Defrosting Cold Cases

From the New York Times: “In an opinion that harshly criticizes the tactics of the police and prosecutors, an Illinois appellate court on Friday night reversed the conviction of Juan Rivera, who has spent 19 years in jail for the 1992 rape and murder of an 11-year-old baby sitter in a suburb of Chicago. There [...]

Tags: Actual Innocence, Autopsy, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, DNA, DNA Database, Evidence, Expert Testimony, Faulty Evidence, Finger Printing, Forensics, Identification, Illinois, Investigations Division, Juan Rivera, Miscarriage of Justice, Police, Prisons, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Rape kits, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses, Wrongful Convictions

  Rockford Police (IL) are going to set up a cold case website next year! “Over the years in Rockford, hundreds of murder cases have gone unsolved and many leads have now gone cold. The Rockford Police are in the process of setting up a new website they hope will help them close the book [...]

Tags: Crime Scene, DNA, Evidence, Forensics, Illinois, Investigations Division, Missing Person, Police, Rockford, Unidentified, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

Champaign, Illinois: On November 25, 1967, police found patrol officer Tatman lying on his back in front of his own squad car, the motor still running, it’s revolving lights still on, and the front door at the driver’s side open. His flashlight was lying on his left side. His hat was on the ground near the curb. [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Ballistics, Crime Scene, Evidence, FBI, Finger Printing, Gun Fire, Identification, Illinois, Investigations Division, Partial Finger Printing, Police, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

He finally did it! Illinois Governor Pat Quinn abolished capital punishment in the state of Illinois! Quinn also commuted the sentences of all 15 inmates remaining on Illinois’ death row. They will now serve life in prison. From the Washington Post: “State lawmakers voted in January to abandon capital punishment, and Quinn spent two months [...]

Tags: Actual Innocence, Capital Punishment, Death Row, DNA, Evidence, Faulty Evidence, Forensics, Identification, Illinois, Police, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Wrongful Convictions

This afternoon the Illinois Senate joined the Illinois House or Representatives in voting to abolish the death penalty.  The vote was 32 in favor, 25  against, with 2 abstentions. The measure passed the House last week. Sponsoring Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, urged his colleagues to “join the civilized world” and end the death penalty in Illinois. Raoul [...]

Tags: Actual Innocence, Capital Punishment, Death Row, Evidence, Faulty Evidence, Forensics, Illinois, Miscarriage of Justice, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses, Wrongful Convictions

Investigators will check whether any materials found at the scene can be tested with modern technology. On Christmas Eve, Dec 24th, 1991, Mrs. Betty Gene Hull was found dead. She was 68 years old. When police arrived, it was immediately clear that whoever is responsible for her death was in a rage and the attack was [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Betty Gene Hull, Champaign, Crime Scene, DNA, Evidence, Finger Printing, Forensics, Identification, Illinois, Investigations Division, Police, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

Riley Fox’ murderer’s plea bargain was accepted yesterday by Will County (IL) Judge Richard Schoenstedt. Before his sentence, Eby rose and addressed the courtroom briefly. He apologized to Riley’s parents saying that he wished he could trade his life to bring her back. In June of 2004, the body of Riley Fox(3) was pulled from a creek near [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Capital Punishment, Child Abuse, Crime Scene, Cruelty, DNA, DNA Database, Evidence, Expert Testimony, Forensics, Identification, Illinois, Investigations Division, Police, Prisons, Rape kits, Riley Fox, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

Today, a psychologist examined Scott Eby, the man accused of killing Riley Fox. Dr. Randi Zoot did the work with Scott Eby while in the Will County Courthouse. She is trying to determine if he is fit for trial. The legal concept of fitness is related to a defendant’s ability to understand court proceedings and [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Capital Punishment, Child Abuse, Crime Scene, Cruelty, Death Row, DNA, Evidence, Expert Testimony, Forensics, Identification, Illinois, Investigations Division, Police, Prisons, Rape kits, Riley Fox, Unsolved Homicide, Victim

Authorities will get a closer look at the hands of the man accused of sexually assaulting and drowning 3-year-old Riley Fox. Smudged prints were found on the back door to the Foxes’ Wilmington home at the time of the 2004 abduction and murder, but testing of those prints has yet to find a match, case [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Child Abuse, Crime Scene, DNA Database, Evidence, Expert Testimony, FBI, Finger Printing, Forensics, Identification, Illinois, Investigations Division, Police, Rape kits, Riley Fox, Unsolved Homicide, Victim

Lisa Black and Steve Mills of the Chicago Tribune have written an excellent piece about what makes people confess falsely. False confessions are not so uncommon as you would think. I understand that right now you shake your head and question Vidocq’s sanity…justifiably so! Why would a parent confess to raping their own three year old [...]

Tags: Actual Innocence, Autopsy, Capital Punishment, Child Abuse, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, Cruelty, Death Row, DNA, DNA Database, Evidence, Expert Testimony, FBI, Finger Printing, Forensics, Identification, Illinois, Investigations Division, Miscarriage of Justice, Police, Prisons, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Rape kits, Richard A. Lapointe, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Wrongful Convictions