Woman Reaches Plea Deal in Skull Smuggling Case

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Haitian woman facing federal charges after a human skull was found in her luggage has reached a plea deal, her lawyer said Friday.

As a result, Myrlene Severe, 30, a permanent U.S. resident, may avoid deportation, said her attorney, Kenneth Hassett, who announced the deal Friday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale.

The remains were found when the woman arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in February from Haiti. She told authorities she intended to use it as part of her Voodoo beliefs.

Severe was charged with smuggling a human head into the U.S. without proper documentation, failure to declare the head and transporting hazardous material in air commerce.

The plea deal would allow her to plead guilty at an April 12 hearing to a misdemeanor charge of improper storage of human remains, the South Florida Sun-Sentinal reported.

A misdemeanor conviction would less likely lead to deportation, her lawyer said.

Severe could have faced up to 15 years in jail. Now she could face less than a year in jail, probation and fines.

The U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement that the agreement ”accurately reflects the totality of the circumstances.”

Read Another Article

Ex-Muslim preaches dangers of Islam
Westboro Baptist Church: Kansas House Passes Funeral Picketing Bill

Related News Articles Topic(s): Voodoo Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Voodoo Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog