Women in Crime Ink Update on Justice for Caylee Anthony Today

Ponderous Plodding toward Justice for Caylee Anthony





Sometimes the gears of justice turn so slowly that they appear to be frozen in place. This month, Casey Anthony hit a milestone: 853 days in custody since her arrest in October 2008. She now has the distinction as the longest-serving female inmate in the population at Orange County corrections center, the area's county jail.  Read complete post

Colleen Shipman Speaks

It's been four years this month since Colleen Shipman's peace of mind was shattered by the unfathomable actions of Lisa Nowak.  Tonight on ABC's 20/20, Chris Cuomo revisits the case of the astronaut who stalked her love rival halfway across the country.  Colleen, now married to Billy Oefelein and living in Alaska, speaks out for the first time about her traumatic experience in February 2007.

20/20, tonight at 10 eastern, 9 central on ABC.

Out There, my book on the astronaut love triangle case, was released in November 2007 by St. Martin's Press.

A Mother Waits, A Mother Dies

I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Rebecca Ann "Becky" Klino on Valentine's Day.  Becky was the mother of Branson Perry. (right)

Branson was related to Bobbi Jo Stinnett and both lived in the small farming community of Skidmore.  I learned about Branson when I wrote about Bobbie Jo's gruesome murder on December 16, 2004.  Lisa Montgomery killed Bobbie Jo to remove the baby from her body and claim it as her own.

Bobbie Jo's death was dreadful and tragic, but her mother, at least, could bury her daughter and find justice in the courtroom with Montgomery's conviction and death sentence.  Branson's mother, Becky, on the other hand, still waits.  Branson, at the age of 21, disappeared in April 2001 under suspicious circumstances.

Law enforcement, at one point, targeted Jack Wayne Rogers as a possible suspect.  His chatroom discussion about a torture murder seemed to indicate his victim was Branson Perry.  No additional evidence linking him to that crime beyond what Rogers posted on the internet ever surfaced.  The investigation turned their focus to Skidmore itself--population 332--a town whose violent history began with the crimes of Ken McElroy and never seem to end.

For nearly a decade, Becky waited for answers and for justice.
Now, she is gone.  May she rest in peace.


Baby Be Mine, the book about the death of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, recounts the violent history of the rural area in and around Skidmore.

Forensic Screw-ups to Thwart Justice?

Thanks to screw-ups at the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Michael Peterson may get another opportunity to get away with murder.  Peterson is currently serving life without parole after the 2003 conviction for the murder of his wife Kathleen.  Duane Deaver, a disgraced and terminated forensic specialist who testified at his trial, could be used as a reason to dismiss that verdict.

Among the media in the courtroom during the trial, most believed Peterson was guilty but suspected he would be acquitted or that the jury would not be able to reach a unanimous decision.  That belief was prevalent because Peterson had one million dollars to spend on his defense and because they doubted that the jurors could understand the medical evidence that pointed to Michael Peterson.

It was not simple science but the presence of red neurons in Kathleen's brain made it clear that Michael's story of that night's events was a big lie.  However, there was a nurse on the jury who was able to explain the testimony in terms the others, without medical training, could understand.

The defense initially claimed that Kathleen was not murdered, she was simply a victim of a tragic fall.  Later on appeal, they pointed to a tire iron found in bushes claiming it must have been the murder weapon discarding by the fleeing perpetrator.  Then, they claimed her death was caused by the malovelent forces of nature--an attack by an owl.  Apparently their strategy was anything or anyone but Michael.

There is no doubt in my mind that Michael Peterson is guilty of the murder of his second wife.  I also believe that he was responsbile for the death of Liz Ratliff sixteen years earlier.  The irresponsible behaviour of investigators at the scene of Liz's murder combined with the inexperience of the pathologist who performed her first autopsy probably mean that he will never be prosecuted for that murder.  The Durham Police, on the other hand, were thorough in their investigation.  Even if state investigator Duane Deaver had not been at the scene, the evidence gathered by the local police department and through the autopsy was sufficient to charge and convict Michael Peterson.

Now because Michael wants to play another game with the system,  the family members who loved Kathleen or Liz will have to stand on the sidelines once again hoping that justice will not be undermined, praying that Michael Peterson will stay in prison where he belongs.

Written in Blood is my book on this case.