The Killing of the Lead Singer of the Punk Rock Band The Gits Goes Cold For a Decade Before Justice is Served — “Mia Zapata was an extraordinary human being. She was a beloved friend, a gifted songwriter, musician, visual artist and performer. . . . We prefer to remember her friendship, talent, humor, and the incredible art and music she left to the world.” — Andy Kessler, Matt Dresdner, and Steve Moriarty…

An obsessive teenage love leads to the brutal murder of a fellow student. — “There are not any winners in this case.” Judge Joe Drago

The disappearance of a young actress aboard an ocean liner leads to one of Britain’s most sensational trials. — It was around 2:58 a.m. on Saturday, October 18, 1947 when Frederick Steer, a duty watchman for Union-Castle Line ship Durban Castle, was awakened by a summons from cabin 126, a first-class cabin on the B deck. …

Could a Vicious Attack and the Murder of a North Carolina Businessman Lead Back to Dungeons & Dragons? — The Crime It was 4:24 a.m. on Monday, July 25, 1988 when the call came in to North Carolina’s Beaufort County Law Enforcement Center. It had been a slow night, with dispatcher Michelle Sparrow reading a Stephen King novel throughout much of her 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift. The woman on…

Fingerprints and a Signature Crack a 45-Year-Old Case. — It was Sunday night, July 21, 1957 in Hawthorne, California. Bob Dewar was 17 years old and had attended a summer party with three friends earlier in the evening. It was before midnight when the quartet, consisting of two boys and two girls, decided to make a stop at the…

Post-execution DNA testing answers the question of innocence or guilt in a vicious rape-murder. — “We who seek the truth, especially in criminal justice matters, must live or die by the sword of DNA.” — Jim McCloskey In its May 18, 1992 issue, Time magazine put a photograph of Virginia inmate Roger Keith Coleman on the cover. Coleman, dressed in a blue work shirt, black…

The two-decade fight for justice for a murdered marine. — Suzanne It was Thursday, July 11, 1985 in Millington, Tennessee, a city roughly 15 square miles large, less than ten miles outside of Memphis and home to Memphis Naval Air Station (since renamed Naval Support Activity Mid-South). …