Christine Ann Diefenbach (May 15, 1973 – Feb 7, 1988) is the Case of the Month for February 2019. Her murder remains unsolved. Introduction It has been 31 years since Christine Ann Diefenbach (14) was murdered in Richmond Hill, Queens County, New York. Christine was a shy, artistic ninth-grader at Intermediate School 217 in Queens County. […]
DNA
Sentence in 1986 Jennifer Bastian murder
Robert D. Washburn was sentenced to 27 years in prison after he pled guilty to the 1986 first-degree murder of Jennifer Marie Bastian (13) in Tacoma, Washington. Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Martin gave him a 320-month sentence: a month for every year the Bastian family was robbed of their beloved. Washburn must serve a minimum […]
Guilty plea expected in 1986 Bastian murder
The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office reports that Robert Dwane Washburn’s attorney asked for an appointment to change his client’s plea. “The expectation would be that Washburn changes his plea to guilty on January 25 at 1:30 pm.” No details about a plea agreement are known but Washburn will not face the death penalty if he is […]
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 […]
Michelle Martinko: background information
Jerry Lynn Burns is facing first-degree murder charges for the Dec 20, 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko. He is held at the Linn County Jail (Iowa). Burns Burns has his own company Advanced Coating Concepts in Delaware County, Iowa. It is a powder-coating shop but they are also a Hustler turf equipment dealer. Burns was […]
Arrest in 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko
Michelle Martinko was found dead on Dec. 20, 1979. She was repeatedly stabbed most notably in her face and chest. Police discovered her body in the family Buick in the parking lot of the Westdale Mall, Cedar rapids, Iowa. Police said there was no sign of a sexual assault, but she had wounds that indicated […]
Update Joseph James DeAngelo, Jr.
DeAngelo, Jr. appeared in court on Dec 6, 2018. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Sweet decided he will keep his court appointed attorney Diane Howard as he is not deemed to have enough financial means to do otherwise. “Prosecutors from Contra Costa, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Orange counties have agreed to a joint trial […]
Update Nicky Verstappen
On Dec 12, 2018 Jos Brech appeared in court. He denied having abused, kidnapped, and killed Nicky Verstappen (11) in 1998. The prosecution explained where Brech’s DNA was found: most (18 spots) was on all four sides of Nicky’s underwear, one spot on his PJ bottoms, and one spot on his body. They also found […]
The lingering case of Tommy Zeigler
Blood and truth: the lingering case of Tommy Zeigler and how Florida fights DNA testing. The Tampa Bay is publishing a new six-series about the case of William Thomas Zeigler. As my readers know, I have been involved in this case since the 90s. There are so many posts about this case on my blog that […]
Sally Shepherd, more details
My readers are the best. I said it before and I will keep saying it. Three readers have contacted me about the Sally Shepherd case providing more details. The Case Sally Shepherd was picked up somewhere in Peckham, South London, stripped naked, raped, and beaten to death at the end of 1979. She was struck […]