The top crime stories that got the most attention in 2007 included a campus massacre, a rape that never took place, a jury that could not come to a decision, a missing boy found after five years, an old defendant back in trouble again, a spaced out love triangle, a 1964 case finally closed and finally justice for the girl in the pink hat.
11. Klansman James Ford Seale Found Guilty
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A federal jury found Ku Klux Klan member James Ford Seale guilty of kidnapping and conspiracy in the 1964 deaths of two black teenagers in rural Mississippi. The 71-year-old Seale sentenced to three life terms in prison for the deaths of Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee.
12. Police Arrest 4 in Sean Taylor's Shooting
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Authorities have arrested four Lee County, Florida, men in connection with the shooting death of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor. Miami-Dade Police Department Director Robert Parker said the suspects went to Taylor's home to burglarize it when they thought he would be out of town.
13. 'Baby Grace' Couple May Face Death Penalty
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A Texas couple accused in the "Baby Grace" case were indicted on capital murder charges. Kimberly Dawn Trenor and her husband, Royce Clyde Zeigler II, were indicted after DNA evidence positively identified the toddler found in a plastic storage box in Galveston Bay as Trenor's daughter, Riley Ann Sawyers.
14. Home Invasion Shocks Connecticut Town
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The quiet Connecticut town of Cheshire has been stunned by a brutal home invasion that left a home in flames, a wife and her two daughters dead and a bloody and battered father in the hospital. Dr. William A. Petit Jr. survived the day-long attack, but his wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their two daughters Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, did not.
15. Joseph Duncan Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges
Joseph Edward Duncan III entered guilty pleas to 10 federal charges in connection with the kidnapping of Dylan and Shasta Groene and the murder of Dylan in a move that will spare Shasta from having to testify. Duncan entered the pleas without a plea deal, which means there will be a penalty trial in his case.
16. 'Baseline Killer' Gets 438 Years for Assaults
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The man suspected of being the Phoenix Baseline Killer was sentenced to 438 years in prison for his September conviction of sexually assaulting two sisters near a city park. Mark Goudeau, 43, received the long sentence after prosecutors proved in court that Goudeau had prior convictions for violent crimes.
17. Lisa Montgomery Found Guilty in Fetus Theft
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Lisa Montgomery was found guilty of murder in the case of Bobbie Jo Stinnett who was killed so that Montgomery could steal her fetus. Montgomery claimed insanity, but evidence at her trial showed the crime was carefully planned and carried out.
18. Atlanta Courthouse Shooting Trial Delayed
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Five times, the murder trial of accused Atlanta Courthouse Killer Brian Nichols was delayed due to a lack of funds for his defense. Sticking to his guns despite growing criticism, Judge Hilton Fuller ruled that he will not start the trial until there is more money provided to Nichols' defense team.
19. Serial Molester Gets 152 Years
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A man prosecutors believe molested hundreds of young boys in eight U.S. states, Mexico and Brazil since the 1960s, was sentenced to 152 years in prison for molesting two 12-year-old San Jose, California boys. Dean Arthur Schwartzmiller, 65, was found guilty last year of 11 counts of child molestation and possession of child pornography.
20. Jessie Davis' Body Found, Boyfriend Charged
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The body of a nine-months-pregnant Ohio woman was found a week after she disappeared from her home and her boyfriend has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Jessie Davis and her unborn child. The arrest of Canton policeman Bobby Cutts Jr. was announced shortly after searchers found the body of Davis in a National Park.
