Thursday, July 19, 2012

KEY WEST

Court nixes killer's appeal

A man convicted in the gruesome ax-handle murder of a Key West jeweler in 2001 lost his appeal Wednesday.

The 3rd District Court of Appeal on Wednesday affirmed Richard Ramon Aponte's conviction of second-degree murder in the death of Bill Jones. Aponte beat Jones to death with an ax handle in May 1999 after a dispute over money.

Jones' body was found in his back bedroom after the homeowner and a sheriff's deputy went to the home to evict him.

Aponte is serving a life sentence at the Okeechobee Correctional Institution.

KEY WEST

Bus at Overseas Market

The Key West city Department of Transportation will continue to provide service at the regular stops in the Overseas Market, as long as traffic patterns and flow allow, with the buses exiting at the planned detour at 12th Street and Kennedy Drive.

If the Florida Department of Transportation, in charge of the North Roosevelt Boulevard reconstruction project, changes traffic patterns, the issue could be revisited, according to city spokeswoman Alyson Crean.

For more information, call 305-809-3910 or visit www.keywestcity.com and www.kwtransit.com.