NEWS ROUND-UP: Muth Hospitalized, Taxing Cupcakes and Which Georgetown Cuddler?


What do you mean “Death is imminent”? That’s the voicemail for a reporter from a caller who sounded like Albrecht Muth, according to the Washington Post. Here’s the Post account on Feb. 1: ” . . . Muth, the eccentric German charged in the 2011 beating death of his elderly Georgetown wife, has been hospitalized as a result of a hunger strike, sources familiar with the case said Friday. Speaking on condition of anonymity because Muth’s case is pending in D.C. Superior Court, the sources said Muth was removed from the D.C. jail and has been in critical condition at a local hospital as a result of his hunger fast. It is unknown whether his trial, scheduled to begin March 25, will proceed. Muth, 48, is charged with first-degree murder in the August 2011 death of his wife of 22 years, Viola Herms Drath, then 91. Authorities said Muth beat and strangled his wife in their Georgetown home.” Drath’s birthday is Friday, Feb. 8; her Facebook page is still active.

==

The D.C. Court of Appeals overturned the 2010 conviction of “an Arlington man accused of breaking into homes and sexually assaulting male Georgetown University students as they slept,” according to the Washington Examiner. The court ruled Jan. 31 that Todd Matthew Thomas “can get a new trial because prosecutors were allowed to tell jurors that he was previously convicted of sexually assaulting another man in Virginia.”
Thomas had been sentenced to 26 years in prison for burglary and assaults on five male Georgetown students between 2007 and 2008. The assaults occurred on 33rd and 35th Streets near the university’s main campus. During the trial, Thomas claimed another “Georgetown Cuddler” had committed the crimes, because there were similar attacke on female students — and he had been wearing an electronically monitored ankle bracelet at that time.

===

Despite Feb. 1 reports in the Washingtonian and DCist blog, Georgetown Cupcake was happy to report that it has no outstanding tax bill to the District of Columbia. The hugely popular corner bakery at 33rd and M Streets had everyone wondering how such a bill of about $189,000 would convert into cupcakes. The problem was first reported by the Washington Business Journal. “Georgetown Cupcake has paid its taxes to the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue in full, and the Office of Tax and Revenue has acknowledged receipt of payment,” said Katherine Kallinis, co-owner with her sister Sophie LaMontagne. Kallinis also wrote to the Washingtonian: “The misunderstanding regarding the lien has been resolved, the lien is in the process of being terminated, and we expect confirmation of the termination later today.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *