How the uncanny story of Will West and William West led to fingerprinting becoming the gold standard in criminal justice. In the early 20th century, long before DNA profiling or digital surveillance, American prisons relied on an elaborate system of physical measurements to identify inmates. It was known as Bertillonage, and it was considered cutting-edge…
A 29-year-old parolee, Casmine Aska, who was recently released after serving eight years for sexually assaulting a 9-year-old boy and throwing him off a rooftop, is now facing charges for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl in a Bronx stairwell. The shocking incident occurred just one month after Aska’s release from prison, raising serious questions about…
In a controversial move, the Trump administration has officially dismantled the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD), a federal database designed to track misconduct by law enforcement officers. The database, hailed as a vital tool for policing reform, was intended to prevent officers with documented misconduct records from transferring between agencies without scrutiny. The U.S.…
In a chilling case that has captivated Thailand, Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, 36, was sentenced to death on Wednesday for poisoning a friend with cyanide in the first of what could be 14 separate murder trials. The court found Rangsiwuthaporn guilty of the calculated murder of Siriporn Kanwong, a friend she allegedly killed to avoid repaying money…
Keith Roberts, 67, is finally free after spending eight years wrongfully imprisoned for a murder he did not commit. His exoneration marks the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office’s 40th exoneration since the inception of its Conviction Review Unit in 2014, underscoring systemic issues within the criminal justice system, particularly regarding the treatment of Black men. Roberts…
Ahmad Alissa, the gunman who killed ten people during a mass shooting at a Colorado supermarket in 2021, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday after a jury rejected his insanity defense. Despite his attorneys’ claims that Alissa was unable to distinguish right from wrong due to his schizophrenia, the jury found him guilty…
Jason Billingsley, the man responsible for the brutal murder of Baltimore tech CEO Pava LaPere, has been sentenced to three life sentences following his guilty plea on August 30, 2024. The sentencing marks the culmination of a case that has deeply shaken the Baltimore community and raised serious concerns about the criminal justice system’s handling…
Judge Ural Glanville, overseeing Fulton County DA Fani Willis’ RICO case against alleged Young Slime Life (YSL) gang members, is under scrutiny for a contentious clash with defense attorney Brian Steel. Glanville held Steel in criminal contempt after Steel refused to disclose the source of information about a private meeting involving Glanville, prosecutors, and state…
A federal judge handed down a life sentence to Charles Barrett, a professional rock climber convicted of aggravated sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact at Yosemite National Park in 2016. Despite the severity of his crimes, Barrett exhibited no signs of remorse, maintaining his innocence and portraying himself as a victim of false accusations. Prosecutors…