On Monday July 18, 2016 Judge Whitehead denied William Thomas Zeigler’s latest DNA request. It asked for testing of evidence with modern technology with emphasis on touch DNA. From the Orlando Sentinel: “In the 30-page ruling, Orange-Osceola Circuit Judge Reginald Whitehead held that Zeigler’s petition for DNA testing was too similar to others that he’s […]
Forensics
Adam Gray: a case to watch
In Adam Gray’s case we see the same flawed and overhauled technology that gave Cameron Todd Willingham a death sentence. Gray’s story has eerie similarities to Kenneth Richey’s case. We are talking about forensic arson detection, of course. From the Chicago Tribune: “Prosecutors in State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s Conviction Integrity Unit concluded in recently filed court papers […]
Kylie Maria Antonia Maybury
Kylie Maria Antonia Maybury (October 24, 1978 – Nov 6, 1984) died of asphyxiation/suffocation (depriving of oxygen by obstructing the airways for example by choking or by pushing a pillow over someone’s nose and mouth, etc.) while she was raped by an adult male. The impact of being vaginally raped at age six left her […]
The cold case of Theresa M. Corley
The cold case of Theresa M. Corley (June 1, 1959 – Dec 4, 1978) needs another review. With new technology such as the M-Vac which has proven crucial in solving cold cases, we should check several items for touch DNA. Theresa (19) was enrolled at Holliston Junior College (this school closed in 1989) and had a […]
New DNA Technology
Victims and Investigators Deserve This Technology is the latest guest blog post by Jared Bradley, MBA. Our readers know that Jared is the CEO of M-Vac Systems and that he has joined the fight to solve as many cold cases as possible. Jared’s father, the late Dr. Bruce Bradley, was founder of Microbial-Vac Systems and inventor […]
Controversial: the Zeigler case
Controversial: the Zeigler case has too many questions open despite the prosecution’s stand that there are none. The case of William Thomas Zeigler is covered in so many posts on my blog (60+) that he has has own category. Yesterday, attorney Dennis Tracey III explained in his opening statements that many of those open questions could […]
A retrial for Daniel Dougherty
A retrial for Daniel Dougherty starts coming Monday. In 1985, Daniel Dougherty was found guilty of deliberately igniting fires in his home that killed his two sons, Danny(4) and Johnny(3). Police arrested Dougherty 14 years later, when his estranged wife came forward and claimed he confessed. A jury found him guilty on capital murder charges in […]
Evidentiary hearing for William Thomas Zeigler
Evidentiary hearing for William Thomas Zeigler for DNA testing pursuant to Section 925.11, Florida Statutes (2006) and Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.853 will be held on Thursday March 31, 2016, at 10:00 a.m., in courtroom 10-B, Orange County Courthouse, 425 North Orange Avenue, Orlando, Florida. “On July 2, 2015, Zeigler filed a motion seeking DNA testing using […]
Case of the Month: Barbara and Patricia Grimes
Case of the Month: Barbara and Patricia Grimes left their home on December 28, 1956, to watch the Elvis Presley movie “Love me tender” in a theater close to their Chicago home. They had $2.50 with them. Barbara Jeanne was 15 years old and her sister Patricia Kathleen was 13. They never returned home. The […]
Case of the Month: Deborah Lynn Rosencrans
Case of the Month: Deborah Lynn Rosencrans (March 9, 1961 – September 18, 1977). Deborah was both attracted and terrified of the city and longed for a quiet place filled with nice people. The city of Chicago was exciting but it also got on her nerves to the point of hospitalization. To help ease her […]
Barbara Ann Blatnik (1971-1987)
Barbara Ann Blatnik (1971-1987) was just seventeen years old. On December 20, 1987, her nude body was found about 30 miles from her home in Garfield Heights (Ohio). She had been raped and strangled to death. I have not been able to find out whether she was manually strangled or with an object. Police originally […]
Beverly Ann Jarosz (1948-1964)
On December 28, 1964, Beverly Ann Jarosz (Oct 1, 1948 – Dec 28, 1964) was killed in her parental home in Garfield Heights, Ohio. Beverly had shopping plans that afternoon with two girlfriends, Barbara and Margie. Barbara, showed up at the Jarosz house and not getting anyone to answer the door, she left. When her […]
Good news for William Thomas Zeigler
Good news for William Thomas Zeigler because Judge Whitehead has granted a hearing to discuss the question of whether the Zeigler defense will be permitted to do the DNA testing that they have requested. To recap: in December 1975, a quadruple murder took place in the Zeigler Furniture Store in Wintergarden, Florida. The victims were […]
Cops, crooks, and 3D printers
Get used to the word combination” Cops, crooks, and 3D printers” because it is a thing. Lorenzo Simon can tell you all about it. He thought that he could get away with murdering his housemate Michael Spalding by chopping his body in pieces and burning some of Spalding’s bones. However, it is 2015 and Simon […]
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 […]
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 M-Vac System
The M-Vac System is a wet-vacuum based forensic DNA collection device that is helping investigators solve more crime. It has been used on dozens of cases and has produced DNA profiles many times when traditional methods such as swabbing and cutting have failed to produce viable results. It is ideal for touch DNA scenarios, and can […]
A 19th Century Coffin revolutionized 20th Century Forensic Science
A 19th Century Coffin revolutionized 20th Century Forensic Science is a guest blog post by Dolly Stolze. Dolly is a writer and has a Masters in Forensic Anthropology from California State University, Los Angeles. Though her first love is Forensic Anthropology, she also enjoys writing about macabre history and the weird things that happen to human remains. […]
Case of the Month: Lisa Thomas
Case of the Month: Lisa Thomas (August 19, 1959 – October 7, 1974) is one of the many cases that we need to look at again. We have new technology, new cold case investigative teams, and we have the Internet. It is through the Internet that I was made aware of this unsolved case. Mavis […]
The costs of touch DNA testing
What are the costs of touch DNA testing? That is what I asked Jared Bradley, President of M-Vac Systems. For many police departments and for victim family members, this is an area where few straight answers are given hence this guest blog post by Jared. ____________________________________ When More Expensive Costs Less By Jared Bradley, President M-Vac […]