Defrosting Cold Cases

Beyond the Man in the Iron Mask: by request, I post all three parts that I wrote as guest posts for other bloggers here for readability. ___________________________________ I like to read about old unsolved cases. We usually refer to them as historical mysteries. One of them is the story of the unknown prisoner or the man [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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.

New developments in the 1966 case of Danny Goldman involve a connection to a known criminal and a link to Danny’s girlfriend. From CBS Miami: “Joe Cacciatore, Chicken Cacciatore, as he was known, was an accomplished thief and burglar closely aligned with mob boss Santo Trafficante Jr. A serious player, Chicken was known to be operating [...]

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 [...]

Jasper S. faces the judge re 1999 Vaatstra murder in the Netherlands. The hearing took place on Feb 27, 2013. Jasper S. did not speak during this hearing. An ongoing debate in the Netherlands is of course, the punishment. Is Jasper S. insane? Should he go to a mental institution? How did he keep this crime [...]