New Technique Helps Police Bust Forgers
Monday January 31, 2005
Scientists have discovered a new technique that can detect forged handwriting better than ever before. Using holograms to create three deminisional images of handwriting, they can better see tiny variations ... Read More
Home Office Safety Quiz
Monday January 31, 2005
A home office can present special challenges to safety and security. Answering these 20 questions can help you determine how safe your office is from criminals and if you need ... Read More
Michael Jackson Trial Begins, Secrecy Ends
Monday January 31, 2005
The court-ordered secrecy, which has shrouded the Michael Jackson case in the 14 months since he was charged with 10 felonies connected to the molestation of a teenage boy, will ... Read More
Ross' Attorney To Seek Competency Hearing
Monday January 31, 2005
Confessed serial killer Michael Ross has changed his mind about being executed today and has authorized his attorney to seek a delay and a complete assessment of his mental competence. ... Read More
Missing Indiana Girl's Body Found
Monday January 31, 2005
The body of Katlyn (Katie) Collman, who was the subject of an Amber Alert issued last week, was found in a stream about 10 miles from her Crothersville, Indiana home. ... Read More
FAQs About Sexual Assault and Abuse
Saturday January 29, 2005
Protecting your child from sexual assault or helping your child if they have been sexually abused can be traumatic and confusing. Many people share the same questions and concerns. Here ... Read More
The Barton Corbin Case
Saturday January 29, 2005
Dr. Barton Corbin been indicted by two Georgia grand juries in the connection with the Dec. 4 death of his wife and the death of his former dental school girlfriend ... Read More
Guide for Victims of Crime
Friday January 28, 2005
The more you know about the criminal justice system, the more comfortable you will feel as the legal process unfolds. This information can help serve as a useful guide to ... Read More
Supreme Court Lifts Michael Ross' Execution Stay
Friday January 28, 2005
The execution of confessed serial killer is back on the schedule for early Saturday morning, at least temporarily, after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a stay of his execution ordered ... Read More
Bonny Lee Bakley's Daughter Testifies Against Blake
Friday January 28, 2005
The 24-year-old daughter of Bonny Lee Bakley testified that she heard Robert Blake verbally abuse his wife repeatedly and that Bakley panicked after leaving their child with the actor in ... Read More
Suspected Illinois Serial Killer Arrested
Thursday January 27, 2005
First-degree murder charges are expected to be filed against 38-year-old Larry Bright, who has been in police custody since December, in connection with a series of murder of eight women ... Read More
Search for Georgia Woman Grabs National Attention
Thursday January 27, 2005
The search for a Georgia woman, who disappeared Jan. 18 from the yacht on which her and her husband lived on the Willmington River, has attracted national attention as her ... Read More
Dentist Pleads Innocent in Wife's Death
Thursday January 27, 2005
A Georgia dentist who has been indicted for the death of his wife and the murder of a former girlfriend 14 years ago, entered a not guilty plea in his ... Read More
History of Megan's Law
Thursday January 27, 2005
Megan's Law is a federal law passed in 1996 that authorizes local law enforcement agencies to notify the public about convicted sex offenders living, working or visiting their communities.
See Also: ... Read More
Financial Crimes Against the Elderly
Thursday January 27, 2005
Con artist use some common tactics to commit crimes against the elderly in the area of goods or services promised. There are hundreds of frauds, but offenders generally use a ... Read More
Rhetoric Heats Up as Michael Jackson Trial Nears
Thursday January 27, 2005
Sources close to Michael Jackson have challenged Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon to try the child molestation case himself and a well-known television report claims the charges against ... Read More
Special Ed Students Arrested for 'Violent' Drawings
Thursday January 27, 2005
Two Florida special education students -- ages nine and 10 -- have been charged with felonies and taken away from school in handcuffs for drawing "violent" stick figures in class.
Police ... Read More
BTK Serial Killer Sends Cereal Box Message
Wednesday January 26, 2005
Wichita police are now investigating another message reportedly from the BTK Killer after a postcard sent to a local television station lead reporters and police to a cereal box in ... Read More
Victim Impact Statements An Important Tool
Wednesday January 26, 2005
One of the most effective tools victims have in the fight against crime is the 'victim impact statement' used at the time of sentencing of defendants, and in many states, ... Read More
Women Who Kill Their Children
Wednesday January 26, 2005
The nation is always shocked by criminal cases such as Andrea Yates, a mother of five who methodically drowned all of her children in a bathtub then calmly called police, ... Read More
Scott Peterson Sentence and Civil Case Delayed
Tuesday January 25, 2005
The formal sentencing for convicted killer Scott Peterson has been delayed from Feb. 25 until March 11 because his attorneys said they need more time to prepare for the hearing ... Read More
Delaware Ruling Could Free 200 Inmates
Tuesday January 25, 2005
A Delaware Supreme Court ruling that life sentences should be considered 45 years, could free nearly 200 inmates serving time for murder, rape and kidnapping, who would now be eligible ... Read More
Kenneth Richey's Death Sentence Overturned
Tuesday January 25, 2005
A federal appeals court has overturned the conviction and death sentence of Kenneth Richey, convicted of killing a two-year-old girl by starting a fire in his ex-girlfriend's apartment building, and ... Read More
Man Faces Trial in Deaths of His 9 Children
Tuesday January 25, 2005
A California man charged with the shooting deaths of nine of his children, from ages one to 25, could face the death penalty if he is found guilty in his ... Read More
Jackson Prosecutors Want to Admit 'Erotic Materials'
Monday January 24, 2005
Prosecutors in the Michael Jackson child molestation case want to use "erotic materials" at his trial that were seized from the singer's Neverland Ranch in 2003. Prosecutors say the books, ... Read More
Blake's Assistant Testifies About 'Kidnapping'
Monday January 24, 2005
A former assistant of Robert Blake testified in his murder trial that she unknowingly participated in kidnapping his daughter from Bonny Lee Bakley by posing as a nurse. Cody Blackwell ... Read More
Jury Finds FBI Agents Framed Former Cop
Monday January 24, 2005
A jury awarded $6.5 million in damages to a former policeman who spent 14 years in prison because the jury decided that he was framed by two FBI agents for ... Read More
Kidnapped Restaurant Owner Dead, Police Say
Monday January 24, 2005
A Dallas restaurant owner who was kidnapped last week was apparently killed within hours of his abduction, according to information gathered by police from one of the suspects in the ... Read More
Judge Postpones Michael Ross' Execution
Monday January 24, 2005
U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny will issue a stay postponing the execution of convicted serial killer Michael Ross until he can hear more evidence about the mental capacity of ... Read More
Suspected Florida Kidnapper Caught in Georgia
Monday January 24, 2005
Police found 11-year-old Adam Kirkirt, who had been missing from his Florida elementary school since Tuesday, after the car that he was abducted in broke down Friday on an I-75 ... Read More
Ross Controls Own Fate as Execution Approaches
Monday January 24, 2005
Although a flurry of last-minute court filings are expected as his 2 a.m. Wednesday execution date approaches, serial killer Michael Ross appears to be the only person who can legally ... Read More
Teacher Has Teen Student's Baby
Monday January 24, 2005
Rebecca Boicelli has been arrested on three charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and statutory rape after DNA tests proved that her two-year-old baby was fathered by ... Read More
Caregiver Son Charged With Parents' Deaths
Monday January 24, 2005
A self-employed computer technician, who has been his disabled parents' primary caregiver for the past three years, has been charged with setting their home on fire with gasoline and leaving ... Read More
Georgia Prepares to Execute Convicted Killer
Monday January 24, 2005
A man who slashed a teenager's throat then beat him to death with a baseball bat during a 1992 robbery, is scheduled to be executed in Georgia Tuesday. Lawyers for ... Read More
Police to Ignore Burglar Alarms
Monday January 24, 2005
Police in a well-to-do California town say because of money problems they will begin ignoring most burglar alarms because the majority of them are false alarms anyway. Freemont Police Chief ... Read More
Blake Wanted Wife 'Whacked' Witness Says
Friday January 21, 2005
William Welch, a former homicide detective and employee of Robert Blake, testified at his murder trial that the actor asked him to help kidnap or kill Bonnie Lee Bakley, but ... Read More
Lisa Montgomery Prosecutors Plan to Seek Death Penalty
Friday January 21, 2005
Lisa Montgomery pleaded not guilty to charges of killing Bobbie Jo Stinnett and cutting the unborn child from her womb and had another attorney appointed to her defense team after ... Read More
Groups Continue Appeals for Serial Killer Ross
Friday January 21, 2005
After turning down another attempt to postpone the execution of confessed serial killer Michael Ross, the Connecticut Supreme Court agreed to hear appeals from two more groups trying to block ... Read More
Jackson Objects to Use of 'Victim' for His Accuser
Thursday January 20, 2005
Michael Jackson's attorneys have asked the judge to keep prosecutors from referring to the accuser in his up-coming child molestation trial as a "victim" and want to keep prosecutors and ... Read More
Witness: Blake Was Obsessed With Daughter
Thursday January 20, 2005
A former confidant of Robert Blake testified that the actor married a woman he hated in order to gain custody of their infant daughter and was obsessed with keeping Bonny ... Read More
O.J. Simpson's Daughter Arrested
Thursday January 20, 2005
O.J. Simpson's daughter was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest by Miami police who were investigating a fight outside a high school gym. Police said Sydney Simpson, 19, screamed ... Read More
Amber Alert Issued for 11-Year-Old Florida Boy
Wednesday January 19, 2005
An Amber Alert has been issued for an 11-year-old Florida boy who may have been abducted from Dunnellon by a known sex offender who had been staying with the boy's ... Read More
California Executes First Inmate in Three Years
Wednesday January 19, 2005
Donald Beardslee became the first death row inmate to be executed in California for more than three years just after midnight today after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected a last-minute clemency ... Read More
Judge Rejects Rudolph Bid to Drop Death Penalty
Wednesday January 19, 2005
U.S. Magistrate Judge T. Michael Putnam rejected a claim by attorneys for bombing suspect Eric Rudolph that prosecutors waited too long to announce they would seek the death penalty, saying ... Read More
Defense Attorney Confronts 'Jury Pool From Hell'
Wednesday January 19, 2005
The fun started for defense attorney Leslie Ballin when she began to question an unusual group of prospective jurors summoned for a Tennessee trial concerning trailer park violence. She later ... Read More
State Victim Assistance Agencies
Tuesday January 18, 2005
With Victims of Crime Act funding, agencies within the United States have established compensation programs to reimburse crime victims, and assistance programs to offer victim services. Provided here is contact ... Read More
Jeffrey MacDonald Files Parole Request
Tuesday January 18, 2005
Jeffrey McDonald, a former U.S. Army Special Forces doctor convicted 25 years ago of stabbing his pregnant wife and two daughters, has decided to seek parole for the first time, ... Read More
No Blood Splatter Found on Blake's Clothes
Tuesday January 18, 2005
Crime scene reconstructionist Rod Englert testified at the Robert Blake murder trial that he conducted several tests on the actor's clothing and did not find a speck of blood on ... Read More
Man Hangs Himself Day Before Murder Trial
Tuesday January 18, 2005
A University of Wisconsin-Madison freshman accused of shooting three men to death while they slept, was found hanged in his jail cell a day before jury selection was to begin ... Read More
Michael Jackson - The King of Pop or Wacko Jacko?
Monday January 17, 2005
The 1980s brought fame and fortune to the "King of Pop" Michael Jackson, but with stardom came a barrage of tabloid rumors mixed with Jackson's own bizarre behavior that caused ... Read More
Small Town Prepares for Jackson Trial
Monday January 17, 2005
Santa Maria, California is preparing itself for the onslaught of thousands of visitors expected to converge on the scene when the Michael Jackson child molestation trial begins Jan. 31. Lt. ... Read More
Family of Four Found Slain in New Jersey Home
Monday January 17, 2005
A New Jersey family of four, described by relatives as a religious family with no enemies, were found with their bodies bound and gagged and their throats cut in their ... Read More
Former Drug Cop Convicted of Perjury
Monday January 17, 2005
Tom Coleman, the undercover drug agent who arrested 46 mostly black defendants on drug charges in the small town of Tulia, Texas, has been convicted of one of two perjury ... Read More
Olympic Medalist Facing Child Sex Charge
Monday January 17, 2005
Angelo Taylor, a two-time Olympic gold medalist track star, has been arrested for child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes after Decatur, Georgia police say they found him ... Read More
Judge Frees Child Molester on Technicality
Monday January 17, 2005
District Judge John Nelms has tossed out new charges against an admitted child molester, convicted of molesting 40 children and later castrated voluntarily, because the prosecutors waited too long to ... Read More
Couple Gets Probation for Baby's Death
Monday January 17, 2005
Assistant District Attorney Mary Sullivan Moore has offered a plea deal two the Florida parents of a four-month-old, who died with fractured bones because she could not prove which of ... Read More
Wilbert Rideau Released from Prison
Sunday January 16, 2005
Wilbert Rideau, who become famous as the editor of the prison magazine The Angolite, has been set free from Louisiana State Prison after 44 years when a jury found him ... Read More
Profile of a Pedophile
Friday January 14, 2005
Pedophiles can be anyone -- old or young, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, blue collar or professional, and of any race. However, pedophiles often demonstrate similar characteristics, but these ... Read More
Beware of Tsunami Disaster Relief Fraud
Friday January 14, 2005
The FBI has alerted the public to a variety of scams currently being facilitated online involving the solicitation of additional relief funds for the victims of the recent Tsunami disaster.
See ... Read More
Court to Hear Michael Skakel Appeal
Friday January 14, 2005
The Connecticut Supreme Court will hear arguments from Michael Skakel's attorneys that he should have been tried as a juvenile for the murder of Martha Moxley, which took place when ... Read More
Blake Jury Visits Crime Scene
Friday January 14, 2005
Jurors in the Robert Blake murder trial visited the restaurant where Blake and Bonny Lee Bakley dined before she was killed and visited the crime scene where she was shot ... Read More
Texas Couple Captured in Mountain Cabin
Friday January 14, 2005
Justin Wayne Smith and his wife Elizabeth Ryan Smith have been captured by authorities and returned to Bay City, Texas to face murder charges in connection with the death of ... Read More
Michael Jackson Hearings to Remain Open
Thursday January 13, 2005
Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville has ruled that future hearings in the Michael Jackson child molestation case will be held in open court, rather than in judge's chambers as the ... Read More
Robert Blake's Boots Had Gunshot Residue
Thursday January 13, 2005
A criminalist told the jury in the Robert Blake murder trial that small particles of gunshot residue were found on Blake's boots after his wife was killed, but that testimony ... Read More
Lisa Montgomery Could Face Death Penalty
Wednesday January 12, 2005
A federal grand jury indicted Lisa M. Montgomery, accused of strangling Bobbie Jo Stinnett and cutting the unborn baby from her womb, on charges that would allow prosecutors to seek ... Read More
Court Says Sentencing Guidelines Not Mandatory
Wednesday January 12, 2005
The U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 struck down federal sentencing guidelines as they are now written because requiring a judge, instead of a jury, to do fact-finding to determine a ... Read More
DNA Hearing Underway in Samantha Runnion Case
Wednesday January 12, 2005
DNA experts have testified that tissue found under the fingernails of five-year-old Samantha Runnion could not be ruled out as belonging to her accused rapist and killer, Alejandro Avila. A ... Read More
Jackson Attorneys Want Hearing Kept Secret
Wednesday January 12, 2005
In an unusual request, Michael Jackson's attorneys have requested that a hearing scheduled today, on whether the singer's "prior sexual offenses" can be admitted at trial,be held in secret in ... Read More
Robert Blake Acted Oddly Before Shooting
Wednesday January 12, 2005
Jurors in the Robert Blake murder trial heard testimony from diners in the restaurant where Blake and Bonny Lee Bakley ate before she was shot to death outside that the ... Read More
No Lafayette Trial for Derrick Todd Lee
Wednesday January 12, 2005
Louisiana convicted serial killer Derrick Todd Lee will not be tried for murder of Trineisha Dene Colomb in Lafayette because prosecutors said the victim's family has already been through enough. ... Read More
Flashback: The Sam Sheppard Murder Case
Tuesday January 11, 2005
Marilyn Sheppard was brutally murdered while her husband Dr. Sam Sheppard slept downstairs. Dr. Sheppard was sentenced to life in prison for the murder. He was eventually freed from prison, ... Read More
Wilbert Rideau's Fourth Murder Trial Begins
Tuesday January 11, 2005
Wilbert Rideau, the editor of the award-winning prison magazine The Angolite at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, faces his fourth trial for the 1961 death of a bank teller during a ... Read More
Free Press vs. Fair Trials
Monday January 10, 2005
Despite the growing news media fascination with murder and other high-profile trials, a new study has found that pre-trial publicity - and ongoing trial coverage - has little or no ... Read More
Executions Continue Five-Year Decline in 2004
Monday January 10, 2005
A five-year decline in death sentences, a 40 percent drop in executions, a shrinking death row population, and waning public support for capital punishment have marked a significant turn around ... Read More
Jackson's Attorneys Wants to Limit Evidence
Monday January 10, 2005
Michael Jackson's attorneys claim the evidence of his alleged prior sexual offenses is so flimsy it should not be used at his up-coming trial for child molestation. "The District Attorney ... Read More
Elizabeth Smart Kidnapping Trial Postponed
Monday January 10, 2005
Judge Judith Atherton scheduled a new competency hearing of Brian David Mitchell for Feb. 15 and canceled his trial scheduled Feb. 1, after Mitchell disrupted his hearing last week by ... Read More
Fetus Kidnapper Denied Bail
Saturday January 8, 2005
A federal magistrate has denied bail for Lisa M. Montgomery, who is accused of strangling Bobbie Jo Stennett and cutting the unborn baby from her womb. U.S. Magistrate John T. ... Read More
Crematory Operator Gets 12 Years
Saturday January 8, 2005
Ray Brent Marsh, the crematory operator who admitted to dumping 334 bodies and passing off cement dust as their remains, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty ... Read More
Phil Spector Told Police He Shot Actress
Friday January 7, 2005
Transcripts of grand jury testimony in the Phil Spector case show that the music producer first told police he accidentally shot actress Lana Clarkson at this home in February 2003 ... Read More
Michael Jackson Accusation Details Revealed
Friday January 7, 2005
Using confidential law enforcement and government reports, grand jury testimony, and sealed court records, The Smoking Gun web site has published the lurid details of the prosecution's case against singer ... Read More
Klansman Arrested in 1964 Civil Rights Murders
Friday January 7, 2005
Edgar Ray Killen, a member of the Ku Klux Klan, has been arrested and charged with three counts of murder in the 1964 shooting deaths of civil rights workers James ... Read More
Georgia Dentist Investigated in Third Death
Friday January 7, 2005
Dr. Barton Corbin, who has been indicted by two Georgia grand juries in the connection with the Dec. 4 death of his wife and death of his former girlfriend 14 ... Read More
Teacher Charged With Having Sex With Students
Friday January 7, 2005
A California middle school teacher has been charged with 20 counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old on allegations that she had sex with two of ... Read More
Andrea Yates' Conviction Overturned
Thursday January 6, 2005
The Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas has overturned the capital murder convictions of Andrea Yates for drowning her children, because it ruled a prosecution expert witness ... Read More
Amber's Book Upsets Laci's Family
Thursday January 6, 2005
Laci Peterson's family is upset with certain aspects of the new book by Scott Peterson's mistress Amber Frey, especially the cover design they found "extremely hurtful and offensive," a family ... Read More
Robert Blake Trial Enters Second Week
Wednesday January 5, 2005
As the Robert Blake murder trial resumed after a holiday break, Los Angeles police officer Sam Issa testified in detail about how the actor interacted with police shortly after the ... Read More
Elizabeth Smart's Father Wants Plea Deal
Wednesday January 5, 2005
Elizabeth Smart's father says he would rather see prosecutors make a plea bargain with Brian David Mitchell, facing kidnapping and sexual assault charges, rather than having his family go through ... Read More
Police Seek Necklace Linked to BTK Killer
Wednesday January 5, 2005
Wichita police are seeking a necklace that was taken from murder victim Nancy Fox who was killed Dec. 8, 1977. Police believe the BTK killer may have given the necklace ... Read More
Georgia Dentist Indicted for Second Murder
Wednesday January 5, 2005
A grand jury has indicted Georgia dentist Barton Corbin for murder in the shooting death of his estranged wife Jennifer Corbin, who was found dead in her bedroom with a ... Read More
New York Post Blasts Amber's Book
Wednesday January 5, 2005
Apparently Andrea Peyser of the New York Post was not terribly impressed with Amber Frey's new book, "Witness for the Prosecution of Scott Peterson." In an article entitled "Amber's ... Read More
Teen Charged in Abortion by Baseball Bat
Tuesday January 4, 2005
A 16-year-old Michigan teen has been charged with helping his girlfriend terminate her unwanted pregnancy by hitting her in the abdomen with a baseball bat over a period of two ... Read More
Baby Found in Washing Machine, Mother Charged
Tuesday January 4, 2005
A woman whose infant son's body was found in a washing machine when firefighters extinguished an intentionally set fire in her home, is expected to face murder charges. Latunga Starks, ... Read More
No Trial for Woman for Drowning Children
Tuesday January 4, 2005
A Colorado woman who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to drowning her two children will not have to go to trial, because prosecutors said they can not prove ... Read More
Amber Frey's Book Goes on Sale
Tuesday January 4, 2005
Amber Frey, the single mom who fell in love with Scott Peterson then recorded her phone calls with him to help authorities investigate the murder of his wife and unborn ... Read More
Convicted Killer Ready to Die
Monday January 3, 2005
James Porter is scheduled to be executed in Texas Tuesday after dropping all of his appeals. "I'm the type of individual to face up to my responsibility and my mistakes," ... Read More
Man Charged With Shooting Vanderbilt Player
Monday January 3, 2005
Authorities say a man suspected of the shooting death of Vanderbilt running back Kwane Doster turned himself into Tampa police and has been charged with first-degree murder and two counts ... Read More
Elderly Couple Rescued After Home Invasion
Monday January 3, 2005
Ohio police were able to rescue an elderly couple who were the victims of a home invasion kidnapping thanks to an alert bank teller. Two men entered the home of ... Read More
Sheriff Balks at Paying Suspect's Medical Bill
Monday January 3, 2005
Madison County, Illinois Sheriff Bob Hertz doesn't think taxpayers should have to pay Kevin L. Robins' hospital bill. Robins took an overdose of prescription medication during a Dec. 3 standoff ... Read More
'Psychic' Charged With Stealing $100,000 From Woman
Monday January 3, 2005
Christine Evans, who promotes herself as the psychic Yanna but police say preys on people whose lives are in turmoil, has been charged with stealing more than $100,000 from a ... Read More