Defrosting Cold Cases

RTI International webinar on backlogs in crime labs and their impact on the justice system This morning I attended this webinar and learned more about the backlogs in crime labs, what causes them, whether all labs have a case acceptance policy, the costs involved and much more. The live discussion took place in Washington DC [...]

Tags: analysts, backlog in crime labs, Cold Cases, Crime Labs, DNA, DNA Database, Evidence, mindmaps, RTI International, turn-around time, webinar

Death on Hold: Zeigler In the documentary “Death on Hold” you can see the trial and appeals in the case of William Thomas Zeigler. It explains why for the past 37 years, we have been trying to show you that he never had a fair trial. Judge for yourself whether there is room for doubt.

Tags: Actual Innocence, Autopsy, Ballistics, Capital Punishment, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, Cruelty, Death Row, DNA, DNA Database, Evidence, Expert Testimony, Faulty Evidence, FBI, Finger Printing, Florida, Forensics, Gun Fire, Identification, Investigations Division, Miscarriage of Justice, Partial Finger Printing, Police, Prisons, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, William Thomas Zeigler, Witnesses, Wrongful Convictions

Verdict against Jasper S. expected April 19, 2013. Jasper S. is of course standing trial re the 1999 rape-murder of Marianne Vaatstra. The prosecution asked for 20 years however, his lawyer thinks that is too much and expects a sentence of 15 years. He does not consider Marianne’s murder proven beyond a reasonable doubt. He [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, Cruelty, DNA, DNA Database, Evidence, Expert Testimony, Finger Printing, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Jasper S., Knife Attack, Marianne vaatstra, Murder, Police, rape, Rape kits, the Netherlands, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

Death on Hold; Zeigler Sunday March 31, 2013 This Sunday, WFLA airs a 30 minute special about William Thomas Zeigler. Announcing “Death on Hold” The second clip is here: Second clip announcing “Death on Hold” The clips show much that you already know if you have been reading my blog but it will add some [...]

Tags: Actual Innocence, Autopsy, Ballistics, Capital Punishment, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, Cruelty, Death Row, DNA, DNA Database, Evidence, Expert Testimony, Faulty Evidence, FBI, Finger Printing, Florida, Forensics, Gun Fire, Identification, Investigations Division, Miscarriage of Justice, Partial Finger Printing, Police, Prisons, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, William Thomas Zeigler, Witnesses, Wrongful Convictions

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 [...]

Tags: Amanda Knox, Arson Detection, Autopsy, Cameron Todd Willingham, Capital Punishment, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, Cruelty, DNA, DNA Database, Ed Graf, Evidence, Expert Testimony, Faulty Evidence, Forensic arson detection, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Italian Supreme Court, Italy, James Michael Hayes, John Glasgow, Missing Person, Police, Rape kits, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses, Wrongful Convictions

King Richard III: Ruthless Ruler? Yes. Regicide? No. After I posted my take on the historical mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask, Suzie suggested that I look into the case of the Princes in the Tower. King Richard III is in general regarded as their murderer and the play by Shakespeare has done [...]

Tags: A. Weir, Autopsy, Book Reviews, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, Croyland Chronicles, Cruelty, DNA, Dr. Lawrence E. Tanner, Edward IV, Edward V, Elizabeth Woodville, Evidence, Faulty Evidence, fibre-optic camera, Forensics, Henry Tudor, Historical Mystery, Identification, J. Tey, Mary of York, Miscarriage of Justice, Missing Person, Plantagenet family, prejudice, Princes in the Tower, Professor William Wright, Queen Elizabeth, regicide, Richard III, Richard III Society, Richard of York, scoliosis, Shakespeare, Sir Robert Brackenbury, Sir Thomas More, the Battle of Bosworth, the Tower of London, the War of the Roses, UK, Witnesses

Jasper S. will stand trial for the 1999 murder of Marianne Vaatstra on February 27, 2013. Marianne was sixteen years old when she was found raped and murdered. On September 29, 2012, police began a “DNA relationship testing” in a 5 km radius of the crime scene of approx. 8,000 men. In this study, on a voluntary [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, DNA, DNA Database, Evidence, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Jasper S., Knife Attack, Marianne vaatstra, Police, Rape kits, the Netherlands, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

The NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) needs help solving the cold cases of Daniel Erickson and Robert Corriveau. Daniel Erickson (Minn) Daniel Erickson, then 20, was home on leave back in 1975. He was to celebrate his birthday and drive his car from St. Paul (Minn) to California to his new assignment aboard the USS Durham. [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Ballistics, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, Daniel Erickson, DNA, DNA Database, Evidence, Forensics, Gun Fire, Identification, Investigations Division, Knife Attack, Minnesota, NCIS, Pennsylvania, Police, Robert Corriveau, Unsolved Homicide, Victim

Today, Jasper S. confessed to the rape-murder of Marianne Vaatstra. During the night of May 1, 1999, Jasper saw Marianne on bike. He stated that he did not know her. Jasper forced Marianne with a knife into the field where she was later found dead. More details will now be made public and we can expect [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, Cruelty, DNA, DNA Database, Evidence, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Jasper S., Marianne vaatstra, Police, Rape kits, the Netherlands, Unsolved Homicide, Victim

Based on a fingerprint misidentification, Lana Canen spent eight years in prison for a murder she did not commit. But now, she has finally been exonerated of Helen Sailor’s 2002 murder. From the Wrongful Convictions Blog: “On Thanksgiving 2002, Helen Sailor, an elderly woman living in Elkhart, Indiana, was found dead in her apartment. Because her [...]

Tags: Crime Labs, Crime Scene, Evidence, Expert Testimony, Faulty Evidence, Finger Printing, Forensics, Identification, Indiana, Miscarriage of Justice, Partial Finger Printing, Police, post-conviction relief, Victim, Witnesses