George Anthony: Loving Grandfather, or Lying, Cheating, Child Molester?

George Anthony

Defense Attorney Jose Baez went for the gold yesterday, asking George Anthony if he’d ever molested his daughter Casey. Of course, Mr. Anthony denied the allegation. Then Baez asked if he’d admit to the horrible act if he did indeed commit it, and he added the fact that life in prison would be motivation for not admitting to the unspeakable act. Again, Anthony denied the allegation.

During this line of questioning, Casey Anthony’s image was also displayed onscreen. When Baez asked Casey’s father the question regarding molesting her, and he denied it, Casey shook her head slowly from side to side and tears filled her eyes. Now, it’s unusual to see Casey Anthony display her emotions. To me, as a former police investigator who relied heavily on reading body language, this display by Casey Anthony was important. Telling, even. George Anthony’s denial clearly struck a nerve with his daughter.

Obviously, I can’t and won’t say this event(s) occurred during Casey’s childhood, but Mr. Anthony clearly displays signs of guilt about something. What that guilt is about we may never know.

So what do we know about the father of accused murderer Casey Anthony?

1. The defense has accused him of discovering his granddaughter’s lifeless body in a swimming pool and then covering up that death. To do so, he’d have had to physically place the child’s body inside three bags and coldly discard her in the woods like yesterday’s garbage. Keep in mind, though, that someone, if not Mr. Anthony, actually was heartless enough to do just that.

2. George Anthony is a former police officer, someone trained to recognize details of crimes and crime scenes. He’s also testified that he knows the smell of death from his experience as a police officer. If the defense’s drowning theory is true, why would Mr. Anthony not attempt to revive his granddaughter? After all, police officers are trained as first responders and most, if not all, are certified in CPR.

3. The accusations are out there that Mr. Anthony had an affair with River Cruz/Krystal Holloway. In fact, Jose Baez asked Mr. Anthony if he’s ever been intimate with Cruz. Anthony’s response was no, and that he thought the notion was funny. But, Mr. Anthony doesn’t deny, well, he can’t deny that he’d been to Cruz’s home on several occasions to “console” her. And these visits were without the presence of Mrs. Anthony. All during the time the family should have been focusing on locating their granddaughter. Mr. Anthony was a trained police officer, right? Perhaps he should have put those skills to work instead of “consoling” Cruz behind his wife’s back.

Also, Cruz says that Mr. Anthony told her that Caylee’s death was an accident that snowballed out of control. Normally, this would be a very damaging statement when introduced. However, Ms. Cruz seems to have quite the reputation as someone who’s less than truthful.

4. Anthony purchased some beer and went to a hotel room. He says it was his intent to commit suicide by drinking the beer and taking some prescription medication. Prior to doing whatever it was he maybe intended to do, Anthony called several members of his family and texted others of his intention. Soon after, police found Anthony at the Hawaii Motel in Daytona Beach. They knocked on the door, which Mr. Anthony opened, and, after speaking with the officers, he walked with them to their police cars. An officer then drove Anthony to the hospital where he was admitted for mandatory observation. Almost immediately after his release from the hospital, Mr. Anthony and his wife flew to California to appear on several TV shows. Upon their return, they were booked into the Ritz Carlton hotel, a stay paid for by media.

5. When Casey Anthony was first allowed out of jail on bond, corrections officials met with the family to instruct them on the rules of house arrest, and there are several. For example, there can be no alcohol in the house, including shaving lotion and mouthwash, no drugs, and no weapons. And no weapons means NO GUNS. Any violation of the rules could send Casey back to jail. So what does dear old dad do? Well, he immediately goes out and buys a gun. He claims he was going to use the firearm to threaten people into telling him what happened to his granddaughter. Oddly, the corrections officials show up at the Anthony home a couple of hours after dad bought the gun. And they were there BECAUSE he’d bought the weapon. Pretty fast and coincidental timing, huh? How’d they know so quickly? It’s almost if dad himself tipped them off so they could remove Casey from the home. Not saying that’s what happened, but it’s an extremely bizarre coincidence. But bizarre is a word that goes hand-in-hand with this family.

Well, the defense is about to wrap up their case. Will Casey testify that her father helped dispose of Caylee’s tiny body? I suppose we’ll never know the truth surrounding this family. How could we? Their stories are as squiggly as a bucket of worms.

So what do you think? Is George Anthony a loving grandfather. Or, is he a lying, cheating, child molester?

Caylee Anthony

 

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Using A Fingerprint’s Age To Catch A Crook

Using a fingerprints age

You’ve found several prints at the murder scene and you ran them through AFIS. This time luck was on your side. You got a hit on two of the latents. The first belonged to one of the usuals, a guy who goes by the street name “Popcorn.” You’ve arrested Popcorn several times over the years for assault, a few larceny charges, and a B&E or two. The dead guy was one of Popcorn’s card-playing buddies. Popcorn definitely could be good for this one.

The second suspect is an older man, Ima Forger, with a record of writing bad checks and one charge of embezzlement that occurred almost ten years ago. Violence just doesn’t fit. But, his prints were found at the scene. So, you round up both men and haul them back to your office for a little I&I (Interview and Interrogation).

Both men admit to visiting the home of the deceased, a Mr. I.M. Coldnclammy. Forger admits to being there, stating that the two of them had shared a pizza and watched the Red Sox and Yankees game. He claimed that his friend was very much alive when he left. But Forger also stated that just as he was leaving, Popcorn showed up and boy did he ever look mad. Forger said he could hear the two men arguing all the way from the bus stop in front of Coldnclammy’s house, some fifty-feet away from the front door.

Popcorn, however, says he hadn’t been to Coldnclammy’s house in over two weeks. But he has no solid alibi and everyone who knew Coldnclammy has already told you that he and Popcorn were not on good terms—something about one owing the other a great deal of money. And, there’s a rumor floating around the streets that Coldnclammy has been seen around town with Popcorn’s girlfriend on his arm.

So, all you have so far is the word of two crooks and a couple of fingerprints. One thug says he was there and the other says he wasn’t. But one man clearly implicates the other. You glance to the fingerprints. Both look the same to the naked eye.

They’re both attached to a white backing covered by the clear plastic of the hinged lifter from Sirchie Fingerprint Laboratories, you’re favorite brand.

What if the prints could tell you which man was truthful? The only way that could happen is if you knew the age of the prints. If Popcorn’s print was older than Forger’s, well…

Actually, it is possible to tell the age of a fingerprint, and it’s done by using a sensor that detects extremely faint electrostatic charges, such as those occurring over the surface of a fingerprint. Not only does this method allow the technician to successfully photograph the formerly invisible fingerprint, the process also detects the gradual reduction of electrical charge as the print ages. And, when compared to the time a crime occurred, officials can now eliminate or include potential suspects as the possible perpetrator of the crime in question.

In the case of Popcorn and Forger, well, the print was hotly charged and wasn’t very old. Definitely not two weeks old. So, you’re able to rule out Popcorn as a suspect for this crime. But he’ll be back. Forger, on the other hand, confessed when confronted with the “electrifying” evidence against him

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Fireworks: Behind The Scenes With Pyrotechnician Joe Collins

fireworks: behind the scenes

Everyone likes the Fourth of July–fireworks, food, and fun. For some of us, it’s a time of hard work, thrills, and sometimes danger.

For the past seven years, I have been a professional pyrotechnican working in the fireworks display industry.

The BATF—Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, abbreviated to ATF has defined various classes of fireworks. Consumer fireworks are most often classified as Class 1.4G—stuff you can buy in stores and shoot in your back yard—state and local laws permitting.

Most display fireworks are classified as Class 1.3G. I have a federal license to posses and shoot Class 1.3G fireworks as long as I am working for the display company that sponsored my license.

Now that the legalities are out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff!

Fireworks

The cone at the bottom of a typical shell is where the lift charge is located which is simply a bag of black powder enclosed in a protective cone of cardboard.

five inch shell

Tied into the bottom of the shell is quickmatch which is black match—cotton string covered or soaked in black powder that is enclosed in a paper tube or plastic tube all along the whole length. The tube forces the fire down at a very high speed (approximately 30 feet per second). This is what we light to “lift” the shell from the mortar, either electrically or by fire.

quickmatch

quickmatch closeup

You can see the blackmatch in the close up above.

The whole shell is wrapped in craft-type paper secured with glue.

On the top is a loop of string that is used to keep the quickmatch in the right place and in larger shells is used to lower the shell into the mortar.

To lift a shell, you need a mortar. They come in various sizes and are often held together to accomplish certain effects—the one below is called a finale rack—a series of mortars tied together that all lift shells at the end of a show.

finale rack

As you can see, there are several different sizes and the company I work for has a few of them.

mortar storage

Single mortars are what you see below and are often buried into the ground to stabilize them.

mortar

And, they come in a wide variety of sizes.

single mortar storage

big mortar

Our mortars are constructed of fiberglass which doesn’t cause the shrapnel problems if they blow out like the old steel mortars. They are also cheap to make and are lightweight.

mortar closeup

Shells blowing apart mortars happens more often than you would think and makes for an exciting experience when you are close to them.

This is why we wear protective clothing: it’s mandatory that you wear blue jeans, a cotton shirt, a helmet with a face shield and ear protection, gloves, and safety glasses.

safety gear

The most complex of shows to set up and shoot are electrically fired. Some shows are also required to be electrically fired—like those set to music and every barge shoot.

wired barge

The shells are ignited by an electric match which, when an electric current is applied to it, ignites a combustible compound. Think of a model rocket igniter but much more powerful.

e-match

The matches are wired into slats which are screwed to the top of the mortar racks.

slat

slat closeup

The slats plug into cables.

slat cables

As you can see, it takes more than a few cables to wire up the shows.

The cables are plugged into a firing panel.

firing panel back

Firing panels come in a wide variety of configurations and sizes, some small:

small firing panel

Note the battery cables—most shows are fired using a car battery.

And some large-bigger shows are fired with larger panels.

100 shot firing panel

You may only notice that there are fifty switches. There are two banks. When you’ve fired the first fifty-shells, you flip a switch and you can shoot the second bank of shells.

bank switch

The really difficult part is making sure that the shells will fire when you flip the switch. There is a test function on the firing board which you can see below.

test and firing switch

There is an LED over each switch and if it doesn’t glow when you hit the test switch, then you have to figure out what is wrong with the circuit which can be very tedious to track down.

firing switches

Once the shells are loaded, wired, tested and otherwise ready to go, you can sit back and enjoy the show.

Next time we get to my favorite way of shooting a fireworks show—hand fired.

 

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Fingerprints Reveal A Smoker, A Drinker, A Drug-Taker…And More!

Fingerprint's reveal a smoker

 

Imagine how difficult it is to solve a murder when all you have as evidence is a single fingerprint. And, that print is not in any database, anywhere.  Sure, there were eight men who were seen near the scene of the crime on the night it occurred, but you have nothing solid pointing you in their direction.

Man, if only that print could talk.

I guess, for starters, the print could tell the investigator what the suspect had been holding in his hand, recently. For example, a cigarette, or a bottle of beer. Or even a bag of cocaine. But would it help to know if the fingerprint belonged to a smoker? Well, during your surveillance of the suspects you’ve seen six of the eight puffing away at various times. So that’s not a lot of help. How about if the print belonged to a person who drank alcohol? During the course of your investigation you’ve learned that only four of the suspects consumed alcohol. And you verified that information with family and friends. What about a drug user? Would it help to know if the print belonged to a drug user? After all, one of your informants says the guy with the big ears and red hair smokes crack regularly. So you try to dig up similar information about the other seven. Nothing. They’re all clean. No drugs. Red-On-The-Head is the only one who uses drugs.

So, if you knew for sure that the print belonged to a drug user and one of your only seven suspects is a confirmed crack smoker…What does that tell you?

The fingerprint, if it could talk, would probably say,

“Look, I’ve told you the guy smokes crack. What else do you want? You know what they say…If he walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…he’s probably the killer.”

But can a single fingerprint provide that sort of information? Sure it can, and here’s how.

Our bodies deposit metabolites—tiny traces of what we’ve consumed—into the sweat released from the pores located in our fingerprint ridges. Scientists use gold nanoparticles to detect the metabolites in fingerprint sweat to learn what, exactly, that individual has taken into his body, such as cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine. And the beauty of detecting cotinine is that a person would have had to ingest it, not merely touch a tobacco product, for it to show up in test results.

The process is simple. Dab the print with a solution containing gold nanoparticles with attached antibodies that bind to the metabolite. Scientists then apply a second antibody, one that binds to the cotinine antibodies. This solution also contains a fluorescent dye. If the person is a smoker, the dye will then glow along the ridge patterns when exposed to an alternate light source.

The test is also capable of testing for alcohol and drug use, which could help narrow a field of suspects. If the test detected cotinine and the guy you’re looking at for the murder is a non-smoker, then you need to at least start looking for an accomplice.

“I always wanted to be a detective when I grew up, and I’ve finally made it. Now, if I only had somewhere to pin a badge…”

 

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Want to learn more about fingerprints and the equipment used to detect them? How about bloodstains? Well, you’re in luck. A team of experts from Sirchie Fingerprint Laboratory will be on hand at the Writers’ Police Academy and they’ll be presenting a couple of mind-blowing demonstrations. Bring your questions and your cameras!

http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/

Important!

* Have you reserved your hotel room for the Writers’ Police Academy? If not, please do so today. The block of rooms we reserved at the Embassy Suites is nearly full and there may not be any additional rooms available once those are gone. You won’t want to miss out on any of the fun! Ask for the Writers’ Police Academy discounted rate.

* Also, spaces for the Writers’ Police Academy are filling fast, therefore, we may be at capacity soon. So register today for this one of a kind event. Remember, Sisters in Crime will pay over half of your registration fee! This offer is open to everyone. See the WPA website for details.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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"Nature" Is What We See

Nature is what we see

“Nature” is what we see—

The Hill—the Afternoon—

Squirrel—Eclipse—the Bumble bee—

Nay—Nature is Heaven—

Nature is what we hear—

The Bobolink—the Sea—

Thunder—the Cricket—

Nay—Nature is Harmony—

Nature is what we know—

Yet have no art to say—

So impotent Our Wisdom is

To her Simplicity.

~ Emily Dickinson

Images by Rachael Kramer

 

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Did Cindy Anthony Prove That Blood Is Thicker Than Chloroform?

Did Cindy Anthony Prove That Blood Is Thicker Than Chloroform?

 

Just when I thought the Casey Anthony murder trial had hit the top limits of the Bizarrometer, Cindy Anthony’s testimony on Thursday added a new dimension to the amount of weird we’ve seen to date. This case has me wondering what sort of response a writer would receive from an agent or editor if they submitted a tale as wacky as this one. I’m thinking an editor would possibly find the story unbelievable and send it back for revisions, if they didn’t totally reject the book. And that’s exactly what I hope the jury in this case will do, reject most of the nonsense we’ve heard from the defense in this case. But that nonsense might be a stroke of genius. After all, if you throw enough crap against the wall, eventually some of it will stick. And so far, Jose Baez is crap-tossing like a crazed monkey.

Apparently, Cindy Anthony was on some sort of medication in 2009 that conveniently wiped her selective memory clean. Sure, she could remember Casey’s exact movements and words during that time, but was unable to recall, during depositions, that she herself had Googled the word chloroform over 80 times from her home computer. At the time, she’d also Googled terms like chest injury and internal bleeding. But she hadn’t remembered searching for those words either. I’m a little curious, though, why a nurse would need to Google the injury terms. Aren’t those subjects covered in nursing school?

And all this brings us to Cindy’s Thursday testimony, which was a bit of a jaw-dropper. The mom of the accused murderer said that her memory was better now since she switched medication, and that she now clearly recalls using the computer in her home to look up chloroform and those injuries she knew nothing about during her sworn testimony at deposition. And, suddenly, she recalled stains on the carpet in the trunk of Casey’s car. Stains that were already present when they purchased the car. Conveniently, these are the stains examined by experts who testified were caused by human decomposition. Chloroform was also present in that section of carpet.

But remember, class. Dr. Wise testified that chloroform evaporates quite rapidly. Yet, it was the number 1 chemical found in the carpet. And there’s a snowball’s chance in…well, you know where, that chloroform would still be present in that car after all this time (since they purchased it). Nope, the chemical most likely contacted that carpet AFTER the Anthonys bought the car. Why it was there…who knows for sure?

Where Ms. Anthony’s story really begins to bug me is when the prosecution asked how she could have been using her home computer when her work record indicates that she was in her office working, not at home, during the time of the internet searches. The Anthony matriarch blew that one off by saying it was common for her supervisor to fill out her time cards incorrectly. Why does everyone in this family blame others for their actions? Are they all psychopaths? Or, are they each really good actors? OR…is the truth really this convoluted and disorderly?

But, when the rubber hits the road, I sort of blame the judge for this entire mess. He never should have allowed Casey’s parents to sit in the courtroom during the trial. They should have been made to wait outside like all witnesses. Now, they can (I’m not saying they are) sway their story and testimony in a direction that would help their daughter avoid the death penalty and maybe even help set her free. And it would be an easy task since they’ve heard every single bit of evidence presented so far.

I’m really hoping the jury is watching and listening to this display of selective memory. And I hope they’re watching closely, with popcorn, peanuts, and Crackerjacks in hand. Because this is becoming one hell of a circus.

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Yes, the posting of this article means there are no officer deaths to report this week. Stay safe, guys. And wear your vests. There’s someone who needs to be tucked in when you get home.

 

 

 

 

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A Detective’s Third Eye: The Krimesite Imager

CSI taboos: The list

We’re all familiar with law enforcement’s obsession with acronyms, right? Well, RUVIS is one you may not have seen or heard of while watching your favorite cop show.

RUVIS (Reflective Ultraviolet Imaging System), a system of locating latent (invisible) fingerprints) without the use of powders, fumes, or chemicals, was developed by Sirchie Fingerprint Laboratories and the U.S. Army. The system focuses on one specific section of shortwave ultraviolet light, the germicidal spectrum of light, which cannot be seen by the naked eye.

A particularly unique feature of RUVIS technology is that it works in both total darkness and in bright sunshine, a must for use by police investigators.

Krimesite Imager

The Krimesite Imager uses RUVIS technology to detect invisible residues from fingerprints. Those residues reflect UV light projected from the device, which immediately captures the reflections with a 60mm UV lens. A built-in scanner then converts the images to visible light, allowing the investigator to see the fingerprint. All this is done instantly, in real time. And, the detective is able to see images from up to fifteen feet away.

Once the print is located, the investigator uses the Imager to photograph it and, with the use of a micro-printer, print a copy of the desired evidence. All this without the messy powders that never seem to wash away. The KS Imager can also be used to greatly enhance prints developed using cyanoacrylate fuming (Super Glue).

Note – I doubt many of you will be picking up one of these devices for your home CSI kit. The price tag is between $15,000 and $20,000.

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Want to learn more about the Krimesite Imager and other Sirchie products? A team from Sirchie Fingerprint Labs, along with WPA instructor Dave Pauly, will be presenting a bloodstain workshop at the 2011 Writers’ Police Academy. So bring your questions. This is a unique opportunity for writers!

http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/

Remember, Sisters in Crime will pay over half of your registration. Hurry, space is now limited for this one of a kind event.

*Important WPA Announcement*

Attention WPA Attendees

Have you booked your room at the Embassy Suites? Rooms are extremely limited on the weekend of the WPA and our block is filling fast. Please secure yours today so you won’t miss out on the fun. Several activities take place at the hotel. You also won’t want to miss the delicious, free breakfast and the manager’s reception each evening.

Please tell them you’re registering for the Writers’ Police Academy when you call to receive our special discounted rate.

 

*Top photo – Hamilton Ohio PD Detective David Collins using Krimesite Imager

 

Packing

 

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Casey Anthony’s Lawyer Walks The Labrador

Casey Anthony's lawyer walked the Labrador

 

Yesterday’s testimony was all about forensics—touch DNA, botany, chloroform, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, genetic analyzers, electropherograms, capillaries, alleles, loci, evidence found on a piece of carpet, and more. One by one, Casey Anthony’s defense attorney, Jose Baez, called his team of expert witnesses to the stand. And, one by one, each of them did exactly what the defense did not need to help make their case…they told the truth. In fact, Dr. Wise from the Oakridge Lab seemed more like a witness for the prosecution. And that’s what happens in a trial when you’re working with a defendant whose story, in this case “stories,” is based on a sack of fabrications.

One thing I found particularly interesting was the fact that we’ve blogged about the science experts used to reach their conclusions in this case. Here are the links to a couple of those articles. These should help you understand some of the mumbo-jumbo the legal teams discussed yesterday.

Touch DNA

LABRADOR

DNA testing, genetic analyzers, electropheragrams, capillaries, etc.

So what’s your take on the Casey Anthony trial? Did Jose Baez score any points yesterday? Or did his entourage of experts hurt his case by merely telling the truth?

How about the fact that there was no usable DNA found on the duct tape?

Did botanist Jane Bock help or hurt the defense when she testified that, according to leaf litter, the body could have been in the woods for as little as two weeks…or much longer?

What about the new revelation about one of Casey’s dorm mates, April Whelan? She had a 15-month-old son who drowned in his family’s pool and was eventually found by his grandfather. Sound familiar? Will that have an effect on the case now that Casey is saying that’s what really happened to her daughter.

And what about dear old dad? Did he really molest Casey when she was a child? Did he pull little Caylee’s dead body from the swimming pool and then help conceal the death?

Finally, what do you think of Jose Baez? Is he doing a good job? Or, is he breaking every rule he can find to get his points across? What will happen to him after the trial is over? Does he gain the fame he seems to love? Or will he slither under a damp rock and fade out of sight?

So far, well, he’s no Johnnie Cochran.

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Party At The Prison…And You’re Invited!

Party at the prison

 

There’s a party tonight and it’s the hottest event of the year. There’ll be Reggae music for dancing in the private club, pot smoking, swimming pools filled with women in bikinis, all the seafood you can eat, a pool hall, and for those who like to gamble…non-stop cockfighting. Yep, this is prison life in Venezuela. Sounds tough, huh?

Sure, gun-toting officers stand guard around the perimeter of the facility, and they even search visitors before they enter. But once those visitors make it inside…It’s Party Time!

Prisoners control everything inside the San Antonio prison on Margarita Island. In fact, many of the inmates are armed, carrying automatic weapons as a means of keeping the peace. Of course, those firearms are also used to guard the boss of the prisoner’s operation, Teofilo Rodriguez, a convicted drug trafficker. And it’s no coincidence that drugs, lots of them, are sold directly from inside the prison. In fact, it’s not uncommon for people to come to the prison to pick up their “product.” After all, the soldiers standing guard over the place only search people entering the prison, not leaving.

Rodriguez, aka “The Rabbit”, definitely rules the roost. There’s a mural of him on a prison wall, several Playboy Bunny-type logos (“The Rabbit”) adorn other walls, and he even employs a personal security team. He’s living the good life.

Children enjoy one of the prison’s four pools

The non-stop prison party often includes inviting rap groups from the outside to perform for the prisoners and their guests. There’s a food stand that sells snacks, four swimming pools—children of the inmates often spend their time in the pool while parents barbeque meat poolside while drinking liquor—conjugal visits, satellite TV, and more.

The perks of this prison are not paid for by the government. Instead, inmates have paid for everything. With drug money, no doubt.

Yes, this prison has everything. Well, almost everything. The one thing they don’t have is escapes. Who’d want to leave?

*NY Times photos

 

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Cats’ DNA Solves Cases

Cat's DNA solves cases

 

DNA use in criminal cases has been around for a long time—thirty-five years, or so. And it’s been the cornerstone of numerous cases, sending lots of bad guys to prison.

Well, for the first time in New York City (Brooklyn), DNA was used to convict someone for animal cruelty. In 2008, an apartment manager found Scruffy, aka “Tommy Two Times” (pictured above) with large areas of his fur burned off. His skin was also badly burned, to the extent that the damage had reached the deep muscle of his legs. The building manager notified police and an investigation was opened. In the meantime, vets determined that Scruffy’s injuries were too severe for him to survive. He was euthanized.

Back at the apartment building, detectives searched a vacant room and found what appeared to be burned flesh adhering to a section of flooring. So they removed that portion of the floor and sent it to the lab for testing. DNA from the extracted tissue matched a DNA sample taken from Scruffy. In short, detectives linked two teens to the vicious attack, Angelo Monderoy and Matthew Cooper.

Cooper recently pleaded guilty, stating that he and Monderoy had taken the cat to the apartment where one of the men stepped on the aninal, holding it down, while the other poured lighter fluid over it and set it on fire. Monderoy, however, elected to go to trial. He was convicted on March 8 of this year and now faces 15 years in prison for his violent crimes. Incidentally, Moderoy’s reason for burning the cat…he was bored. He also faces deportation back to his native Trinidad.

Another case of animal cruelty was recently solved using DNA. Madea, a four-year-old family cat, was beaten so severely that her lungs were lacerated. Again, the cat had to be put to sleep. Cat DNA found on the sheath of an umbrella linked 33-year-old Lordtyshon Garrett to the brutal beating of his mother-in-law’s beloved Madea. He was charged for the crime.

In other cases, animal DNA has linked several abusers to their crimes. In North Carolina, for example, blood and hair of burned animals were found on the suspect’s clothing.

Also, scientists have established the country’s first DNA database of dogs used in dog fights.

Scruffy

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Only a few more slots remain for the driving simulator.

Want to experience the adrenaline rush of being behind the wheel during a high-speed pursuit?

http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/

Funds tight this year? No problem. Sisters in Crime will pay over half of your WPA registration fee! See site for details.

Have you reserved your room at the Emabassy Suites, our event hotel? The block is filling fast!

 

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