No Body Homicide Cases

How do you prove someone guilty of murder when the best piece of evidence—the victim’s body—is missing? Exclusively dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of no-body homicide cases, this book provides the author’s insight gained from investigating and trying a no-body case along with what he’s learned consulting on scores of others across the country. A practical guide for police and prosecutors, it takes an expansive look at both the history of no-body murder cases and the best methods to investigate, solve, and bring them to court. Taking readers step by step from the first days of a homicide investigation through the trial, the book explores the history of confessions, the use of jailhouse snitches to get information, and CSI-style forensics utilized in solving a case. It delves into the psychological profile of the type of defendant who murders someone and then hides the body and reviews methods criminals have used to dispose of bodies. It also discloses the investigative techniques police must use to catch these devious killers. Using real-life case studies, No-Body Homicide Cases: A Practical Guide to Investigating, Prosecuting, and Winning Cases When the Victim is Missing summarizes and analyzes the nearly 400 no-body murder trials in U.S. history, enabling readers to leverage the similarities in these cases with their own scenarios. The book is an essential resource for all investigators and a roadmap to a conviction for prosecutors.

How do you prove someone guilty of murder when the best piece of evidence the victim‘s body is missing? Exclusively dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of no-body homicide cases, this book provides the author‘s insight gained from investigating and trying a no-body case along with what he‘s learned consulting on scores of others across t

Each and every year, thousands of people go missing, over one-third of them are victims of murder, and their bodies are never recovered. These cases are seldom investigated, much less prosecuted due to lack of evidence and lack of resolve by prosecutors. This book takes a deep dive into actual investigations and prosecutions of murders without bodies and is intended for those with interest in criminal investigation and risky prosecutions. The reader will learn the complexities of evidence identification, witness testimony, forensics, legal maneuvering, courtroom tactics, and the psychology of jury selection. Though many books are written about murder investigation, this book is unique as it delves into six actual real-life cases from the initial missing person report through the murder investigation and ultimate prosecution of the killer. The book chronicles the work of America's top no-body murder prosecutor Cass Castillo. This passionate prosecutor has dedicated his career to taking on the cases other prosecutors shun due to the unwritten rule of "No body, no crime." Castillo has successfully prosecuted more bodiless homicides than any other prosecutor in the United States and has been called the “Man who returns a voice to the voiceless.” Castillo's case files, investigator's reports and interviews provide the foundation for this compelling and suspenseful compilation of Castillo's most significant works. The book concludes with a very insightful chapter on the psychological issues surrounding what makes a good juror. Jurors are the ultimate decision-makers, and having the ability to assess that person's bias, personality, and demeanor is key to a prosecutor's success. In Castillo's own words, he describes the character and psychological analyses he conducts on each potential juror and what drives his decisions on whether to accept or reject, that prospective juror.

Cases in which all investigative leads appear to be exhausted are frustrating for both investigators and victims’ families. Cold cases can range from those only a few months old to others that go back for decades. Presenting profiles and actual case histories, Cold Case Research: Resources for Unidentified, Missing and Cold Homicide Cases illustrates how investigators can successfully apply resources that will enable them to reopen and solve cases gathering dust in the file room. Today’s investigators have found that, to solve cold cases, they need to be internet savvy and make the best use of the rapidly changing methodologies of the twenty-first century, but they also have to be time travelers and open the door to the past. This volume weaves together the nearly forgotten skill sets of traditional historical researchers with the latest online tools, including TLO, a premier investigative system; and NamUs, the revolutionary database for missing persons and unidentified remains. Along with practical applications, Cold Case Research gives investigators the tools they need to save time and money and to jump-start their cold cases, while keeping others from going cold in the future. Topics discussed include: Implementing cold case units People searches and working with databases Overlooked DNA in PKU cards The plight of the missing and unknown Applying historical and geographical context Online and off-line newspaper research Public and published records The use of volunteers Contact with co-victims Cold-case review teams and information-sharing resources Taking advantage of the media Using a thinking-outside-the-box approach, this volume helps fill major gaps in traditional cold case investigation training and techniques, enabling investigators to confidently reopen and crack the mystery of cases long thought unsolvable. Silvia Pettem was quoted in a January 29, 2012 article on missing persons in the Colorado Springs Gazette.

"Provocative and entertaining…A powerful and damning diatribe on Simpson’s acquittal." —People Here is the account of the O. J. Simpson case that no one dared to write, that no one else could write. In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Vincent Bugliosi, the famed prosecutor of Charles Manson and author of Helter Skelter, goes to the heart of the trial that divided the country and made a mockery of justice. He lays out the mountains of evidence; rebuts the defense; offers a thrilling summation; condemns the monumental blunders of the judge, the "Dream Team," and the media; and exposes, for the first time anywhere, the shocking incompetence of the prosecution.

Cold Case Vancouver delves into fifty years of some of Vancouver's most baffling unsolved murders. In 1953, two little boys were found murdered in the city's storied Stanley Park, and who remain unidentified to this day. In 1975, a country singer was murdered just as she was on the verge of an amazing career. And in 1994, Nick Masee, a retired banker with connections to the renegade Vancouver Stock Exchange, disappeared along with his wife Lisa, their bodies never found. Cold Case Vancouver is an intriguing whodunit for true-crime aficionados and armchair detectives. Eve Lazarus's previous books include Sensational Vancouver. This publication meets the EPUB Accessibility requirements and it also meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG-AA). It is screen-reader friendly and is accessible to persons with disabilities. A book with many images, which is defined with accessible structural markup. This book contains various accessibility features such as alternative text for images, table of contents, page-list, landmark, reading order and semantic structure.

A practical guide for police, death investigators, and prosecutors, No-Body Homicide Cases: A Practical Guide to Investigating, Prosecuting, and Winning Cases When the Victim is Missing, Second Edition takes an expansive look at both the history of no-body murder cases and the best methods to investigate, solve, and bring them to court. How do you prove someone guilty of murder when the best and primary piece of evidence—the victim’s body—is missing? Exclusively dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of no-body homicide cases, this fully updated Second Edition provides the author’s insight gained from investigating, consulting on, and trying scores of no-body cases throughout the United States. Taking readers step-by-step from the first days of a homicide investigation through the trial, the book explores the history of confessions and discloses the investigative techniques police must use to catch these cunning killers. Chapters review methods criminals have used to dispose of bodies, delving into the psychological profile of the type of defendant who murders someone, then hides the body. Since the last edition published, the number of no-body murder cases investigated has skyrocketed, with more than 50 percent of all no-body murder cases tried and prosecuted have occurred since the year 2000. New to this edition is a chapter on a full, singular high-profile case from start to finish, to illustrate the entire no-body investigative and adjudication process. A sample arrent warrant for a no-body murder case is provided in addition to Chapter 12 updating the prior edition’s nearly 400 case summaries provided to the current figure, as of this publication, of 576 no-body murder trials in U.S. history. No-Body Homicide Cases, Second Edition continues to serve as an essential resource and the "how-to" manual for investigating, prosecuting, and winning no-body murder cases.

“Under The Trestle” is the true story of the most compelling murder case in Virginia history. In 1980, beautiful Gina Renee Hall, a Radford University freshman, went to a Virginia Tech nightclub on a Saturday night. She was never seen again. Her abandoned car was found parked beneath a railroad trestle bridging the New River, with blood in the trunk. The investigation led police to a secluded cabin on Claytor Lake, where there was evidence of a violent attack. Former Virginia Tech football player Stephen Epperly was charged with murder, despite the fact that Gina’s body was never found. In Virginia’s “trial of the century,” prosecutor Everett Shockley presented an entirely circumstantial case. Key witnesses against Epperly included his best friend, his mother and a tracking dog handler later believed by many to be a fraud. Three former Virginia Tech football players testified, including a Hokies quarterback once featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Would Epperly become the first person in Virginia history convicted of murder without the victim’s body, an eyewitness or a confession? And would authorities ever find the body of Gina Renee Hall?