INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 131, No. 103
MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
12 Pages – Free
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Ladies of the Evening
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Partly Cloudy HIGH: 41º LOW: 22º
Four alumnae speak on a range of issues, from gender inequality to balancing a career and family life. | Page 3
Ben Maracle ’16 remembers the remarkable career of influential photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White ’27. | Page 6
Head coach Robert Koll and sophomore wrestler Gabe Dean won Ivy Coach and Ivy Player of the Year. | Page 12
Court Denies Former Student’s Insanity Appeal
Convicted of 2009 murder, Blazej Kot argues he was mentally‘incapable’during trial By SOFIA HU Sun News Editor
An appellate court on Thursday denied the insanity appeal of a former Cornell graduate student convicted of murdering his wife in June 2009. Blazej Kot, who is currently serving a 25-year-sentence on three felony charges, murdered Caroline Coffey, a postdoctoral student at the College of Veterinary Medicine, on June 2, 2009, weeks after they returned from a honeymoon in Costa Rica, The Sun previously reported. Coffey and Kot were on a jog on the Black Diamond Trail when Kot fatally slashed Coffeey with a boxcutter, set fire to their apartment and attempted suicide after leading police on a high speed chase. Kot, now 30, was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree arson and tampering with physical evidence after a three-week trial in Tompkins County Court in April 2010, The Sun previously reported. During the trial, Dr.
Rory Houghtalen, a psychiatrist and expert witness for the defense, argued that Kot suffered from mental illness and therefore should be charged with manslaughter rather than murder. J.P. McCarthy — the judge on the appellate court which denied the insanity appeal — said in his report that Kot and his lawyer, Margaret McCarthy, argued in the 2010 trial that the court “erred by failing to order … a competency hearing.” The defendant argued that due to his mental condition, he was “incapable” of participating in the trial, according to the appellate court’s ruling. Kot also argued that he was entitled to a hearing that would assess whether he was capable of participating in the trial and on whether new information on his mental health would have resulted in a “more favorable” verdict had that information been presented. However, J.P. McCarthy rejected this appeal, citing the defendant’s actions during the 2010 trial. In his ruling, McCarthy said that defendants are generally assumed com-
petent to stand trial and that a history of mental illness or suicide attempts do not require the court to hold a competency hearing. Additionally, J.P. McCarthy said Kot appeared to understand the trial proceedings and that the defense did not request a competency hearing. “Up to and throughout the trial, [the] defendant continuousKOT ly exhibited an awareness of the nuances of the criminal justice process, including, as is pertinent to this discussion, the crucial role that Houghtalen, as his forensic psychiatric expert, would play in his defense,” J.P. McCarthy wrote in his ruling. See TRIAL page 5
The Sun Elects Its 133rd Editorial Board By SLOANE GRINSPOON Sun Associate Editor
CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
On the soapbox | Juliana Batista ’16, Matthew Stefanko ’16 and Jeffrey Breuer ’16 — candidates for Student Assembly president — answers questions at a debate in the Memorial Room at Willard Straight Hall Thursday.
S.A.Candidates Face Off at Debate Presidential aspirants detail goals,qualifications
By CHRISTOPHER BYRNS Sun Staff Writer
Candidates vying for the positions of president and executive vice president on the Student Assembly answered moderators’ questions about their platforms and student governance experiences at Willard Straight Hall Thursday. Three presidential candidates — Juliana Batista ’16, Matthew Stefanko ’16 and Jeffrey Breuer ’16 — and two vice president candidates — Emma Johnston ’16 and Peter Biedenweg ’17 — participated in the debate Thursday. Speaking on his reason for running for president, Breuer said he has observed the S.A. as a student and “[felt] that there has been a very poor effort made to bring students in.” While Batista and Stefanko have both served on
the S.A. for three consecutive years, Breuer is new to the organization. “I think it’s time for some new energy, especially when we are talking about these new administrators coming in who we can work effectively with if we start the right way,” Breuer said. Batista, the current executive vice president for the S.A., said she believes she has the ability to “be the person on the ground” and “sit in the room with administrators.” “I really want to be the person that not only speaks for students but with students,” Batista said. “I can be the person that you can meet at Libe Cafe and talk about an initiative that you want to see on campus but also be the person in a board room with administrators making sure that they are held See DEBATE page 5
After seven over-caffeinated weeks of editorial compet, The Sun elected its 133rd Editorial Board in what was perhaps the shortest election in the paper’s history on Saturday. In fact, most of the editors didn’t even get the chance to sober up before the end of elections. The board has yet to agree on a favorite Pandora radio station to play at the office, but at least they can agree on two things: the amazing quality of Gorger’s fries and their passion to create the best content The Sun’s readers have seen yet. With that being said, we are proud to present the editors of The Sun’s 133rd
Editorial Board: Tyler Alicea ’16 will helm this institution as our fearless Editor in Chief. He previously served as the Managing Editor and Sophomore Managing Editor for The Sun, and was voted as ‘Most Likely to Take Over The Sun in a Coup.’ He has an undying love for plaid shirts, Diet Pepsi and Oxford commas, all of which we think are really heinous. Business Manager Emma Lichtenstein ’16 hails from fast-paced New York City where sarcasm, self-proclaimed art critics and everything bagels reign. When not at the office, she can be found popping popcorn at Willard Straight Hall or eating her way See BOARD page 4
We are family | The 133rd Editorial Board poses for a photo at The Sun’s offices at 139 W. State St. Sunday.
ALEXA DAVIS / SUN SENIOR WRITER