By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – A Lewisville man who's been convicted of drunken driving three times is facing murder charges after a weekend car wreck that killed two people.
Police believe 30-year-old John Patrick Barton was drunk when his car hit another one at about 2 a.m. Sunday. Police say Barton's car was speeding when it rear-ended a sedan carrying a family of five on Interstate 35E, causing both cars to spin. The 33-year-old driver of the sedan and her 13-year-old daughter died. The woman's husband and children ages 12 and 16 were hospitalized.
Lewisville Police Sgt. Joel Hull said Monday that Barton was being treated in a hospital but did not know his condition. Hull didn't know if Barton had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Discovery in orbit
Space shuttle Discovery's launch into orbit this morning has clinched a record for the most women in space at the same time -- four. That includes the three female Discovery crew members and a woman on the space station.
Discovery began one of NASA's final stockpiling missions to the International Space Station in the pre-dawn darkness, its takeoff flames bringing an early dawn to the coast.
The shuttle should arrive at the orbiting outpost Wednesday.
In a rare treat, the space station passed over the launch site 15 minutes before Discovery blasted off and was easily visible, resembling a big, brilliant star in the clear morning sky with the moon as a dramatic backdrop.
2nd man dies in Fort Worth convenience store case
Authorities say a second man has died 10 days after a Fort Worth convenience store robbery that led to capital murder charges against four suspects.
Fort Worth police spokesman Sgt. Chad Mahaffey said Sunday that 70-year-old Jerry Edwin Burnett died Friday. The bread delivery truck driver and store clerk Daniel Rojas-Torres were shot during a robbery attempt. Rojas-Torres died the day of the March 23 attack.
Security video showed the victims were shot as suspects left with a bag of cash and checks. A police affidavit says the suspects worked at a used-car lot next to the store and were frequent customers.
Mahaffey said it wasn't immediately clear how Burnett's death would affect charges in the case.