NATIONAL BRIEFS

OKLAHOMA: Floods strand residents, motorists

Firefighters helping a 17-year-old girl escape swift floodwaters were forced to cling to treetops and await rescue themselves after 10 inches of rain deluged parts of the Oklahoma City area Monday. The rescuers' boat sank just as it reached the teen along a North Canadian River tributary that had toppled its banks. A second boat was able to recover the girl, the firefighters and the boat owner. There were more than 50 rescues of residents and stranded motorists. The girl had waded into the fast-moving water to help a stranded motorist, who was able to get out of her vehicle safely, police said. In Arkansas, state police found the body of a young girl Monday, the 20th fatal victim of a flash flood that swamped a campground.

CALIFORNIA: Life term for Sunday school teacher

Tearful and trembling, a Sunday school teacher apologized in court Monday for kidnapping and murdering her young daughter's playmate but didn't address the main question surrounding the shocking crime. "I still cannot understand why I did what I did," Melissa Huckaby, 29, said before a judge sentenced her to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The only comfort she offered the family of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu was that she "did not suffer, and I did not sexually molest your daughter." Authorities disclosed an investigative summary that depicted a brutal killing that left the child with wounds to her head and body, including injuries to the outside of her genitals that were consistent with a bloodstained rolling pin found inside a church where Huckaby had taught. A pathologist's report listed the official cause of death as "homicidal asphyxiation." Sandra's body, found in a black suitcase pulled from an irrigation pond, contained alprazolam, a prescription sedative used to treat anxiety.

Two boys' ordeal in murder-suicide

A 5-year-old boy spent 12 hours with the bodies of his mother and father while his 3-year-old brother hid outside their home after being shot three times, authorities said Monday. Anaheim police said the apparent murder-suicide happened late Sunday but wasn't discovered until midmorning Monday, when a co-worker stopped by to see why the father hadn't reported to work. Sgt. Tim Schmidt said the 5-year-old told police his father tried to kill him.

UTAH: Death row inmate denied clemency

A condemned inmate lost his bid for clemency from a state parole board Monday, making his execution by firing squad on Friday more likely than ever. Ronnie Lee Gardner had asked the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole to commute his death sentence to life in prison.