A reader alerted me to this New Jersey paper that held a report by Ted Sherman. The “New Jersey Supreme Court [on] Tuesday overturned the conviction against Michelle Lodzinski.” Michelle Lodzinski is the mother of Timothy “Timmy” William Wiltsey (August 6, 1985 – date missing May 25, 1991) who disappeared May 25, 1991. I read […]
Archives for 2021
Possible delays: Suzie Bombardier
My dear friend Jennifer Kathleen Gibbons alerted me yesterday that the trial we thought would take place on January 3, 2022 might be postponed. On that date, Mitchell Lynn Bacom would face the court for the murder of Suzanne Bombardier. In the Contra Costa dated December 27, 2021 we read: “The presiding judge of Contra […]
Update Sophie Sergie Case
The Sun Journal notes that defendant Steven H. Downs will be allowed to present three alternative suspects in the 1993 rape-murder of Sophie Sergie. In previous posts, I have mentioned other suspects and what I saw as problematic for the defense. Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Thomas Temple’s order allows these three men to be brought […]
Crimes of Passion, Obsession & Revenge by Mitzi Szereto
The latest in the ‘Best New True Crime Stories’ from Mitzi Szereto showcases a mixture of well and lesser known cases. This book features the following writers: Joe Turner, Edward Butts, Dean Jobb, Priscilla Scott Rhoades, Tom Larsen, C.L. Raven, Anthony Ferguson, Craig Pittman, Iris Reinbacher, Mark Fryers, Chris Edwards, Jason Half, Shashi Kadapa, Stephen Wade, and […]
The Litmus Test by K.H. Norris
Would you kill if someone you fancied asked you to? Or, would you be able to manipulate someone to do your bidding while you were double-crossing them? Would you be able to tell the truth if you saw a horrifying act of violence? The story begins with a newspaper article. A talented graduate student, Rese […]
William Peter Cook: A Forensic Science Follow Up by Sue Carney
William Peter Cook (Dec 17, 1924 – Oct 20, 1950): A Forensic Science Follow Up by Sue Carney December 06, 2021 I love a forensic science chat on Twitter, and it’s been a while since I’ve had one, so when Alice wanted to chat last weekend about an upcoming post on DCC, I was totally up […]
William Peter Cook (Dec 17, 1924 – Oct 20, 1950)
William Peter Cook (Dec 17, 1924 – Oct 20, 1950) was twenty-five years old when he was stabbed to death by someone unknown. There was an altercation on Hopkins Avenue and Marion Street, Brooklyn, New York. Before anyone understood what was going on, Cook was stabbed and passed away the same evening at Kings County […]
Mystery At The Blue Sea Cottage by James A. Stewart
Full title: Mystery At The Blue Sea Cottage, a true story of murder in San Diego’s jazz age. This is the first book by U.S. Navy Veteran James A. Stewart. The Case On January 14, 1923, Frieda “Fritzie” Mann (May 26, 1902 – Jan 14, 1923) left her San Diego home to go to a […]
Patricia Smith: Trial March 25, 2022
In October, in the 1984 Patricia Smith rape-murder trial, a mistrial was declared as the defense questined Alexander Christopher Ewing’s sanity to stand trial. Yesterday, a judge declared Ewing competent to stand trial. Jury selection is scheduled for March 25, 2022. The Case Patricia Louise Smith (50) was born on Sept 19, 1933. She was […]
Found: David Virgil Neily
In 2011, Sue Carney wrote a guest blog post about the disappearance of David Virgil Neily. Now, he had been found. On May 7, 2020, a private nature reserve employee called the Mendocino County Sheriff. He had found what he believed to be human remains. The remains were in a forest near Branscomb and just […]
Curtain by Agatha Christie
After I read Poirot by Mark Aldridge, I mentioned a few Christie books that I needed to either read again or buy. Curtain was one that I had never read so, I bought it, read it, and am now disappointed. Disappointed by Christi, not Aldridge, just to be clear. Aldridge explained in his book that […]
Richard E. Schindewolf (Jan 25, 1949 – April 6, 1989)
Richard E. Schindewolf (40) may have been the victim of a robbery. The father to a small daughter and two adult stepsons, married for 13 years to Barbara, was shot dead outside a trucking school where he worked in East Oakland, California. His body was found around 1230 AM on April 6, 1989 in the […]
Death on Ocean Boulevard by Caitlin Rother
If the Rebecca Zahau case baffled you in 2011 then be prepared for a double-feature rollercoaster in 2021. And no, that’s not giving away anything as the Zahau case has been covered extensively in the news. Who can forget the helicopter images of her naked remains that were left on the lawn for a good […]
Patricia Smith: mistrial
Today, a mistrial was declared in the rape-murder case of Patricia Smith. The defense team for Alexander Christopher Ewing filed a motion early this morning. They argued that Ewing “was not competent to stand trial.” That motions will remain sealed until further notice. This does mean that the content is not public and therefore, we […]
Patricia Smith Trial Day 1
Today, the long-awaited trial against Alexander Christopher Ewing started for the rape-murder of Patricia Louise Smith. Ewing is represented by Katherine Powers Spengler. The State left no doubt about it: it will show all the similarities between the Bennett Family Murders and the rape-murder of Patricia Smith. In Aug 2021, Ewing was found guilty and […]
The Secret Serial Killer by Robert Mulhern
Full title: The Secret Serial Killer, the true story of Kieran Kelly. In this book, Robert Mulhern, a journalist, documents his search for the truth: was Kieran Kelly a serial killer who managed to fly under the radar, or not? And, if he was not, why do some think that he was a serial killer? […]
The case of Annie Pladevega Sison
Annie Pladevega Sison filed a temporary restraining order against ex-husband Errol Factura Sison on December 8, 1992. She needed to do this as he had allegedly stormed into her workplace and threatened her as well as a co-worker. He was intoxicated. A judge ordered Errol to stay 150 yards away from Annie for the remainder […]
A Killer by Design by Ann Wolbert Burgess
Full title: A Killer by Design, Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind by Ann Wolbert Burgess and Steven Matthew Constantine. “Her research with victims began when she co-founded, with Boston College sociologist Lynda Lytle Holmstrom, one of the first hospital-based crisis counseling programs at Boston City Hospital. She then worked with FBI […]
Why The Innocent Plead Guilty by Jed S. Rakoff
Full title: Why The Innocent Plead Guilty And The Guilty Go Free and other paradoxes of our broken legal system. Huge title but then the book covers an enormous number of issues. Judge Jed S. Rakoff used this book to combine essays that he wrote for the New York Review of Books over the past […]
The Wilkes Insurrection by Robbie Bach
“With heart-pounding action, compelling plot twists, and a rich tapestry of characters, The Wilkes Insurrection is a contemporary thriller of anarchic obsession and heroic ambition. Its perfect blend of callous villains, iconic heroes, and political intrigue will keep readers on the edge of their seats.” It did indeed keep me on edge but not for […]