The U.S. Supreme Court stopped the Hank Skinner execution about an hour before he could have been taken to the Texas death chamber. The brief order grants him the delay but does not ensure he will get such testing. The court order came as relatives of Busby were climbing the steps of the Huntsville prison […]
Expert Testimony
Hagy, presenting no defense, guilty of 1984 slaying
William Ray Hagy Jr. on Tuesday denied killing a Roanoke woman in 1984, speaking not from the witness stand in his murder trial but in a 2-year-old recorded interview played by prosecutors. “I have a feeling you’re going to charge me with this,” Hagy said in the conversation with the Roanoke police detective who reopened […]
William Hess found guilty in Julius Schnoll slaying
William Hess is facing a lifetime prison sentence after being found guilty Thursday of first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree felony murder in the death of Julius Schnoll, a supermarket supervisor more than 30 years ago. Hess showed little emotion as the verdict was read. He said, “Right,” as deputies led him out of Oakland Circuit […]
Guilty in 1979 Julius Schnoll murder
William Hess has been found guilty in the 1979 death of Julius Schnoll, a Farmington Hills supermarket supervisor who was shot in the head execution-style 30 years ago. The trial against a second man suspected in the murder, Darrell Kastel, will begin April 26. The prosecution stated that two men, Kastel and Hess, killed 62-year-old Julius Schnoll on […]
Which Brian Parsons murdered Ivy Batten?
Which Brian Parsons is responsible for the death of Mrs. Ivy Batten? It is a story of mistaken identity, of mishandling evidence, prosecutorial misconduct, and the fight to get someone to listen to you. Lucky for Brian David Parsons, reporters Neil Young and Aislinn Simpson were listening. These reporters have re-investigated this controversial case. Brian David […]
Trial in 1979 Julius Schnoll case
The trial for one of two men accused of killing Julius Schnoll, a Farmington Hills supermarket supervisor execution-style 30 years ago, is under way. William Hess’ attorney and the prosecutor gave their opening statements in an Oakland County Circuit Court Thursday morning. Hess and a second suspect, Darrell Kastel, are charged with first-degree premeditated murder and […]
Too many wrongful convictions
Today, Innocence Project’s client Freddie Peacock became the 250th person exonerated through DNA evidence in the United States of America. Peacock was convicted in New York in 1976 of a rape he didn’t commit based on an eyewitness misidentification and a false confession that police claimed he made during an interrogation. Peacock, who has severe […]
Arson Case Not on Agenda
Arson Case Not on Agenda as Texas Panel Reconvenes: the Innocence Project Online reports that after a long hiatus and months of national controversy, the Texas Forensic Science Commission will meet on Friday January 29, but the controversial case of Cameron Todd Willingham is not on the agenda. New commission chair John Bradley said he […]
Who really killed Mrs. Bernice Martin?
On March 8, 1987, fire fighters were called to the Mayfair Gardens Elderly Housing Complex, Manchester, Connecticut. They found Mrs. Bernice Martin, 88 years old, barely breathing, and badly beaten. She died later that evening in the hospital. To many the case is closed. Convicted for her murder is her granddaughter’s former husband, Richard A. […]