On Monday, April 12, the hearings in the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie continued by video conference. This time, the possibilities of alternative suspects were discussed, that is, suspects other than Steven H. Downs. I hinted in other posts that I wondered about phenotyping in this case, if it was done, and if Downs resembles […]
DNA
Helen Ruth Conwright Young (1936–1976)
Helen Ruth Conwright Young (Aug 31, 1936 – July 31, 1976) was born in Ore City, Texas, to the Rev. Freddie D. Conwright and Mrs. Luella Jane Walker Conwright. She left behind husband Roy Young , eight sons, and one daughter. She had five brothers and nine sisters. Her case is unsolved. The Case Helen […]
Sophie Sergie: Hearing Day 6
Central Maine reports that on Thursday, the hearings in the 1993 rape-murder of Sophie Sergie continued by video conference. Steven H. Downs attended. He is charged in this case. We heard from CeCe Moore, the chief genetic genealogist with Parabon NanoLabs. She matched part of the DNA found in semen to a profile in GEDmatch. […]
Sophie Sergie: Hearing Day 5
Jennifer Foster, an Alaska Crime Lab supervisor, testified March 10, 2021 by video during the pretrial hearings in the case of Sophie Sergie who was raped-murdered on April 25, 1993. Steven H. Downs is charged in her sexual assault and murder and appeared in the Alaska Superior Court, Fairbanks. He is represented by defense attorney […]
Sophie Sergie: Hearing Day 4
On Friday, Feb 5, the evidence hearings in the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie continued. Gun Steven H. Downs’ former girlfriend Katherine deSchweinitz Lee testified through videoconference in court: according to her Steve did not own a gun during the years they dated at Alaska State University (ASU) and they dated for about 4 years. […]
Sophie Sergie: Hearing Day 3
The defense team of Steven H. Downs led by Attorney James Howaniec, filed 11 motions in the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie. I previously wrote nine motions so this is a correction. All the hearings did start on Feb 1, 2021, a delay from April 2020 due to the pandemic. Two things dominated this day: […]
Sophie Sergie: Hearing Day 2
The case against Steven H. Downs in the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie may not be as airtight as the authorities had hoped. They had to admit that they made mistakes. The mistakes affect the search warrants that were used at Downs’ home to find a gun and the cheek swab to collect DNA for […]
Sophie Sergie: evidence hearing
Yesterday, an evidence hearing took place in the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Crime Steven H. Downs (now 46) faces two felony counts for Sophie’s murder. According to the authorities, Sophie was shot in the back of her head with a .22-caliber gun. Police found such a caliber gun in Downs’ […]
The Unclaimed
Introduction One day, we all pass away. Most of us prepare for that moment. We do not wish to burden our loved ones and friends with costs when they take care of our remains. We get life insurances, some look into buying burial plots, and others make an extensive inventory of items and bequests to […]
Nicky Verstappen verdict
Today came the long awaited verdict in the case of Nicky Verstappen. The fact that we waited about five weeks for the verdict, points to how unusual the case is and how heavy it weighs on the judges. This was symbolized today. After the judges were seated, they first addressed Nicky’s family. Acknowledging the pain […]