The book She’s so cold by Donald E. McInnis describes the case of Stephanie Ann Crowe (April 12, 1985 – Jan 21, 1998) who was murdered inside her own bedroom in her parental home in an isolated suburb in Escondido, California. Her time of death was around 1230am at the latest but her death may have […]
Miscarriage of Justice
The lingering case of Tommy Zeigler
Blood and truth: the lingering case of Tommy Zeigler and how Florida fights DNA testing. The Tampa Bay is publishing a new six-series about the case of William Thomas Zeigler. As my readers know, I have been involved in this case since the 90s. There are so many posts about this case on my blog that […]
The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist
As I mentioned in Sum it Up! #57, I am reading up on forensic odontology. I came across this book “The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist.” A quick glance told me it was about the wrongful convictions of both Kennedy Brewer and Levon Brooks. They were wrongfully convicted when two girls (both three years […]
The Oberst Family Murders, Kansas 1928
The Oberst Family Murders, Kansas 1928 – A Case Study Update. Please welcome back guest blogger Sue Baillie. Sue is researching her family and wrote about it for us here. Her ancestry journey took her to Tremont Township, Illinois, 1860, That is where her Greta-Great-Great uncle Jesse Chainey settled with his family after travelling from Kent, UK. Sue stumbled […]
Lapointe’s wrongful conviction
Lapointe’s wrongful conviction brings back Martin’s cold case because if we take Lapointe out of the equation we are left with no answers. Who killed Bernice Martin? The decision The decision to grant a new trial is here (RICHARD LAPOINTE v. COMMISSIONER OF CORRECTION). A few quotes: “On appeal, the petitioner claims that the court improperly rejected his […]
The December Killings
The December Killings always give me pause. During this month, we lost Maria Ridulph, Shawn K. Simmons, Officer Deriek Crouse, Kimberly Ann Thompson went missing, Leo Resk, and Gregory McRoberts was killed in a hit-and-run. Michelle Martinko was murdered, Eric Beasley was killed, and Amber, Karmon, and Kameron Willingham died during the accidental fire that led to their father’s wrongful execution. Patty Vaughan […]
Case of the Month: the Zeigler wrongful conviction
Case of the Month: the Zeigler wrongful conviction has been part of my life since 1993 when I started working for Amnesty International in Switzerland. I am appalled that the injustice endures. In December 1975, a quadruple murder took place in the Zeigler Furniture Store in Wintergarden, Florida. The victims were Charles Mays, Virginia and Perry […]
The long-awaited review report of the Crewe Murders
The long-awaited review report of the Crewe Murders can be found here but it may not hold the answers to all the issues that we discussed here on my blog. If you open the first link you will see the website with a short clip on the review. Below is the report in parts or […]
Petition for a Writ of Certiorari denied for Zeigler
Petition for a Writ of Certiorari denied for Zeigler on May 19, 2014. The only notation is that “Chief Justice [Roberts] took no part in the consideration or decision of this petition.” Dennis H. Tracey, III and John Houston Pope filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court. In […]
Sum it Up! #52
Sum it Up! #52 starts with the release of Sture Bergwall. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, “In a series of trials between 1994 and 2001, Sture Bergwall was convicted of eight murders, despite there being no forensic evidence or witness statements, and confessed to many more. But Bergwall, 63, later recanted his confessions, saying he made them […]
Recap #CrimeChat Dec 6, 2014
Recap #CrimeChat Dec 6, 2014 with Sue Carney about the Alfred Moore case. Sue and I did not follow any chronological order to discuss the case. We went from first impressions to every detail that bothered us. As you can imagine, the hour flew by and … we are left with more questions! Some of […]
Zeigler: Appeal Denied
Zeigler: Appeal Denied by the Florida Supreme Court last Nov 13, 2013. Here is the decision in pdf format: The newly discovered evidence hinged on the false arrest report by Det. Frye. It is discussed here. What are the consequences of the false arrest report and the lies told by Detective Frye under oath? We […]
Sum it Up! #46
Sum it Up! #46 is a life-saver today because I am swamped. My editorial calendar was heavily neglected this week. All kinds of post ideas popped up that were not planned. Hehe, back to blogging free style for me! Great news from Jared Bradley, the Colorado Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office is the latest to join […]
False Confessions: why & how?
False Confessions: why & how? This month two extremely important cases are under review. In the USA, the Connecticut Supreme Court heard the State’s appeal in the case of Richard Lapointe. The state is appealing the decision to grant Lapointe a new trial. False confessions (four) and forensic arson detection are key in this […]
Recap #CrimeChat Sept 16, 2013
Recap #CrimeChat Sept 16, 2013. Today’s #CrimeChat was about real CSI. Retrieving DNA from certain surfaces can be done by swabbing and taping but those methods may not work 100% on porous surfaces, brick, concrete or, wet surfaces. The M-Vac is a wet-vacuum sampling system. Jared Bradley, tweeting as mvacsys, said: “think of a medical […]
Evidence in 1970 Crewe murders missing
Evidence in the 1970 double murders of Jeannette and Harvey Crewe is missing. Are you even surprised to read this? Or, did you expect this to happen? Regular readers of my blog know that I follow this case. Jeannette & Harvey Crewe were murdered in 1970, New Zealand. They left behind one child, Rochelle. While […]
The Crewe Murders: review or re-investigation?
The Crewe Murders: review or re-investigation? The New Zealand Herald reports about the latest efforts made to solve the 1970 Crewe Murders however, what they report worries me. “Arthur Allan Thomas has been re-interviewed by police investigating the 1970 murders of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe, one of New Zealand’s best-known unsolved crimes. Mr Thomas spent nine years […]
Alfred Moore; first impressions
As you know, Pam alerted me to the Alfred Moore campaign to have this case, a wrongful conviction, examined again. I have done some checking on the web, found the eBook by Steve Lawson, and have started mulling this case over. Those familiar with my blog know that my first take on a case usually […]
CT Supreme Court hears Lapointe case Sept 17, 2013
CT Supreme Court hears Lapointe case Sept 17, 2013. This fantastic news came from the Bellingham Herald. Almost a year ago, I posted that Richard Lapointe was going to get a new trial. In a stunning decision, the state Appellate Court Monday ordered a new trial for Richard Lapointe, a mentally disabled dishwasher convicted of […]
Death on Hold: Zeigler
Death on Hold: Zeigler. In this documentary 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. https://web.archive.org/web/20130406001457/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQc3J4ocgsM&gl=US&hl=en Mr. Zeigler has […]