The latest update in the case of William Thomas Zeigler (79) is that the defense has filed a motion to vacate his conviction. Zeigler has been on death row since July 2, 1976. “WESH 2 Investigates in January was the first to reveal results of his latest round of DNA testing, authorized by a ninth […]
Miscarriages of Justice
Zeigler, at long last: DNA testing
A motion was filed today by the William Thomas Zeigler defense team with the approval of the Orange County State Attorney’s office for DNA testing. It still needs a judge’s approval however, these joint motions are seldom denied. But, as we have been asking for DNA testing since 1994, I will not be able to […]
Wrongful Convictions
In January 2021 the ABA Journal published an article called ‘Reckoning with Wrongful Convictions: Lessons Learned from an Examination of 25 Wrongful Convictions in Brooklyn, New York‘ written by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. In the above-mentioned article, DA Gonzalez summarizes the report “426 Years: An Examination of 25 Wrongful Convictions in Brooklyn, New York.” That […]
She’s So Cold by Donald E. McInnis
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 […]
Kristina S. Hickey (1969 – 1984)
Introduction Kristina S. Hickey (1969 – 1984) was murdered in Park Forest, Illinois, 1984. She was 15 years old and still in high school. On January 15, 1987, Christopher Abernathy was convicted for Kristina’s murder. On February 11, 2015, after 30 years of incarceration, Abernathy was exonerated by DNA and set free. But who killed […]
Hope for William Thomas Zeigler
The Tampa bay Times announced Jan 3, 2019 that the Florida State Attorney’s office is “taking a fresh look” at the 1975 case of William Thomas Zeigler. Whether that fresh look is indeed an official review does not become clear in the article. However, we finally have a Florida state representative who “wants to introduce […]
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 […]
New trial for Daniel Dougherty
On October 31, the Pennsylvania Superior Court gave Daniel Dougherty what he has coveted: a new trial. For the third time. The defense and appellate courts agreed: Daniel Dougherty had two unfair trials. The three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled that Dougherty should get a new trial. They cited three crucial errors the […]
Retrial for Ayako Haraguchi
In 1980, Ayako Haraguchi was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison which she served in full. She was released in 1990. Haraguchi was accused of the 1979 killing of her then brother-in-law for insurance money. Her then brother-in-law, Kunio Nakamura (42) was a farmer. He was found collapsed beside a ditch after falling from […]