and lawmakers with our message of free markets, limited government and personal responsibility. I often said during my campaign that I did not support any type of discrimination and groups like GOProud are important, now more than ever, as we expand the conservative moment."

Gomez has indicated that he's considering running for office again, according to The Boston Globe.

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Judge Rules Prosecutors Can Try Former OC Attorney Accused Of Throwing Wife Overboard

Lonnie Kocontes booking photo. (credit: U.S. Marshals)

SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — A judge Monday rejected the argument of defense attorneys that Orange County prosecutors lack jurisdiction in the case of a local man accused of killing his ex-wife on a cruise and throwing her body overboard.

Lonnie Loren Kocontes, a 55-year-old former Orange County attorney who is still licensed to practice law in California, is accused of killing ex-wife Micki Kanesaki while the two were on a cruise in May of 2006.

The body of his 52-year-old ex-wife, with whom he lived off and on for five years following their divorce in 2001, was found off the coast of Paola, Italy May 27.

During questioning in 2006, Kocontes told police his wife was despondent and that she likely jumped overboard. An autopsy revealed the woman had been strangled.

A grand jury indicted Kocontes on murder charges despite a judge’s earlier dismissal of the case on the grounds that it lacked jurisdiction. Prosecutors said Orange County sheriff’s investigators discovered new evidence last year that lead to Kocontes’ arrest. He was extradited from Florida in March.

In May, a judge ruled that Orange County prosecutors did not have jurisdiction to try the case. Deputy District Attorney Susan Price immediately filed a new case — alleging murder with special circumstances of killing for financial gain — against him.

As the beneficiary of several of his ex-wife’s bank accounts and property, prosecutors allege Kocontes benefited financially from his ex-wife’s death.

The District Attorney’s office said federal agents took notice of Kocontes after he attempted to transfer more than $1 million to different bank accounts shared with his new spouse. That money was eventually seized by federal prosecutors in a civil asset forfeiture case.

Kocontes’ arraignment was postponed until Sept. 30 to give defense attorneys time to appeal.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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