THE DISTRICT
Union Station Evacuated
Authorities evacuated Union Station last night for more than a half-hour after an Amtrak police dog detected a suspicious package in the mall area of the station.
An Amtrak canine and later a U.S. Capitol Police dog both detected a suspicious substance, which prompted officials to clear the station about 7:45 p.m., said Vernae Graham, an Amtrak spokeswoman. Officials removed the package and X-rayed it, later deeming it harmless. Train service was not affected.
More Radar Cameras Being Installed
D.C. police soon will begin operating photo-radar cameras in the 1000 and 2000 blocks of Alabama Avenue in Southeast Washington, officials announced yesterday.
The devices, which are attached to unmarked police cars, capture speeders on camera. Police then issue citations to the vehicles' owners. In the past three years, police have issued more than 1 million photo radar tickets.
The city has 74 zones where officers operate the photo-radar devices. The department also has installed a stationary radar camera in the 600 block of Florida Avenue NW. The zones where police operate the cameras are noted on the police department's Web site at www.mpdc.dc.gov.
SE Man Dies of Shooting Wounds
An 18-year-old man was found fatally shot early yesterday in Northeast Washington, police said.
James Hudson of the 700 block of Adrian Street SE was found in the 5600 block of Eads Street NE about 2:20 a.m., police said. He was rushed to Prince George's Hospital Center, where he died. Anyone with information is urged to call police at 202-727-9099.
MARYLAND
Convictions in Double Murder Upheld
Maryland's highest court yesterday upheld the convictions of a husband and wife who murdered and dismembered a tourist couple they met in Ocean City over Memorial Day weekend in 2002.
In two opinions, the Court of Appeals preserved Benjamin Sifrit's convictions for second-degree murder and other crimes and Erika Sifrit's first-degree murder and theft convictions.
In separate trials last year, the Sifrits were found guilty of luring Martha Crutchley and Joshua Ford, both of Fairfax City, to their condominium and shooting them in a bathroom. They then dismembered the bodies and dumped them in a trash bin.
A Montgomery County jury found Benjamin Sifrit guilty of second-degree murder in Crutchley's death but acquitted him in Ford's killing. He was sentenced to 38 years in prison in July 2003.
Erika Sifrit was convicted in Frederick County last year of first-degree murder in Ford's death and second-degree murder for helping kill Crutchley. She was sentenced to life plus 20 years.
