Karas On Crime

Penn State Fraternity Death Case--What's Next?

Mon, 04 Sep 2017 16:30:47 GMT

Centre County, PA District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller discusses the latest development in her prosecution of 18 students and a fraternity for the February 2017 hazing death of sophomore Timothy Piazza. On September 1, 2017, a judge dismissed the most serious charges including involuntary manslaughter. The DA first spoke to Karas on Crime in May 2017 after the charges were announced.

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Woman sentenced in Massachusetts texting/suicide case

Sat, 05 Aug 2017 14:54:58 GMT

Standard-Times writer Curt Brown discusses the day Michelle Carter, 20, was sentenced for involuntary manslaughter in the 2014 texting/suicide case of her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III. Carter received a 2.5 year sentence but must serve only 15 months in a Bristol County, Massachusetts House of Correction followed by a probationary sentence with conditions until 2022. The incarceration portion of her sentence is stayed pending appeal. Brown discusses courtroom and community reaction, and the next steps in the case. The victim's family is now suing Carter for $4.2 million.

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K9 Master Trainer Discusses His Work

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 00:46:34 GMT

Matt Zarrella spent 25 years with the Rhode Island State Police, where he founded its K9 Unit. Today, Zarrella lectures and trains not only around the nation but also the world. He discusses the amazing work his dogs have done, and continue to do, whether its rescuing live persons or finding decades-old remains. Zarrella, a Search & Rescue and Human Remains Master Trainer, says this work isn't a job, it's a calling. He's also the subject of a new documentary, Searchdog.

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Death Investigator Discusses Ryan Singleton Mystery

Tue, 04 Jul 2017 13:41:34 GMT

In July 2013, Ryan Singleton, 24, disappeared in Baker, California. He was waiting for a friend to pick him up after his rental car broke down. When the friend arrived from LA, Ryan had vanished. His body was found 74 days later, partially clothed. What happened to Ryan? Was his death an accident, by natural causes, or was it murder? Former death investigator Joseph Scott Morgan weighs in, based on a review of the autopsy report.

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Woman Convicted in Massachusetts Texting/Suicide Case

Sun, 18 Jun 2017 18:50:57 GMT

On June 16, 2017, 20-year-old Michelle Carter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend via text messages to commit suicide on July 13, 2014 by carbon monoxide poisoning. She was 17 years old at the time, 40 miles away, and knew exactly where Conrad Roy III was at the time. Rather than prevent a depressed Roy from killing himself, she goaded him on and did nothing to stop it. The criminal case against Carter has sparked much debate about whether she should have been prosecuted at all. Curt Brown, a reporter who covered the case and attended the trial, shares his thoughts and observations.

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Discussion of the Latest Developments in Steven Avery's Case

Fri, 16 Jun 2017 19:32:32 GMT

On June 7, 2017, Steven Avery's attorney filed a 220-page motion for post-conviction relief, together with 1,000 pages of exhibits. Author and USA TODAY-Wisconsin reporter John Ferak has reported extensively on the case and discusses the major points raised in the motion. Avery's attorney even names the person she believes to be the true killer of Teresa Halbach. Halbach was murdered on October 31, 2005 in Wisconsin.

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The Lie Detective: Interview with Polygraph Examiner Dan Ribacoff

Tue, 30 May 2017 13:03:54 GMT

Polygraph examiner Dan Ribacoff discusses how the lie detector test works, how it is used by law enforcement and the military, and how effective it is in detecting deception. Ribacoff regularly appears on the Steve Wilkos Show. His show-The Lie Detective-airs in Europe and is coming to Lifetime in the US.

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Prosecutor Discusses Penn State Fraternity Death

Tue, 16 May 2017 13:01:05 GMT

On February 4, 2017, Penn State University sophomore Timothy Piazza, 19, died from massive internal injuries and head trauma sustained during pledge night two days earlier at a fraternity. On May 5, 2017, Centre County, PA District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller announced the grand jury's findings and recommendations of criminal charges against 18 students and the fraternity, Beta Theta Pi. In this episode, DA Parks Miller discusses the case.

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Colleen McKernan: Rob's Mother Speaks

Tue, 09 May 2017 12:40:52 GMT

This is the final interview in a series about Colleen McKernan who shot her husband Rob on New Years Eve, 2014 during an argument. Colleen was tried twice for murder; both times, jurors deadlocked on whether she was guilty of murder or justified in killing Rob to defend herself. On the eve of the third trial, Colleen accepted a plea offer to manslaughter in exchange for a seven-year sentence. The trials took place in Canton, OH in 2016; the plea was in 2017. This interview is with Rob's mother, Kathie McKernan. She shares her thoughts about her son, his marriage, and his death.

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Colleen McKernan: Jury Foreperson Speaks

Tue, 02 May 2017 13:27:56 GMT

This is the next interview in a series about Colleen McKernan who shot her husband Rob on New Years Eve, 2014 during an argument. Colleen was tried twice for murder; both times, jurors deadlocked on whether she was guilty of murder or justified in killing Rob to defend herself. This interview is with Patricia--the jury foreperson in Colleen's second trial. On the eve of the third trial, Colleen accepted a plea offer to manslaughter in exchange for a seven-year sentence. The trials took place in Canton, OH in 2016; the plea was in 2017. Patricia shares her own story as well as her experience as a juror in the second trial.

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Colleen McKernan: Her Attorney Speaks

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 02:26:18 GMT

Laura Mills represented Colleen McKernan at her retrial for the murder of her husband Rob on New Years Eve, 2014. Colleen was tried twice for murder; both times, jurors deadlocked on whether she was guilty of murder or justified in killing Rob to defend herself. On the eve of the third trial, Colleen accepted a plea offer to manslaughter in exchange for a seven-year sentence. The trials took place in Canton, OH in 2016; the plea was in 2017. Mills shares her thoughts and strategy about the trial. This is the second of four interviews.

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Colleen McKernan: Father Speaks Out--Part 2

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 16:24:52 GMT

Part 2--Colleen McKernan is serving a 7-year sentence for manslaughter after shooting her husband Rob during an argument on New Years Eve, 2014. Originally charged with murder, McKernan went to trial twice in 2016 in Canton, Ohio. Both times, jurors deadlocked. She claimed she shot her husband of eight months in self-defense. On the eve of her third trial, McKernan accepted a plea to manslaughter. In this interview, conducted in mid-April 2017, Colleen's father, Gary Owen, describes his daughter, her relationship to Rob, and living through two trials.

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Colleen McKernan: Father Speaks Out--Part 1

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 16:24:30 GMT

Part 1--Colleen McKernan is serving a 7-year sentence for manslaughter after shooting her husband Rob during an argument on New Years Eve, 2014. Originally charged with murder, McKernan went to trial twice in 2016 in Canton, Ohio. Both times, jurors deadlocked. She claimed she shot her husband of eight months in self-defense. On the eve of her third trial, McKernan accepted a plea deal to manslaughter. In this interview, conducted in mid-April 2017, Colleen's father, Gary Owen, describes his daughter, her relationship to Rob, and living through two trials.

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Investigator Discusses the Day Elvis Died

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 14:06:03 GMT

A conversation with Nashville attorney Dan Warlick who was a death investigator for the State of Tennessee's medical examiner in the 1970s before he became a lawyer. On August 16, 1977, Warlick was assigned his biggest investigation--the death of Tennessee's most famous Memphis resident, Elvis Presley. He shares that experience with us.

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Bloodstain Pattern Analysis

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 12:52:39 GMT

Paulette Sutton, a national expert in bloodstain pattern analysis, shares the basics about how to interpret blood at crime scenes. She has worked for both sides--the prosecution and the defense--and discusses a few those cases. At the end, Paulette shares a bit about her early career at a lab in Nashville when Elvis died. This interview was conducted on July 3, 2016.

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Stand Your Ground

Mon, 06 Mar 2017 19:46:40 GMT

Firearms law and self defense expert, Mitch Vilos, discusses responsible gun ownership. The interview also analyzes the self defense claim in the Florida case of Curtis Reeves, charged with second degree murder for firing a fatal shot at Chad Oulson, 43, in a movie theater in January 2014. The interview was conducted on March 4, 2017 before the judge issued a decision in the immunity (or Stand Your Ground) hearing on whether Reeves was justified.

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Coroner's Inquests: Discussion with a Former Death Investigator

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 18:34:32 GMT

Former medico-legal death investigator Joseph Scott Morgan discusses a recent Missouri case where a coroner's jury investigated whether a teen's suicide was caused by bullying at school and work. The jury recommended manslaughter charges against the teen's Dairy Queen supervisor. This interview was conducted on February 10, 2017.

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Wrongful Conviction? Former Investigator Discusses Jens Soering

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 18:34:24 GMT

Former Virginia Deputy Sheriff Chuck Reid investigated a double homicide in 1984. It would be a year before the murdered couple's daughter, Elizabeth Haysom, and her boyfriend, Jens Soering, who met as students at the University of Virginia, were arrested. Soering confessed then recanted. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Haysom is serving a 90-year sentence. Soering, son of a German diplomat, has maintained his innocence for 31 years. He says he confessed to spare Haysom. Chuck Reid now believes in Soering's innocence. This interview was conducted on January 11, 2017.

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Jodi Arias's Attorney Discusses Tell-All Book

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 18:34:16 GMT

Jodi Arias's now-disbarred attorney, Kirk Nurmi, discusses his book about representing the woman who brutally murdered her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in June 2008. This interview was conducted on Nov. 22, 2015, before Nurmi's disbarment.

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In Defense of Steven Avery's Guilty Verdict

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 18:34:08 GMT

Michael Griesbach, Manitowoc County prosecutor, authored two books about Making a Murderer's Steven Avery--one about his wrongful conviction for rape and, more recently, one that defends Avery's controversial guilty verdict for the murder of Theresa Halbach in 2005. This interview was conducted on October 9, 2016.

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Faulty Towers Goes To Court

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 18:33:28 GMT

National expert in cell phone and cell tower technology, Ben Levitan, describes how cell phones work and how reports of cell tower pings have been misused in the courtroom. This interview was recorded on August 11, 2016.

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