True Crime Stories

The entire time I was researching this case I thought about another case, that of Cameron “Todd” Willingham of Texas. Willingham was executed by the state of Texas in 2004 in the murders of his children that authorities say occurred when he set their home on fire. Even before his execution there were arguments that the “science” used to convict him was later found to be flawed and new advances had cast doubt on his guilt. However, the courts would not grant a reprieve and it has been argued that further studies were stopped so as to not legally prove that an innocent man was executed. Bill Amor thankfully was not sentenced to death in the murder of his mother in law and was given the right to prove his innocence. We cannot be ignorant enough to believe that innocent people have not been executed. There have been too many people who were at one time on death row and later exonerated through DNA for us to conclude that prior to the science being available every cond...

I cannot tell you the number of cases I have come across that involve the murder of a child in which there are quick demands for reform in some way. Most of those calls refer to having the Department of Family Services re-evaluated. Those are the cases that involve children who have been in the system and either returned to a known abusing parent or placed in foster homes in which they were later abused or murdered. Sadly it appears that nothing really happens aside from maybe one or two people involved in protecting the child is fired or put on administrative leave. Then a few years later another child will be murdered in that same area and the same arguments are brought up again. It is a case of wash, rinse and repeat it seems. This case did not involve the Department of Family Services, although it obviously should have. In this case the reform calls came for the process of adoption. However, in my opinion reforms for adoption would not have saved the life of Li...

When I started reading true crime books, like many, I really liked Ann Rule and her book, Small Sacrifices, was one of the first that I read. I am in the minority now, although not alone, in the fact that as time went on I began to not like Ann Rule's books at all. But, that is for another time. The Diane Downs story is sensational even today, more than thirty years after she committed her crime. To be fair, Diane Downs does have some supporters on her side, mainly her family, who believe that she has spent the last thirty-four years in prison for a crime she did not commit. But, to put it in perspective there are more people who believe Casey Anthony did not murder her child than there are that believe in Diane Downs innocence. Late in the night of May 19, 1983 Diane Downs pulled up at the Emergency Room of a hospital in Springfield Oregon. She, and all three of her children had been shot. Seven year old Cheryl was pronounced dead on arrival. Both eight year...

If you are a “true crime addict” like I am then you are likely also addicted to the Investigative Discovery channel. I am in the process of changing my cable companies right now and while I was looking at the packages that were offered I was making sure that I would continue to get that channel in my lineup. That being said, I am not a fan of all of the shows that they air and I also know that not all of the shows are completely accurate. Of course this can be said about just about all documentary shows. In fairness they generally have to break down a story into a forty minute dramatization. But, they are all generally bias in some way which is part of the reason that I do these blogs. It often takes some digging around to get more of the story and find more accurate information. One of my favorite series on ID is the show Fear Thy Neighbor. I have mentioned before that it is these types of crimes that often fascinate me the most because I feel like it could happen to...

On July 21, 2011 the state of Georgia executed thirty-seven year old Andrew DeYoung. He was convicted in 1995 for the 1993 murders of his parents, Gary and Kathryn and his fourteen year old sister, Sarah. Only his sixteen year old brother, Nathan escaped the home that night. The case itself seemed pretty open and shut. Aside from making headlines because of the brutality of the crime the execution also made headlines. It was the first execution in over twenty years to be video taped, although it has not apparently been officially viewed as it was immediately put under seal of the court. The execution was videoed because there had been claims that the lethal injection process “caused unnecessary pain and suffering.” This is not surprising as this has always been, and continues to be, an argument by those opposed to capital punishment. It was later said that the execution was carried out without any issues. It seems unlikely that when the DeYoung family went to bed on...

I have a little time on my hands so I thought I would throw together a few cases that are short and less complicated than most. This case qualifies because there is little information available due to the time era. In fact, the only reasons I was able to obtain as much information as I did was because a) Richard Kiefer was executed by the state of Indiana and; b) he was the last person in the state to be executed before they were deemed unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in 1972. In 1957 Richard Kiefer lived in Fort Wayne Indiana with his wife, Pearl and their five year old daughter Dorothy. It is said that Richard and Pearl were in the basement of their home allegedly having an argument. Richard would claim that he was “tired” of Pearl criticizing him about his fishing and drinking habit. Further details indicate that Pearl was upset at the money that was being spent for these things, but to be fair the only details available are those provided by R...

This is one of those cases that after researching I am left wondering if full justice was served. It is one of those cases that involves a confession that law enforcement officials say matched the evidence and the scene but then other things seem to contradict those statements. While researching this case I was left thinking about a recent local case for me. The case involving the death of Aleah Beckerle recently went to trial in my town. Like the case of Thayne Ormsby, the defendant in the Beckerle case was said to be of lower intelligence and maturity and a confession was elicited. It also appears that in both cases that while the defendants were involved in some way, many believe that the defendants were less involved than their confessions would imply and that the person who “pulled the strings” face little or no consequences for their actions. But, as if often the case, I seem to be getting ahead of myself. On June 23, 2010 Jason DeHahn's brother had been ...