WEST

MAN LEAVES STRIKING CLUE IN FAMILY’S MURDER-SUICIDE: SONG LYRICS

LOS ANGELES – A man who murdered five family members and then shot himself to death left the haunting lyrics of a Grammy-winning song next to his computer and a note that read, “Woe is me. I’m looking forward to seeing you in the next life,” authorities said yesterday. Investigators are still baffled about why a 44-year-old investigator for the district attorney’s office, David McGowan, killed his wife, mother, and three children early Tuesday while they slept.

“This investigation is not complete. We’re trying to figure out why this very tragic situation occurred,” Sheriff Bob Doyle said. “What was troubling this young man that he would do such a tragic thing?” Investigators searching McGowan’s sprawling, two-story ranch home in rural Riverside County found the typed lyrics of the Los Lonely Boys song “Heaven” next to his computer. The song is about being trapped and lost in life, and McGowan’s note was on the same sheet of paper as the lyrics. Based on a trail of bloody sock prints, investigators determined that McGowan used his duty weapon to kill his wife, Karen, 42, and mother, Angelia, 75, upstairs, then went downstairs and killed the children – son, Chase, 14, and daughters Paige, 10, and Rayne, 8.

– Associated Press

AT JACKSON TRIAL, CULKIN DENIES MOLESTATION

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – “Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin firmly testified yesterday that he was never molested by Michael Jackson and told jurors that he and the pop star have a bond based on the shared experience of being children thrust into stardom.

The 24-year-old actor was the third young man to testify at Mr. Jackson’s trial that, as boys, they slept with Mr. Jackson at his Neverland ranch and were neither molested nor inappropriately touched, as prosecution witnesses have alleged.

Mr. Culkin called the charges against Mr. Jackson “absolutely ridiculous” and said he did not even learn of the allegations made about him until someone told him he should watch CNN’s coverage.

“Do you have reason to believe Mr. Jackson molested you at any time?” defense attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. asked.

“Not at all,” said Mr. Culkin, who entered court through a back way without being seen by photographers and about two dozen Jackson fans outside the courthouse.

Mr. Jackson, 46, is accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy in 2003, giving him wine and conspiring to hold the boy’s family captive to get them to rebut a damaging documentary about the singer.

– Associated Press

WASHINGTON

‘THE END IS NEAR’: CLINTON, GINGRICH UNITE ON HEALTH-CARE BILL

Longtime political foes Newt Gingrich and Senator Clinton came together cheerfully yesterday to promote legislation on health-care reform, joking that some might view it as a sign of a soon-to-come doomsday. Mrs. Clinton, a Democrat of New York, and Mr. Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker, united outside the American Capitol to promote a bill that would modernize medical record keeping. The senator joked the effort with Mr. Gingrich has raised plenty of eyebrows since they began working together behind closed doors on a panel examining ways to improve military effectiveness.

“At our first meeting when we were agreeing so much with each other I think people thought: ‘The End is Near,'” joked Mrs. Clinton. “I find he and I have a lot in common in the way we see the problems that we’re going to have to deal with in order to have a 21st century health care system,” said the senator. Mr. Gingrich was equally effusive, saying he was “thrilled” to be part of the bipartisan effort to reduce the amount of paperwork that the health care industry creates.

– Associated Press