4 GET LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDER OF SF SHOP OWNER: SAN RAFAEL (AP) — Four men have received life prison terms after being convicted of killing a San Francisco store owner to prevent him from testifying in a robbery case.
The Marin Independent Journal reports that four men were sentenced Wednesday for the slaying of 44-year-old Ton Van Le in 2008 in Novato.
Twenty-three-year-old Larry Blay Jr. and 21-year-old Kevin Abram received life without the possibility of parole; 21-year-old Drandre Blay and 21-year-old C. Autis Johnson received 26 years to life each.
Marin County prosecutors say Le's slaying occurred after he identified Blay Jr. as a suspect in the robbery of his store. Prosecutors say Blay put a hit on Le after Blay was arrested.
A hearing in July will determine how much restitution the four defendants should pay to Le's family.
SUSPECT CHARGED IN CRASH AT WALMART: SAN JOSE (AP) — A man who police say crashed his car through a Walmart store in California then attacked shoppers has been charged with two counts of attempted murder.
The San Jose Mercury News reported that 33-year-old Haamid Ade Zaid appeared Thursday in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
Zaid was also charged with four counts of assault with a deadly weapon; two counts of felony vandalism; three misdemeanor counts of hit and run; and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving.
Prosecutors say one of the assault cases stems from a previous incident when Zaid crashed his car into a gas station after fleeing a collision.
Police say Zaid was on drugs when he crashed into the Walmart in San Jose on Sunday, got out of the car and began swinging a metal club.
He is being held without bail. His attorney Victor Vertner said the charges are off-base and his client was overcharged by prosecutors.
OBAMA: CALIF. ATTORNEY GENERAL IS 'BEST-LOOKING: ATHERTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is praising California's attorney general for more than her smarts and toughness.
During a Democratic fundraising lunch in the Silicon Valley on Thursday, the president also commended Kamala Harris for being "the best-looking attorney general." As the crowd laughed, he added: "It's true! C'mon."
He also described Harris as brilliant, dedicated and tough during the Democratic National Committee luncheon in Atherton.
Lynda Gledhill, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office, says Harris was present at the lunch. She said Harris would have no comment on the president's remarks.
H-P CHAIRMAN RAY LANE TO STEP DOWN: PALO ALTO (AP) — Hewlett-Packard Co. said Thursday that chairman Ray Lane is stepping down, two weeks after he was nearly ousted by shareholders at the company's annual meeting. He'll continue to be a board member.
Shareholders are upset by a series of mistakes that have damaged the company's share price, including the $8.8 billion write-down on the $10 billion acquisition of business software maker Autonomy in 2011.
At the March 20 annual shareholders meeting, Lane's re-election as director received just 59 percent support, compared with 96 percent for Ralph Whitworth, a veteran shareholder activist who will run the board temporarily.
Two other board members targeted by the shareholder revolt decided to resign by the May board meeting. They were John Hammergren, a director since 2005 who got 54 percent support, and G. Kennedy Thompson, a director since 2006 who got 55 percent.
