• Amy Winehouse popped into her husband Blake's court hearing today. As you can see, the singer went through loads of trouble getting gussied up. Sort of…

• The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld digs into South Carolina's pre-primary policy.

• The Democratic National Committee included trans delegates during 2004's convention. So where are the trannies during this race?

• Laura Kiritsy probes Florida's potential gay nuptial ban.

• Jack Mackenroth needs your help!

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A 20-year old Texan man will go to jail for an eight month rape spree back in 2006:

A jury convicted a man Tuesday of raping another man, one of five sexual assaults he is accused of committing on men in an eight-month spree in 2006.

The sentencing phase of the trial was to begin later Tuesday for Keith Hill, who could receive anything from five years' probation to life in prison for aggravated sexual assault.

The trial focused on just one of the cases against him: A May 2006 attack of a teenager who said he was forced to perform oral sex at gunpoint after he was abducted from his driveway near Houston.

Hill admitted to police that he had raped the men, but his defense attorney argued that the written confession may have been coerced. Thus, Hill pleaded not guilty during the trial. Apparently the jury thought otherwise.

Justice has been served! Three of the four men involved in Michael Sandy's October, 2006 death have been sentenced to various times in jail.

Anthony Fortunato, the 21-year old who orchestrated the attack, will serve 7 to 21 years. The man who led Sandy to the beach, 20-year old John Fox, faces 13 to 21 years in prison. Meanwhile, the youth who chased Sandy into traffic, Ilya Shurov, will serve 17 1/2 years.

The first two men addressed Sandy's mourning parents to apologize for their gruesome actions, which involved posing as a sex-seeking man online, luring Sandy to a secluded area of Brooklyn and attacking him. Fearing for his life, Sandy ran into road, where a yet unidentified car slammed into the 29-year old.

He died a few days later.

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New York copper Jai Aiken's post-force life just took a turn for the worst. An NYPD judge has ruled that Aiken, who lost his job for buying stolen guns from an undercover cop, should not receive the pension promised after his acquittal. Aiken claims that the NYPD used duplicitous tactics to ensnare him on trumped up gun running charges. And the NYPD kinda, sorta agrees:

During a two-day IAB trial this fall, NYPD brass testified the sting was the first time in memory an undercover posed as a potential lover to lure a cop into crime. They conceded spending more than 5,000 man hours to nail Aiken… After a nine-month probe, Bailey conceded the more serious charges were unsubstantiated.

So, the undercover was dispatched on Aug. 3, 2005 to a popular gay cruising spot in Harlem, where he met Aiken. "Every conversation we had, he talked about sex. I would redirect to guns and drugs. I let him believe I might have sex," he said.

The cock talk got coppers what they wanted: the alleged criminial Aiken bought a stolen iPod from the lover. And, as you've probably guessed, found himself in the investigative hot seat. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly must now decide whether to give Aiken his pension or kick him to the curb. It seems to us, however, that Aiken's "crimes" are far less than those perpetrated by other police - like shooting unarmed black kids - so he deserves a little coinage.

A lot of people talk smack about a cops, so it's always nice to remind readers that police officers can do loads of good. Take, for example, Detective Confesor Gonzalez. The Miami-based do-gooder has spent nearly a decade trying to track down the man who killed two gay men. And, after so many dead ends, he's succeeded:

An illegal immigrant already in prison on another charge and awaiting deportation to Mexico has been charged with the killings of two gay Miami men whose bodies were found six blocks apart during a six day period in 1998, thanks to a determined cop and new forensics methods.

The murders of Leonides Ramos, 51, and Osvaldo Del Pino, 39, galvanized Miami's gay community amid fears a serial killer of on the lose [sic].
…
Detective Confesor Gonzalez tells the Miami Herald that he kept a photograph of the fingerprint on his desk. He said it was a yearly reminder to run the print. "Whenever I changed desks, I kept it. Every time I went to work, it stared at me."

The detective's obsession paid off when the print matched a convict, 32-year old Guillermo Valencia. Valencia agreed to give the detective a DNA sample, which matched chewing gum left at a crime scene and the rest, as they say, is homo-history.

The only bad news: Valencia gets to stay in Miami-Dade County's prison for the trial. This means, of course, that the area's tax payers are going to be feeding, clothing and caring for him. Damn you, due process, damn you!!

A sex party's end came too quickly Sunday in Malaysia when Penang-based police raided a "fitness center-cum-sauna," according to The Star.

A concerned citizen tipped vice cops off that space had been used for clandestine trysts - and boy were they right. In addition to rounding up 34 men - including British and Chinese nationals - coppers found seven tubes of lube, 20 gay magazines, four pornographic movies and six boxes of condoms. Quite the party!

SUnday's raid isn't the first of its kind. Penang police busted two other parties back in April - all part of their continued mission to crackdown on "vice" activities. The sex party's are especially naughty because sodomy remains illegal in Malaysia.

No word on what will become of the men rounded up Sunday, but we're sure it won't be good.

Australian national Matthew Leveson hasn't been seen since September 23rd, but his family isn't giving up hope that he'll return safe and sound.

Leveson's mother continues to implore the public to send in tips on what could have happened to her 20-year old son: "I want my son back. He's a beautiful boy, he wouldn't harm a fly, he's got lovely friends. I just want to know something."

Leveson's family's been in anguish since he went missing in September. His brother was the last member to see him, when they ran into each other at a ARQ nightclub, a popular club in Sydney. Leveson's boyfriend saw him later that night, but hasn't heard a peep since.

Police found Leveson's empty car four days later. Though they have no clues one way or another, authorities fear Leveson may have met a homophobic end. Said one detective, "We certainly hold grave concerns for Matthew. We believe his disappearance is a result of foul play."

Let's hope that's not the case.

The trial against Navy doctor Kevin J. Ronan keeps heating up. Former Navy man Andy Strasdas testified this week about how he discovered Ronan's collection of tapes Ronan secretly made of Strasdas and eight other men who stayed at his house.

Though he originally claimed to have only found two tapes, which he turned over to military officials, Strasdas admitted that he uncovered four tapes, a detail the defense used to call Strasdas' character into question. Strasdas said he hid two tapes because he feared the Navy would cover it up. What a conscientious objector…

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