April 10, 2008
Albuquerque Media Monitoring
News clips from Wednesday, April 9 include stories about:
* Man convicted of raping UNM student faces murder charges
* Former Lobo Dionne Marsh
* Lobo football
* Diversity workshop raises controversyKASA TV 2 – 9 p.m.
A RAPIST FROM RIO RANCHO...WAS IN AN OREGON COURTROOM TODAY FACING MORE RAPE CHARGES....PLUS MURDER CHARGES. 41-YEAR-OLD JOEL COURTNEY IS ACCUSED OF MURDERING BYU STUDENT BROOKE WILBERGER. SHE VANISHED WHILE VISITING HER SISTER IN OREGON. HER BODY HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND. THE BENTON COUNTY PROSECUTOR SAYS TODAY'S ARRAIGNMENT MAY BEGIN TO PROVIDE CLOSURE TO THEIR DAUGHTER'S DEATH. "One can only imagine what it must be like for a family to
have to endure this kind of experience." PROSECUTORS ARE SEEKING THE DEATH PENALTY. THEY SAY COURTNEY WILL ALSO FACE CHARGES THAT HE TRIED TO KIDNAP AND KILL TWO OTHER VICTIMS IN OREGON. COURTNEY WAS CONVICTED OF RAPING A UNM STUDENT LAST YEAR.THE WNBA DRAFT COMES AND GOES WITH FORMER LOBO DIONNE MARSH STILL WAITING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY. TENNESSEE STAR CANDACE PARKER IS THE FIRST PICK GOING TO MICHAEL COOPER AND THE LA SPARKS. MARSH IS DISAPPOINTED SHE WAS NOT SELECTED DURING THE THREE ROUNDS. SHE BELIEVED SHE HAD PLAYED WELL AT THE WNBA PRE DRAFT CAMP APRIL 3RD AND 4TH. MARSH WAS ONE OF THE TOP 45 PLAYERS INVITED TO THE CAMP. SHE WILL NOW WAIT TO SEE WHAT HER AGENT CAN GET. THAT MIGHT MEAN GOING TO WNBA CAMP AS A FREE AGENT OR GOING OVERSEAS. LOBO SENIOR BRANDI KIMBLE IS ALSO UNDRAFTED AND HOPING TO CONTINUE TO PLAY.
KOB TV 4 – 4 p.m.
A MAN CONVICTED OF RAPING A UNM STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO BE ARRAIGNED ON MURDER CHARGES TODAY IN OREGON. OREGON AUTHORITIES THINK JOEL PATRICK COURTNEY KIDNAPPED... RAPED AND MURDERED COLLEGE STUDENT BROOK WILBERGER IN OREGON BACK IN 2004. HER BODY HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND. COURTNEY WAS RECENTLY SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS FOR KIDNAPPING AND RAPING THE UNM STUDENT AT KNIFEPOINT -- SHE ESCAPED FROM HIS CAR NAKED. THE FBI SAYS COURTNEY, WHO LIVED IN RIO RANCHO -- COULD BE A SERIAL KILLER.FOOTBALL AROUND TOMORROW WITH THE OFFICIAL START OF SPRING PRACTICE.. HEAD COACH ROCKY LONG SAYS HE USES THESE 15 WORKOUTS TO DEVELOP SOME STARTERS.. FOUR OF UNM'S FIVE OFFENSIVE LINEMEN ARE GONE.. THEIR TWO TOP RECEIVERS ARE GONE.. THEY DON'T HAVE A STARTING KICKER AND ONLY TWO UNM LINEBACKERS HAVE D-ONE EXPERIENCE.
KOAT TV 7 – 6 p.m.
AN INVITATION TO A DIVERSITY WORKSHOP, IS RUBBING A LOT OF PEOPLE THE WRONG WAY AT SANDIA LABS. THE INVITE SAYS ...WHITE PEOPLE ARE INHERENTLY RACIST. THE SEMINAR IS CALLED "WHITE PRIVILEDGE AND DIVERSITY"; AND LAB ADMINISTRATORS SAY THEY'VE RECEIVED MORE THAN A DOZEN COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SEMINAR. ACTION 7 NEWS REPORTER ROD GREEN HAS MORE ON THE CONTROVERSY. THE IDEA WAS TO HELP HARMONY AND UNDERSTANDING AT THE LABS. BUT IT SEEMS TO BE CREATING QUITE A COMMOTION. THE INVITATION WAS TO A DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP FORUM ON APRIL SECOND. ONE OF THE WORKSHOPS WAS CALLED "WHITE PRIVILEDGE AND DIVERISTY". THE DISCUSSION WAS TO BE LEAD BY A UNM FACULTY MEMBER. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE IN THE WORDING EXPLAINING THE WORKSHOP. THE INVITATION SAYS -- AND WE'RE QUOTING : "RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST WHITES' LACK OF AWARENESS ABOUT OTHER CULTURES HAS TO DO WITH WHITES' COMMITMENT TO MAINTAINING HIGHER SOCIAL STATUS, OR 'WHITE PRIVILEGE.'" THE INVITATION GOES ON TO SAY THAT "IN OTHER WORDS, THEY MAY LEARN THROUGH MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION BUT ARE LIKELY TO PERSIST IN RACIST BEHAVIORS UNLESS PERSUADED TO ABOLISH THE PRIVILEGES THEY RECEIVE AS MEMBERS OF THE WHITE RACE." THE DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP PROGRAM AT SANDIA TOLD US THEY REGRET ANY OFFENSE CREATED BY THE DECRIPTION OF THE UPCOMING WORKSHOP. SANDIA DID NOT DESIGN THE COURSE OF THE CONTENT OF THE WORKSHOP. LIVE IN RGR, A7N. WE TRIED CONTACTING THE UNM FACULTY MEMBER WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO LEAD THE DISCUSSION, BUT THEY DIDN'T GET BACK TO US.A MAN CONVICTED OF RAPING A UNM STUDENT, FACES MURDER CHARGES IN ANOTHER STATE TODAY. JOEL COURTNEY APPEARED BEFORE A JUDGE TO ANSWER CHARGES THAT HE KILLED 19-YEAR-OLD BROOKE WILBERGER IN 2004. AJ SMITH JOINS US WITH MORE.. COURTNEY IS A FORMER RIO RANCHO RESIDENT. UNTIL THIS WEEK, HE'S BEEN SERVING TIME IN A NEW MEXICO PRISON FOR KIDNAPPING AND RAPING A UNM EXCHANGE STUDENT BACK IN 2004. AFTER PLEADING GUILTY, HE WAS SENTENCED TO 18-YEARS IN JAIL. BUT YESTERDAY HE WAS EXTRADITED TO OREGON TO FACE MURDER CHARGES. AUTHORITIES THERE BELIEVE HE KILLED BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY STUDENT BROOKE WILBERGER IN MAY OF 2004. WILBERGER WAS VISITING FAMILY IN OREGON WHEN SHE VANISHED. HER BODY HAS NOT BEEN FOUND. THIS MORNING COURTNEY APPEARED IN COURT VIA VIDEO CAMERA WITH HIS ATTORNEY. HE DID NOT ENTER A PLEA TODAY. COURTNEY'S ATTORNEY, STEVE GORHAM, SAYS HE WAS JUST ASSIGNED THE CASE THIS MORNING. Steven Gorham/Defense Attorney "I listened to the District Attorney's press conference. He feels confident that he has the evidence, and once we see what it is, we'll be able to evaluate it." PROSECUTORS PLAN TO SEEK THE DEATH PENALTY IN THIS CASE. LIVE IN RIO RANCHO, A-J SMITH, ACTION 7 NEWS. COURTNEY WILL BE BACK IN THE COURTROOM FOR ANOTHER HEARING ON MAY 23.