Current Crime
California’s 548 Death Sentences: What Newsom’s Plan Would Change
California announced plans to replace 548 death sentences with life without parole. Hundreds of cases require a state Supreme Court recommendation.
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40 published articles
Trials & Outcomes
Silk Road in Court: Ross Ulbricht’s Conviction, Sentence and Pardon
The federal trial, the 2015 sentence and the 2025 presidential pardon are three distinct entries in the Silk Road record.
Inside the Investigation
Oklahoma City: The Vehicle Evidence That Helped Identify a Suspect
A fragment recovered after the 1995 bombing helped investigators identify the rental truck and trace it back to a business in Kansas.
Inside the Investigation
The 1950 Brink’s Robbery: How the Boston Case Finally Broke
The Boston robbery took minutes. The investigation took years and turned on information that could be checked against earlier leads.
Trials & Outcomes
Elizabeth Smart’s Abduction: The Federal Verdict and Sentence
The federal sentencing record identifies the charges Brian David Mitchell was convicted of and the punishment imposed in 2011.
Inside the Investigation
The Lindbergh Kidnapping: How Recorded Ransom Bills Became Evidence
Investigators kept the serial numbers of the ransom money. That decision gave them a way to trace bills years after the kidnapping.
Cold Cases
Elizabeth Short: What the Fingerprints Solved in 1947
Fingerprint records gave investigators Elizabeth Short’s name. The murder remained a separate and unresolved investigation.
Cold Cases
The 1982 Tylenol Murders and the Extortion Case That Followed
Seven people died after taking tainted capsules near Chicago. The extortion prosecution answered a separate question.
The Epstein Files
The $75 Million Epstein Settlement: How the Virgin Islands Case Closed
Two original federal court orders explain how the territory’s JPMorgan suit ended and why its $75 million settlement is separate from the victims’ class settlement.
Trials & Outcomes
Daniel Sikkema Gets Life in Brent Sikkema Murder-for-Hire Case
A federal judge imposed life in prison on November 4. The U.S. verdict and the pending Brazilian case are separate proceedings.
Trials & Outcomes
Alex Murdaugh’s Federal Fraud Case: The Settlement Checks and the Sentence
The federal plea covered 22 financial offenses involving personal injury clients. The 2024 sentence belongs to that separate case.
Family Crimes
Shanann, Bella and Celeste Watts: What the Guilty Plea Established
A guide to the nine charges Christopher Watts admitted and the decision that took the death penalty off the table.