Pat LaLama Reports: A Portrait Of Jealousy, Rage and Revenge

February 07, 2012

[ Pat LaLama's stellar career in broadcast journalism is a chronicle of some of the most iconic events in modern history.  Follow Pat's daily coverage of the Stephanie Lazarus Trial.    Read her Bio >> ]

 

 Read Pat LaLama's Past Reports On This Case

 

>>Day 2 of The Stephanie Lazarus Murder Trial<<

Watching bloody crime scene photos never gets any easier. Images of 29 year old Sherri Rasmussen’s beaten body, gunned down in the living room of her Los Angeles townhome flashed across a giant courtroom screen…three bullet holes in her chest…her statuesque frame lying lifeless on the ground. Her arms were positioned upward as if she were desperately trying to ward off a spray of bullets. I can see the anguish on Nels and Loretta Rasmussen’s faces. They are seated just inches away in the row behind me. Losing their daughter back in 1986, at the hands of a vicious murderer, seems to hurt as much today as ever.

 

On Tuesday, the prosecution in the murder trial of former LAPD detective Stehpanie Lazarus used crime scene photographs to try and paint a murderous portrait of jealousy, rage and revenge. The key motivation behind Lazarus’ ruthless vendetta, they say.

Prosecutors contend that while Lazarus was a young patrol officer 26 years ago, she murdered Rasmussen, the new bride of Lazarus’ ex-boyfriend, John Ruetten. Back then homicide investigators concluded the murder was the result of a botched burglary attempt. They based their decision on among other things, stereo equipment left at the bottom of a staircase and the drawer of a living room table that had been flung open. Other robberies in the same neighborhood solidified the burglary theory. Cops believed the suspects were two males.

Prosecutors on Tuesday, through a series of photographs tried to paint an entirely different picture. One of personal revenge. A photograph depicted speaker wires and a white blood stained rope that prosecutors believe Lazarus used to tie up Rasmussen. Another shows broken fingernails lying on the ground near the front door. Shelves on an entertainment center were collapsed. A lamp was knocked over. A ceramic vase crashed on the floor. It was a violent struggle. Prosecutors believe Sherri Rasmussen, who stood 5’10” tried desperately to defend herself from Lazarus whom she knew. Family members contend that Lazarus had harassed Rasmussen on many occasions while she was still alive.

The next photograph showed evidence that was essentially ignored by the lead detective in the case back in 1986.  It was a distinct bite mark on Sherri’s left inner forearm. A swab of saliva was taken and the evidence was stored away in the Coroner’s office.

Back then a second detective on the case opined that a bite mark is more symbolic of the work of a female accomplice. The lead detective dismissed the theory, insisting it was a burglary. (The jury hasn’t yet heard this part.) Twenty years after the fact new DNA analysis revealed the bite bark was in fact that of a woman. Prosecutors told the jury there is a 1 in 1.7 sextillion chance that the DNA belongs to someone besides Lazarus. “That’s 17 followed by 20 zeros”, says Prosecutor Shannon Presby.

Lazarus defense attorney Mark Overland is trying to prove that faulty memories on the part of witnesses, shoddy police work and compromised physical evidence will create all the reasonable doubt a jury needs.

 

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Photo Credit: Former Los Angeles Police Officer Stephanie Lazarus with her attorney Mark Overland at Los Angeles Superior hearing Wednesday, July 29, (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

Pat LaLama Reports: The Murder Of Sherri Rasmussen

February 06, 2012

[ Pat LaLama's stellar career in broadcast journalism is a chronicle of some of the most iconic events in modern history.  Follow Pat's daily coverage of the Stephanie Lazarus Trial.    Read her Bio >> ]

 

 

>>Day 1 of The Stephanie Lazarus Murder Trial<<

 

“A bite, a bullet, a gun barrel and a broken heart.” That is the essence of the prosecution’s case against once revered LAPD detective Stephanie Lazarus, now on trial for the brutal murder of a beautiful nursing supervisor 26 years ago. Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Shannon Presby passionately delivered his opening statement Monday morning to a jury of 8 women and 4 men. “This killing was personal”, he told the panel.

Presby portrayed Lazarus as a ruthless killer, obsessed over a case of unrequited love.  In 1986, Lazarus was a patrol officer who prosecutors say was devastated over a breakup with her boyfriend, John Ruetten. When Ruetten married another woman, 29 year old Sherri Rasmussen, Presby says Lazarus showed up at Rasmussen’s townhome, brutally beat the newlywed, bit her on the arm and shot her three times at close range. Prosecutors say Lazarus, trained in lock picking, snuck into the home. They also contend that Lazarus used a gun she had purchased from the LAPD and utilized her police knowledge of fingerprints to destroy evidence at the crime scene. Presby also contends that Lazarus used a robe to muffle the sound of gunshots.

At the time, LAPD detectives concluded the crime was a burglary gone wrong. Lazarus continued as a police officer and worked her way up the ranks—ultimately becoming a detective in the LAPD elite Commercial Crimes division. She married a fellow cop and they adopted a little girl.

The case remained unsolved for nearly two decades, until cold case detectives took a second look. Now, using DNA analysis, they determined the bite mark belonged to a woman. Upon further analysis, Presby told the jury the DNA “matched to the exclusion of every other single person on this planet”.

As Presby laid out his case, photographs of a smiling Sherri Rasmussen flashed on a giant screen. They quickly dissolved into images of her battered body. Her father Nels, sitting behind me, broke into tears.

Lazarus didn’t look up from the counsel table where she is seated with her attorney Mark Overland. Her hair was neatly pulled back. She wore a black suit and glasses as she pored over documents and took notes. It was easy to imagine her as a diligent detective. She has the look. Except now, she is a murder defendant.

Overland used the morning in his opening statement to dispute the reliability of the evidence against Lazarus. He told the jury that over the years, the bite mark DNA has been compromised by a questionable chain of custody. “It violated every procedure”, Overland said. He showed the jury pictures of a torn evidence bag and an unsealed tube. In Overland’s words, “the prosecution utterly failed to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt. Not even close.”

First witnesses are up next.   

>>Read Pat's Day Two Coverage Of The Trial

 

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Photo credit: AP Photos

 

Aphrodite Jones Reports: Casey Anthony's Revelation

January 17, 2012

[ Aphrodite Jones gives her perspective on the latest Casey Anthony news. Check in for her regular reports.   Read her Bio >> ]

 

The biggest thing that struck me about Casey's revelation to psychiatrists was her statement: "I'll be damned if I'm going to take responsibility for this!" Insistent that George was the culprit, Casey concocted a few variations about how it was George who either found Caylee in the pool -- or perhaps drowned her in the pool -- and was adamant that she was not going to take the blame for her Father's misdeeds. Still, wasn't it her responsibility to call the police -- to get help for her daughter and report the crime or "accident?"

In her typical style, Casey had a number of answers for not calling 911.

>>She FEARED her Dad because of years of alleged sexual abuse, and was told by
    George that  "Daddy will take care of it."

>>She was numb and in shock when George handed her daughter over to her -- wet
    and motionless.

>>She wanted to believe Caylee would still be "okay" somehow -- and hoped that after
    Daddy would "take Care" of Caylee, she might still be alive.

To this I say: huh?

All of this insanity leads me to ask the obvious question: is Casey Anthony crazy? Is she a sociopath? The immediate answer that comes to mind is YES. But the psychiatrists who evaluated her in jail said she was no such thing. One shrink called her a "puzzlement." Neither of the doctors could understand why Casey was appearing "upbeat" and "cheerful" throughout her evaluations. In my view, she's a sick and twisted woman who, while crazy, is also smart enough to have outwitted her parents, her friends, the justice system, AND the trained medical experts around her. No wonder she smiled so much.

Only time will tell when that smile will get pulled off her wicked face...

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>>Read: Casey's Anthony's 4 Minutes Of Fame

Pat LaLama: Everyone Loves A Tinsel Town Mystery

November 21, 2011

[ Pat LaLama's stellar career in broadcast journalism is a chronicle of some of the most iconic events in modern history.  Here's her take on the just reopened Natalie Wood case.    Read her Bio >> ]

We Los Angeles based journalists love a great Tinsel Town mystery. News that the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department is reopening the case involving Hollywood darling Natalie Wood—after 30 years—has shaken this “industry” town like a good old fashioned West Coast earthquake.

Having covered nearly every big celebrity case of the last 25 years, I too am salivating like Pavlov’s dog at the prospect of a compelling new chapter in the great enigma surrounding the great film star’s drowning.

Read All About Natalie Wood's Death

One might believe there’s something substantial for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department to investigate. It’s the largest, busiest Sheriff’s department in the world—not known for wasting time, energy or resources on frivolous bits of salacious innuendo, rumor or conjecture. Lt. John Corina said the new credible information is coming from “several sources”, not just flip-flopping yacht captain Dennis Davern. He’s got a credibility problem. Was he lying then or is he lying now?

Even though the very capable Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca is sometimes accused by the media of being star struck, I’m certain he isn’t the slightest bit motivated by the fact that it’s the thirty year anniversary of the tragedy off Catalina Island. Nor is he interested in playing off the CBS/Vanity Fair collaboration airing this weekend which examines the mystery. I don’t think he cares much about helping Davern sell a few books, either. If the Sheriff has credible info, then it’s a duty to look at the case with fresh eyes. And that’s exactly what they’re doing.

However, let’s cut through the fog of excitement and look at what we have. What’s really changed? We’ve got a boat skipper who claims now that he lied three decades ago. But he hasn’t really told us what exactly he’s lied about. Nor has he told us what the truth is (or his version of it.) When asked specific questions, his answers are coy and vague...as if he’s toying with us. Have we the media and the police taken the bait? Are we unwitting accomplices in his efforts to make waves? And more to the point is this a desperate attempt on Davern’s part to reinvigorate sales of his book?

The talk is that state of the art DNA technology could help solve the mystery. I doubt it. Investigators say they plan to examine the yacht, “Splendour” which is now in Hawaii. While it’s true such technology has advanced light years since Wood’s death, how would DNA be relevant in this particular case? There’s no issue as to who was on the boat and who died. We know there was arguing among all the parties. There doesn’t seem to be any disputed facts that DNA testing would solve. Does anyone really believe there’s a blood-stained fishing knife lying around on the deck thirty years later?

It’s one thing to look for new evidence and hear possible new witness accounts of the circumstances on that horrible night, but we’re a long way away from seeing concrete evidence that would lead to a winnable case. So I wouldn’t hold my breath for another “trial of the century”-- this time starring Robert Wagner or Christopher Walken.

At this point all we have is yet another alcohol fueled, celebrity party gone wrong. Unfortunately in this case, the party ended with the loss of a true Hollywood legend.

 

Photo Credits: Wireimage/Getty Images - Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood during AFI Salute to Fred Astaire at Beverly Hilton Hotel, 1981

Komisarjevsky and Hayes: Murder by Twos

November 03, 2011

 [ By Dr. Kenneth J. Ryan, a criminologist at California State University.  Read his Bio >> ]

With the recent convictions of Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky for the brutal 2007 murders of Michaela and Hayley Petit and their mother Jennifer Hawke-Petit in New Haven, Conn., one might speculate how frequent or rare are crimes such as these?  The simple answer is that, although the stark brutality of the Petit family murder case is unusual, pairs who murder are not rare at all.

The 1959 murders of the Herbert Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, closely parallels the Petit family massacre in several ways.  To begin with, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, who murdered four members of the Clutter family, met in prison; Komisarjevsky and Hayes met in a halfway house after serving prison sentences.  All four killers were on parole at the time of their crimes.  Smith & Hickock and Hayes & Komisarjevsky burglarized their victims’ homes before killing those inside.  Both pairs raped or considered rape, recalling that Hickock was about to rape Nancy Clutter but Smith stopped him.  Smith later shotgunned the girl in the head.  Both Komisarjevsky and Hayes raped their victims.

Smith & Hickock and Hayes & Komisarjevsky each bound their victims before murdering them and separated them from each other as well.  All suspects brought a murder weapon to the crime, but Hayes & Komisarjevsky burned their victims alive, not using the pistol.  All of the suspects were considered predators before the murders that brought them to prominence and, since his recent conviction, Hayes is alleged to have confessed to being a serial killer.  His claims are not improbable.

In 1924, University of Chicago law students Nathan Leopold, Jr., and Richard Loeb murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks in an attempt to commit the perfect crime.  Believing themselves to belong to a superior race, Leopold and Loeb lured Franks into a car and bludgeoned the boy to death to defeat the system, to literally get away with murder.  Convicted in a sensational trial, Leopold and Loeb proved to the world that they were mere cheap thrill killers, nothing more and certainly not supermen. 

Another pair of spree killers were Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate, who in 1957 to 1958 murdered 11 victims in a line that stretched across five states.  Like Leopold and Loeb decades before, Starkweather related that after his first murder he had reached a new plane of existence that made him above and outside the law.**  Although Fugate’s participation in the murders is still uncertain a half century later, Starkweather claims to have killed for his girlfriend, including murdering Fugate’s mother, stepfather and infant stepsister.  Starkweather was executed in 1959 and Fugate was paroled in 1976.

In the 1960s, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady kidnapped, raped and murdered five children from Manchester, England, and buried their victims in a nearby moor.  The couple often returned to the grave sites and would have sex atop the buried children’s corpses.  Like Leopold and Loeb, Brady viewed himself as a superman, a master criminal who couldn’t be held to the same standards as common men.  The couple was arrested in 1966 and maintained their innocence until more than 20 years after their convictions.

Fellow Britons Fred and Rosemary West murdered 10 women in Gloucestershire, U.K., in the late 20th century.  Typically, they would lure women waiting at bus stops into their car and take them home to be tortured and murdered.  Fred committed suicide while awaiting trial and Rosemary was convicted of murder in 1995 and is now serving a life sentence.

Over a five month period in 1979, Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris kidnapped, tortured, raped and murdered five women along California’s Pacific Coast Highway.  The pair met in prison and continued their relationship once out on parole and were finally arrested after bragging about their crimes to a fellow former inmate.

Truman Capote once speculated that neither Perry Smith nor Richard Hickock were capable of committing murder alone; however, when together the pair formed a third personality, a psychopathic personality, that was homicidal.  Hayes recently complained that Komisarjevsky was a poor accomplice and likely Hayes would have killed him soon if they hadn’t been arrested.  Komisarjevsky was not brutal enough and didn’t measure up to Hayes’ superior standard, it appears.  Perhaps this pseudo-superman phenomenon is more frequent than science has considered and when two criminal personalities merge the outcome is predictable.  And, surely, such unholy alliances can have deadly consequences.

** [1] I have some doubts about the attribution of Starkweather’s statement, although it has been attributed to him in many publications.  However, by all accounts Starkweather was a dullard and likely not given to reflection about his “plane of existence.”

 

More on InvestigationDiscovery.com

Crimes of the Century
Fearbook: Most Gruesome Killers
Crime Countdown: Top 10 Lists
Quizzes: Test Your Knowledge of the Notorious

 

Photo Caption: Pictured, murderers Nathan Leopold & Richard Loeb. (Credit: Getty Images)

 

 

Aphrodite Jones Reports: A Bittersweet Victory for the West Memphis Three

August 23, 2011

[ Aphrodite Jones gives her perspective on the release of the West Memphis Three.  Check in for her regular reports.   Read her Bio >> ]

As I see it, the power of media, and of social media, had a direct hand in changing the fate of the West Memphis Three. When the landmark deal was signed in the Arkansas judicial system last week, somehow, thousands of us played a role in helping three falsely accused teens find a form of justice.  The notorious WM3 ended up making an unusual plea deal, pleading guilty to triple homicide in exchange for their freedom. It's perhaps a sour victory for the three boys, now men -- but now, after years and years of fighting, they are no longer behind bars. Who knows what the three young men, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley Jr., will do with their new-found freedom? It must seem surreal for them to be on the outside, having spent so many years in prison, falsely accused ... Their new-found freedom will be difficult, no doubt. 

Still, if it weren't for the two HBO documentaries that chronicled their case, which ultimately caught the eye of Hollywood and the likes of Johnny Depp and Natalie Maines (of the Dixie Chicks), I'm not sure this injustice would have ever been corrected. I truly believe that the media -- the highlighting of the case on CNN and other news sources -- along with the push from so many voices in social media, helped land this case under review in the State of Arkansas Supreme Court.

How far away we are now from 1993, when Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley Jr., were charged with a mysterious slaying of three 8-year-old boys who were slaughtered, hog-tied and buried in the back waters of Arkansas. In the early 1990s, when the boys' bodies were discovered, people in the small town of West Memphis believed that the three teens were "acting out" a satanic cult killing by sacrificing three 8-year-olds. Fueled by local news sensationalism, a "satanic panic" set in and West Memphis investigators built a triple homicide case around bogus claims of black magic and a flimsy "coerced" confession from Jesse Misskelley Jr.  Two separate trials resulted a death penalty conviction for Damien Echols and lifetime prison sentences for Misskelley and Baldwin.

Yes, the plea deal struck last week was shocking -- especially since the three men accused were asked to plead guilty to murders that they did not commit. Let us never forget that the real killer of these three little Cub Scouts still walks free -- and that three victims' families may never get any real answers or any form of closure.

But for the WM3, this was a compromise that allowed a most unusual form of justice to be served. For those who fought to free the West Memphis Three, this victory may taste slightly bitter but for me, it tastes very bittersweet.

More on InvestigationDiscovery.com

West Memphis Three: Case Profile
Crimes of the Century
Fearbook: Most Gruesome Killers
Crime Countdown: Top 10 Lists
Quizzes: Test Your Knowledge of the Notorious

 

 

ID Exclusive Q&A With FBI Special Agent: The Whitey Bulger Case

June 28, 2011

[Cynthia M. Deitle is the Supervisory Special Agent
at the Boston FBI Office.  Read her Bio >> ]

Q: What was your or the Boston FBI office's involvement in this case? 
A:  The Boston FBI Office’s James Bulger Task Force has been responsible for searching for Mr. Bulger and Ms. Greig, and gathering evidence regarding their current whereabouts.  My involvement has been quite minor and was limited to assisting FBI Boston’s Media Coordinator in the preparation and dissemination of the Public Service Announcement.

Q: How long has the FBI been searching for James“Whitey” Bulger and Catherine Greig?
A: The FBI has been searching for Mr. Bulger and Ms.Greig for the past 16 years after they fled Boston.

Q: How did or what led the FBI to getting tipped off as to where James “Whitey” Bulger and Catherine Greig were located?
A: On Tuesday, June, 21, 2011, just after 8:00 p.m. (PST), a tip was received by the FBI’s Los Angeles
office. The tip was generated as a result of the FBI’s unique publicity campaign organized by Boston’s
FBI office that began on Monday.  As part of that campaign, the FBI paid for a Public Service
Announcement to run in 14 media markets across the country including in San Francisco and San
Diego.  Those places were strategically chosen.  Although Los Angeles was not one of the markets in
which the PSA ran, news coverage of the campaign aired in Los Angeles, on national news and cable
outlets, and the publicity saturated the Internet.  The FBI had no knowledge of the whereabouts of
Ms. Greig and Mr. Bulger prior to the initiation of this campaign. Los Angeles agents immediately
relayed the tip to the FBI’s command post in Boston.  The command post had been set up to  quickly
and methodically analyze tips, and direct leads to FBI personnel around the country and world that
were expected to be generated by the PSA.  FBI agents, analysts and other staff in Boston reviewed
the tip. They recognized that certain information appeared to be credible and promising.  By
Wednesday at 10:50 a.m., (PST), at the direction of FBI Boston, members of FBI Los Angeles’ fugitive
task force were requested to conduct surveillance at the pertinent location.   That task force
included FBI agents and members of the Los Angeles Police Department.  Just after 4:00 p.m. (PST),
the task force members began conducting surveillance at the location.   The task force concluded
that the tip was fruitful after observing two individuals who appeared to resemble the fugitives. 

 At approximately 5:45 p.m. (PST), using a ruse, agents and other task force members lured Mr. Bulger
 out of his apartment.  Agents determined that the individual was, in fact, Mr. Bulger.   He was placed
 under arrest without incident.  Agents then went back to the apartment and arrested Ms. Greig
 without incident.

Q: Would you consider this the most successful on-air PSA campaign in FBI history to find a fugitive?
A: The FBI has often used the media as well as electronic billboards and social media networking sites
including Facebook and Twitter to locate fugitives.  This PSA, however, while not the first PSA
utilized by the Bureau, was  innovative and creative in that we switched the public’s focus from
Mr. Bulger to Ms. Greig, by targeting women in certain cities who may have seen her.  Considering that
the FBI located Mr. Bulger and Ms. Greig three days after the start of the campaign is a remarkable
testament to every member of the public who contacted the FBI to provide assistance in this
investigation.

Q: In the process of looking for a fugitive, when is an on-air campaign launched and what leads investigators to pursue this technique?  
A: Every fugitive matter is handled on a case by case basis as no two criminal investigations are the
same or involve the same perpetrators or criminal activity.  All logical investigative steps are taken
and all investigative strategies techniques are considered.

Q: What are some of the other public awareness campaigns or tactics  the FBI pursues in order to enlist the help of the public?
A: In 2009, the FBI aired a PSA on the History Channel following the release of a documentary on a Civil Rights Era Cold Case.  In the PSA, the FBI requested the public’s assistance to provide information on the murder of an African-American female, Johnnie Mae Chappell, in Jacksonville, Florida on March 23, 1964.  The FBI also participated in “The Injustice Files” with Discovery ID in February 2011 to bring attention to three other racially-charged murders in the South in the hopes that public would
yet again call the FBI with information.

Q: It's been stated that "Bulger was next to Osama bin Laden on the list and had a $2 million reward on his head". Now that he's caught, who is next in line on the Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive list?
A: I cannot comment on who would be added to the list.

 
Q: If someone has a tip about a most wanted fugitive, where should they go to let the FBI know? What should they do?
A: Someone with information about a fugitive, or any other criminal activity, can contact their local FBI office, visit fbi.gov, or contact the FBI through Facebook or Twitter.

 

Related Links:
Top 10 FBI Cases
FBI: Criminal Pursuit
The Ten Most Wanted List
Got Info? Submit A Tip To The FBI

 

Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy Art Exhibition Under Fire

May 13, 2011

[From the Investigation Discovery Editors]

Artwork created by serial killer John Wayne Gacy while on death row is on exhibit and for sale by a Las Vegas gallery, according to CNN. 

Representatives of the gallery said their intent was to host a charity exhibition and sale to benefit the National Center for Victims of Crime. 

However, the victims organization says they never agreed to partner with the gallery on the exhibit.  They have issued a cease-and-desist letter, requesting that the gallery stop use of their name.

What do you think?  Has the gallery gone too far?  Share your thoughts in the Comments section below and let us know how you feel.

Visit the Fearbook and Get More on Gacy >>

Read John Wayne Gacy's Criminal Profile >>

---

 

More on the Web
CNN, Controversial serial killer's paintings go on display in Las Vegas
ARTINFO, Is It Ethical to Profit From a Serial Killer's Art? Behind the John Wayne Gacy Show Uproar

Classic Detective Slang Quiz

August 25, 2009

The fictional characters from the hard-boiled detective novels and pulp fiction magazines of the early 20th century were distinguishable from other genres of the time period, in that the crooks and cops would often speak in a form of slang that was not common to the everyday Joe.

For instance, take the following sentence: "A bull-out-of harness nailed a dip in the crib."

When you translate that to common speak, you get: "A plainclothes cop caught a pickpocket in the casino."

Unless you are a hard-core fan of the genre, then you've probably found that the latter of the two sentences made much more sense.

Old-time detective slang is rarely used today; however, it is still an art form that causes us to raise an eyebrow, whether it is through fascination or our own attempt at translation.

Take this quiz and test your knowledge to see if you have what it takes to be a true sleuth!

Click here to take the quiz

Related Links:
Investigation Discovery: Quiz Central

Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com/Jeff deVries

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission from Discovery Communications. All quotes must include a link back.

Revisiting the Amityville Murders

June 05, 2009

Every now and again it is nice to take a break from the rigmarole of daily crime news to revisit a case from history. Such cases serve as a reminder that the evil deeds we see committed today were just as prevalent in years past. That being said, I have chosen the Amityville murders as the subject of today's criminal blast from the past.

Founded in the 1700s, Amityville, N. Y., was originally known as Huntington West Neck. That name stuck until 1846 when local residents held a town meeting to discuss alternative names. The origins of the name Amityville are unclear. Several versions dot the pages of history, including one in which a participant at a meeting reportedly exclaimed, "What this meeting needs is some amity.'' Another version claims a prominent mill owner named Samuel Ireland stood up and declared that they should name the village after his boat, Amity. Regardless of its origins, the one-time Indian tribal land was henceforth known as the town of Amityville.

In June 1965, Ronald and Louise DeFeo purchased a home on 112 Ocean Ave. Their Dutch Colonial home stood two-and-a-half stories high and boasted a private boathouse on the Amityville River. As a symbol of the family's happiness and good fortune, Ronald placed a sign in the front yard that read "High Hopes." Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing that the family's happiness would be short-lived. 

Known as a pleasant and mild mannered man to friends and associates, Ronald was better known by his children as a strict authority figure. Behind closed doors, his callous actions invoked turbulent fights between him and Louise. The eldest child, Ronald DeFeo Jr., often bore the brunt of his father's temper. 

In addition to experiencing a troubled home life, the younger DeFeo was a frequent victim of schoolyard taunts. His shy demeanor and rotund build made him an easy target for bullies. He was anything but popular with fellow classmates.

As young Ronald matured into adolescence, he developed a muscular physique, and he was no longer an easy target for anyone, including his father. He was no longer intimidated by the authority of his parents, and shouting matches that normally would have sent him running turned into violent confrontations. 

In his late teens, Ronald began using heroin and LSD. As most drug users do, he began to commit crimes to support his habit. Over time, his behavior became increasingly erratic, and he often lapsed into fits of degenerate psychosis. During one particular event, Ronald broke up an argument between his parents by confronting his father with a loaded 12-gauge shotgun. Without hesitation, Ronald pulled the trigger, but, miraculously, the gun did not fire. The shell was a dud. The father was frozen with fear as his son lowered the gun and walked out of the room. If anything, the incident should have served as an indication of what was yet to come.

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, Nov. 14, 1974, the young man's downward spiral took a turn for the worse. As the rest of the family slept peacefully in their beds, Ronald sat in his room preparing to rid himself of a nuisance. He grabbed a .35-caliber Marlin rifle from his closet and set off silently down the hallway.

Take the Amityville Quiz and test your knowledge of the case

When he reached his parents' bedroom, Ronald quietly pushed open the door. Hesitating only for a moment, he raised the rifle and haphazardly fired multiple shots. The first two bullets struck his father, ripping through his chest and exiting out his back. Louise jumped up, her eyes still trying to focus, and then two bullets tore through her chest. His parents now lay motionless in pools of blood. As Ronald made his way out of his parents' room, he found it odd that the rifle blasts had not awakened his siblings.

Making his way down the hall, Ronald stopped at the entrance to his two younger brothers' room. John and Mark were fast asleep and never expected the two bullets that quickly took their lives. Ron stood above his brothers for a moment, watching to make certain they were both dead. Mark remained motionless, apparently killed instantly, whereas John twitched and jerked as his life expired. Yet again, the gunshots had not roused the remaining members of the family. 

Ronald silently crept towards the room his sisters shared.

As he entered Dawn and Allison's room, Allison began to stir. She looked up and saw the rifle just inches from her face before her brother fired, killing her instantly. With little hesitation, Ronald quickly aimed the rifle at Dawn's head and fired a single shot. The blast blew off the entire left side of her face.

During the next 15 hours, Ronald acted as if nothing had happened. He disposed of his clothes and the murder weapon and then made various stops around town, eventually driving to a bar on the corner of Merrick Road and Ocean Avenue. There, Ronald drank a few beers and then told people he was going home. A few minutes later, he rushed back into the bar and exclaimed that his parents had been murdered. A man named Joey Yeswit, placed the 911 call.

Yeswit told the dispatcher, "We have a shooting here. Uh, DeFeo… I don't know what happened. Kid come running in the bar. He says everybody in the family was killed."

By the end of the evening, investigators had discovered the six bodies. All victims were found lying on their stomachs with their heads resting on their arms.

It did not take investigators long to determine that Ronald was involved in the killings. Ballistics tests showed that the family members had been murdered with a .35 caliber firearm, the same type of weapon Ronald was known to own. Based upon this and other evidence, police questioned Ronald for several hours. While he initially denied any involvement, he eventually broke down and confessed.

"It all started so fast. Once I started, I just couldn't stop. It went so fast," he said.

On Oct. 14, 1975, Ronald DeFeo Jr. went to trial for the murder of his entire family. Surprisingly, he took the stand to testify in his defense. When asked by prosecutors whether he killed his family, Ronald replied:

"I killed them all. Yes, Sir. I killed them all in self-defense… As far as I'm concerned, if I didn't kill my family, they were going to kill me. And as far as I'm concerned, what I did was self-defense and there was nothing wrong with it. When I get a gun in my hand, there's no doubt in my mind who I am. I am God."

On Nov. 21, 1975, Ronald DeFeo Jr., was found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder. Two weeks later, he was sentenced to serve six consecutive 25-year prison terms.

Despite Ronald's conviction, the story does not end there.

During the summer of 1975, George and Kathy Lutz bought the DeFeo house for $80,000. They lived in the house for roughly 28 days before abruptly abandoning it, leaving all of their possessions behind. The couple went public and reported various horrors that had occurred in the house, saying that they were constantly tormented while living in it.

For months, residents of Amityville witnessed bizarre strangers come to the home. Some reportedly wore suits and carried notebooks, while others wore black robes and wielded scepters. One of the more prominent visitors was Dr. Stephen Kaplan. After conducting his investigation, he claimed the Lutzes' story was a hoax. Other investigators soon discovered that the Lutzes were holding contracts for book and movie deals. Needless to say, everyone quickly became suspicious of the couple and their horror stories.

Despite the misgivings raised, The Amityville Horror was published by Prentice-Hall in 1977. The book included a series of intervallic scenes evocative of several successful horror films, most notably The Exorcist. Nonetheless, its jacket emblazoned with the words "True Story," the book was placed in the true crime sections of bookstores around the world. Additionally, hordes of curiosity seekers descended on Amityville to view the infamous house. 

Not long after the book was released, Hollywood released the Amityville Horror movie starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder. Since that time, eight other films about the story have been made.

The real Amityville house still stands today. The current residents have yet to complain about any poltergeists or ghosts. The house number has been changed, the home has been repainted and the windows, the infamous eyes at the top of the house, have been replaced in an effort to disguise the house from curiosity seekers. In addition, citizens of Amityville, tired of the tragic story that has overshadowed their town, often tell tourists that the house was torn down.

Many myths and theories remain about the murders in Amityville. Some theorize that Ronald was a sociopathic killer, while others speculate that he must have been possessed by the devil. In the end, only Ronald knows the real reason he committed the heinous crime.

Ronald DeFeo Jr. remains behind bars at the Green Haven Correctional Facility in Beekman, N. Y. To date, all of his appeals have been denied.

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Photo Credits: Amityville-house: Associated Press; Ronald Defeo Jr: Associated Press; George and Kathy Lutz: Getty Images

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Into Thin Air...

May 28, 2009

Some have vanished without a trace while others left a string of mysteries in their wake. Learn more about some unsolved cases and see what you can do to help.

Visit Investigation Discovery's new Missing Person information and resource page at:
http://investigation.discovery.com/investigation/missing-persons/missing-persons.html

Nazi War Criminal Aribert Heim Presumed Dead

February 05, 2009

Newly discovered evidence suggests that Aribert Heim, a former SS member known as "Dr. Death," died in Egypt more than 16 years ago. Heim is accused of torturing and murdering hundreds of Jewish prisoners at the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria.

Investigation Discovery first brought you Heim's story in July 2008. At that time, the Simon Wiesenthal Center announced that they had strong evidence suggesting that Heim, who would now be 94 years of age, was alive and residing in either southern Chile or Argentina. Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Nazi hunter and director of the center, refused to comment about the information he received regarding Heim's living in Chile. However, he did say that he expected Heim to be in custody within a "couple of weeks."

Heim never was taken into custody and the investigation appeared to stall until yesterday, when the German television channel ZDF and The New York Times reported that they had uncovered new evidence that Heim had spent much of his time on the run living in Egypt under a false identity.

Heim's son, Rüdiger Heim, has confirmed that he knew his father was living in Egypt and now claims to have been at his side when he died.

Evidence pointing to Heim's life in Egypt was recently found in a briefcase that had been in storage for nearly 20 years. Inside the briefcase, reporters found letters written by Heim, financial records, medical reports and other supporting documents. Some were in Heim's name, while others were in the name of his alleged alias, Tarek Farid Hussein.

ZDF and The New York Times have since obtained a certified copy of Tarek Farid Hussein's death certificate, which states he died of rectal cancer on August 10, 1992. Following his death, Hussein was interred, without identification, in a common grave.

According to public records, Aribert Heim was born on June 28, 1914, in Bad Radkersburg, Austria-Hungary. His father was a policeman and his mother was a housewife. Little is known about his early years; however, Heim later became a professional hockey player.

At the age of 21, Heim joined the local Nazi party in 1935. During that time, Heim also began to study medicine in Vienna. He continued his studies until 1940, when he joined the Waffen-SS, a group of select soldiers who committed themselves to Nazi ideology and the decimation of the Jewish people.

Heim's ruthlessness reportedly peaked in October 1940, when he was sent to Mauthausen concentration camp to perform medical experiments on Nazi captives. It was there that Heim received the nickname "Dr. Death" because of the manner in which he tortured and murdered hundreds of Jewish prisoners.

According to an account later related by Karl Lotter, a political prisoner who survived the concentration camp, Heim murdered an 18-year-old Jewish man who was being treated at the clinic for foot inflammation. Lotter reported that Heim was more interested in the teenager's fit physical condition. After questioning the man about his life, Heim allegedly anesthetized him and cut him open. He then removed the man's kidneys and castrated him before removing his head, which Heim then de-fleshed and used as a paper weight.

"He needed the head because of its perfect teeth," Lotter stated during a 1950 court proceeding. "Of all the camp doctors in Mauthausen, Dr. Heim was the most horrible."

Another witness allegedly reported that Heim once removed the tattooed skin of one of his victims and fashioned it into a seat cover.

The Hunt for Nazi War Criminal Aribert Heim, aka "Dr. Death"

July 10, 2008

For nearly half a century, the Simon Wiesenthal Center has searched for Aribert Heim, a former SS member known as "Dr. Death." Heim is accused of torturing and murdering hundreds of Jewish prisoners at the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. The organization now claims to have strong evidence suggesting that Heim is alive and residing in either southern Chile or Argentina. Heim would be 94 years of age today.

"In the last few days, we've received information from two different sources, both relating to Chile, which we think have very good potential," Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Nazi hunter and director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told News.bbc.co.uk. "The reason we are going [to Patagonia]... is of course the fact that Heim's daughter lives in Puerto Montt, and we think there is a strong likelihood that he might be in that area or in the area between Puerto Montt and Bariloche [Argentina]."

According to Dr. Zuroff, Heim allegedly committed some of the worst crimes of the Holocaust. For this reason, he is at the top of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Most Wanted Nazi Criminals list.

Aribert Heim was born on June 28, 1914, in Bad Radkersburg, Austria-Hungary. According to public records, his father was a policeman, whereas his mother was a housewife. Little is known about his early years; however, Heim later became a professional hockey player. It remains unclear when or for how long he played hockey.

At the age of 21, Heim joined the local Nazi party in 1935. During that time, Heim also began to study medicine in Vienna. He continued his studies until 1940, when he joined the Waffen-SS, a group of select soldiers who committed themselves to Nazi ideology and the decimation of the Jewish people.

Heim's ruthlessness reportedly peaked in October 1940, when he was sent to Mauthausen concentration camp to perform medical experiments on Nazi captives. It was there that Heim received the nickname "Dr. Death" because of the manner in which he tortured and murdered hundreds of Jewish prisoners.

According to an account later related by Karl Lotter, a political prisoner who survived the concentration camp, Heim murdered an 18-year-old Jewish man who was being treated at the clinic for foot inflammation. Lotter reported that Heim was more interested in the teenager's fit physical condition. After questioning the man about his life, Heim anesthetized him and cut him open. He then removed the man's kidneys and castrated him before removing his head, which Heim then de-fleshed and used as a paper weight.

"He needed the head because of its perfect teeth," Lotter stated during a 1950 court proceeding. "Of all the camp doctors in Mauthausen, Dr. Heim was the most horrible."

Another witness allegedly reported that Heim once removed the tattooed skin of one of his victims and...

Continue Reading The Hunt for Nazi War Criminal Aribert Heim, aka "Dr. Death"

Aribert Heim Photo Credit: AP

New Leads Sought in D.B. Cooper Skyjacker Case

May 19, 2008

The advent of new technologies and DNA testing has resulted in renewed efforts by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to solve the 36-year-old mystery of the D.B. Cooper skyjacker case.

"Who was Cooper?  Did he survive the jump?  And what happened to the loot, only a small part of which has ever surfaced," reads a recent press release by the FBI.  "Would we still like to get our man?  Absolutely.  And we have reignited the case—thanks to a Seattle case agent named Larry Carr."

This case first began on November 24, 1971, when a man who identified himself on travel documents as Dan Cooper boarded Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, in route from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington.  Shortly after the flight took off Cooper handed a female flight attendant a note that read "I have a bomb in my briefcase.  I will use it if necessary.  I want you to sit next to me.  You are being hijacked."

Cooper had on his possession a briefcase that contained numerous wires, dynamite-like sticks and a large battery.

Cooper demanded $200,000, made up of all $20 bills with random serial numbers and four parachutes.  He then instructed the pilot to circle over Puget Sound.  Later that day, upon hearing confirmation from the pilot that his demands had been met, Cooper instructed him to land at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where he exchanged the passengers for the ransom.  Afterward cooper ordered the pilot to fly the jet toward Reno, Nevada.  Per his instructions the plane was to fly at a speed of 170 knots and an altitude of less than 10,000 feet, some 15,000 feet below the planes normal cruising altitude.

Once the plane was back in the air, Cooper ordered a stewardess who remained on board to go into the cockpit.  Shortly thereafter, approximately 25 miles north of Portland, the pilot observed a warning light on his console that the jets aft door had been opened.  The flight crew decided not to investigate whether Cooper had jumped and the jet later landed in Reno, Nevada, where their suspicions were confirmed.  While there was no doubt Cooper had jumped, his exact landing zone remained a mystery and could only be based on the pilots account of when the jet door had been opened.

Despite massive ground searches of Ariel, Wash., and the Lake Merwin Dam of the Lewis River, no trace of evidence was found and the case remained a mystery.

The first break in the case came in February 1980, when an eight-year-old boy who was picnicking with his family found...

Continue Reading New Leads Sought in D.B. Cooper Skyjacker Case

D.B. Cooper Sketch Courtesy of the FBI

Patricia Krenwinkel: From Manson Groupie to Model Prisoner

December 20, 2007

The Tate-LaBianca murders and subsequent trials captivated a nation at a time when peace and love was supposed to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind.  People wanted answers.  They wanted to know what kind of “monsters” could commit such inhuman acts and if it were even conceivable that those same monsters could be rehabilitated. 

The young men and women who got involved with Manson were mesmerized by his lifestyle and drawn to his character.  One of these individuals was Patricia Krenwinkel, who was later renamed “Katie” by Manson.

Patricia Krenwinkel was born December 3, 1947, in Los Angeles, California.  Her father was an insurance salesman, and her mother was a homemaker.  Her half-sister, Charlene, from her mother’s previous marriage, was six-and-a-half years older.  Patricia attended University High School and later Westchester High School.  She was very unpopular due to a weight issue and an endocrine disorder that caused excessive hair growth on her body.  These issues resulted in very low self-esteem, which, coupled with her parents’ divorce when she was seventeen, served only to lower her outlook on life.

After high school, Patricia moved to Alabama to attend a Catholic college.  She entertained the thought of becoming a nun but dropped out of college after her first semester and returned to California.  When she returned, she took a secretarial job and moved in with her half-sister. 

One night in 1967, when returning from work, she found the Manhattan Beach apartment full of her sister’s acquaintances.  Among them was a shabby, stoop-shouldered man with a guitar named Charles Manson.  The two struck up a conversation and later that night, Patricia made love to Manson.  He told her she was beautiful and, having not heard that from a man before, she was drawn to him.  Manson, using her vulnerability, quickly had her mesmerized and willing to follow him anywhere.

Patricia headed north with Manson and spent the next 18 months on a sex-and-drug-filled tour of the American West in an old bus.  Along the way, the number of Manson’s followers grew, and they eventually convinced George Spahn to let them live on his Spahn Movie Ranch.  Patricia quickly became the surrogate mother for the many illegitimate children in the group.  She was a very devoted follower of Manson, and this led to her involvement in the murders that led to her death sentence.

When Manson was ready to begin his Helter Skelter (an idea formed after listening to the Beatles’ song of the same name), he directed Patricia and others to go to 10050 Cielo Drive, home of actress Sharon Tate and director Roman Polaski.  Charles “Tex” Watson started the killing spree in the driveway when he shot and killed, 18-year-old Steven Parent.  The group then entered the home and, in the ensuing mayhem, Patricia struggled with and stabbed coffee heiress Abigail Folger.  When Folger fled, Patricia followed her into the yard, stabbing her continuously, some say as many as 70 times.  Folger’s white dress appeared red to police investigators the next day. 

Manson ordered the group out the next night to the home of wealthy grocer Leno LaBianca.  Manson went into the home and tied up Leno and his wife Rosemary, and then ordered the group to kill them and leave “witchy” messages on the walls.  After the couple had been stabbed multiple times, the group showered, ate, and played with the couple’s dogs before hitchhiking back to Spahn Ranch.  All tallied, the group had murdered seven people in a two-night killing spree. 

The heat began to pick up after the murders, due to unrelated investigations, and Manson ordered Patricia to leave.  When Susan Atkins later bragged about the murders in prison, Patricia was nabbed near her aunt’s home in Mobil, Alabama.  She claimed she had gone to Alabama out of fear that Manson would find her and kill her.  Patricia initially fought extradition, but in February of 1970, she waived her rights to extradition and returned willingly to face charges in California with Manson, Van Houten, and Atkins.  Her attorney offered a weak defense and in 1971, she was sentenced to death.  Her sentence was commuted to life in prison when the State of California eliminated the death penalty. 

Since the beginning of her incarceration, Patricia Krenwinkel has been a model prisoner at the California Institution for Women.  She quickly severed her ties with Manson and other members of the Family and as early as 1979, she enrolled in prison college classes and took on a job as a janitor inside the prison.  Patricia’s studies eventually paid off, and she received a degree in human services.  She then became involved with drug and alcohol counseling programs in the prison.  She helped many fellow inmates work through their addictions and took a stand against illiteracy by helping many of the incoming women learn how to read and write. 

Unlike many of Manson’s followers, Patricia has shown remorse for her actions.  During a 1994 interview with Dianne Sawyer, she said, “I wake up every day knowing that I'm a destroyer of the most precious thing, which is life; and I do that because that's what I deserve, to wake up every morning and know that.”

Patricia has also been involved in the Prison Pups program since its beginning in August 2002.  The program helps train puppies to be service dogs for people with disabilities.  The program stipulates that inmates stay out of trouble and dedicate their time to the dogs.  Patricia says the program gives her a sense of worth and a feeling she is giving something back.  She has personally trained seven dogs, and the program has produced over 100 service dogs to date.   

The dog-training program was also the focus of a special report that aired on KABC Channel 7 in Los Angeles in November of 2007.  The focus of the show was on Patricia’s success in the program and the intense commitment it required.

While not claiming to be a born again Christian and even shunning the generally accepted view of God, Patricia does feel compelled to help others.  She continues her work with inmates with addictions and those who need help learning to read.  She is also continuing her education and is studying graphic arts to complement her human services degree.  She hopes all of this may someday lead to the parole board agreeing that she has reformed, although she has admitted that she will understand if they do not. 

Patricia has been denied parole 11 times and will be going in front of the board for the 12th time in January 2008.

Photo credit: AP

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