Something To Chew On: Your Cold Case Assignment - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T09:14:09Zhttps://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/something-to-chew-on-your-cold-case-assignment?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A377631&feed=yes&xn_auth=noCornwell's book was embarrass…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-09-12:537324:Comment:3780702013-09-12T14:53:51.199ZStephen Seitzhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/StephenSeitz
<p>Cornwell's book was embarrassing, and she wasted a lot of money fingering an impossible suspect. </p>
<p>I love reworking history: the plot is already set. All you have to do is dramatize it.</p>
<p>Cornwell's book was embarrassing, and she wasted a lot of money fingering an impossible suspect. </p>
<p>I love reworking history: the plot is already set. All you have to do is dramatize it.</p> Well, I shy away from histori…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-09-11:537324:Comment:3777732013-09-11T21:19:05.294ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
<p>Well, I shy away from historical murder cases. Invariably people twist things to suit themselves. Patricia Cornwell did this famously for the Ripper. Of course, one can take any case and make it the case in one's own story, changing characters, settings, and times. Quite good fun, having to substitute historical weapons for modern guns and carriages for cars.</p>
<p>Well, I shy away from historical murder cases. Invariably people twist things to suit themselves. Patricia Cornwell did this famously for the Ripper. Of course, one can take any case and make it the case in one's own story, changing characters, settings, and times. Quite good fun, having to substitute historical weapons for modern guns and carriages for cars.</p> Lack of evidence would certa…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-09-11:537324:Comment:3777712013-09-11T20:48:49.262ZCaroline Trippehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/CarolineTrippe
<p> Lack of evidence would certainly be a factor---as in the Jon Benet Ramsay case, where the crime scene had been tampered with by the parents (as I recall). A lot of people thought one or the other of the parents did do it----but the mother died of cancer, and we will never know the truth, most likely. Too much press! How could those people ever lead a normal life again, whether or not they were guilty or innocent? </p>
<p>Or in the Peterson case---although the jury convicted Michael…</p>
<p> Lack of evidence would certainly be a factor---as in the Jon Benet Ramsay case, where the crime scene had been tampered with by the parents (as I recall). A lot of people thought one or the other of the parents did do it----but the mother died of cancer, and we will never know the truth, most likely. Too much press! How could those people ever lead a normal life again, whether or not they were guilty or innocent? </p>
<p>Or in the Peterson case---although the jury convicted Michael Peterson anyway, even though no weapon could be found. But there was a LOT of circumstantial evidence.</p>
<p>And yes, even if the "golden age" ?? of cold cases is over ??? it's still good grist for the mystery writing mill! Definitely a challenge. One of the fun ones is the unsolved "historical" murder. </p>
<p>I was thinking that all you writers might come up with some plot ideas. :) Based on the case I mentioned----or some other case that has been of interest. </p>
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<p><i> </i></p> The existence of cold cases w…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-09-11:537324:Comment:3780502013-09-11T17:16:36.675ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
<p>The existence of cold cases would prove that not all murderers were known to the victims. The investigations broke down either because the obvious suspects were cleared or because evidence was lacking.</p>
<p>Cold cases are very good material for mystery writers. There is a challenge there, and also a way to show one's protagonist is smarter and more caring than the original team. </p>
<p>The existence of cold cases would prove that not all murderers were known to the victims. The investigations broke down either because the obvious suspects were cleared or because evidence was lacking.</p>
<p>Cold cases are very good material for mystery writers. There is a challenge there, and also a way to show one's protagonist is smarter and more caring than the original team. </p> Isn't it true that most peopl…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-09-11:537324:Comment:3780452013-09-11T15:46:00.254ZCaroline Trippehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/CarolineTrippe
<p>Isn't it true that most people who are murdered are killed by someone they know? If a young woman is murdered, the boyfriend or husband is usually the first suspect, and the motive is often jealousy. Or the husband wanting out but not wanting to pay for a divorce, child support, etc.</p>
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<p> Maybe not in the case of certain serial killers, although they also may be familiar with their victims in some way. </p>
<p>The human behavior factor is, to me, the most interesting thing. Of…</p>
<p>Isn't it true that most people who are murdered are killed by someone they know? If a young woman is murdered, the boyfriend or husband is usually the first suspect, and the motive is often jealousy. Or the husband wanting out but not wanting to pay for a divorce, child support, etc.</p>
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<p> Maybe not in the case of certain serial killers, although they also may be familiar with their victims in some way. </p>
<p>The human behavior factor is, to me, the most interesting thing. Of course you can't prove cases using only that factor. Having hard evidence is usually crucial! </p> Yes, but that suggests there…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-09-11:537324:Comment:3777672013-09-11T13:25:22.900ZDan L. Colemanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DanLColeman931
<p>Yes, but that suggests there are and will be no more unsolved cases. The physical sciences don't solve everything. DNA is greatly overrated by its constant presentation on dramatic programs, fiction and non-fiction. The human behavior factor, as you suggested also, plays a role in investigations.</p>
<p>Yes, but that suggests there are and will be no more unsolved cases. The physical sciences don't solve everything. DNA is greatly overrated by its constant presentation on dramatic programs, fiction and non-fiction. The human behavior factor, as you suggested also, plays a role in investigations.</p> I recall hearing a talk by re…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-09-11:537324:Comment:3779652013-09-11T13:11:29.219ZAlbert Tucherhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/AlbertTucher
<p>I recall hearing a talk by retired Lieutenant John Dove, who headed the Brooklyn cold case squad in the 1990s. He told us that the golden age of cold case investigation is already over, and it was brief. In the 1990s crime rates dropped drastically across the country, and police were able to go back and pick the low-hanging fruit, meaning cases that just needed a detective to put in the time it took.</p>
<p>The low-hanging fruit was picked, and then 9/11 and terrorism gave police…</p>
<p>I recall hearing a talk by retired Lieutenant John Dove, who headed the Brooklyn cold case squad in the 1990s. He told us that the golden age of cold case investigation is already over, and it was brief. In the 1990s crime rates dropped drastically across the country, and police were able to go back and pick the low-hanging fruit, meaning cases that just needed a detective to put in the time it took.</p>
<p>The low-hanging fruit was picked, and then 9/11 and terrorism gave police departments new responsibilities.</p>
<p>Of course, this does not mean the cold case investigations have ceased. New tools such as DNA produce new evidence, and the passage of time often loosens the tongues of witnesses who didn't speak up the first time around. </p>
<p> </p> I've actually pretty much liv…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-09-10:537324:Comment:3779572013-09-10T23:00:30.445ZMartin Roy Hillhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/MartinRoyHill
<p>I've actually pretty much lived this. I was a reserve sergeant with the local sheriff's search and rescue unit. We were called in to search for a missing black toddler. The toddler had been living with his mother's boyfriend while she, a Navy sailor, was at sea. The boyfriend said he took the child to a park and the child wandered off. We could find no evidence the child had been at the park. However, neighbors reported seeing the boyfriend leave his apartment with a heavy, large trash bag…</p>
<p>I've actually pretty much lived this. I was a reserve sergeant with the local sheriff's search and rescue unit. We were called in to search for a missing black toddler. The toddler had been living with his mother's boyfriend while she, a Navy sailor, was at sea. The boyfriend said he took the child to a park and the child wandered off. We could find no evidence the child had been at the park. However, neighbors reported seeing the boyfriend leave his apartment with a heavy, large trash bag and walk down the street with it even though the apartment complex had trash bins.</p>
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<p>The cops were pretty certain the bag contained the child's body, so they had all the trash gathered in the area sequestered and searched. Nothing. Then they found out the neighborhood was right on the dividing line for two garbage dumps. The trash from the block where the apartment complex was went to one dump; trash from right across the street went to another. They had the wrong trash sequestered. Since no body was every found, the boyfriend went free.</p>
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<p>That was just months after we were called into help with a case involving a little girl who was a competitive beauty contestant. She was kidnapped from her bedroom while her parents were allegedly having a wife-swapping orgy in the living room. The freaking next door neighbor did it, raped and killed her. Creeps abounded in that one. At least in that case, the murderer went to prison.</p>
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<p>This is probably why I love animals and hate people....<g></p> They solve cold cases here al…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-09-08:537324:Comment:3777482013-09-08T21:13:18.798ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
<p>They solve cold cases here all the time. I think they must have a special department for it. They just cleared another in Norfolk, the killing of a barber, for which another man went to jail. Frankly, one should give the police more credit. They do work conscientiously and in an hostile environment.</p>
<p>They solve cold cases here all the time. I think they must have a special department for it. They just cleared another in Norfolk, the killing of a barber, for which another man went to jail. Frankly, one should give the police more credit. They do work conscientiously and in an hostile environment.</p> The Florida case has been in…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-09-08:537324:Comment:3776312013-09-08T20:20:53.706ZCaroline Trippehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/CarolineTrippe
<p>The Florida case has been in the news---CNN online anyway. Perhaps not even the most "mysterious" of cold cases---just something that got suppressed while it was happening. </p>
<p>But check out this link. In Chapel Hill, NC alone---all these cold cases! The most recent, the murder of Faith Hedgepeths a year ago. No information released by the police, nothing of substance. …</p>
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<p>The Florida case has been in the news---CNN online anyway. Perhaps not even the most "mysterious" of cold cases---just something that got suppressed while it was happening. </p>
<p>But check out this link. In Chapel Hill, NC alone---all these cold cases! The most recent, the murder of Faith Hedgepeths a year ago. No information released by the police, nothing of substance. </p>
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<p><a href="http://www.thedurhamnews.com/2013/09/08/3176573/on-the-anniversary-of-faith-hedgepeths.html" target="_blank">http://www.thedurhamnews.com/2013/09/08/3176573/on-the-anniversary-of-faith-hedgepeths.html</a></p>