By David Lohr
June 29, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
RICHMOND COUNTY, GA— The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and death sentence of convicted serial killer Reinaldo J. Rivera, 43. In 2004, Rivera confessed to the rape and murder of four women dating back to 1999. The victims were 21-year-old Army Sgt. Marni Glista and three teenage girls: Tabitha Bosdell, Melissa Dingess, and Tiffany Wilson. The state's highest court ruled unanimously that Rivera received a fair trial and that his crimes justified his sentence.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
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| Wayne Williams |
FULTON COUNTY, GA — In February, Georgia prosecutors agreed to allow DNA testing of dog and human hair evidence used in the 1982 trial of alleged serial child murderer Wayne Williams. The tests on the dog hair have been completed and, according to District Attorney L. Paul Howard Jr., forensic analysts at the UC Davis lab have been unable to exclude Williams' dog, a German shepherd mix named Sheba, as a source of hairs recovered from five of the victims. "All seven hairs tested are the same as Sheba's," Howard said during a live news conference today at WVEE-FM. "Even though the tests identified mitochondrial DNA sequencing, the tests were not inconclusive as some have already started to spin. The tests conclusively prove the animal hair collected from the five crime scenes and the five bodies of the five victims was the same as Sheba's." Lynn H. Whatley, Williams' defense attorney, countered Howard's claims. "First of all, the conclusions they are making are not correct," Whatley said. "The findings of the scientists were clearly that they could not exclude Sheba. This is not a DNA match." The FBI is now conducting Comparative DNA tests on Williams' hair and pubic hair recovered from the body of 11-year-old Patrick Baltazar.
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| Paul Durousseau |
JACKSONVILLE, FL— Earlier this month a jury of seven women and five men deliberated for 8 1/2 hours before finding accused serial killer Paul Durousseau, 36, guilty in the 1999 rape, robbery, and murder of Tyresa Mack, 24. Today that same jury returned to court to begin deliberating whether to recommend the death penalty for Durousseau. Anything other than a majority vote could lead to a life sentence. Durousseau still faces trials in six other murder cases, dating back to 1997.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
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| Keith Hunter Jesperson |
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA— Last summer, prosecutors charged Keith Hunter Jesperson, AKA the "Happy Face Killer," with the May 1993 murder of a Jane Doe. According to his own account, Jesperson met her at a truckers' rest stop in Corning. Jesperson murdered her after they had sex and dumped her body on Highway 152. Her decomposed remains were found one month later. Investigators with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office are trying to identify the woman, and in a bold move, the district attorney's office struck a deal with Jesperson whereby — in exchange for his full cooperation — they will not seek the death penalty against him. This summer Detective Ronald Breuss, a 26-year veteran in the sheriff's office, will put up posters with information and a sketch of the victim, who Jesperson claims was a prostitute, at truck stops along I-5 in hopes that someone might recognize her. This is the second time in recent weeks Jesperson has been in the news. Last week Crime Library posted a link to the contents of a letter Jesperson wrote about a 1990 attempted murder in Shasta.
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