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Mom of drowned kids: Husband threatened to kill them

BALTIMORE, Maryland (AP) — A man who had argued with his estranged wife over the custody of their three children has confessed to drowning them in a hotel bathtub on the night they were to go back with their mother, police said Monday.

Mark A. Castillo, 41, of Rockville, was charged with first-degree murder and child abuse after his release from a hospital where he was treated for self-inflicted cuts to his neck, police said.

Police did not cite a motive.

But Castillo’s wife wrote in court documents that her husband had threatened to make her suffer by killing the children. She sought a protective order December 25, 2006, and asked that the court order Castillo to receive counseling.

He has never actually hurt [the children], but did tell me that the worst thing he could do to me would be to kill the children and not me so I could live without them, she wrote in the petition.

She also wrote that when her husband took the children for visits, he would not tell her where they were staying.

A temporary protective order was approved three days after the petition was filed, but Circuit Judge Joseph Dugan rejected a permanent order January 10, 2007. In explaining his decision, Dugan wrote there was no clear or convincing evidence that the alleged acts of abuse occurred.

Police identified the children as Anthony, 6, Austin, 4, and Athena, 2.

Castillo, of Rockville, Maryland, and the children spent time Saturday afternoon at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, then checked into the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor. The children were drowned, one at a time, in the tub that night, Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld said. Watch police describe what they found in hotel room

Police said Castillo called the hotel front desk Sunday afternoon, saying he’d killed the children and was going to commit suicide. Baltimore police and firefighters were sent to their 10th-floor room and discovered the bodies, Bealefeld said.

Castillo was supposed to have returned the children to their mother in Silver Spring at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. His wife called Montgomery County police shortly after that time to say that her husband had not returned the children, Bealefeld said.

Baltimore police did not know how Montgomery County police responded, but said the cases were not connected until after the children’s bodies were found.

Bealefeld wouldn’t discuss the crime scene in detail but said police seized a laptop from the hotel room and were searching Castillo’s home.
found here.

HUD chief resigns amid ethics investigations

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson resigned Monday, amid multiple ethics investigations and criticism from top lawmakers.

Jackson said he will step down on April 18. He did not mention the allegations in his brief statement Monday, saying only that he wanted to attend to personal and family matters.

The resignation came after criticism from members of Congress that Jackson has refused to respond adequately to allegations of impropriety.

No names have been floated as candidates to replace Jackson, a long-time friend of President Bush from their days in Texas.

One possibility would be to promote from within the department, given the short time remaining in the president’s term and the hostility he faces from the Democratic-controlled Senate, which must confirm Jackson’s replacement.

Speaking to reporters at HUD headquarters in Washington, Jackson said he had devoted his career to improving housing opportunities.

As the son of a lead smelter and nurse midwife, and the last of 12 children, never did I imagine I would serve America in such a way, Jackson said about his Cabinet post. I am truly grateful for the opportunity.

We have helped families keep their homes, we have transformed public housing, we have reduced chronic homelessness, and we have preserved affordable housing and increased minority homeownership, he said.

A Jackson adviser told CNN earlier that the secretary has been privately talking about resigning since late last year because he’s grown weary over multiple ethics investigations that have sparked allegations that he cannot focus full time on the nation’s housing crisis.

Earlier this month, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, demanded Jackson’s resignation, saying the ethics allegations have distracted from the secretary’s ability to handle the nation’s housing crisis. The secretary has recently been accused in a lawsuit of retaliating against housing officials in Philadelphia for blocking a land deal with one of Jackson’s friends.

The FBI has been investigating allegations that Jackson steered a federal contract to a golfing buddy based in South Carolina. Jackson has denied wrongdoing and White House officials have said for months that the president still has confidence in Jackson. No charges have been filed against him.

Jackson has been a key player in the Bush administration’s efforts to handle the national housing and mortgage crisis.

Jackson, who ran Dallas’ housing authority for seven years and then led a Texas power company, was confirmed by the Senate for the top HUD post exactly four years ago. He also was head of the Federal Housing Administration.

The resignation announcement came 10 days after the two senators called for him to quit.

Secretary Jackson has repeatedly demonstrated that he is not in the position to provide the type of leadership that is necessary during these trying and difficult times, Dodd said in the statement. Dodd is chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Murray is chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel responded to the senators then by saying that President Bush continues to have confidence in Secretary Jackson. Our focus should be on helping responsible homeowners stay in their homes and overcome through this downturn in the housing market.

Dodd said an inspector-general’s report recently stated that Jackson had advised staffers to take political affiliation into account in awarding contacts, and serious allegations about his impropriety are under investigation in three cases, although Dodd did not name them.

The lawmakers said that at a Senate Banking Committee hearing, Jackson refused to answer several committee members’ questions, and later did not respond adequately to a follow-up letter from Dodd asking for information on the various allegations of impropriety he is facing.

My subcommittee funds every dollar that is spent at HUD, Murray said in the statement. We have an obligation to the taxpayer to see to it that those dollars are administered without corruption and favoritism. But we can’t do our job if Secretary Jackson refuses to do his.

This is a cabinet secretary who has consistently ducked accountability, and arrogantly refused to heed the public’s calls for answers. Secretary Jackson should resign immediately and seek to clear his name as a private citizen.
found here.

Davenport dumps out second seed Ivanovic

KEY BISCAYNE, Florida (AP) — Former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport continued her astonishing comeback by upsetting second seed Ana Ivanovic 6-4 6-2 in the third round at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Davenport, who left the women’s tour in late 2006 to have her first child before returning last year, set up a fourth-round clash with Russian 13th seed Dina Safarina — who defeated Austria’s 18th seed Sybille Bammer 4-6 6-1 6-0.

The three-time Grand Slam champion is 17-3 this year with two titles, and she rated the win over Serbia’s Ivanovic as her best since returning.

Hampered by injuries in recent years, Davenport is playing at Key Biscayne for the first time since 2003. It’s quite rewarding, said Davenport, 31. In this comeback, for lack of better words, I’ve not made a fool of myself.

I’ve done pretty well for my age and for what I’ve been through. Obviously days like today just give me more intensive to keep going.

The 20-year-old Ivanovic was the Australian Open runner-up and won Indian Wells this month but her game unraveled against Davenport, who repeatedly swatted deep service returns and broke six times.

She played like a top-10 player easily today, Ivanovic said. I must say I haven’t played against many players who can return so well and so deep, so she puts a lot of pressure on my serve.

Davenport relied on her customary power but also showed surprising finesse, winning 13 of 14 points at the net. I picked the right shots to come in on, she said.

Earlier on Sunday, top seed Justine Henin and No. 6 Venus Williams also reached the fourth round.

Belgium’s Henin beat Sara Errani 6-2 6-1, and Williams defeated New Zealand wild card Marina Erakovic by the same score.

Henin, in the other half of the draw from Davenport, will next face Russia’s Elena Vesnina — a 6-4 5-7 6-4 victor against American Ashley Harkleroad.

The world No. 1 had more trouble with the 85-degree weather than with her opponent. Henin won 19 of 20 points on her first serve, including five with aces, and was glad to get off the court after only 63 minutes.

It’s very hot out there, Henin said. It was quite difficult to breathe. I usually like it when it’s hot, but I haven’t been in this heat for a long time. Even in Australia it wasn’t that hot this year, so it’s quite difficult.

Henin swept the final three games of the first set and won the final four games of the second set. She’s a seven-time Grand Slam champion, but is seeking her first title at Key Biscayne.

Williams will next play Caroline Wozniacki after the unseeded Dane upset 22nd seed Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 2-6 6-3 6-1.

The American is trying for her fourth Key Biscayne title, and her first since 2001. She has lost only 10 games in two matches and was pleased with her latest performance.

I played consistent and not too many errors, which is great for me, she said. I was just winning all of the important points.

Third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova also progressed, but the Russian had to retrieve a 5-2 second-set deficit a match point before winning the final 11 games to beat No. 25 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 1-6 7-5 6-0.

Fourth seed Jelena Jankovic won her second match in 18 hours, beating Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-2 6-1.

The victory came after Jankovic played past midnight Saturday night, saving five match points in a third-set tiebreaker to beat Sofia Arvidsson.

The Serbian will next face China’s Zheng Jie who knocked out 24th seed Amelie Mauresmo of France, winning 5-7 6-4 6-4 against the ailing former world No. 1.
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Trial: Popular cholesterol drug fails to improve heart disease

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) — Leading doctors urged a return to older, tried-and-true treatments for high cholesterol after hearing full results Sunday of a failed trial of Vytorin.

Millions of Americans already take the drug or one of its components, Zetia. But doctors were stunned to learn that Vytorin failed to improve heart disease even though it worked as intended to reduce three key risk factors.

People need to turn back to statins, said Yale University cardiologist Dr. Harlan Krumholz, referring to Lipitor, Crestor and other widely used brands. We know that statins are good drugs. We know that they reduce risks.

The study was closely watched because Zetia and Vytorin have racked up $5 billion in sales despite limited proof of benefit. Two Congressional panels launched probes into why it took drugmakers nearly two years after the study’s completion to release results.

Results were presented at an American College of Cardiology conference in Chicago Sunday and published on the Internet by the New England Journal of Medicine.

Doctors have long focused on lowering LDL or bad cholesterol as a way to prevent heart disease. Statins like Merck Co.’s Zocor, which recently came out in generic form, do this, as do niacin, fibrates and other medicines.

Vytorin, which came out in 2004, combines Zocor with Schering-Plough Corp.’s Zetia, which went on sale in 2002 and attacks cholesterol in a different way.

The study tested whether Vytorin was better than Zocor alone at limiting plaque buildup in the arteries of 720 people with super high cholesterol because of a gene disorder.

The results show the drug had no result — zilch. In no subgroup, in no segment, was there any added benefit for reducing plaque, said Dr. John Kastelein, the Dutch scientist who led the study.

That happened even though Vytorin dramatically lowered LDL, fats in the blood called triglycerides and a measure of artery inflammation — CRP.

Some doctors noted that hormone pills for menopausal women and torcetrapib, a promising cholesterol drug Pfizer Inc. recently abandoned, also lowered cholesterol but were found in big studies to raise heart risks, not lower them.

Another ominous sign was the decision Friday by other researchers to expand enrollment in a more pivotal study of Vytorin to 18,000 people because early results suggest it will be harder than anticipated to see if it is any better than Zocor alone.

It will be 2012 — ten years after the drug was introduced — before we know the answer, said Dr. Steven Nissen, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist who has no role in the studies and has criticized the drugmakers over the one reported Sunday.

Dr. Robert Spiegel, chief medical officer for Schering-Plough, said the study was done with the highest integrity and that doctors can believe the results because of the time we took to make sure the data are right.

We were disappointed that it was not a very balanced panel discussion by the heart doctors who urged their peers to focus on more established treatments.

However, Kastelein said the data were far more consistent than anticipated and ample to show that the drug simply did not work.

A lot of us thought that there would be some glimmer of benefit, said Dr. Roger Blumenthal, a Johns Hopkins University cardiologist and spokesman for the American Heart Association.

Many doctors have prescribed Vytorin without trying older, proven medications first, as guidelines advise. The key message from the study is don’t do that, Blumenthal said.

No one should ever stop any heart drug without talking with their doctors, heart specialists stressed.

However, doctors should be thinking twice, said Duke University cardiologist Dr. Robert Califf. He takes the drug himself because he cannot tolerate the high dose of statins he otherwise would need.

Dr. James Stein, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said many doctors prescribe Zetia and Vytorin because they seem to be safe ways to get cholesterol down quickly, without annoying side effects like flushing that some other medicines carry.

Stein, who has consulted for Schering-Plough, said that after six years on the market, it would have been good to see better results on a drug so many doctors believed would help, but the reason we do research is so we don’t have to rely on our ‘beliefs’ — we can rely on data.

The New England Journal also published a report showing that Vytorin and Zetia’s use soared in the United States amid a $200 million advertising blitz. In Canada, where marketing drugs directly to consumers is not allowed, sales were four times lower.

Merck is based in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey; Schering-Plough, in Kenilworth, New Jersey.

In addition to the two Congressional committee probes, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo subpoenaed the companies in a similar probe in January.

While these corporations profited, Americans were left in the dark, Cuomo said in a written statement Sunday.

The millions who take this drug, taxpayers who subsidize its use through the Medicaid and Medicare programs, and Merck and Schering-Plough’s investors deserve to know why it took so long for the results to be made public. This new information underscores our concerns and advances our investigation, which we will pursue aggressively. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

found here.

Trial: Popular cholesterol drug fails to improve heart disease

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) — Leading doctors urged a return to older, tried-and-true treatments for high cholesterol after hearing full results Sunday of a failed trial of Vytorin.

Millions of Americans already take the drug or one of its components, Zetia. But doctors were stunned to learn that Vytorin failed to improve heart disease even though it worked as intended to reduce three key risk factors.

People need to turn back to statins, said Yale University cardiologist Dr. Harlan Krumholz, referring to Lipitor, Crestor and other widely used brands. We know that statins are good drugs. We know that they reduce risks.

The study was closely watched because Zetia and Vytorin have racked up $5 billion in sales despite limited proof of benefit. Two Congressional panels launched probes into why it took drugmakers nearly two years after the study’s completion to release results.

Results were presented at an American College of Cardiology conference in Chicago Sunday and published on the Internet by the New England Journal of Medicine.

Doctors have long focused on lowering LDL or bad cholesterol as a way to prevent heart disease. Statins like Merck Co.’s Zocor, which recently came out in generic form, do this, as do niacin, fibrates and other medicines.

Vytorin, which came out in 2004, combines Zocor with Schering-Plough Corp.’s Zetia, which went on sale in 2002 and attacks cholesterol in a different way.

The study tested whether Vytorin was better than Zocor alone at limiting plaque buildup in the arteries of 720 people with super high cholesterol because of a gene disorder.

The results show the drug had no result — zilch. In no subgroup, in no segment, was there any added benefit for reducing plaque, said Dr. John Kastelein, the Dutch scientist who led the study.

That happened even though Vytorin dramatically lowered LDL, fats in the blood called triglycerides and a measure of artery inflammation — CRP.

Some doctors noted that hormone pills for menopausal women and torcetrapib, a promising cholesterol drug Pfizer Inc. recently abandoned, also lowered cholesterol but were found in big studies to raise heart risks, not lower them.

Another ominous sign was the decision Friday by other researchers to expand enrollment in a more pivotal study of Vytorin to 18,000 people because early results suggest it will be harder than anticipated to see if it is any better than Zocor alone.

It will be 2012 — ten years after the drug was introduced — before we know the answer, said Dr. Steven Nissen, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist who has no role in the studies and has criticized the drugmakers over the one reported Sunday.

Dr. Robert Spiegel, chief medical officer for Schering-Plough, said the study was done with the highest integrity and that doctors can believe the results because of the time we took to make sure the data are right.

We were disappointed that it was not a very balanced panel discussion by the heart doctors who urged their peers to focus on more established treatments.

However, Kastelein said the data were far more consistent than anticipated and ample to show that the drug simply did not work.

A lot of us thought that there would be some glimmer of benefit, said Dr. Roger Blumenthal, a Johns Hopkins University cardiologist and spokesman for the American Heart Association.

Many doctors have prescribed Vytorin without trying older, proven medications first, as guidelines advise. The key message from the study is don’t do that, Blumenthal said.

No one should ever stop any heart drug without talking with their doctors, heart specialists stressed.

However, doctors should be thinking twice, said Duke University cardiologist Dr. Robert Califf. He takes the drug himself because he cannot tolerate the high dose of statins he otherwise would need.

Dr. James Stein, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said many doctors prescribe Zetia and Vytorin because they seem to be safe ways to get cholesterol down quickly, without annoying side effects like flushing that some other medicines carry.

Stein, who has consulted for Schering-Plough, said that after six years on the market, it would have been good to see better results on a drug so many doctors believed would help, but the reason we do research is so we don’t have to rely on our ‘beliefs’ — we can rely on data.

The New England Journal also published a report showing that Vytorin and Zetia’s use soared in the United States amid a $200 million advertising blitz. In Canada, where marketing drugs directly to consumers is not allowed, sales were four times lower.

Merck is based in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey; Schering-Plough, in Kenilworth, New Jersey.

In addition to the two Congressional committee probes, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo subpoenaed the companies in a similar probe in January.

While these corporations profited, Americans were left in the dark, Cuomo said in a written statement Sunday.

The millions who take this drug, taxpayers who subsidize its use through the Medicaid and Medicare programs, and Merck and Schering-Plough’s investors deserve to know why it took so long for the results to be made public. This new information underscores our concerns and advances our investigation, which we will pursue aggressively. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

found here.