Defrosting Cold Cases

Sum it Up! #40 There are a few cases that I am watching: The Italian Supreme Court heard arguments today re Amanda Knox. The story on CNN is here. The issue of extradition will most likely fail since the US Constitution prohibits that someone faces another prosecution on substantially the same charges (double jeopardy). Note [...]

The Connecticut Appellate Court ordered a new trial for Richard Lapointe! From the Hartford Courant: “In a stunning decision, the state Appellate Court Monday ordered a new trial for Richard Lapointe, a mentally disabled dishwasher convicted of a murder a quarter century ago, concluding that state prosecutors wrongly withheld a police report that tends to [...]

Who left his DNA behind: Richard A. Lapointe or Frederick Rodney Merrill? We have new developments that could shed a light on the case of Bernice Martin and could once and for all clear up who left his DNA. We already know it wasn’t Lapointe. The Connecticut State Board of Pardons and Paroles decided last week to grant [...]

From PBS Frontline comes fantastic news! David Lee Gavitt is free after modern forensic arson detection determined there was no arson but an accidental fire. Gavitt is amongst several who have had their cases re-examined and thankfully, have been freed from prison and some from death row. Alas, all this comes too late for Willingham. [...]

The New Hampshire Supreme Court has accepted an appeal by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office in the case against David McLeod. Prosecutors have until June 15 to file a brief as posted by the Sentinel Source. McLeod is accused of setting fire to a multi-unit apartment building in the early morning hours of January 14, [...]

Great news: “The Appellate Court is scheduled to hear arguments Friday [today] in the appeal of 66-year-old Richard Lapointe, who was convicted of murdering Bernice Martin and sentenced to life in prison. Lapointe insists that DNA evidence shows he’s innocent and that his former lawyers were ineffective.” On March 8, 1987, fire fighters were called [...]

We had a very hot Cold Case Live Chat today with Andrew Wade who introduced us to fire investigations. Amongst the many questions Andrew answered a few issues stood out. Those issues feature in many arson cases on appeal right now. As I said before, a V-pattern does not necessarily point to the fire’s origin. [...]

This Friday, we will be joined by Andrew Wade for #cclivechat and I have some burning questions for him. We have seen many cases re-investigated in the USA where forensic arson detection plays a role. I pointed you to the case of Han Tak Lee in my previous Sum it up! and now we have [...]

The first Sum it up! for 2012 and I got a lot to share with you. First of all, another police department has decided to place all their cold cases online with information for the public. The Syracuse Police Department and the Criminal Investigations Division have established the Cold Case Unit with an email address and a telephone [...]

From the New Hampshire Sentinel: “The [Hina Family] case — originally slated for trial in August — has been delayed twice and will remain on hold indefinitely while the N.H. Supreme Court considers whether to hear an appeal from the N.H. Attorney General’s Office of a pre-trial ruling by Judge Marguerite L. Wageling, who is [...]