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 […]
Archives for 2015
Connecticut Supreme Court Orders New Trial For Richard Lapointe
Connecticut Supreme Court Orders New Trial For Richard Lapointe after the state’s appeal from Sept 17, 2013! From the Hartford Courant of March 31, 2015 is says:”the mentally disabled dishwasher was denied evidence supporting his innocence when he was tried and convicted a quarter-century ago for the rape and murder of his then-wife’s 88-year-old grandmother. The […]
Case of the Month: Forensic arson detection
Case of the Month: Forensic arson detection and its role in wrongful convictions feature in April. Cameron Todd Willingham In 2004, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed by the state of Texas for the 1991 fire that killed his three daughters: Amber (2) and the 1-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron. The prosecution argued that the fire […]
The unsolved murder of Delia Adriano
Delia Adriano was 25 years old when she disappeared on September 26, 1982. She was last seen walking towards her home’s side entrance in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. The discrepancies in reporting start immediately. According to some articles she was dropped off around 930pm by a friend. According to other articles the one dropping her off […]
The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson
The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson is a splendid début novel. I love it when an author can describe the filth dripping from the walls so that I get an instant itch and the urge to check my room for anything decaying. Antonia Hodgson’s work is murder for your eyes (you will exhaust them) and […]
Case of the Month: Jackie Johns
Case of the Month: Jackie Johns (20) was last seen alive on June 17, 1985. The next day, her sports car was found abandoned. The backseat was covered in blood as were the clothing police found there (a top, jeans, and underwear all soaked in blood). On June 22, 1985, Jackie’s nude body was pulled from […]
Last chance: Robert Boulin
Last chance: Robert Boulin was either murdered in 1979 or he committed suicide. We might be able to find out a little more soon. Thanks to one of my readers I got the link to this article from Les Inrocks. It is in French but you can use Google translate. One quote: “2015 will be a […]
Missing: Johanna “Jopie” Atalia Gersina de Haas
Missing: Johanna “Jopie” Atalia Gersina de Haas from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She was last seen on February 8, 1960, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. And then she vanished. Her family is still looking for her. UPDATE Feb 13, 2015: I spoke to the Dutch National Police this morning. The DNA results from the 1996 Fairfax County Jane Doe […]
Case of the Month: the Sodder Children
Case of the Month for February 2015 comes from Fayetteville, West Virginia: the Sodder Children. They went missing on Dec 24, 1945 after a fire destroyed their family’s house. The case is well-known so I will not summarize it. You can find more about this case below in the resource section. I will point out though what […]
“Chase Your Shadow; the trials of Oscar Pistorius”
“Chase Your Shadow; the trials of Oscar Pistorius” by John Carlin is a must read. The title is well-chosen. We learn about Oscar, his family, his disability, and his career. His life was indeed filled with trials and they started well before 2013. Carlin clearly wrote this book with compassion in his heart. Some might […]