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- This Week in Crime: June 1 - 7, 2024
This Week in Crime: June 1 - 7, 2024
Top Stories of the Week
Gilgo Beach Murder Suspect Charged with Additional Murders Based on Disturbing Planning Documents
Long Island, New York - Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann has been charged with the murders of two more women after disturbing “planning documents” were discovered on a hard drive in his Massapequa Park home. During his court appearance, prosecutors read out excerpts from the twisted instructions found on the hard drive, including a chilling note to “hit the victim harder next time.” Heuermann, a 60-year-old father of two and New York City architect, was already facing charges for the murders of five young women, known as the “Gilgo Four.”
Colorado Cold Case Solved After 24 Years Through Forensic Genetic Genealogy
Weld County, Colorado - Thanks to forensic genetic genealogy, the mystery surrounding a man’s body found in a Northern Colorado field has been solved. The investigation began on February 14, 2000, when a man walking his dog near E. 8th Street and Weld County Road 43 discovered human remains. Weld County deputies and investigators responded, finding no evidence of foul play. The remains were sent to an anthropologist who determined they belonged to a white male, aged 35-50 years old and 5-foot-4 inches tall. The body weight could not be determined, but a possible tattoo was noted in the center of his back.
Due to the advanced state of decomposition, investigators could not determine the cause or manner of death. The unidentified male was named John Doe 2000 by Weld County investigators.
In 2022, forensic genetic genealogy was conducted using DNA from John Doe 2000’s remains. This led to relatives in Nevada willingly submitting their DNA to help solve the case. In December 2023, Cold Case Detective Byron Kastilahn received the breakthrough he had been waiting for when the genetic genealogy results identified John Doe 2000 as Christopher Scott Case. Further testing confirmed the identification.
Amanda Knox Reconvicted of Slander in Italian Court
Amanda Knox
Florence, Italy—An Italian court reconvicted Amanda Knox of slander on Wednesday, dashing her hopes of removing a longstanding legal stain that has persisted since her exoneration in the 2007 murder of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher. The Florence appeals court’s decision marks the sixth time an Italian court has determined that Knox falsely accused an innocent man, Patrick Lumumba, the Congolese owner of the bar where she worked part-time.
Knox, 36, originally from Seattle, argued that her statements to police were coerced during an intense night of questioning conducted in Italian, which she barely understood at the time. Despite her claims of being bullied and coerced, the panel of two judges and six jurors confirmed her three-year sentence, which she had already served during her four years in Italian custody.
Appearing in court for the first time since her release in 2011, Knox, accompanied by her husband Christopher Robinson, showed no visible emotion as the verdict was read. Knox has long maintained her innocence, stating that she has been unjustly persecuted for most of her adult life. She reiterated her position in a statement to Sky News Italia, “I have been unjustly accused for 17 years. I spent four years in prison as an innocent person. 17 years — that is my entire adult life. I have been unjustly accused.”
In Other Crime News
Akron, Ohio - Mass Shooting Leaves One Dead and 26 Injured. Read More.
Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana- $10,000 Reward Offered for Capture of Escaped Inmate. Read More.
Thailand - One of Thailand’s most wanted fugitives, Chaowalit Thongduang, will be escorted back to Thailand on a Thai Air Force plane after being apprehended on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali. Read More.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Singer Sean Kingston Arrested for $1 Million Fraud Scheme with Mother. Read More.
Crime History
June 5, 1960 - The Lake Bodom Murders
Four teens camping at Bodom Lake in Espoo, Finland, were attacked while asleep in their tent. Maila Björklund, 15; Anja Mäki, 15; and Seppo Boisman, 18, died in the attack. Nils Gustafsson, 18, was severely injured but survived.
The attack took place sometime between 4-6 a.m. The victims were found around 11 a.m. Each of the dead were repeatedly stabbed and then bludgeoned. They had been attacked from outside the tent, with the perpetrator stabbing them through the tent’s walls. Boys who were birdwatching in the area said they saw a blond man walking away from the campsite at 6 a.m.
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