Brian Edwin Shookman was last seen on July 28, 2012. He had been in Kellogg, Idaho for a family reunion over the weekend. He stayed at his cousins. The plan was to barbecue in a local park however, Brian did not show up. They never saw him again. This is the Case of the Month […]
Archives for 2020
No Truth Left to Tell by Michael McAuliffe
Michael McAuliffe wrote an excellent book. “No Truth Left to Tell” explores in its purest essence ethical behavior. The story We are in Lynwood, Louisiana, in February 1994. Frank Daniels, the Klan’s new Grand Dragon, wants action. In fact, he doesn’t want just action. No, he wants an insurrection. A violent uprising, a racial reckoning, […]
Colorado State Patrolman Thomas Ray Carpenter
Colorado State Patrolman Thomas Ray Carpenter (March 28, 1942 – Dec 27, 1973) was 31 years old when he was killed with his own .357-caliber Magnum hand gun while on duty. He was executed with four bullets in the back of his head. He had served as Patrolman for more than five years. No suspects […]
The London Cage by Helen Fry
The London Cage by Helen Fry has been on my to-read list for a long time. The subtitle is ‘the secret history of Britain’s World War II Interrogation Centre.’ I first read about it in the BBC History Magazine. A difficult topic to read but necessary. Colonel Alexander Paterson Scotland’s memoir Colonel Alexander Paterson Scotland […]
FBI Diary: Profiles of Evil by Pete Klismet
Pete Klismet is well-known here at DCC. He wrote guest posts about preventing school shootings and psycho-linguistics and I reviewed two other books from him: FBI Diary Home Grown Terror and FBI Animal House. This one, Profiles of Evil, is the best. The best The reason why I think that this is his best book […]
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale is quite the experience. It isn’t a book. It is a case encyclopedia. When you pick up this book it may seem like you are going to read about one historical case. But you soon find out it outlines a […]
Vanessa Lynn Buss (Dec 1, 1960 – Oct 7, 1985)
Vanessa Lynn Buss (Dec 1, 1960 – Oct 7, 1985) was shot to death in Houston, Texas. She was twenty-four years old. There is hardly anything online about her murder so it is fitting to make hers the Case of the Month for March 2020. UPDATE: Her brother Rance contacted me and gave his sister’s […]
Serial Killers by Mitzi Szereto
Serial Killers by Mitzi Szereto is an anthology of sixteen authors. They present us with sixteen serial killers and the stories about their victims. In the introduction, Mitzi explains that she brought together a group of authors, all experts in their fields. The cases are maybe less well-known than the usual cases that pop up […]
Guilty verdict in Martinko Trial
Today were the closing arguments for the prosecution and the defense in the 1979 murder case of Michelle Marie Martinko. The order was as follows: First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks gave his closing arguments. The defense attorney Leon Spies, gave his for his client Jerry Burns. After that, the state got the change […]
Michelle Martinko Trial Feb 20, 2020
The defense rests in the Michelle Martinko murder trial. I was stunned but here it is: “After just one witness, attorneys defending a man accused of killing a Cedar Rapids teen more than 40 years ago have finished presenting evidence. Burns said he will not testify during the trial.” The defense started and finished within […]