Patricia Louise Smith

Update Alexander Christopher Ewing

July 29, 2020 By Alice

On July 28, 2020 18th Judicial District Judge Michelle Amico ruled that there is enough evidence to proceed with the trial against Alexander Christopher Ewing. He is held without bond. His next court date for the Aurora charges in the Bennett Family murders is scheduled for Aug. 27, 2020. There is no news yet about […]

Phenotyping and Cold Cases

January 23, 2017 By Alice

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Tom Shaw. He is an IAI Certified Forensic Artist & Snapshot Account Specialist at Parabon NanoLabs in Reston, Virginia. We started talking about phenotyping and how that could advance the investigations in cold cases. There are cases that grow cold because there is no DNA match […]

I am a true crime writer who analyses old, unsolved cases from the pre-DNA era. I try to raise awareness for those cases as they need renewed media attention. I only do research. I leave the active investigation of these cases to professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book.

My database has more than 300 cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. My research and the database will always be free for the public to use. You cannot buy ad space on my website, ever.

All case suggestions that come in by email for writing considerations are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient as my to-do list is very long. No case gets dropped from those lists and I will get back in touch.

Defrosting Cold Cases is NOT an organization. It is my brainchild.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you, Alice de Sturler

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On March 31, 2016, an evidentiary hearing was held to request touch DNA testing. On July 18, 2016, Judge Whitehead denied that request.

On November 23, 2016, an appeal was filed with the Florida Supreme Court. On April 21, 2017, the Florida Supreme Court denied the request for touch DNA analysis.

On May 8, 2017 a motion for a rehearing with the US Supreme Court was filed. It was denied November 13, 2017.

In the summer of 2019, the appeal for DNA testing to the Florida Conviction Integrity Unit was denied.