Burl Barer True Crime Author Appearing on Justice Interrupted

Burl Barer is an Edgar Award winning author and two-time Anthony Award nominee will be our special guest on Justice Interrupted, Tuesday December 2, 2008.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/justiceinterrupted 8:00PM PST/ 10:00PM CST/ 11:ooPM EST

Barer wrote, produced, and often voiced, national radio and television spots for such performing artists as Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, Carly Simon, Eric Clapton, Moody Blues, Fleetwood Mac, Liza Minelli, Temptations, Four Tops, and many more. Barer also created and produced national radio and/or television campaigns for Warner/Electra/Atlantic, Media One, Management III, and Seattle Pacific Industries. Other national/regional clients have included Penzoil, Safeway, Superlube, Black Angus Restaurants.

And he co-hosts out law crime radio every saturday.

Barer contributed his media savvy to numerous publications and projects over the years, it was his internationally acclaimed 442 page critical/biographical study of Leslie Charteris' enduringly different Robin Hood of Modern Crime, Simon Templar, which earned him the highest honor from the Mystery Writers of America -- The 1994 Edgar Allen Poe Award. The Saint: A Complete History in Print, Radio, Television, and Film not only received the Edgar, but also an Anthony Award nomination from the World Mystery Convention.

Contracted by the estate of Leslie Charteris to pen a minimum of three new novels in the popular Saint series, Barer completed Capture the Saint, the first original Saint novel in thirteen years. Film rights to the previous 52 Saint books were acquired by producer Robert Evans. Paramount Pictures released the Saint, starring Val Kilmer, in 1997. Barer's novelization of the film's screenplay, THE SAINT, published by Simon and Schuster Pocketbooks, has sold over 100,000 copies in English, and has been translated into French, Japanese, Hebrew, Chinese, and German.

At the request of Warner Brothers, Barer accompanied Mel Gibson, James Garner, and Jodie Foster on the set of the hit film Maverick, writing the colorful companion book to that rollicking, uproarious western. Man Overboard: The Counterfeit Resurrection of Phil Champagne (1995), a wry and humorous genre-bending true crime adventure earned a nomination for the coveted Anthony Award by the World Mystery Convention as Best True Crime Book of the Year.

Coping With The Holidays Without Your Loved One

Coping with Holidays

It is not wrong for you to feel angry, sad, or overwhelmed by impending holidays. Because you are not able to control these changes, you are bound to have feelings that conflict with what you used to feel during holidays. If others around you are not feeling the same, you may feel further alienated. What used to make you happy and joyous may now make you feel sad and angry.

Ten Thoughts on Coping

It is always difficult to live through holidays in the aftermath of intense tragedy. For victims and survivors, holidays are often marked with pain and anguished memories. What, in the past, may have been a time for family gatherings and celebration will be a time for missing loved ones and a sense of loss.

HOLIDAY SOLUTIONS - STEPPING STONES

Plan aheadHave a backup planEmbrace the feelings - both good and badRealize it doesn't have to be the best holiday ever - just get through it!Find something different to doGo to a buffet instead of fixing the big mealLeave townTake the pressure off of yourself - don't fake itHave reasonable expectations of yourself and othersAdd something to your tradition that honors your loved one - light a candle create whatever holiday you want feel comfortable in doing.

Surviving That First Holiday Season After a LossFor people who have lost a loved one, through death, divorce, or even relocation, big holidays throughout the following year often prove painful and difficult. Rituals that brought joy in years past serve instead as stark reminders of missing loved ones."Holidays can reawaken the grieving process," says Marianne Wamboldt, MD, Director of the Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders at National Jewish Medical and Research Center. "It can be extremely painful. But there are ways to cope, things you can do to get through the holidays and even to find comfort.

"Coping with Holiday GriefAt holiday time, many people are dealing with loss and are often caught in a dilemma between the need to grieve and the pressure to get into the spirit of the season. Holidays or not, it is important for the bereaved to find ways to take care of themselves. The following guidelines may be helpful:Suggestions for filling your holiday loss and tears with celebratio...Express yourself through artwork.Begin your holiday dinner with a minute of silent prayer and a toast in their honorSend up a balloon(s) with messages and prayers to your loved one.During the meal ask the question, "What comes to your mind when you think of (this person)_________?", and share memories with those who surround you. Plant a tree or a special plant in their honor in your garden or in your home.Create special Christmas ornaments for your tree and hang a stocking in their honor.Write a letter or even keep a journal of your thoughts.Light a candle(s) in their memory.Place a single flower or bouquet of flowers that your loved one cherished as the centerpiece.The "Shames" or head candle in the Hanukah celebration can be in honor of your loved oneLook at pictures (or display pictures) from past holidays shared with your loved one. View videos, audiotapes and any remembrances, which reflect on the wonderful times you experienced together.

Design a quilt with the memories you haveWrite a brief history of the ups and downs you have experienced in the past year and place it into a Christmas stocking or some memorable cache that you can add to yearly.Play a favorite songCreate a sacred alter with photos and treasures where you can sit and reflect.If you vacation in a special area that you used to go to with your loved one, do something special in honor of them.Consider volunteering for an organization affiliated with your loved one;s illness, hospice or a caregiving program to help others through your own experiences.Vounteer to help feed the homeless over Thanksgiving & Christmas.Volunteer to read or spend time with the elderly in nursing homes, hospitals or to read and spend time with children who have terminal illnesses in hospitals.Donate gifts in your loved one's name. This is even more special when you donate in memory at their birthday, a special anniversary, etc.Offer a scholarship in a loved one's name.

Remembering at the Holidays

The principle that we should keep in mind is: they may not be here any more, but they are still here.For those with loved ones still missing, not knowing can be the wor...OF ALL the agonies that an outrage creates, the worst is not knowing. It is almost beyond that of loss and grows in the silence of an unanswered telephone.Our hope is that this information is helpful to you as you approach...

Source : Please consider joining Peace4 the Missing

This is an importantMissing Persons Awareness and Support Networkhttp://peace4missing.ning.com/

Where Are Michael Tapley & William Smolinski,Jr?

Missing, Murder and Cold Cases Yet To be Solved-Tuesday November 25, 2008

8:00 PM PST/ 10:00PM CST/ 11:00PM EST

Go to this link and listen live:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/justiceinterrupted

Call in with your questions: 914-338-0663Guests:

11/25/2008William (Billy) Smolinski, Jr., was last seen alive in Waterbury, CT ,on August 24, 2004. Billy’s family in particular, his mother Jan Smolinski may not have been able to locate her son, yet, but she has championed the cause for many missing and murdered families across the country on her journey to justice4billy. She will share important information along with tools for families devastated by crime.

In Snow Flake Arizona, Michael Tapley, vanished on February 15, 2008. The 51 year- old was last seen ending his shift at work. He told his co-workers he was going to stay home over the long holiday weekend. The last person to see him, his wife Gina Tapley. Navajo County Coroner has autopsied a body is it Michael Tapley? With updates on her brothers case is Tapley’s Kim Palmer, from Washington..

Gil Alba He will take your questions live on the air.

And from Peace4missing site we will be joined by Maggie's Rose on cases and verdicts making headlines.

Moving Out Moving On: Divorce and Your Options

Going through a divorce is time consuming and costly.

Your credit status changes with the snap of a finger. And with little to no financial resources it can be difficult.

Moving Out, Moving On is a workbook that assists you in protecting your financial assests by altering credit card and financial institutions.

It helps you understand your options in divorce no matter who files the paperwork with the court. Most importantly, the book will save you thousands of dollars in lawyers fees.

It is your legal roadmap within a very confusing system. And the book offers important direction if you are in an abusive relationship.

To order you copy just go to Amazon.com.

Crime Investigation Expert Gil Alba on Justice Interrupted

On Tuesday, November 25, 2008, Justice Interrupted Radio is featuring a special show for unsolved murders, cold cases and the missing. He has solved a number of missing person and murder cases. Please join us!

Gil Alba will be our very special guest Tuesday, November 25, 2008 his website is http://www.gilalba.com/ he will answer your calls live.

The number to call is 1-914-338-0663.

Show airs 8:00PM Pacific Standard Time/ 10:00PM Central Standard Time/ 11:00PM EST

You can email case details before the show to : contact@movingoutmovingon.com

If you have a missing persons case or an unsolved murder of a loved one, tune in and call into the show.

Listen Live and Click: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/justiceinterrupted

Gil Alba Facilitated the rescue in a high profile kidnapping case, returning a $3 million ransom. HARVEY WEINSTEIN , CEO of the largest U.S. manufacturer of tuxedos, was kidnapped in New York after having breakfast. The kidnappers wanted $3 million in ransom. He was recovered unharmed from a 12-day stay in a 14-foot hole in the ground.

What does Gil Alba ask when his private investigations firm is hired to probe a day-care center? A sampling of the former NYPD detective's questions:
Newsday.com Child Care Article.
Mr. Alba's personal Child Care Questionnaire.

Larry Andrews Jr. disappeared without a trace on New Years Eve in New York City Missing Without a Trace: No Known Suspects
State’s First Missing Persons Day Will Help Ease Suffering For Families

MISSING STUDENT’
"It’s unspeakable, the anguish that we feel," she said. Kristine Kupka, an honor student originally from the Midwest, was last heard from on Oct. 24, 1998. She allegedly left a message on her sister’s answering machine ...
Read about the family's billboard plea.
Read more about the Kupka case.

Drew Peterson Roasting Marshmallows

Drew Peterson is once again making headline news with his recent trip to a Chicago lawyer regarding his "options" to divorce his wife Stacy Peterson, for desertion.

Drew Peterson's actions and remarks have been distubing since Stacy Peterson, vanished.

Instead of the media reporting every sneeze and cough of Peterson and his team of legal roasters, the media should offer information on how women can leave their abusive relationships safely, without being killed.

In my opinion, Drew Peterson is a walking, talking testament of a violent serial criminal.

The only documentation that publicly exists, pointing directly at this cowardly abuser, are the letters that Kathleen Savio wrote to the Will County State's Attorney prior to her death. And let us not forget the photo's of the beatings to Kathleen's face and body during her marriage to Peterson.

These women were married to a police officer. This officer, sworn to protect, unable to stop himself from causing deadly harm to the mother(s) of his own children. Peterson would have the world believe he is an innocent bystander of circumstances or as Matt Lauer stated during numerous interviews,"bad luck."

There is no such thing as "bad luck" or a "bystander criminal victim" as Peterson would like the world to believe.

There are three important facts in this tragedy. Kathleen Savio was murdered. Stacy Peterson is not among the living. And four innocent children are without their mother's forced to live with, in my opinion, a killer.

Eye On Prevention: November 18, 2008

Jennifer Bishop Jenkins interest in public policy and advocacy began with a life altering moment in Jennifer's life in 1990. Jennifer's sister Nancy, her husband Richard Langert, and their unborn child were brutally murdered in their Winnetka townhouse, killed by a thrill-seeking 16 year old neighbor whose only motive was that he wanted to "see what it would feel like to shoot someone".

Driven in the wake of this high-profile tragedy to understand the causes of such violence and to help everyone to live in safe and happy communities, Jennifer got to work to insure no other family would have to suffer as hers did. Now Jennifer is a frequent figure in the news media, a dynamic and sought after public speaker, and devoted activist, advocate, organizer, and public servant. She will be a guest on Justice Interrupted Radio.

8:00 PM PST/ 10:00PM CST/ 11:00PM ESTListen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/justiceinterrupted

Other Guests on The Show: Dana Pretzer , Host of the popular Scared Monkeys Radio a national news based /entertainment talk show for 10 years. He breaks news makers before the networks. Covering stories Like Natalee Holloway, OJ Simpson, Drew Peterson, Missing Persons, High Profile Cases In The News, Entertainment, Politics and The Law.

Robert Geffner, PhD, ABPP, ABPN is the Founder and President ofInstitute on Violence, Abuse and TraumaFounder/President, Family Violence & Sexual Assault Institute Clinical Research Professor, CSPP and respected Author.

Joing Co-Hosts Stacy Dittrich, Robin Sax and Susan Murphy-Milano

Dana Pretzer and Justice Interrupted

Tuesday November 18, 2008

8:00 PM Central Standard Time / 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

Join Dana Pretzer host of Scaredmonkeysradio.com with his special guests when he takes his listeners right from the reported crime to the punishment and beyond.

Joining Dana will be a Victim of horrific domestic violence , the Victims Mother, a Police Officer (Stacy Dittrich), a DA (Robin Sax), and a Victims Advocate and violence expert (Susan Murphy Milano) http://www.justiceinterrupted.blogspot.com/

We will take the listener from the moment the crime occurred, to the investigation, to the court and just how the system is working or failing.

E! True Hollywood: "Husband's Who Kill"

Tonight at 9:00 PM EST E! True Hollywood Story Investigates.

The one-hour episode, "Husbands Who Kill," explores cases of seemingly loving husbands driven to murder their wives. One was in fact a loving husband. Problem was, his wife loved another man.

Tonight's program on E! investigates the cases of four women slain by their husbands. The three men who only appeared to be loving husbands had been living lies. Two had misled family and friends into believing they were pursuing advanced degrees, one a medical degree, the other an MBA from Harvard. The truth was that neither had graduated from college and both were running out of money and lies. At least one of the wives discovered the truth, but did not live to tell. The other man gave his "ailing" wife Gatorade spiked with antifreeze and went on to become a popular radio host. WCI's Author / Broadcaster Michele McPhee wrote about that case and others in "Why Are Smart Women Carried Away by Fakes?"

The third husband living a lie was David Temple, a Texas football star turned high-school coach. Temple ended up being prosecuted by WCI's Kelly Siegler for firing a shotgun20into the back of his wife's head. Belinda Temple was eight months pregnant with their second child. (Siegler, right, grills Temple during the trial)

In fact, two of tonight's cases involve husbands convicted of taking the lives of their wives and unborn children. Lately, any story about a pregnant wife murdered by her husband immediately draws a Laci Peterson comparison. But the Temple case pre-dated Laci's by several years. The tale is complete with an Amber Frey character—with one key distinction: Scott Peterson's lover did not know she was dating a married man until he became a suspect in his wife's disappearance. When Frey realized that Scott had been motivated to do away with his wife so he could be with Amb er, she helped authorities put him away. David Temple's love interest,

Heather Scott—a teacher at the school where David coached—knew her lover was someone's husband=2 0and father. After David murdered his wife, Heather married him and testified on his behalf (above).

Once the cold-case made it to trial, the courtroom heated up as Kelly Siegler clashed with renowned criminal defense attorney Dick DeGuerin, proving the media's prediction of "fireworks" in the courtroom between the legal giants to be an understatement. DeGuerin (pictured right of Temple, upon conviction) maintains his client—who was filmed on Home Depot surveillance camer as around the time of the murder—was not guilty. DeGuerin accused Siegler of being so effective at her job that she'd done what defense attorney Richard "Racehorse" Haynes once said was inevitable: "She's convicted an innocent man ."

The victim's family saw things differently. When Temple was finally convicted nearly nine years after the murder, Belinda's brother said he'd suspected David's involvement within ten minutes of her death. Following sentencing, her father said, "People have told us, 'Get over it.' You can't get over your baby—especially in these types of circumstances. . . . Put a shotgun to my baby's head and blow her brains out . It just wasn't right. And I'm so glad justice has prevailed."
Kelly Siegler's case is just one among four stories of husbands who kill. For a full hour on that story, look for the show WCI's Jenna Jackson is producing for http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/48hours. Or wait for the book that Kathryn Casey is working on: Shattered: The David Temple Story.
But don't miss Susan and Kelly tonight, in what the producer for "Husbands Who Kill" promises to be a provocative hour of television. Click here to watch the trailer for the next THS Investigates: An in-depth examination of criminal behavior.

Friday, November 14th, 2008 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Central Time

One Woman's Fight For Justice

Finally, Safe, begining her new life, a woman's right to live her life without the threat of violence makes the front page of the Chicago Tribune. On November 17, 2008, In a Will County Illinois Courthouse, this courageous woman will step foot in the courtroom, for justice. Below is the prepared for the judge, prior to the sentencing of her ex-husband John Samolis. A convicted felon for violating a court order of protection after his release from Stateville Illinois Correctional facility.

My name is Regan Martin Samolis:

For years we were abused and battered by John Samolis. I didn't know how to get away and be able to protect my children. Then he raped me and beat me so severely the law put him away. That allowed me and my children to get help. It wasn't easy but it was much better than the abuse we had suffered. We've been in therapy ever since.

My children and I suffer from nightmares and anxiety. He had made us feel like we were nothing. He continues to threaten us. He's taken a huge part of our lives and terrorized us and tortured us. He took away our hope for a future.

Therapy has helped us immensely. But I will always look over my shoulder and fear him. I know he wanted to kill me. He has told me so many times.

He has an explosive temper and as the children grew he beat them, more and more. I've sat in therapy and listened to my son's tell about how they hid for hours under the dirty laundry to escape a beating from their father. They told the therapist how they were beat with video cables. His anger increased and escalated as the boys grew.

John was not just abusive he was also neglectful. A few weeks before my youngest son turned 3 he fell 3 stories while under my husbands care. Chase ruptured his spleen, kidney and had severe internal injuries. He almost died.

John Samolis was severely beaten as a child. I don't want my children to grow up to be like him. I could see the effect his abuse had on them. I wanted to leave but was afraid. I am still afraid of him, so are my children.

We lost our home, we had to relocate and had to file bankruptcy. Attorney fees have cost me thousands for the divorce and transport permission. Therapy has been very costly, though worth every cent. I am the sole support of my children. We live with my mother and stepfather who help me care for them.

It's been very difficult losing everything and moving. But with the help of family and therapy we are much better off and looking forward to the future. Nothing was as bad as the abuse.

Please help us, by making John Samolis accountable for his actions. Don't let him keep on ignoring the law. He has broken every OP. He thinks he can manipulate the system.

Please give us time to heal and grow as a loving family. Help me to protect my children, their safety is my highest priority. I want my children's voices heard. They deserve equality and freedom from abuse. Please look at the drawings they did for their therapist, please read the therapists letter. Please read my Victim’s Impact Statement and look at the Timeline of abuse.

I am proud of my children for having the courage to tell the therapist about the abuse they suffered. It is not their fault their father beat them and me. It's not my fault he raped and beat me and continues to stalk and harass me. You have the power to help stop this from happening again, please protect my children and me.

8-Year Old Boy Charged with Double Murder

VIDEO REPORT: 8 year-old accused of murder in Flagstaff, AZ

According to MSNBC- It's a crime that police officers in a small eastern Arizona community can hardly fathom yet have to deal with: an 8-year-old charged in the fatal shootings of his father and another man.

"Who would think an 8-year-old kid could kill two adults?" St. Johns Police Chief Roy Melnick said Friday.

The killings on Wednesday sent shock waves through St. Johns, a community of about 4,000 people. The boy had no disciplinary record at school, and there was no indication he had any problems at home, prosecutors said.

"It was such a tragedy," said the boy's defense attorney, Benjamin Brewer. "You have two people dead; you have an 8-year-old in jail. It tugs at the heart strings. It's a shocker, no doubt about it."

On Friday, a judge determined there was probable cause to show that the boy fatally shot his father, Vincent Romero, 29, and Timothy Romans, 39, with a .22-caliber rifle. The boy faces two counts of premeditated murder. Under Arizona law, charges can be filed against anyone 8 or older.

Police said the boy did not act on the "spur of the moment," though he didn't elaborate on what the motive might have been.

Police officers arrived at Romero's home within minutes of the shooting Wednesday. They found one victim just outside the front door and the other dead in an upstairs room.

Romans had been renting a room at the Romero house, prosecutors said. Both men were employees of a construction company working at a Salt River Project power plant.

The boy went to a neighbor's house and said he "believed that his father was dead," said Apache County attorney Brad Carlyon.

Melnick said police obtained a confession from the boy, but Brewer said police overreached in questioning the boy without representation from a parent or attorney and did not advise him of his rights.

"They became very accusing early on in the interview," Brewer said. "Two officers with guns at their side, it's very scary for anybody, for sure an 8-year-old kid."

A judge ordered a psychological evaluation of the boy, who was being held at the Apache County juvenile detention center.

"He had no record of any kind, not even a disciplinary record at school," he said. "He has never been in trouble before."

FBI statistics show instances of children younger than 11 committing homicides are very rare. According to recent FBI supplementary homicide reports, there were at least three such cases each year in 2003, 2004 and 2005; there were at least 15 in 2002. More recent statistics weren't available, nor were details of the cases.
Earlier this year in Arizona, prosecutors in Cochise County filed first-degree murder charges against a 12-year-old boy accused of killing his mother.
Romero had full custody of the child. The boy's biological mother visited St. Johns during the weekend from Mississippi, and returned to Arizona after the shootings, Carlyon said.
Brewer said the boy appeared to be in good spirits, but "he's scared."

"He's trying to be tough, but he's scared," according to his lawyer.

Legal Soap Opera Continues For Drew Peterson

According to a Press Release today by Author Derek Armstrong whose "Drew Peterson Exposed" released in October, obtained confidential juror comments. It seems that Peterson's legal strategy from my favorite legal roaster will be focusing on "vindictive prosecution" as a defense in the December 5th gun trial.

Leaked or just skillful detective work Author Armstrong obtained confidential juror comments from a mock trial held in Michigan.

CHICAGO – Drew Peterson’s defense team's strategy will focus on “vindictive prosecution” to keep their high-profile client out of prison, according to documents obtained by author and investigative journalist Derek Armstrong who covers the Peterson saga.

Armstrong says a mock trial was held at Michigan State University in advance of the real trial to take place early next month in which Peterson could go to prison for up to 5 years if convicted of possessing an illegal weapon.

Polygraphs Reveal the Shocking Truth About Stacy Peterson and Kathleen Savio, tracked down the juror source after interviews for the book indicated a mock trial was planned. “I continue to pursue the Drew Peterson case and I'm following up leads that I've obtained," Armstrong explained. “I assumed a mock trial would be staged at a law school, which led me to Michigan State University.”

Armstrong says he verified the information from copies of the eighteen juror questionnaires he legally obtained from one of the ‘jurors.’ Peterson's defense attorneys Joel Brodsky and Andrew Abood acknowledged the mock trial took place but declined to comment on the leak of the documents, Armstrong says. The "Vindictive prosecution” defense is being pursued because no other police officer has ever been charged for this offense. The defense says these charges are being brought only because Peterson is a suspect in the homicide of third wife Kathleen Savio and disappearance of fourth wife Stacy Peterson.

"The gun trial is more about charging Drew with something," Armstrong quoted Brodsky as telling him. According to the documents Armstrong obtained, the defense will pursue three arguments, including:• “vindictive prosecution”• “prior knowledge of the Bolingbrook Police Department that Drew Peterson used the AR-15 as a secondary duty weapon”• “State and Federal exemptions” for law enforcers.

Based on the juror questionnaires, Armstrong expects Drew Peterson to testify at the actual trial to take place Dec. 5. Jurors commented that his testimony was “convincing” or “compelling.” “In my private interviews with Drew Peterson for the book Drew Peterson Exposed, he boasts about his ability to testify convincingly,” Armstrong said. “It makes sense he’d testify.” Among those who voted “guilty,” the “vindictive prosecution” defense was rated as not convincing and the most common reason for the guilty verdict was “the defendant knowingly installed an illegal length barrel.” Mock jurors voting “guilty” considered the fact that the Bolingbrook Police Department knew the AR-15 was Peterson’s secondary duty weapon as “not important.” These jurors were more likely to regard the argument “that no other police officer has ever been charged for this offense” as not relevant.

The documents show that jurors were asked to rate the arguments of both prosecution and defense, then to render a verdict. All eighteen of the mock jurors stated in questionnaires, that they “were able to set aside any bias" against Peterson in the homicide of Kathleen Savio and the disappearance of Stacy Peterson in reaching their verdict. This lack of bias likely led to a defense decision to pursue a jury trial over a bench trial, Armstrong says. In the mock trial, a few jurors objected to closing arguments from the prosecution to the prejudicial statement that Drew Peterson “is a suspect in his wife’s homicide.”

Some jurors requested more information on why Drew Peterson gave his guns to his son Stephen and one asked for more testimony from the officers who initiated the warrant.

Demographics and psychographics of the jury included more men than women, and an equal mix of republicans and democrats, but there was no obvious trend between political affiliation, age or sex in verdicts. Just under half of the jurors were gun owners or members of the National Rifle Association, but no jurors had ever worked in law enforcement or the military. Five of the eighteen jurors, who came down with “guilty” verdicts, indicated a very solid presentation from the defense team, in their comments. Those coming down with a “not guilty verdict” pointed to “vindictive prosecution” as a key factor and that the People didn’t prove their case “beyond a reasonable doubt.” The prosecution statement “that just because it (the gun) was overlooked didn’t make it legal” was rated as the most effective argument for the people.

The defense’s arguments and opening and closing statements were overall rated, varying from simple “okay” ratings to “solid and on point” to “very convincing.”

Stay tuned as the "Legal Camp Marshmallow"team works their way around the monopoly board looking for that "get out of jail" free card.

Abusive Cops Who Beat & Kill Their Own Families

Listen LIVE : Saturday, November 8, 2008
Susan Murphy Milano- on TRUE CRIMES -- Listen live 2pm Pacific, 4pm Central, 5pm Eastern

Go to http://www.outlawcrime.com/ and listen to the show.

It's the deep, dark secret within the rank and file of Law Enforcement Agencies across America: Some of the same officers who are supposed to be breaking up domestic disputes in this country are abusing their own wives and girlfriends. Many police departments continuing to look the other way. Susan Murphy Milano said, "I am the daughter of a Chicago Violent Crimes Detective whose father murdered her mother before taking his own life. I will not rest until those who abuse and kill are held accountable.

Recently, I received a lot of emails and letters from women married to Law Enforcement Officers Across the Country with no place to turn for assistance. All because a husband or boyfriend was a respected law enforcement officer. There is no excuse for violence, especially in a police officers home.

Why aren't departments seeking a zero-tolerance policy on domestic violence committed by police officers? Is it too embarrassing? Family members rarely come forward to report these crimes and if they do, they are often victimized even more by their abusive officer spouse or boyfriend.

" He was going to kill me. How can you let him keep his gun and stay on the street?" (Wife of Boston Police Officer)

" When a police department does not take action, we, the families of officers feel powerless and worried about our own lives and the safety of their kids. All this does is further victimize us, when will it end?" (Wife of a New York State Tropper)

Another Wife of an officer said "You know the words on the side of police cars "We Serve And Protect", let me tell you every time I see that I'm sick with grief. It doesn't apply to me. It should read, "hey, we serve and protect our own"!

The women say that when they notified police, investigating officers were reluctant to pursue the cases. Evidence was mishandled. Some of the women were pressured by other officers or top brass to drop their complaints. "I was treated like a criminal, I was trying to get some help here," said another. The silence regarding cops who abuse and even kill their spouses is deafening...just this week there was another shocking case in the headlines.

Who do you call when your husband, the police officer, is beating the hell out of you?
Susan's quest for justice has been trumpeted across the pages of newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She is active in Women In Crime, Ink . (visit their site!)She has also been on all the big shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Radio, ABC's 20/20, CBS 48 Hours, Nightline, CNN, Sunday Today Show Profile, Women's Day, Family Circle Magazine, U.S. News and World Report to name only a few.But NOW, Susan has the the Ultimate Media Appearance: TRUE CRIMES with Burl Barer and Don Woldman!

Susan also does a show on blogspot radio, Justice Interrupted. Get full details on the show when you listen to ours!!

Hope For Kailyce Requires Your Attention

Presently, the murder trial of Amy Mulllins(pictured left) is happening in Western Washington state, about 20 miles from the capital of Olympia, called Rochester.

Because it is a small town, it will not be coverered on Fox News ,CNN or in USA Today. The only likely place to hear or read anything on the trial is if you head on over to the Juror 13 site and read the most current updates.

This is yet another case, where a man, once married to Amy stands trial for her murder. The couple were seperated and Amy wanted a divorce. The couple have a 15 year-old daughter, her name is Kailyce. (pictured above on the right)

Excerpts from Juror 13: It was a typical Saturday morning, July 21, 2007, with regular chit chat with her daughter. Then it was time for a trip to the laundromat, but, Amy never made it. Her jeep was found in the driveway.

"The dog was in the passenger seat, the keys for the jeep in the ignition, there was coffee in the cup holder and she had her purse in the car," said Kailyce.
The family started calling, frantically trying to find where Amy had gone. Amy's stepmother said it felt like something that you just read about, that happens to other people. "This doesn't happen to your family," she said.
Investigators talked to Steve Mullins that same Saturday. He wasn't considered a suspect at that time.
After speaking with the deputies, Steve called a relative and made comments that led investigators to believe that he may have some information regarding her whereabouts and condition. They soon lost contact with him.

The search was on. Police and search teams combed many areas, including the area that the family went out to search, with no avail.
On the following Monday, July 23, 2007, Amy's family members discovered her body in an abandoned refrigerator east of the property that Amy and Steve had lived on, for almost 20 years.
That same day, Steve Mullins turned himself in to the Grays Harbor County Jail.
Two days later, July 25, Mullins bail was set for $1,000,000 at the Thurston County Superior Court.

According to family members, Steve Mullins told Amy, the night before the killing,"I'll have you in life or I'll have you in heaven."
Mullins told a detective that the circumstances of his wife's death were "like a dream" in which "he was out of his body... watching everything happen," according to documents filed by prosecutors in court. "He said she insulted his manhood, that she put his hands around her throat and that she 'made' him strangle her."
No surprise: His defense lawyer, Eric Pilon has said Mullins has mental problems.

We often do not discuss, consider or take time to reach out to the children living their life without their parent, be it their mother, father or both. In many ways these children who are casualitites of the war on violence in the home are unable to go home every, again. because it no longer exists. When you remove a parent in a violent way from a child's life, it is in my personal opinion like removing ones "country". I mean to say that it is gone. Their lives cannot be repaired or even healed. Because they have had their hopes and dreams ripped from within them.

It nearly 20 years since my own mother was abruptly taken away. I still carry an open wound, that is unlikely to ever heal. People who I thought would be there, were not. Promises to remain in contact, never happened after my parents murder suicide.

Kailyce during this time needs our support and encouragement. If you and everyone else who reads this could take a moment and send her words of prayer and encouragement it will go a long way in this teenager's life. Yes, you will need to take a moment to register on the Jurorthirteen.com site. But, your words will lift the life of a child, born into a place for which she had no control.

Now, in the midst of the murder trial of her mother, she is scared, confused and without hope. Show her support by commenting on this blog over at Juror Thirteen. Or maybe contact the radio station http://www.kmnt.com/ and see if the general manager of the Station (email address):

JohnDimeo@bicoastalmedia.com can send a word of support out to their listeners for Kailyce Mullins.

Let's give Kailyce some hope!

Shattered Silence in the Blue World

Ammunition and knives found in the nightstand of retired NYPD crime scene sergeant Raymond Sheehan. He told his wife his forensics expertise would let him get away with anything.

In February of 2008, Barbara Sheehan(pictured above) wife of New York retired Sgt. Raymond Sheehan was charged with second degree murder.If it sounds simple it is not.

If you think Barbara Sheehan could have easily planned an escape away from the violence, I can attest to the fact, her only exist strategy would have been in a body bag, hers.

This morning the 47 -year old Barbara was interviewed on Good Morning America with her daughter sitting beside her. As I heard the woman speak, it was no different from my own mother's words. And, Barbara Sheehan is the same age as my own mother, Roberta Murphy, who was also married to a homicide detective out of Chicago.

My mother was not so lucky. She was carried out in a body bag.

Growing up in an abusive police officer home does not stop when the officer goes on medical or retires. Often the abuse and violence can increase. My mother use to say "once he's off the job, things will be better." Instead, while he was on medical leave, my mothers life was pure hell.

My father stalked my mother. He constantly kept track of her every move. When she did not do as she was told, he found a way to make her "behave". This included my father informing my mother exactly how she would be killed.

So am I saying it is alright to take a life? No, I am not. But, in the blue world, it is not as easy as you may think to have an exist strategy or a safety plan. And in my experience with other officers wives in violent relationships, it comes down to a him or me survival. And to survive Barbara Sheehan lived in psychological terror and a constant battle zone behind the blue doors. No she never made a police report or ever had him arrested, it would only fuel him further. And Barbara knew it.

A police officers wife has a difficult time seeking orders of protection. Often, they cannot access the same avenue for assistance. And women in or married to those in law enforcement who are abused understand because they have been told by the abuser "they will kill them" and get away with it. Or "no one is going to believe them."

I could see and hear from Barbara Sheehans words and body language that facing prison is not going to be as bad as the hell of an existance she was forced to endure for so many years. She has hired attorney Michael Dowd who will be representing her in her trial scheduled for sometime in the spring.

Yes, he was shot 11 times while in the bathroom. It is likely that was the only time Raymond Sheehan did not have immediate access to the heavy artilary he owned. The bathroom was the only place you would not find bullets, handguns or knives.

I am on the stump on this tragedy. My father use to say what appears obvious to the world in the aftermath of a crime scene, may not always be how it really happened. Hands are a funny thing, when tested on a crime scene you have your answers one way or another.

Can A Woman Be Fired From her Job For being Stalked By a Stranger?

In Washington, D.C., Attorney Dawn Martin released the following press release on her recent filing in an important case before the supreme court:

PRESS RELEASE

“Working while Female:” Supreme Court Will Decide whether to Review D.C. Circuit Decision Holding that a Woman Can be Fired for being Stalked by a Stranger in her Workplace !

Washington, D.C. – Martin v. Howard University and Alice Gresham Bullock, U.S. Supreme Court No. 08-204. As a law professor at Howard University, Dawn Martin was stalked by a delusional, homeless, serial stalker of African-American female professors. The stalker, Leonard Harrison, was searching for the physical embodiment of his "fantasy" wife -- a fictional female character, Geneva Crenshaw, in a book, And We are not Saved, written by Prof. Derrick Bell. Instead of following its own security procedures to ban the stalker from campus, Howard responded to her requests for protection by refusing to renew her teaching contract. Prof. Martin sued Howard, alleging sexual harassment/hostile work environment and retaliation for protesting sexual harassment. Martin is the first case to present the issue of "gender profiling" in the employment context -- or the "working while female" factor. The application of “gender profiling” to sexual harassment cases will also set precedent for racial, ethnic, religious profiling harassment cases.

Ms. Martin filed a Petition for Certiorari in the Supreme Court, asking the Court to review the March 31, 2008 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. See Petition for Certiorari, Howard’s Brief in Opposition and Ms. Martin’s Reply Brief at http://www.dvmartinlaw.com/MartinvHowardU.html. On November 14, 2008, the Supreme Court will decide whether it will hear the case on the merits. Roberta Wright, Esquire, representing the National Organization for Women (NOW), the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) and the other women's advocacy groups, has stated that she will file an Amicus Curiae Brief within the next few days.

Groups that want to be included should immediately contact Ms. Wright at rywright@msn.com and Ms. Martin at dvmartinlaw@yahoo.com.

Dawn V. Martin, EsquireLaw Offices of Dawn V. Martin, LLC1725 I Street, N.W., Suite 300Washington, D.C 20006

(202) 408-7040 D.C. phone

(703) 642-0207 office

(703) 642-0208 facsimile

Dmailto:DVMARTINLAW@yahoo.com Website is http://www.dvmartinlaw.com/