Each year the Writers’ Police Academy hosts the Golden Donut Short Story Contest. It’s a fun contest with two major but simple rules—the focus of the story must be based on the photo we provide, and the story must contain EXACTLY 200 words. No more, no less.
*Writers were permitted to submit multiple entries.
To ensure fairness entries were judged blindly, meaning judges saw only the stories and titles without mention of the authors’ names.
We were extremely fortunate to have stellar, top-level judges for the 2022 and 2023 Golden Donut Contests. The panel of judges consisted of associate, and commissioning editors of the fabulous UK publishing company, Bookouture. Yes, those of you who submitted stories had their work read by top editors in the industry!
About Bookouture:
We are a dynamic digital publisher of bestselling commercial fiction and a division of Hachette UK.
We also publish commercial non-fiction under our Thread imprint.
Our unique publishing model and transformative campaigns have created unrivalled international author brands.
We connect stories, authors and readers globally, publishing books that reflect the diversity of the societies we live in.
Our submissions are always open as we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to share their story.
Over 60 million copies sold worldwide.
*Bookouture is a sponsor of the 2023 Writers’ Police Academy.
Now, without further ado, the Golden Donut contest winners and runners-up (the judges provided the comments on the winning stories).
For 2022:
The photo prompt.
The winning story is:
“Tomorrow”
by
Trish Zaabel
Sea sprayed over the deck. Nibble fingers swept her heavy skirts away. Mary smoothed over an invisible frown. She had bloomed into a woman in the fifteen years since she saw Jack. Would he look the same?
Bracing for the jolt when docking, Mary crashed into another passenger. His hands grabbed her waist. “Easy Sister, “he muttered.
Fighting the urge to swear, she nodded her gratitude then exited. Negotiating the lonely hallways, Mary shivered. She requested of the man guarding a thick wall, “Jack Pearson, please.”
Eyeing her suspiciously, he opened a door. “Room three.”
This dark passage was filled with catcalls. “Hey Sista, come to save my soul?”
Spotting her desired room, she rushed through the door. He stood near a window. Jack asked, “Who are you?”
She laughed. “You have aged.”
“Like a fine whiskey.” Jack smirked then gestured. “A nun, really?’
Smiling, she lifted her black skirt, revealing the dagger. “Did you think I’d forgotten?”
Jack yelled. “Guard, come quick.”
The guard barreled in, tackling her.
She stammered. “Jack, I don’t understand.”
Jack stepped over the prone woman. “My dear, I’m to be released today. It’s your turn to be a prisoner.”
Judges’ comments about the winning story – We loved the unusual take on this one, which centred on an intense domestic set-up and finished with an interesting and satisfying twist. It left us with questions about what had happened in the past while also feeling like a fully rounded story, which is hard with only 200 words to play with! The visual detail included was great, and the pacing worked well for the final reveal. A clear winner.
2022 Runners-up:
2: “The Big One”
by
Michael Rigg
For eighty days in a row, Eduardo had sailed his skiff to the same spot just inside the Golden Gate, cast a baited hook, and waited. His weather-beaten face, half-frozen by an icy March-wind, belied the fire within.
“That fool in the boat,” they called him. “The fish migrated south,” they said. “And so should you.” But his prey remained. He felt it. He would prove them wrong.
Even guards on the “Warden Blackwell”—a ferryboat transferring small groups of inmates from the soon-to-be-shuttered Alcatraz—ignored him. He had observed each trip over the past weeks unchallenged—seemingly invisible. Men-in-chains shuffled onto the wharf, labored up two dozen concrete steps, and clambered aboard busses for transport elsewhere.
Today’s cargo represented the last set of prisoners—twenty-seven in all. He nodded in recognition when a white-haired man stepped onto the pier. Eduardo removed a rifle from under a pile of blankets, raised it into firing position, and placed Inmate One-Five-Seven-Nine in the crosshairs.
After twenty years, justice for Eduardo’s murdered wife and daughter was at hand. He grinned. Not all the fish had gone south.
3: “Roll Call”
by
Michael Rigg
No more alarm bells jolting him awake at six-fifteen for Roll Call. No more maggot-infested gruel for breakfast. No more Screws dictating his every move from Wake-Up to Lights-Out. Charles Weatherman rowed toward shore, imagining life away from The Rock. A Ribeye at Alfred’s. Cigars and brandy at Top of the Mark. Lili St. Cyr at the Music Box. Everything was within reach. Just a few more pulls on the oars.
Escaping had been easier than he thought. Using broken saw blades to loosen the grating over an air vent. Fashioning a fake head so the guards would believe he was sleeping. Paying a few dozen cigarettes for a small boat to be hidden in a grotto out of sight of the guard towers. Finally, implementing everything by slipping through the vent and inching his way along an unguarded utility corridor, across the roof, and over the fence.
Crimson-and-gold rays from sunrise topping the Santa Cruz Mountains greeted him as he stepped onto land, undetected, near Fisherman’s Wharf. Freedom—his dream—attained.
Brrrring! Brrrring! “Roll Call in five minutes,” blared over the loudspeaker. Charles opened his eyes and cursed. His nightmare, renewed.
And for 2023:
The photo prompt.
The winning story is:
“Adam-13”
by
Sally Milliken
“Kent’s already on set,” Associate Producer Lia called as her head appeared in the makeup room doorway.
“Is Martin nearly ready for his closeup? We’re losing our light.”
“Hang on, he just needs a touch up of powder. His cheeks are shiny, that’s all,” I answered.
“Great.” She nodded. “I’ll send an intern to walk him to set.”
As soon as Martin was out of the chair, I followed, stopping next to Kathy. As a hair stylist, she was ready with brush in hand.
“I’m sorry the hat is covering the style work you did on Martin.”
“Thanks. Comes with the territory, though.” She shrugged. “You know how it is.”
“Mmmhmm. I’m using tricks I never even imagined.”
“Me too. After his hair flew off during the chase scene yesterday, I thought that would be the end.”
“Not that I’m complaining about steady work,” I began, “but how long are we gonna milk this thing?”
“As long as we bring in the money, the brass wants us to keep going.”
“Martin’s been dead for eight years.”
“Damn, nobody move, his tooth fell out again.”
“That’s a wrap for today, everyone.”
Judges’ comments about the winning story – We really enjoyed reading this submission and it stood out because it was so different to any of the other stories. There was almost a sense of dark comedy about it and we thought the twist at the end was super. The visual detail gave a great sense of setting and we thought the plot built well towards the final line. It also worked well with the photo. Well done!
2023 Runners-up:
2: Law and Molder
by
Marcia Adair
“Yeah, right,” the dispatcher said. “A psychic reports a body at Stoneview cemetery…” Click.
If she’d believed me, the cold case squad would be there, closing the decades-old murder of Officer Max Wilgus. I was just a kid when he was ambushed in that very boneyard, but I never forgot. How could I? Tabloids published countless photos of a man wearing a ghoulish mask and goggles speeding away after the shooting.
When I saw the identical mask and goggles at an antique store recently, I grabbed them. “Where’d you get these?” I asked innocently. “Maybe they have something else I could use for a project.” Amazingly, the clerk gave me the man’s name and address.
Next day, I slipped a flyer under the killer’s door: “Feeling guilty? Visit Sarah the Psychic.”
I knew he’d come. He did. When “the spirits” slid a doctored photo in front of him — half cop, half skeleton mask — he blanched and bolted.
I followed him to the cemetery.
Rushing to the ambushed officer’s grave, he tripped hard on its stone coping and smashed headlong into the tombstone.
I smiled. “Case closed, punk.
“Grampa Max, you finally got him.”
3: Cemetery Justice
by
Pat Remick
My favorite walk is through the town cemetery. It’s peaceful until my final stop, the grave of K-9 Officer Brett Thomas. Sometimes I think I see my ex-partner near the Thomas family plot, in his uniform and signature dark shades, grinning, and taunting me and the world to take him on. Brett was a tough SOB, but no match for a hail of bullets. They hit me, too, but I limped into forced retirement. I still can’t fathom how a routine check of a vandalism report in Pineview Cemetery exploded into an unsolved murder. Lately, I’ve noticed a man loitering near Brett’s grave. Even from a distance, I see him shudder when he glances at the headstone, as if startled by something. Maybe Brett’s ghost. Usually, the man crosses himself and disappears before we reach him. Today was different. He smiled and nodded at my companion, who has moved in with Brett’s widow and me. I understand now. Growling and barking won’t change things. However, I’m trained to kill so I attack repeatedly, mortally wounding both. But not before the loiterer gets off a shot, reuniting me with Brett forever.
“Congratulations to all the writers, and to the winners!” ~ Bookouture judges and Writers’ Police Academy
*The contest winners will receive the Golden Donut Award via shipping. Runners-up to receive certificates by U.S. mail.
It’s ALMOST TIME!
2024 Killer Con registration opens in January 2024.
Be ready to sign up because this is a KILLER event that’s not to be missed!
Visit a homicide scene and solve the case using tactics, tools, and techniques learned throughout the event.
2024 Killer Con Guest of Honor is internationally bestselling author Charlaine Harris.
Click the link below to visit the Killer Con (Writers’ Police Academy) website to view the schedule of events, classes, instructors, and special guest presenters.
2024 Killer Con
Dead Women Sometimes Cry in the Rain, And Baby Socks
Never start a story with the weather.
I’ve heard this many times over the years.
Even Elmore Leonard kicked off his “Don’t-do-it” list with a rule about the weather.
Elmore Leonard said it’s taboo!
Now, with that said and with an absolute clear understanding of the rules—NO Weather!—let’s get on with the show … today’s true story. And it starts like this … with the weather.
It was a dark and stormy night in our county. A sideways rain driven by the type of wind gusts that TV weather reporters are often seen battling during live hurricane coverage of the really big ones, the storms that send trees toppling and waves crashing onto houses far from the shoreline.
I was hard at work that night, patrolling county roads and checking on businesses and homes, when my headlights reflected from something shiny a ways into in the woods. I stopped, backed up, and turned onto a narrow sloppy-wet dirt path that led me to a clearcut section along a power line, and eventually to the source of the reflection. It was a car parked approximately thirty yards off a dirt road next to a river. I used my spotlight to examine the vehicle and the surrounding area.
The driver’s door was open and to my surprise, the body of a woman was lying half-in and half-out, with the outside portion getting soaked by the deluge of water falling from the dark sky. I couldn’t tell if she was alive, but instinct and experience said, “Not.”
I turned the spotlight to scan the woods on both sides of the clearing. No sign of anything or anyone, but you never know what danger lies beyond the light’s reach. Again, it was dark and stormy making it one of those scenarios where every single hair on the back of your neck and arms immediately leaps to attention. Spooky, to say the least.
So, despite the downpour, thunder, lightning, and those hyper-vigilant hairs (the cop’s sixth sense was in full overdrive), I had to get out to investigate. So I did.
I again scanned the area carefully, using my Maglite, the old metal kind, making certain this wasn’t an ambush. And, after yet another look around, I cautiously plowed forward while the winds drilled raindrops into my face and against my lemon-yellow vinyl raincoat, the one I kept in the trunk of my patrol car just for times like this one. The fury of those oversized drops of water was like that of small stones striking at a pace equal to the rat-a-tat-tatty rounds fired from a Chicago typewriter.
The plastic rain protector I’d placed over my felt campaign hat worked well at keeping the hat dry, but the rain hitting it was the sensation of hundreds of tiny mallets hammering all at once, as if an all-xylophone symphony decided to perform a complex syncopated piece on the top of my head. At a time when I truly needed the ability to hear a single pin drop, well, it simply wasn’t happening. So xylophoned from above machine-gunned from all sides. It was unpleasant weather during an unpleasant situation.
It was a fight to walk headfirst into swirling, stinging winds that tugged and pulled and pushed against my raincoat, sending its tails fluttering and flapping, exposing my brown over tan deputy sheriff uniform. It—the uniform—was not waterproof. Not even close.
The ground surrounding the car was extremely muddy, and with each step, my once shiny brown shoes collected gobs of thick, soggy soil until it felt as if gooey, slimy bricks were attached to the bottoms of my feet with large suction cups.
These, during a dark and sorry night, were the deplorable conditions in which I met the crying dead woman.
Likely, Mr. Elmore Leonard had not had the opportunity to encounter such a situation. Otherwise, rule number one, “the weather rule,” might have met its demise before it ever met the page.
It was one-on-one—me and the victim.
I know it sounds like a bit of overwriting when describing the weather on this night; however, you must experience it as I did. You should know and see in your minds that raindrops the size of gumdrops pelted the victim’s face, gathering and pooling at the corners of her eyes, eventually spilling out across her cheeks like tiny rivers that followed the contours of her flesh until they poured from her in miniature waterfalls.
She was a dead woman crying in the rain.
Passenger door,
Open.
Bottom half in,
Top half out.
Lifeless hand,
Resting in mud,
Palm up.
Face aimed at the sky.
Rain falling,
Mouth open.
Dollar-store shoes,
Half-socks.
Youngest daughter—the seven-year-old,
Called them baby socks.
Her mother’s favorite,
Hers too.
Hair,
Mingled with muck,
And water,
Sticks and leaves.
Power lines,
Overhead.
Crackling,
Buzzing.
Flashlight,
Bright.
Showcasing
Dull, gray eyes.
Alone,
And dead.
A life,
Gone.
Three rounds.
One to the head,
Two to the torso.
Kill shots, all.
Five empty casings,
In the mud.
Pistol.
Not a revolver.
Wine bottle.
Beer cans.
Empty.
Scotch.
“No, we don’t drink. Neither did she. Except on special occasions. Yep, it must have been something or somebody really special for her to drink that stuff.”
“Was there a somebody special?”
Eyes cast downward.
Blushes all around.
“Well … she did stay after Wednesday night preaching a few times. But they were meetings strictly about church business. After all, he is the Reverend. A good man.”
More blushing.
A stammer, or two.
A good man.
The rain comes harder,
Pouring across her cheeks.
Meandering
Through her dark curls.
Droplets hammer hard
Against her open eyes.
Pouring into tiny rivers,
Filling the puddles below.
She doesn’t blink.
Can’t.
She’s a dead woman crying,
In the rain.
Tire tracks.
A second car.
Footprints.
Two sets.
One walking.
Casually?
A sly, stealthy approach?
The other, long strides.
Running, possibly.
Zigzagging toward the woods.
Bullet lodged in spruce pine.
One round left to find.
Cold water inside my collar, down my back.
Shivering.
Cloth snagged on jagged tree branch.
Plaid shirt.
Blood?
Still visible?
in the rain?
The missing fifth round?
Maglite never fails, even in torrential rain.
Cop’s best friend.
A shoe in the underbrush.
Attached to man.
Dead.
Bullet in the back.
The fifth round.
Coming together, nicely.
Church meetings.
Reverend.
Two lovers.
A special wine for a special occasion …
A good man.
Sure he is.
Police car,
Parks at the curb.
Morning sunshine.
Tiny face,
Peering from window.
Waiting for Mama?
The scent of frying bacon in the air.
The door swings open.
Worried husband.
“No, she didn’t come home after church. Called friends and family. Nobody knows.”
Husband, devastated.
Children crying.
“Yes, I have news.
And I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Tire tracks match.
Pistol found.
Preacher,
He hangs his head in shame.
Special occasion.
To profess love.
But …
Another man.
A second lover.
Anger.
Jealousy.
Revenge.
Handcuffs.
Click, click.
Murder’s the charge.
No bond.
Single, unique plant seed,
Stuck to the brake pedal.
The single bit of evidence,
That tied him to the scene.
Got him.
Prison.
Life.
No parole.
A “good man”, a preacher, left the little girl’s mama to cry in the rain.
A couple of days ago, raindrops squiggled and wormed their way down the panes of my office windows.
And, as it often happens on rainy days,
I think of the crying dead woman.
Of her kids,
Her loving husband and,
Of course,
Baby socks.
2024 Killer Con Classes and Instructors – Part Two
For the past 15 years, Writers’ Police Academy has offered a plethora of specialized classes designed to help writers evoke a sense of hyperrealism in their stories. The event’s unique hands-on training sessions stimulate the senses of participants, enabling them to convert those real-life experiences and emotions into believable fiction. Our goal is to help attendees develop and write accurate, realistic, and compelling scenes and characters.
This year we’ve decided to focus our attention on the crime of murder since that’s a major plot point in crime fiction. Therefore, we created Killer Con, a hands-on homicide and crime scene investigator training academy. This special event is designed to guide writers through the various stages of investigations.
Yes, participants will experience what it’s like to enter a crime scene as an investigator.
To guide attendees through the processes, we are pleased to feature top-tier law enforcement instructors and forensics experts as presenters. They are undoubtedly some of the best in the business, and their sessions are magnificent. Prepare yourself to be amazed.
So, without further ado, it is my pleasure and honor to introduce you to the second group of 2024 Killer Con presenters, beginning with these three (in no particular order). Also included are the classes offered by each presenter. More to come in the days following this post.
Processing and Preservation of Fingerprint Evidence
Learn and apply the same fingerprinting tools, techniques, and skills taught to and utilized by police investigators and other crime scene investigation professionals. Attendees locate, develop, lift, and preserve latent prints from a variety of surfaces. There is more to this process than meets the eye, and certainly more to it than is depicted on TV shows. Hands-on training.
Location – CC205
Instructor – Ian Nishimoto, Master Instructor – Defensive and Arrest Tactics, Firearms/Tactical Rifle, Scenario Assessment, Tactical Response
Ian and his wife have been married for 41 years, and currently reside in Oneida, Wisconsin. They have two daughters, two sons, and five grandchildren.
Processing and Preservation of Fingerprint Evidence
Body Trauma and Gunshot Wounds
Curtis Greene knows the information writers need to breathe life into shooting and trauma scenes in crime novels, having “been there, done that” for nearly two decades as a Coroner for Manitowoc County WI, serving as a Paramedic for 24 years, and managing the Emergency Room, Ambulance, Lifeline and Specialized transport division for a major hospital.
In this course, Greene shares his first-hand knowledge and experience of the effect gunshots and various injuries have on the human body. Class includes images of a variety of wounds and trauma.
Location – CC212
Instructor – Curtis Green, Elected Coroner, AS-EMTP (retired), ABMDI-F (retired)
Curtis Green
Curtis Green is currently the Elected Coroner for Manitowoc County WI. He has held this position for 16+ years and is serving his final term in that position.
He earned his basic EMT certification in 1983 and became licensed as Wisconsin’s youngest Paramedic in 1985. He began his career at County Rescue Services, Metro Ambulance Service and several other services including time in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties CA. After leaving California he managed the largest Air Ambulance Service in the United States, American Medical Transport, based out of Milwaukee WI. He served as a paramedic for a total of 24 years. He was a Department Head for Manitowoc Memorial Hospital in the late 80’s managing the Emergency Room, Ambulance, Lifeline and Specialized transport division. He was the owner of one of Wisconsin’s largest specialized transport services for 16 years and was responsible for approximately 350,000 specialized transports annually.
Curtis was a founding member of Prevent Suicide- Manitowoc County. An organization formed to help reduce the number of suicides and to help families cope with suicide deaths. His commitment to this cause is deep-seated in Curtis. He has had immediate family members die by suicide and homicide and brings a level of empathy to this cause from a unique perspective.
Curtis saw a need for drug prevention and education as the deaths from drug overdoses began to rise in the earlier 2000’s. Curtis has been providing education and training for those affected by drug overdose deaths and the collateral damage drug addiction inflicts on families, friends, EMS and Law Enforcement professionals. For his volunteer work, Curtis was honored to receive the 2015 Health Award from the Manitowoc County United Way. Curtis plans to continue to provide continuing education to Law Enforcement, EMS and Death Investigators following his retirement in 2027.
Curtis has 4 daughters and 6 grandchildren and lives on the hobby farm where his children were raised. He enjoys spending his limited free time at his off-grid 176 acres of riverfront property in the north woods of Wisconsin.
Coroner Curtis Green – 2023 Writers’ Police Academy
Virtual Reality – Mental Health Training Simulator
Officers are in regular contact with individuals who are undergoing a personal crisis, such as problems relating to the opioid epidemic, someone diagnosed on the autism spectrum, or one of a variety of psychiatric issues. Dealing with those situations can be challenging for law enforcement, especially when they often occur within mere seconds of arrival at a scene. There is often no time to know or research the person’s history, background, or medical diagnosis; therefore, officer responses to the situations are often reactionary to what is sometimes perceived as violent threats to their safety or the safety of others, including that of the person in crisis.
Virtual reality mental health training simulators place law enforcement officers into the shoes and minds of those suffering from an emotional disturbance or experiencing a mental health crisis. This realistic training experience helps police better comprehend what these individuals are experiencing, and to recognize and understand how to handle a subject who is undergoing psychiatric distress.
Killer Con attendees have the unique opportunity to participate in this hyper-realistic, eye-opening training experience.
Location – SC142
Instructor – Erik Walters, Public Safety Training Complex Specialist – Wisconsin Department of Justice Certified Instructor in Defensive and Arrest Tactics, Vehicle Contacts, Scenario, EVOC, Tactical Response, Physical Fitness, Firearms
Eric Walters – Writers’ Police Academy
Erik Walters is the Public Safety Training Complex Specialist at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. In that role, Erik oversees all the public safety training facilities and equipment at 4 different locations. He’s also a Public Safety Training Academy instructor. Prior to coming to the college Erik spent 15 years at the Manitowoc Police Department, where he attained the rank of patrol sergeant.
Erik is a Wisconsin Department of Justice certified instructor in Defensive and Arrest Tactics, Vehicle Contacts, Scenario, EVOC, Tactical Response, Physical Fitness, and Firearms.
Spaces at this unique and exciting event are limited and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. To claim your spot I strongly urge you to sign up right away. The 2023 Writers’ Police Academy event was sold out!
www.writerspoliceacademy.com
We also urge you to make your hotel reservations ASAP. We’ve already had to extend the room block!! There is no sister hotel available for overflow.
2024 Guest of Honor
Killer Con is extremely pleased to announce that internationally bestselling author Charlaine Harris is our 2024 Guest of Honor.
Charlaine delivers her keynote talk at the Saturday night banquet, and she will sign copies of her books immediately afterward.
Special Guests Include:
Dr. Katherine Ramsland – bestselling author and expert on forensic psychology and serial killers.
Robert Bruce Coffin – former detective sergeant (homicide and violent crime) and award-winning mystery author.
Carrie Stuart Parks – bestselling author and internationally recognized forensic artist who is the most widely known instructor of forensic art in the world.
Michael A. Black – Chicago area police sergeant – homicide, SWAT, investigations (ret.), and bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction.
On-Site Crime Scenes and Hands-on Workshops
Killer Con is a hands-on training event for writers, with classes taught by top forensic experts and DOJ-certified law enforcement instructors.
Classes and workshops begin on Friday, starting with a live shooting scene response scenario. Participants will see the event unfold in real-time as first responders, detectives, EMS, the coroner, and others arrive in response to a 911 call where the frantic caller states, “Help, someone’s been shot … I think they’re dead!”
Next, Dr. Katherine Ramsland hosts a murder scene where Killer Con attendees learn particulars about the crime and then explore the scene to determine the evidence needed to solve the case. Following Katherine’s workshop, participants attend classes and hands-on training sessions on Friday and Saturday. Information and techniques learned in these sessions provide the tools to solve this case and others.
Did You Solve the Case?
At the conclusion of Saturday classes, Dr. Ramsland reveals the case details from Friday’s Crime Scene Workshop. Attendees will then know if they solved the case or not.
… And More!
Killer Con begins Thursday at noon with a massive indoor “Touch-a-Truck” event featuring a variety of public safety vehicles, fire apparatus, CSI Unit, drones, SWAT vehicles and equipment, and other items for attendees to view, examine, and explore. Officers, firefighters, and other experts will be available for Q&A and live demos.
Thursday night ends with forensic artist Carrie Stuart Park’s session Don’t Lie To Me, a forensic study of the language of deception.
Friday evening features Dr. Katherine Ramsland’s presentation, Encounters with Killers.
Saturday ends with a banquet and keynote address by guest of honor Charlaine Harris. A book signing follows her talk.
Killer Con festivities end on Sunday with a fun and informative panel discussion with experts who answer attendees’ questions.
Click to watch the Killer Con promo video below. Please turn on the sound and watch to the end.
2024 Killer Con Classes and Instructors – Part One
For the past 15 years, Writers’ Police Academy has offered a plethora of specialized classes designed to help writers evoke a sense of hyperrealism in their stories. The event’s unique hands-on training sessions stimulate the senses of participants, enabling them to convert those real-life experiences and emotions into believable fiction. Our goal is to help attendees develop and write accurate, realistic, and compelling scenes and characters.
This year we’ve decided to focus our attention on the crime of murder since that’s a major plot point in crime fiction. Therefore, we created Killer Con, a hands-on homicide and crime scene investigator training academy. This special event is designed to guide writers through the various stages of investigations.
Yes, participants will experience what it’s like to step into a crime scene as an investigator.
To guide attendees through the processes, we are pleased to feature top-tier law enforcement instructors and forensics experts as presenters. They are undoubtedly some of the best in the business, and their sessions are magnificent. Prepare yourself to be amazed.
So, without further ado, it is my pleasure and honor to introduce you to the 2024 Killer Con presenters, beginning with these three (in no particular order). Also included are the classes offered by each presenter. More to come in the days following this post.
CSI: Processing a Shooting Scene
In this two-part session, participants learn to take overview photos of a crime scene, properly place evidence markers, examine and collect blood evidence, and collect cartridge casings. After the classroom portion is complete, attendees move to the all-new scenario rooms to process a staged crime scene. There, they will apply their newly acquired knowledge by using their cell phones to take photos of the scene and evidence, appropriately place placards where needed, and collect evidence. Hands-on training.
Location – Crime Scene Scenario Room(s) and Adjacent Classroom
Instructor – Baeleigh Andrae, Forensic Specialist
Baeleigh Andrae
Baeleigh Andrae began her career with the Green Bay Police Department Forensic Unit nearly nine years ago. She was GBPD’s first civilian Forensic Specialist working alongside two sworn law enforcement officers and later played a significant role in adapting the unit from sworn to all civilian positions. Today, Baeleigh serves as the Lead Forensic Specialist of the unit.
She attended the University of Wisconsin Platteville, earning two bachelor’s degrees—Forensic Investigation and Criminal Justice. In the fall of 2022, Baeleigh earned Certified Crime Scene Analyst (CCSA) through the International Association for Identification. She continues her education by attending various training courses, such as fingerprint comparison and crime scene processing. Additionally, she actively researches new techniques.
Baeleigh’s favorite part of her job is processing the large variety of crime scenes she encounters, as no two are alike. She welcomes the challenge.
Scenario Training Rooms – CSI: Processing a Shooting Scene
A peek at a few NWTC/Killer Con Scenario rooms available for hands-on crime scene investigation sessions.
Interview and Interrogation
In this session taught by leading expert Dr. Mike Knetzger, learn the mindset of people who attempt to deceive police investigators and how police detectives build rapport with seasoned criminals and other subjects, including murderers. Dr. Knetzger details how police utilize a subject’s vocal indications and physical actions to successfully conduct interrogations of subjects, how to separate the lies from the truth, and how to recognize and avoid false confessions.
Location – SC142
Instructor – Dr. Mike Knetzger, Certified Use of Force Analyst/Expert Witness, Wisconsin Department of Justice Training Certified Instructor—Victims, Defensive & Arrest Tactics, Firearms, Vehicle Contacts, Professional Communications Skills, S.P.E.A.R.
“S.P.E.A.R. stands for Spontaneous Protection Enabling Accelerated Response, a protective, reactive offense and a combat style based on human behavior regarding the fast reaction of the flinch. It converts the body’s various flinches into focused self-defense tactics.” ~ U.S. DOJ Office of Justice Programs
Dr. Mike Knetzger
Dr. Mike Knetzger is a 29-year veteran (retired) street cop and front-line leader in “Titletown, USA”—Green Bay, Wisconsin. He is a doctoral-level educator, trainer, author, and speaker who has trained law enforcement officers throughout Wisconsin and nationally.
Dr. Knetzger is a criminal justice subject matter expert with a research focus on video-recorded use-of-force (UOF), leadership, conflict communications, and resiliency. He was the first to carry out an exploratory study with Wisconsin police managers about the management of video-recorded UOF to determine objective reasonableness.
To help improve law enforcement outcomes for agencies and the communities they serve, Dr. Knetzger’s courses integrate evidence-based practices. He also delivers courses on leadership and conflict communications skills to the private and public sectors.
Dr. Knetzger is an adjunct faculty instructor in the doctoral program at Colorado Technical University (CTU)—Colorado Springs (CO), and he teaches within the criminal justice program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical (NWTC)—Green Bay (WI).
In 2019, Dr. Knetzger received the “J. Edgar Hoover Memorial Award” from the American Police Hall of Fame in Titusville, Florida. The award is given to law enforcement officers who seek and complete additional training and education to gain new skills in criminal justice and are dedicated to helping others.
Additionally, Dr. Knetzger has written, evaluated, or revised more than 30 traditional, online, and hybrid courses for colleges and universities. He is the author of four books and numerous textbook chapters. As an expert, Dr. Knetzger published several articles in law enforcement-related magazines, such as Police 1.
Books by Mike Knetzger
Evidence Collection, Processing, and CSI Techniques
Investigating a crime scene, whether it is a burglary or a homicide, is a process that involves a wide range of skills and knowledge. Sure, it’s easier to solve a crime when the found evidence is a warehouse filled with stolen goods, but when the clues are as small as a single fiber or human hair, glass fragment, a partial fingerprint, or DNA collected from shed skin cells, well, the situation becomes far more complex. After all, evidence collected today could also prove beneficial years later, making the role of crime scene investigators more crucial than ever before.
Crime Scene Analyst/Investigator Holly Maas guides participants into the world of evidence collection, detailing various procedures and methods. This session includes a hands-on practical exercise of casting shoe impressions using the same tools, techniques, and materials Holly uses in the field at crime scenes.
Location – CC2018/CC220
Instructor – Holly Maas, Certified Crime Scene Analyst and Property and Evidence Specialist, Public Safety Academy Certified Instructor
Holly Maas
Holly Maas has worked in the field of forensic science since 2013, beginning her career at Grand Chute Police Department in Wisconsin. In that time, she was employed as their fulltime Evidence Technician and was responsible for processing crime scenes, training patrol officers and investigators from around the county, and maintaining evidence at the station. In 2014, Holly was elected to the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Association for Identification, where she has served as President (2018), three Terms as Chairman of the Board (2019, 2020, 2021). She still serves on the board to this day. Holly, through Northeastern Wisconsin Technical College, the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association, the Department of Justice in Wisconsin, and many other agencies, trains officers from around the state regarding various aspects of crime scene management and processing. In 2018, she became an instructor in the Forensic Science program at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, WI. In 2020, Holly was hired by the Ashwaubenon Department of Public Safety as their fulltime Crime Scene Technician, where she continues to manage crime scenes of all sizes and teaching and training across Wisconsin.
Holly is a Certified Crime Scene Analyst through the International Association for Identification and a Certified Property and Evidence Specialist through the International Association for Property and Evidence. She has a passion for crime scene investigation and inspiring the next generation of young people to want to enter the forensics field. Because of this, she has been recognized as the 2021 Outstanding Alumni from Fox Valley Technical College.
Outside of work, Holly spends her time with her husband (a Police Sergeant with Grand Chute Police Department) and their three sons (Oliver 13, Olan 11, and Reed 2).
Also presented by Holly Maas is the fascinating session called …
Reading and Interpreting Bloodstain Patterns and Spatter
Is it Spatter, or Splatter? One is appropriate. The other is not.
Instructor – Holly Maas
Location – CC218/220
Spaces at this unique and exciting event are limited and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. To claim your spot I strongly urge you to sign up right away. The 2023 Writers’ Police Academy event was sold out!
www.writerspoliceacademy.com
We also urge you to make your hotel reservations ASAP. We’ve already had to extend the room block!! There is no sister hotel available for overflow.
2024 Guest of Honor
Killer Con is extremely pleased to announce that internationally bestselling author Charlaine Harris is our 2024 Guest of Honor.
Charlaine delivers her keynote talk at the Saturday night banquet, and she will sign copies of her books immediately afterward.
Special Guests Include:
Dr. Katherine Ramsland – bestselling author and expert on forensic psychology and serial killers.
Robert Bruce Coffin – former detective sergeant (homicide and violent crime) and award-winning mystery author.
Carrie Stuart Parks – bestselling author and internationally recognized forensic artist who is the most widely known instructor of forensic art in the world.
Michael A. Black – Chicago area police sergeant – homicide, SWAT, investigations (ret.), and bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction.
On-Site Crime Scenes and Hands-on Workshops
Killer Con is a hands-on training event for writers, with classes taught by top forensic experts and DOJ-certified law enforcement instructors.
Classes and workshops begin on Friday, starting with a live shooting scene response scenario. Participants will see the event unfold in real-time as first responders, detectives, EMS, the coroner, and others arrive in response to a 911 call where the frantic caller states, “Help, someone’s been shot … I think they’re dead!”
Next, Dr. Katherine Ramsland hosts a murder scene where Killer Con attendees learn particulars about the crime and then explore the scene to determine the evidence needed to solve the case. Following Katherine’s workshop, participants attend classes and hands-on training sessions on Friday and Saturday. Information and techniques learned in these sessions provide the tools to solve this case and others.
Did You Solve the Case?
At the conclusion of Saturday classes, Dr. Ramsland reveals the case details from Friday’s Crime Scene Workshop. Attendees will then know if they solved the case or not.
… And More!
Killer Con begins Thursday at noon with a massive indoor “Touch-a-Truck” event featuring a variety of public safety vehicles, fire apparatus, CSI Unit, drones, SWAT vehicles and equipment, and other items for attendees to view, examine, and explore. Officers, firefighters, and other experts will be available for Q&A and live demos.
Thursday night ends with forensic artist Carrie Stuart Park’s session Don’t Lie To Me, a forensic study of the language of deception.
Friday evening features Dr. Katherine Ramsland’s presentation, Encounters with Killers.
Saturday ends with a banquet and keynote address by guest of honor Charlaine Harris. A book signing follows her talk.
Killer Con festivities end on Sunday with a fun and informative panel discussion with experts who answer attendees’ questions.
Click to watch the Killer Con promo video below. Please turn on the sound and watch to the end.
Killer Con Registration and Exciting Event Details
Does your book feature a crime, crime scene, coroner, crime scene investigator, or homicide detectives?
Is it possible that you’ve never, not once in your entire lifetime, ventured into a murder scene or walked in the shoes of a homicide investigator while examining vital evidence? Do you not have experience interviewing and interrogating killers? Never collected evidence at a crime scene? Have you witnessed the sequence of events that unfold at the scene of a fatal shooting?
If your answer is no to either or all of the questions above, you’ve likely relied on the internet to assist with research for your writing. Well, as we’ve all heard, showing is far better than telling, which is why you should attend the 2024 Killer Con, the special event hosted by Writers’ Police Academy.
Killer Con is a hands-on homicide and crime scene investigator training academy. The event is designed to guide writers through the various stages of investigations, featuring details that will greatly enhance the realism of their stories.
Yes, participants will experience what it’s like to step into a crime scene as an investigator.
Spaces at this unique and exciting event are limited and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. To claim your spot I strongly urge you to sign up at noon on January 24, 2024. The 2023 Writers’ Police Academy event sold out!
2024 Guest of Honor
Killer Con is extremely pleased to announce that internationally bestselling author Charlaine Harris is our 2024 Guest of Honor.
Charlaine delivers her keynote talk at the Saturday night banquet, and she will sign copies of her books immediately afterward.
Special Guests Include:
Dr. Katherine Ramsland – bestselling author and expert on forensic psychology and serial killers.
Robert Bruce Coffin – former detective sergeant (homicide and violent crime) and award-winning mystery author.
Carrie Stuart Parks – bestselling author and internationally recognized forensic artist who is the most widely known instructor of forensic art in the world.
Michael A. Black – Chicago area police sergeant – homicide, SWAT, investigations (ret.), and bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction.
On-Site Crime Scenes and Hands-on Workshops
Killer Con is a hands-on training event for writers, with classes taught by top forensic experts and DOJ-certified law enforcement instructors.
Classes and workshops begin on Friday, starting with a live shooting scene response scenario. Participants will see the event unfold in real-time as first responders, detectives, EMS, the coroner, and others arrive in response to a 911 call where the frantic caller states, “Help, someone’s been shot … I think they’re dead!”
Next, Dr. Katherine Ramsland hosts a murder scene where Killer Con attendees learn particulars about the crime and then explore the scene to determine the evidence needed to solve the case. Following Katherine’s workshop, participants attend classes and hands-on training sessions on Friday and Saturday. Information and techniques learned in these sessions provide the tools to solve this case and others.
Did You Solve the Case?
At the conclusion of Saturday classes, Dr. Ramsland reveals the case details from Friday’s Crime Scene Workshop. Attendees will then know if they solved the case or not.
… And More!
Killer Con begins Thursday at noon with a massive indoor “Touch-a-Truck” event featuring a variety of public safety vehicles, fire apparatus, CSI Unit, drones, SWAT vehicles and equipment, and other items for attendees to view, examine, and explore. Officers, firefighters, and other experts will be available for Q&A and live demos.
Thursday night ends with forensic artist Carrie Stuart Park’s session Don’t Lie To Me, a forensic study of the language of deception.
Friday evening features Dr. Katherine Ramsland’s presentation, Encounters with Killers.
Saturday ends with a banquet and keynote address by guest of honor Charlaine Harris. A book signing follows her talk.
Killer Con festivities end on Sunday with a fun and informative panel discussion with experts who answer attendees’ questions.
Click to watch the Killer Con promo video below. Please turn on the sound and watch to the end.
Remember, Killer Con registration opens at noon tomorrow, January 31, 2024! Please visit the website to see the classes, instructors, and other presenters, and to sign up.
2024 Killer Con
Writers’ Police Academy Golden Donut Short Story Winners and Runners-Up
Each year the Writers’ Police Academy hosts the Golden Donut Short Story Contest. It’s a fun contest with two major but simple rules—the focus of the story must be based on the photo we provide, and the story must contain EXACTLY 200 words. No more, no less.
*Writers were permitted to submit multiple entries.
To ensure fairness entries were judged blindly, meaning judges saw only the stories and titles without mention of the authors’ names.
We were extremely fortunate to have stellar, top-level judges for the 2022 and 2023 Golden Donut Contests. The panel of judges consisted of associate, and commissioning editors of the fabulous UK publishing company, Bookouture. Yes, those of you who submitted stories had their work read by top editors in the industry!
About Bookouture:
We are a dynamic digital publisher of bestselling commercial fiction and a division of Hachette UK.
We also publish commercial non-fiction under our Thread imprint.
Our unique publishing model and transformative campaigns have created unrivalled international author brands.
We connect stories, authors and readers globally, publishing books that reflect the diversity of the societies we live in.
Our submissions are always open as we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to share their story.
Over 60 million copies sold worldwide.
*Bookouture is a sponsor of the 2023 Writers’ Police Academy.
Now, without further ado, the Golden Donut contest winners and runners-up (the judges provided the comments on the winning stories).
For 2022:
The photo prompt.
The winning story is:
“Tomorrow”
by
Trish Zaabel
Sea sprayed over the deck. Nibble fingers swept her heavy skirts away. Mary smoothed over an invisible frown. She had bloomed into a woman in the fifteen years since she saw Jack. Would he look the same?
Bracing for the jolt when docking, Mary crashed into another passenger. His hands grabbed her waist. “Easy Sister, “he muttered.
Fighting the urge to swear, she nodded her gratitude then exited. Negotiating the lonely hallways, Mary shivered. She requested of the man guarding a thick wall, “Jack Pearson, please.”
Eyeing her suspiciously, he opened a door. “Room three.”
This dark passage was filled with catcalls. “Hey Sista, come to save my soul?”
Spotting her desired room, she rushed through the door. He stood near a window. Jack asked, “Who are you?”
She laughed. “You have aged.”
“Like a fine whiskey.” Jack smirked then gestured. “A nun, really?’
Smiling, she lifted her black skirt, revealing the dagger. “Did you think I’d forgotten?”
Jack yelled. “Guard, come quick.”
The guard barreled in, tackling her.
She stammered. “Jack, I don’t understand.”
Jack stepped over the prone woman. “My dear, I’m to be released today. It’s your turn to be a prisoner.”
Judges’ comments about the winning story – We loved the unusual take on this one, which centred on an intense domestic set-up and finished with an interesting and satisfying twist. It left us with questions about what had happened in the past while also feeling like a fully rounded story, which is hard with only 200 words to play with! The visual detail included was great, and the pacing worked well for the final reveal. A clear winner.
2022 Runners-up:
2: “The Big One”
by
Michael Rigg
For eighty days in a row, Eduardo had sailed his skiff to the same spot just inside the Golden Gate, cast a baited hook, and waited. His weather-beaten face, half-frozen by an icy March-wind, belied the fire within.
“That fool in the boat,” they called him. “The fish migrated south,” they said. “And so should you.” But his prey remained. He felt it. He would prove them wrong.
Even guards on the “Warden Blackwell”—a ferryboat transferring small groups of inmates from the soon-to-be-shuttered Alcatraz—ignored him. He had observed each trip over the past weeks unchallenged—seemingly invisible. Men-in-chains shuffled onto the wharf, labored up two dozen concrete steps, and clambered aboard busses for transport elsewhere.
Today’s cargo represented the last set of prisoners—twenty-seven in all. He nodded in recognition when a white-haired man stepped onto the pier. Eduardo removed a rifle from under a pile of blankets, raised it into firing position, and placed Inmate One-Five-Seven-Nine in the crosshairs.
After twenty years, justice for Eduardo’s murdered wife and daughter was at hand. He grinned. Not all the fish had gone south.
3: “Roll Call”
by
Michael Rigg
No more alarm bells jolting him awake at six-fifteen for Roll Call. No more maggot-infested gruel for breakfast. No more Screws dictating his every move from Wake-Up to Lights-Out. Charles Weatherman rowed toward shore, imagining life away from The Rock. A Ribeye at Alfred’s. Cigars and brandy at Top of the Mark. Lili St. Cyr at the Music Box. Everything was within reach. Just a few more pulls on the oars.
Escaping had been easier than he thought. Using broken saw blades to loosen the grating over an air vent. Fashioning a fake head so the guards would believe he was sleeping. Paying a few dozen cigarettes for a small boat to be hidden in a grotto out of sight of the guard towers. Finally, implementing everything by slipping through the vent and inching his way along an unguarded utility corridor, across the roof, and over the fence.
Crimson-and-gold rays from sunrise topping the Santa Cruz Mountains greeted him as he stepped onto land, undetected, near Fisherman’s Wharf. Freedom—his dream—attained.
Brrrring! Brrrring! “Roll Call in five minutes,” blared over the loudspeaker. Charles opened his eyes and cursed. His nightmare, renewed.
And for 2023:
The photo prompt.
The winning story is:
“Adam-13”
by
Sally Milliken
“Kent’s already on set,” Associate Producer Lia called as her head appeared in the makeup room doorway.
“Is Martin nearly ready for his closeup? We’re losing our light.”
“Hang on, he just needs a touch up of powder. His cheeks are shiny, that’s all,” I answered.
“Great.” She nodded. “I’ll send an intern to walk him to set.”
As soon as Martin was out of the chair, I followed, stopping next to Kathy. As a hair stylist, she was ready with brush in hand.
“I’m sorry the hat is covering the style work you did on Martin.”
“Thanks. Comes with the territory, though.” She shrugged. “You know how it is.”
“Mmmhmm. I’m using tricks I never even imagined.”
“Me too. After his hair flew off during the chase scene yesterday, I thought that would be the end.”
“Not that I’m complaining about steady work,” I began, “but how long are we gonna milk this thing?”
“As long as we bring in the money, the brass wants us to keep going.”
“Martin’s been dead for eight years.”
“Damn, nobody move, his tooth fell out again.”
“That’s a wrap for today, everyone.”
Judges’ comments about the winning story – We really enjoyed reading this submission and it stood out because it was so different to any of the other stories. There was almost a sense of dark comedy about it and we thought the twist at the end was super. The visual detail gave a great sense of setting and we thought the plot built well towards the final line. It also worked well with the photo. Well done!
2023 Runners-up:
2: Law and Molder
by
Marcia Adair
“Yeah, right,” the dispatcher said. “A psychic reports a body at Stoneview cemetery…” Click.
If she’d believed me, the cold case squad would be there, closing the decades-old murder of Officer Max Wilgus. I was just a kid when he was ambushed in that very boneyard, but I never forgot. How could I? Tabloids published countless photos of a man wearing a ghoulish mask and goggles speeding away after the shooting.
When I saw the identical mask and goggles at an antique store recently, I grabbed them. “Where’d you get these?” I asked innocently. “Maybe they have something else I could use for a project.” Amazingly, the clerk gave me the man’s name and address.
Next day, I slipped a flyer under the killer’s door: “Feeling guilty? Visit Sarah the Psychic.”
I knew he’d come. He did. When “the spirits” slid a doctored photo in front of him — half cop, half skeleton mask — he blanched and bolted.
I followed him to the cemetery.
Rushing to the ambushed officer’s grave, he tripped hard on its stone coping and smashed headlong into the tombstone.
I smiled. “Case closed, punk.
“Grampa Max, you finally got him.”
3: Cemetery Justice
by
Pat Remick
My favorite walk is through the town cemetery. It’s peaceful until my final stop, the grave of K-9 Officer Brett Thomas. Sometimes I think I see my ex-partner near the Thomas family plot, in his uniform and signature dark shades, grinning, and taunting me and the world to take him on. Brett was a tough SOB, but no match for a hail of bullets. They hit me, too, but I limped into forced retirement. I still can’t fathom how a routine check of a vandalism report in Pineview Cemetery exploded into an unsolved murder. Lately, I’ve noticed a man loitering near Brett’s grave. Even from a distance, I see him shudder when he glances at the headstone, as if startled by something. Maybe Brett’s ghost. Usually, the man crosses himself and disappears before we reach him. Today was different. He smiled and nodded at my companion, who has moved in with Brett’s widow and me. I understand now. Growling and barking won’t change things. However, I’m trained to kill so I attack repeatedly, mortally wounding both. But not before the loiterer gets off a shot, reuniting me with Brett forever.
“Congratulations to all the writers, and to the winners!” ~ Bookouture judges and Writers’ Police Academy
*The contest winners will receive the Golden Donut Award via shipping. Runners-up to receive certificates by U.S. mail.
It’s ALMOST TIME!
2024 Killer Con registration opens in January 2024.
Be ready to sign up because this is a KILLER event that’s not to be missed!
Visit a homicide scene and solve the case using tactics, tools, and techniques learned throughout the event.
2024 Killer Con Guest of Honor is internationally bestselling author Charlaine Harris.
Click the link below to visit the Killer Con (Writers’ Police Academy) website to view the schedule of events, classes, instructors, and special guest presenters.
2024 Killer Con
Here’s How YOU Can Identify the Bones Found in Your Backyard
When the topic of identifying skeletal remains arises, two world-renowned renowned forensic anthropologists immediately come to mind—Dr. Elizabeth A. Murray and Dr. Kathy Reichs. Both experts are at the top of their profession and are two of approximately 100 anthropologists certified as Diplomate by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology.
Law enforcement and other investigators around the world have relied on Drs. Murray and Reichs, as well as other forensic anthropologists, for their help with solving high-profile criminal cases, and to help identify recovered bones.
However, in many instances, on-the-scene law enforcement investigators don’t have speedy access to experienced experts, and they need to know right away if the bones they or someone else discovered are human. This immediate knowledge helps them decide whether the remains belong to a person, and if what they have before them could be a crime scene, or the found bones are those of an animal, which could be the remnants of a family pet, wild animal, or farm livestock.
Knowing the differences between the two bone types (animal and human) could mean a significant saving in costs and/or wasted time of valuable resources if the bones are of bovine origin, for example. If the remains are likely human then it’s time to initiate a full-blown criminal investigation with all the bells and whistles.
So, what do cops and other people with little or no training do when they need to quickly determine if bones are human or animal?
Well, they could turn to OsteoID, a new tool designed to help identify the type of skeletal remains.
Designed by Dr. Heather Garvin and her group from Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center, OsteoID is an easy-to-use online tool in which anyone can use simple measurements and morphological information to determine whether a particular bone is human. If not, OsteoID points the user to which animal species it belongs. It’s that simple, and best of all it’s free! Even better, it’s available to everyone, including authors who want and need this sort of detail in their next mystery or thriller.
Here’s how it works.
Users first view a series of high-quality photos to help determine the identity of the bone(s) in question (humerus, tibia, femur, etc.). Once identified, the user is prompted to enter basic measurements—bone length, etc.). The program then returns detailed photos and, when available, 3D surface models/images, of the potential species to allow for comparison.
The list of species included in the system includes (from the OsteoID website):
Mammals: Humans, Black Bear, Brown Bear, Cow, Elk, Moose, White-Tailed Deer, Mule Deer, Pig, Horse, Sheep, Goat, Coyote, Wolf, Domestic Dog, Domestic Cat, Grey Fox, Red Fox, Racoon, Opossum, Rabbit
Birds: Golden Eagle, Goose, Chicken, Duck, Turkey
Turtles: Box Turtle, Snapping Turtle
For more, please click here to visit the OsteoID website.
In addition to working as a forensic anthropologist and professor of biology at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio (now retired), Dr. Murray is also the author of the books The Dozier School for Boys: Forensics, Survivors, and a Painful Past Death, and Corpses, Cadavers, and Other Grave Matters, a fascinating, enlightening nonfiction book for YA readers about the science of death. As an expert, Dr. Murray has also appeared on local and national television and in numerous documentary programs, such as Forensic Files and Skeleton Stories, and she’s featured in productions such as New Dominion Pictures’ series Buried Secrets.
To read about how Dr. Elizabeth Murray helped solve a complex murder case using core samples from a human skull, click here.
Dr. Kathy Reichs
was a featured presenter at the 2013 Writers’ Police Academy. Her talk focused on how she transforms her real-life forensic experiences into fiction, in the form of books and the TV show Bones. Bones, of course, is based on Dr. Reichs’ career and her bestselling books of the same name, featuring protagonist Temperance Brennan. She was an executive producer of the show.
The following is from Dr. Reichs’ website:
“For years she consulted to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina and to the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Québec. Dr. Reichs has traveled to Rwanda to testify at the UN Tribunal on Genocide, and helped exhume a mass grave in Guatemala. As part of her work at JPAC (Formerly CILHI) she aided in the identification of war dead from World War II, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Dr. Reichs also assisted in the recovery of remains at the World Trade Center following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.”
It’s ALMOST TIME!
2024 Killer Con registration opens in January 2024.
Be ready to sign up because this is a KILLER event that’s not to be missed!
Visit a homicide scene and solve the case using tactics, tools, and techniques learned throughout the event.
2024 Killer Con Guest of Honor is internally bestselling author Charlaine Harris.
Click the link below to visit the Killer Con (Writers’ Police Academy) website to view the schedule of events, classes, instructors, and special guest presenters.
2024 Killer Con
Cops to Receive X-Ray Vision: Amaze Their Friends and Suspected Criminals
For years, comic book fans scanned the back pages to view ads telling them how they could, for a single dollar, receive a 7-foot-tall Frakenstein’s Monster with glowing eyes, or a genuine invisible space helmet for the low, low cost of $2.98. And then there were the ads for 32-page books on how to achieve a “He-Man Body” for only $1.00. A bowl full of amazing Sea Monkeys—instant pets—for $1.25. A 7-foot nuclear submarine big enough for two people, a steal for only $6.98. Readers could even enter a contest to win a live miniature monkey.
But a favorite ad that captured the imaginations of many youngsters was the one for X-Ray Spex. Why, with a pair of those it was promised that we, like Superman, could amaze our friends with our newfound ability to see through walls, skin, and clothing. That’s right, for the low, low sum of just $1.00 (plus $.25 for shipping and handling), anyone and everyone could see the goings-on beneath the clothing of, well, anyone. This was huge! There were to be no more secrets. And the coolness didn’t stop with a peek at Sally Sue’s knickers and Billy Bob’s Fruit of the Looms. With these high-tech glasses, kids everywhere had an inside track to the bones and organs inside the human body.
Okay, these were obvious scams. The life-size monster was a large poster. Sea monkeys were miniature shrimp that only lived for a brief time. The submarine was a cardboard contraption that would dissolve if immersed in water. And the X-ray glasses … nothing more than plastic glasses filled with cardboard inserts with a picture of the things you could see if you had X-ray vision.
Things have changed, though, thanks to a company called MaXentric Technologies and their device, DepLife™, which provides first responders with the Supermanish capability of seeing through walls at distances of up to 30 feet.
This truly is an amazing bit of technology that uses radar to detect movement through solid structures, including drywall, siding, and stucco. DepLife can clearly distinguish between living things (people, etc.) and inanimate objects such as ceiling fans and robotic vacuums.
Law enforcement finds the device particularly useful when confronted with suspects who have barricaded themselves inside buildings during hostage and other incidents where situational awareness is key to saving lives. DepLife also provides crucial real-time information while investigating human trafficking cases.
The device works by transmitting radio wave pulses to hit objects inside structures. Those waves then return (reflect) back to the radar unit. The series of pulses occurs numerous times per second, enabling it to detect the smallest of movements, including human breathing. The capturing of these specific movements tells the device that it has indeed detected life.
The images captured by DepLife are streamed from the radar unit to a user interface that’s similar to the tablets we all use. Signals are transmitted by locally generated WiFi. The image seen by officers is a crossrange birds-eye view of the interior of the building. The software uses icons to depict the presence of life.
DepLife software uses icons to depict the presence of life. This is NOT an actual DepLife image. However, it is similar in style to what’s seen on the monitor.
To learn more about DepLife and MaXentric Technologies, click here.
If you’d rather stick to the old-style comic book X-Ray Spex, click the image below.
It’s ALMOST TIME!
2024 Killer Con registration opens in January 2024.
Be ready to sign up because this is a KILLER event that’s not to be missed!
Visit a homicide scene and solve the case using tactics, tools, and techniques learned throughout the event.
2024 Killer Con Guest of Honor is internally bestselling author Charlaine Harris.
Click the link below to visit the Killer Con (Writers’ Police Academy) website to view the schedule of events, classes, instructors, and special guest presenters.
2024 Killer Con
Christmas For Jimmy Lee Bailey: A Child in Need of Love
The call—a child in need of services.
What I found was a child in need of love.
His house sat at the end of a hard-packed red clay path. It was a shabby structure—a notch below “shack” status— that was clad in random lengths of mismatched clapboard-siding. Shreds of tar-paper and rusted tin covered some, but not all, of a rain-blackened plywood roof. Four white, spray-painted cinder-blocks served as a front stoop.
The front door had no knob or lock, just a curved metal handle worn slick from years of pulling and pushing. A brick propped against its bottom held it closed. Someone, I’m not sure who, “locked it” when they left.
I knocked.
“Come in,” a little voice said.
I used the toe of my boot to push the brick to one side.
It was just days before Christmas. There was no tree.
No presents.
No food.
No running water.
No cabinets. No stove.
No refrigerator. No beds.
No drywall. No insulation.
Just bare studs and rafters.
And cold.
Lots of cold.
A small dented and soot-caked kerosene heater fought a losing battle against a brutal December evening. Two re-purposed milk jugs used for holding fuel sat near the splintered front door. Both empty. The heater’s gauge rested at one click above E. The weak orange flame would soon fade away.
The temperature outside was 20, and dropping. The wind persistently forced its way through cracks and holes in the walls, floor, and gaps around the door and windows.
The place was not much more than a garden shed, one cobbled together from scrap wood and discarded “whatevers.”
A tattered blanket and two patchwork quilts. Threadbare and slick from wear.
No winter coats. No hats, nor gloves.
Dirty window panes.
One missing, replaced by a square of cardboard.
Dish towel curtains.
A hardware store calendar, two years old, hung on a dingy wall.
A cooler with no lid.
Mom, passed out on the floor.
A bottle of bourbon, its contents long gone.
A pipe for crack smoking.
“Mama says daddy will come home … someday.”
A dog. All ribs and backbone.
Sad eyes and broken spirit.
The floor, bare.
No rugs, no toys.
A table.
Two chairs.
A book.
Three sheets of paper.
The boy, writing.
Cigarettes.
A saucer for ashes, overflowing with discarded butts.
A deck of ragged playing cards.
Roaches. Scurrying up, down, there and here.
Mouse. Unafraid.
An old quilt.
A squalling baby.
The bugs, they’re there, too.
The stench.
A tin lard bucket in the corner.
A checkered cloth on top.
A half-empty roll of Scotts.
The only bathroom indoors.
“You writing a letter?”
A nod.
“To your Dad?”
“No, to Santa.”
“Mind if I have look?”
He held it up for me to see.
“Your handwriting is very nice.”
A smile.
“Dear Santa,
Don’t worry about the bicycle I asked for.
Or the Tonka trucks and new coat.
And I don’t even like video games anymore.
Or DVD’s and toy trains.
I’m too big for those things now.
‘Sides, some men came and took the TV. Said Mama couldn’t pay for it no more. The ‘lectric neither.
What I’d really like is a warm blanket for my brother. He needs some milk too. And some medicine to make his fever go away. And could you help my Mom some? She needs to stop drinking and smoking. I wish you could make those men leave her alone too. They get all lickered up and hit her and do things to her that make her cry. Maybe you could bring my mom a coat for Christmas this year. She don’t have one and she gets cold when she walks down the street to get her cigarettes and that other stuff she smokes.
And if you don’t mind too much could you bring my daddy something to eat. He don’t never have no money. And if you see God while you’re up there flying around please tell him to say hi to my baby sister. And ask him to tell her I’m sorry I couldn’t make Mama wake up and take her to the hospital. If you can do all that, don’t worry about bringing me nothing. I’d like that just fine.”
Your friend,
Jimmy Lee Bailey
*Jimmy Lee Bailey was definitely in need of some love. So, when Christmas morning rolled around he got his Tonka trucks, a bicycle, and a new coat. He also enjoyed a nice meal before moving to his new home. All courtesy of the guys who patrolled the graveyard shift.
The Twelve Nights Of Christmas Graveyard Shift
The Twelve Nights Of Graveyard Shift
On the first night of graveyard my sergeant gave to me, a car-tri-idge and a cuff key.
On the second night of graveyard my sergeant gave to me, two prostitutes, and a car-tri-idge and a cuff key.
On the third night of graveyard my sergeant gave to me, three stinky winos, two prostitutes, and a car-tri-idge and a cuff key.
On the fourth night of graveyard my sergeant gave to me, four calls from wackos, three stinky winos, two prostitutes, and a car-tri-idge and a cuff key.
On the fifth night of graveyard my sergeant gave to me, five … cans … of … pepper-spray, four calls from wackos, three stinky winos, two prostitutes, and a car-tri-idge and a cuff key.
On the sixth night of graveyard my sergeant gave to me, six drunks a-peeing, five … cans … of … pepper-spray, four calls from wackos, three stinky winos, two prostitutes, and a car-tridge and a cuff key.
On the seventh night of graveyard my sergeant gave to me, seven robbers running, six drunks a-peeing, five … cans … of … pepper-spray, four calls from wackos, three stinky winos, two prostitutes, and a car-tri-idge and a cuff key.
On the eighth night of graveyard my sergeant gave to me, eight maids embezzling, seven robbers running, six drunks a-peeing, five … cans … of … pepper-spray, four calls from wackos, three stinky winos, two prostitutes, and a car-tri-idge and a cuff key.
On the ninth night of graveyard my sergeant gave to me, nine ladies fighting, eight maids embezzling, seven robbers running, six drunks a peeing, five … cans … of … pepper-spray, four calls from wackos, three stinky winos, two prostitutes, and a car-tri-idge and a cuff key.
On the tenth night of graveyard my sergeant gave to me, ten perverts peeping, nine ladies fighting, eight maids embezzling, seven robbers running, six drunks a-peeing, five … cans … of … pepper-spray, four calls from wackos, three stinky winos, two prostitutes, and a car-tri-idge and a cuff key.
On the eleventh night of graveyard my sergeant gave to me, eleven crackheads smoking, ten perverts peeping, nine ladies fighting, eight maids embezzling, seven robbers running, six drunks a-peeing, five … cans … of … pepper-spray, four calls from wackos, three stinky winos, two prostitutes, and a car-tri-idge and a cuff key.
On the twelfth night of graveyard my sergeant gave to me, twelve hours of overtime, eleven crackheads smoking, ten perverts peeping, nine ladies fighting, eight maids embezzling, seven robbers running, six drunks a-peeing, five … cans … of … pepper-spray, four calls from wackos, three stinky winos, two prostitutes, and a car-tri-idge … and … a … cuff … keeey.
Tina Mott’s Killer Released from Prison, Without Supervision
After serving 25 years in prison (a plea deal) for brutally murdering Tina Mott and mutilating and dismembering her body, Timothy Bradford was released this week into the public. Since he served his full sentence, he is free and without supervision by authorities.
Hamilton, Ohio – June, 1996
It was at 622 Minor Avenue, in the upstairs apartment, where Timothy Bradford slashed the throat of his girlfriend, Tina Mott, killing her.
Bradford claimed that he and Tina had gone fishing earlier in the day and after returning home the couple decided to play a game of Monopoly. At some point during the game, Bradford claimed Tina became angry and charged him. He said he tried to defend himself and while doing so accidentally killed her with a fishing knife he held in his hand.
622 Minor Ave. I captured this photo from across the street while standing in the front yard of the Ruppert house, the scene of the largest family homicide in the U.S. Details of the Ruppert murders are below.
Then, after killing Tina, the mother of their young child, Bradford attempted to cover his tracks and conceal the identity of his victim by placing her body into the bathtub, where he slowly and methodically dismembered her, using a combination of 19 knives, a hacksaw, and a meat cleaver.
Bathtub where Timothy Bradford dismembered and skinned the body of his girlfriend, Tina Mott. I took this photo during a walkthrough of the property.
He also used a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove the teeth. Bradford later scattered most of Tina’s remains in a nearby field and lake. He flushed some of the skin and internal organs down the toilet drain in their apartment.
Two young boys found Tina’s skull while fishing.
Marks on the skull indicated the use of a serrated knife blade to scrape away flesh and tissue.
Tina Mott
While conducting interviews in the area, Tina’s former next-door neighbors told me that after her death they sometimes see her shadow pass by the windows of her apartment. Another neighbor firmly believed that Bradford consumed portions of Tina’s flesh after cooking it on a grill outside on the balcony.
The upstairs apartment where Tina lived and died burned in April 2020. The fire started on the balcony.
*Tina expressed on numerous occasions how spooky it was to live across the street from the Ruppert house, a place where several people were murdered.
Here’s part of Bradford’s confession to police.
Per a negotiated plea agreement, Timothy Bradford was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and abuse of a corpse.
Bradford’s booking photo at the time of his arrest
He was sentenced to 12-25 years for his crimes—Voluntary Manslaughter, Misuse of Credit Cards (He used Tina’s credit card after he killed her), Theft, and Abuse of a Corpse. He entered Ohio’s state prison system on September 24, 1997, just over a year after he murdered Tina Mott. He was denied parole at all hearings
Bradford was mandatorily released on December 6, 2023, after serving his full 25-year sentence.
Timothy Bradford’s inmate photo.
The Ruppert Murders
Hamilton, Ohio – Easter Sunday, March 30, 1975
James Ruppert was an excellent marksman so there was no better way to execute his mother, brother, sister-in-law, and each of their eight kids than to shoot them point blank as if they were nothing more than a row of empty and discarded tin cans. And that’s precisely what he did, starting with his brother Leonard.
Next came Leonard’s wife, Alma, followed by James’ mother, Charity. And, before either of the children could escape disaster, James shot and killed each of them, including four-year-old John, the youngest of the Ruppert brood.
Charity Ruppert, the family matriarch—her midsection a mangled mess, fell to the cold linoleum floor, dead. Her right hand rested above her right breast. The left stretched above her head as if reaching for something just out of her grasp. Her slacks and dress shoes were painted in blood spatter. Her eyeglasses lay beside her on the floor, tangled in her wavy hair. Mouth gaped open. The expression frozen on her face was one of surprise and disbelief. Her eyes stared blankly skyward.
The massacre lasted no more than five minutes.
Leonard Ruppert, his wife, Alma, and their children.
After slaying his family, James positioned his weapons throughout the house, staging the scene much as would a Realtor who carefully and meticulously places items in preparation of showing a house to potential clients.
Then, when he was satisfied that everything all was in order, James called the police and calmly stated, “There’s been a shooting.”
Ruppert crime scene photo – living room
Officer Bob Minor was the officer who responded to the call. Officer Terry Roberts would arrive a few moments later, as backup.
Ruppert home
Officer Minor, no stranger to gruesome homicide scenes, had never witnessed anything close to the carnage he saw inside the Ruppert House—the once neat-as-a-pin living room cluttered with the corpses of Charity Ruppert’s precious grandchildren, and a kitchen so full of dead bodies that Minor couldn’t make his way through without stepping on an arm, leg, or a torso. There was so much blood, Minor later told me, that it had begun to seep through the floorboards, dripping into the basement.
Ruppert crime scene photo – kitchen
James Ruppert was originally found guilty of eleven counts of 1st degree murder. However, on appeal, a three-judge panel found Ruppert guilty only of the murders of his mother and brother. They ruled him not guilty by reason of insanity for the nine other deaths.
Ruppert was sentenced to a minimum of 10 years to a maximum of life for each conviction. The two sentences were to be served consecutively. He entered the Ohio state prison on July 30, 1982.
Ruppert was denied parole at each hearing since the day his incarceration began. His next parole hearing was scheduled for February 2025, just shy of his 91st birthday. However, James Ruppert, inmate A169321, died on June 4, 2022
James Ruppert inmate photo in 2015
James Ruppert inmate photo in 2020
* * *
I wrote about each of these murders and the story, Murder on Minor Avenue, was published in the true crime anthology, Masters of True Crime, Chilling Stories of Murder and the Macabre.
Masters of True Crime is also available as an audio book.