1.   As in the Faulkner murder, witnesses often have criminal histories, and people with shady pasts are easily intimidated.

2.   Gossett Jr. joins the cast as Ezekiel Grant, a former world boxing champ and ex-con with a shady past who goes to work for Roberto.

3.   It would be easy to dismiss Mercado as an ex-con with a shady past, but he speaks thoughtfully and quietly.

4.   Olek Krupa, as an Ibsenesque doctor with a shady past and a penchant for wise epigrams, suggests Bela Lugosi auditioning for the role of Oscar Wilde.

5.   Tristan is rescued -- here and at many other points in his journey -- by Wally, a kindhearted man with a shady past.

6.   Others, including neighbors and officers who work under Bowman, argue his shady past makes him unfit for the job.

7.   Evita might have remained an overpaid actress with a shady past if not for her marriage to the general, while Madonna has mostly done it alone.

8.   He even challenged President Kim Young-sam to clarify what he alleged was a shady political past.

9.   Others pointed out that museums are full of items with shady pasts.