Monday, February 18, 2008
RENO, NV. – Investigators have positively identified a body found in south Reno as Brianna Denison, a 19-year-old Santa Barbara City College student who was abducted from a friend's house on Jan. 20. Police now say they have used DNA found on Brianna's body to link her murder to a serial rapist, who has attacked at least two women in the area. Police also say that a pair of underwear found at the scene does not belong to Brianna and contains the DNA of the man who murdered her, along with the DNA of an unknown woman. The underwear could belong to a victim who has yet to come forward or to another murder victim, who has yet to be found. "We know who you are genetically. Eventually we will find you - in some fashion or another. You will slip up. You will come into contact with law enforcement and we'll get your DNA," Deputy Police Chief Jim Johns said at a news conference. The suspect is described as a white man, with light brown/dirty blonde hair, 5'8'' to 5' 10'' tall, with a slender to medium build. Anyone with information is asked to call the Reno Police Department tip line at 775-745-3521.
TALLAHASSEE, FL. – The Florida Supreme Court has denied an appeal by convicted serial killer Gary Ray Bowles, 46, to vacate his death sentence for the 1994 murder of Walter Jammell Hinton. "We affirm the denial of Bowles' post conviction claims and deny his petition for writ of habeas corpus," reads the judgment, which is available at Flcourts.org. Following his arrest in 1994, Bowels, nicknamed the "95 Killer," allegedly confessed to committing a total of six murders in Florida, Georgia and Maryland.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
PRESS RELEASE, Kingtractorpress.com — Missouri Serial Killer Comic Book Goes Free. Starting with issue #6, Family Bones issues will be released online for free. Last month the publisher King Tractor Press released their back catalog via the Wowio.com service. Users can download each comic book, manga, and graphic novel for free. With Family Bones #6 they've released their first unpublished comic book for free.
"This is a totally new idea in publishing," said King Tractor Press representative Claudia Nolasco. "Giving away product seems counterproductive, but it's really wonderful. Other than some samples handed out at conventions or street corners, you would never have seen something like this ten or even five years ago. What reader doesn't want as many free books as they can get?" Family Bones is the gruesome tale of Ray and Faye Copeland, told through the perspective of their visiting nephew. The writer Shawn Granger is the actual great nephew of Ray Copeland and deftly blends his own experiences with those that he gleaned from the rest of his family. Family Bones is a kind of gothic coming of age. The fish-out-of-water city boy fights to survive a summer on the family farm with a pair of serial killers. What makes it even more chilling is the fact that Ray and Faye appear to be a kind warm apple pie grandparent-type, but the pie is full of blood.
You can download Family Bones #6 (it does require that you first create a free Wowio.com user account) at: www.wowio.com/users/searchresults.asp?nPublisherId=132
All back issues of Family Bones can be found at http://www.kingtractorpress.com/. Summer 2008 King Tractor Press will release Family Bones Volume 1, collecting issues 1 through 5 into a trade paperback. Bookstores can order through Ingrams ISBN: 978-0-9787-4860-9 and comic book retailers can order directly through Diamond Distributors this coming summer.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
BOCA RATON, FL. – The television show America's Most Wanted will bring national attention to three unsolved murders this Saturday, during an episode that is scheduled to air at 9:00 p.m. on Fox. The show will cover the December 13, 2007, murders of Nancy Bochicchio, 47, and her 7-year-old daughter – a case that John Walsh believes is connected to the March 23, 2007 murder of 52-year-old Randi Gorenberg. "This is a serial killer. He is good at what he does. It's all about the power trip, and I know that when the cases get closer and closer together, like this pattern has, the killer is on the attack. So I say to everybody, don't let your guard down. It's a game for him," Walsh told WPBF last week. For moiré information on this case, read Criminal profiler Dr. Deborah Schurman-Kauflin's recent profile of the killer.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
TRENTON, N.J. – The families of 23 victims of convicted serial killer nurse Charles Cullen have reached a confidential settlement with Cullin's former employers. According to NJ.com, the hospitals involved include Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Warren Hospital in Phillipsburg, Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan Township and St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem, Pa. Following his arrest in 2003, Cullen, 47, pled guilty to the murder of 29 patients and the attempted murder of six others. As a result, he was sentenced to 18 life prison terms. Visit the Star-Ledger for full coverage of the Cullen case.
IPSWICH, England – The trial of suspected serial killer Steve Wright, 49, came to an end today, when a jury of nine men and three women found him guilty of murdering five prostitutes. "These appalling crimes left the community, a county and a nation in a state of profound shock," Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull told a reporter with Mirror.co.uk after the verdict was read. "They left Suffolk Constabulary facing the most daunting challenge in its history. At its peak, there were more than 600 police officers and staff, both from Suffolk and other police forces, involved in the investigation into the murders." In December 2006, police arrested Wright after DNA evidence and security camera footage linked him to at least one of the Suffolk Strangler victims. Shortly thereafter, Wright was charged in four other murder cases. During his arraignment hearing at Ipswich Crown Court, Wright pled not guilty to each of the murder charges.
Friday, February 22, 2008
HOLLYWOOD – The Parents Television Council (PTC) were probably a bit dismayed this week when Nielsen Media Research announced that 8.14 million viewers had tuned in to the CBS debut of Showtime's serial killer series Dexter, which depicts the life and crimes of a fictitious serial killer. "Sunday night was a great start. It was new programming for CBS and with more than 8 million viewers, terrific promotion for Dexter and Showtime," CBS spokesman Ed Harrison told Multichannel.com. According to a press release at PTC's Web site, which quotes PTC President Tim Winter, CBS is contributing to the "culture of violence" by airing the hit series. However, within the article, they fail to provide any statistical data to back up these claims. The PTC remains adamant that CBS cancel the show and they have created a form letter people can use to complain to the media about the program. If you agree with the PTC, visit the aforementioned link. If you disagree, click here to let the PTC know what YOU think.
WICHITA, KS – A documentary film about the 1974 murder of the Otero family by BTK serial killer Dennis Rader is scheduled to premiere at the Orpheum Theatre Monday. According to Imdb.com, the film, "Feast of the Assumption: The Otero Family Murders" is about "a living victim's personal journey through one of the most unique serial killer cases in U.S. history." Tickets for the film are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Surviving family member Charlie Otero is scheduled to make an appearance at the film's debut.
Trivia:
Last Week's Question and Answer:
Q: Which serial killer told the jury at their sentencing hearing: "May your wife and children get raped, right in the ass"?
A: Aileen Carol Wuornos
Case Description:
"She has been heralded in tabloid headlines and on television talk shows as America's first female serial killer. In fact, Aileen Wuornos was neither the first nor the worst, although she did display a curiously masculine tendency to prey on strangers of the opposite sex. Suspected of at least seven murders, sentenced to die in four of the six cases…" Read the rest at Skcentral.com.
Sharon Thomas, AKA Sharlock, was the first person to send in the correct answer. Congratulations Sharon! This week Sharon asks readers:
Which serial killer held block parties for his neighbors and entertained children as "Pogo the Clown"?
The first person to send in the correct answer will have his or her name listed in next week's edition of Serial Killer News Briefs and will have the opportunity to pose the next trivia question.
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