The Odessa American from Odessa, Texas • 1

Unifying celebration Messianic Jewish group, Christian church join for seder. LOCAL Hi TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2007 WWW.0A0A.COM 50 CENTS Deciding the best Florida and Ohio State play for NCAA men's title. SPORTS Flower frenzy QUICK HITS 2 indicted on murder charges An Ector County grand jury indicted two men Monday on charges of murder one in connection with a 19-year-old homicide. William Harrison Blackwell, 54, of Universal City, was indicted in connection with the 1988 slaying of James Neal Jennings. blackwell remained Monday in the Ector county Detention V.

Center on a $1 million bond. On Feb. 28, 1988, Jennings' body, riddled with bullets, was found burning on a mattress at 7517 Andrews Highway. On April 25, 1988, a warrant was issued "V- r. (,.

1 I 1 1 1 V' for Blackwell's arrest in connection with the homicide. Blackwell was arrested Jan. 18 in Universal City. "It took us 19 years to catch William Blackwell, and begin this legal proces," District Attorney Bobby Bland said. "In this case, justice delayed truly didn't mean justice denied." The grand jury in Judge Stacy Trotter's 244th district court also indicted Clarence Leroy Brown, 71, in connection with Jan.

5 slaying of John Kincher, 75. He was also indicted with aggravated assault in connection with the stabbing of Erma Jean Davis, 46. Davis had been stabbed twice in the upper shoulder while Kincher was stabbed twice in the upper chest following a dispute Jan. 5 at 221 S. Hancock according to police reports.

ON THE HIT: www.co.ector.tx.usdistrictatt.php Tennis, anyone? Looking for a little fun this spring? Tennis lessons are scheduled at "The Hut," also known as the old country club. Lessons begin April 17 to May 24 on selected Tuesdays and Thursdays. Deadline to regis-v ter is Thursday. Bring a new can of balls to gfc MARK STERKELODESSA AMERICAN Above: Alice Jones carries some of the plants she selected early Monday morning at the ECISD Horticulture Center Annual Plant Sale. Dozens of people waited for the doors to open at 8 a.m.

for the sale to begin. Proceeds from the sale are used to fund projects in the horticulture department. Below: A caladium is one of the plants still available at the ECISD Horticulture Department Plant Sale after a busy day Monday. Crowds bloom at annual ECISD plant sale and fund-raiser register. Time is 6 p.m.

to 7 p.m. April 17 and 24; May 1,8, TEC PLANT SALE HOURS 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday at the ECISD Technical Education Center, 104 S. Grandview.

15and22. Cost for Tuesdays is $48. Time is 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on April 19 and 26, May 10, 17 and 24.

opened at 8 am. Monday, some gazinias and salvia caught Mary Mulhern's eye. "There's several plants in a single plant that we can divide once we get home," Mary Mulhern said, after handing the plants to her husband. The couple said they would use the flora to accent their church's land-scaping and their yard at home. Students in the TEC's horticulture program grew the plants from geraniums to tomatoes throughout the school year to learn how to care for plants and to ultimately sell them at the sale, said Horticulture classroom See FLOWERS Pafie 6A BY ELAINE MARSILI0 emarsiIiooaoa.com Alpine resident Mary Mulhern knows what she wants and she has a list of 45 desired plants to prove it.

Mulhern consulted her shopping list Monday at the ECISD Technical Education Center's annual plant sale. She and her husband, Tom, have participated in the sale since 2000. "There are plants we always buy and then we venture out into others," Tom Mulhern said, watching his wife climb onto display tables while searching for plants. Shortly after the greenhouse doors I Cost for Thursdays is $40. Those signing up for both days will pay $75.

Other events are also scheduled throughout the spring and summer. For information, call 570-6245. ON THE NET: http7en.wikipedia.orgwikiTennis Stern drops paternity appeal NASSAU, BAHAMAS The lawyer-turned-partner of Anna Nicole Smith dropped his bid Monday to block the release Police identify hanging body in park of DNA test results that could reveal the father of her baby daughter when it appeared a Bahamas court was going to ME: Man's death still under investigation mm HOWARD K. STERN I i i. 4 reject rus appeal.

An attorney for Howard K. Stern withdrew the challenge in the face of skeptical questioning by the three-judge Court of Appeal All three judges noted Stern had filed his challenge too late and should have raised his objections before the Supreme Court ordered DNA testing in the paternity challenge filed by Larry Birkhead, a former boyfriend of Smith who claims to be the --lift 4 'j'I -Ml" i want to be found," he said. While Odessa officials weren't calling Monday's death a homicide, they were awaiting a final determination into the death of the Hispanic man, who was found about 9 a.m. Monday hanging by rope from the crossbars of playground equipment Monday at Salinas Park, 600 Clements. Police later identified the man as Jesus Martinez, 30.

CpL Sherrie Carruth said police believe the man's death was self-inflicted. Detectives used a driver's license to identify him, though he may have used an alias while working for a construction company. "He may have been using one, but as long as he had a picture ID, that's what they went with," she said. Medical Examiner Carl Rogers said Monday afternoon that he had not made a determination into the cause of death or decided if an autopsy would be necessary. 1 t-i ANNA NICOLE SMITH BY DANIEL SK0LFIELD dskoineldoaoa.com The body of a man hanging from playground equipment Monday wasn't the first death Odessan Demetrius Steward had seen at Salinas Park.

The 36-year-old said he wasn't extremely shocked to hear of more death in the neighborhood. When he was 9 years old, Steward said he saw a man killed over a beer near the baseball field. "I witnessed my first murder in this park while I was standing on first base," said Steward while standing across the street. "When somebody hangs in the middle of a park like that, they father of baby Dannielynn. Today, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hold a hearing in the paternity case but the MARK STERKELODESSA AMERICAN Odessa Police Department Criminalistics technicians leave the scene of a hanging Monday morning at Salinas Park.

"There's a lot of things about is still an open investigation." this that would indicate a self-inflicted, but we haven't ruled any- ON THE NET: thing at this point," he said. "This www.odessapd.com lawyers and officials are prohibited by Bahamian legal rules from discussing the case, even to reveal the nature of the hearing. ON THE NET: www.annanicole.com FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS CLOSING PRICES INDEX i FREEDOM COMMUNICATIONS. INC. Posted: $62.50 Futures: $65.94 Natural Gas: $7,671 Oil prices rise slightly amid ongoing tensions between COMING WEDNESDAY Easter cookies Spread the spirit of loving kindness this Easter season with sweet treats.

See Wednesday's Food page. CLASSIFIED 1C COMICS 5D CROSSWORD 6B DEAR ABBY 6B DEATHS 3B MOVIES SA OPINION 4A SPORTS tD: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK i WEATHER Online poll I CBS A Mostly sunny. Should ECISD change its name to the winds west Odessa Independent School District? Vote online at www.oaoa.com and e-mail i commentstooalettersoaoa.com. i 57 PAGE 6D Iran and Western nations over captured sailors. TELEVISION 5A.