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 [...]

18 years for Jasper S, that is what the judge handed down for the rape-murder of Marianne Vaatstra. The prosecution had asked for 20 years. The defense did not deny the rape but argued that the murder was not intentional hence a reduced sentence was in order. The court did not accept that defense strategy [...]

Update Robert Boulin: murder or suicide. In 2011, I posted that the death of Robert Boulin remains a mystery. Yes, he was in troubled waters. However, the manner in which he died and the way he was found, do not match suicide. While checking the papers and the Internet, I found an article from February of [...]

Guilty verdict re John Sohus for Gerhartsreiter. His sentencing is scheduled for June 28, 2013. He faces 25 years to life in prison for the murder conviction, plus two additional years because the jury also found that he personally used a blunt object and a sharp instrument as weapons. It was not a death penalty [...]

Recap #crimechat April 4, 2013 Today we spoke about wrongful convictions with Nancy Petro. A short introduction to wrongful convictions started this crimechat. How do we find out about Wrongful Convictions in general? A: We discover that the victim is alive & well. Examples: India 2003, the Reena Devi case. Reena disappeared, her mother ID-ed her [...]

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.

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 Caughlin family: enough! Enough energy has been put into asking, begging the OPP to re-evaluate the cold case of Karen Caughlin. Their hearts broken since Karen’s murder in 1974, the family has decided to stop talking to the media. From the PetroliaTopic.com and sent to me by Kathy Caughlin: “Two years after calling for the [...]