Defrosting Cold Cases

After many decades, evidence is surfacing of Banks‘ vast properties! Cooper reports that “The Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University’s School of Law has been investigating Banks’ case for over a year and has just made a remarkable discovery; The Project has found records proving what Banks’ family has known for 57 [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Crime Scene, Cruelty, Evidence, FBI, Identification, Isadore Banks, Unsolved Homicide, Victim

From the Dallas Morning News: “Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said Tuesday the Senate will delay action on the confirmation of Williamson County prosecutor John Bradley as chairman of the Texas Forensic Science Commission while he (Dewhurst) talks to Senate Democrats about their opposition to the nomination. There has been controversy over Bradley’s comments in the [...]

Tags: Arson Detection, Autopsy, Cameron Todd Willingham, Capital Punishment, Crime Scene, Cruelty, Evidence, Expert Testimony, Faulty Evidence, FBI, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Police, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Texas, Victim, Witnesses, Wrongful Convictions

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Zeigler’s lawyers, arguing for more DNA testing, asked the court for a continuance of the scheduled February 3rd hearing. A former forensic expert is no longer available. “The new expert, Timothy Palmbach, works with blood spatter evidence an does forensic analysis work. But Assistant State Attorney Jeff Ashton, another veteran [...]

Tags: Actual Innocence, Autopsy, Ballistics, Capital Punishment, 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, Penn State, Police, Prisons, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, William Thomas Zeigler, Witnesses, Wrongful Convictions

The significance of the Jellison Tape Is it evidence? Is it exonerating? Is it implicating? The tape’s conversation has been posted in full so I refer you to the previous post to read it. As you know, it was suppressed by the state for about twelve years. Why? Because of what Jon Jellison saw and the [...]

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

In my previous post “Zeigler, Part XVI“, I referred to the Jellison tape that was conveniently kept from the defense team. It was only recovered in April of 1987, when Zeigler’s lawyers made a Florida Public Records Act request for the files of the State Attorney in Orlando. That’s when they discovered (aside from the “Buried Thompson report”) [...]

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

The Texas Bexar County Sheriff’s Office could use your help in two cases: In 1986, Tracy Allen (18) was found dead in Hondo Creek, Texas. Cause of death: strangulation. She disappeared after September 9 and was found on September 13, 1986. At the time that she disappeared, nothing was out of order. Tracy’s room was [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, DNA, DNA Database, Evidence, FBI, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Missing Person, Police, Texas, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

Today is Black Friday and Vidocq is sitting in a local coffee shop watching people come in after hours of shopping. They all look exhausted and in need of espresso. I hear bits of conversations from the people around me. Mostly, I hear people exchanging tips to get the best out of Black Friday. “I [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Ballistics, Colorado, Colorado Springs, Crime Scene, Evidence, FBI, Forensics, Gun Fire, Identification, Investigations Division, Police, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

I am very glad to report that this cold case is warming up again! Police are waiting for DNA test results of Betsy‘s red dress, the same dress she wore the afternoon that she was killed. Betsy was stabbed in her heart and nobody heard her scream. She died on November 28, 1969. Betsy was a [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Crime Scene, DNA, Evidence, FBI, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, PennState University, Pennsylvania, Police, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

Update: Dana’s sister Tracy told me that the young lady in the newspaper photographs is actually not Dana but Dana’s roommate. Tracy has kindly provided DCC with a photograph of her beautiful sister. We hope that by publishing this photograph and this post the discussions in Dana’s case will pick up again. —————————————————- On March 5, 1987, Dana [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Crime Scene, Cruelty, DNA, Evidence, Expert Testimony, FBI, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, PennState University, Pennsylvania, Police, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

On misplaced pride, loyalty, and sacrifice On Nov 4, 2010, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley (a.k.a. the Memphis Three) will get their cases reviewed in a lower court hearing to see whether they should be granted a new trial. This means that they will be able to [...]

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