Murder Cases in the US

Listed below are six famous murder cases in the US during the 21st century. Choose one of the cases and conduct research.  After writing a brief synopsis of the case, discuss each of the following in your paper:

1. What investigative tools and clues did law enforcement used to solve the murder you are reviewing?

2.  What made this a high profile case and what was the offender’s defense to beat the murder charges?

3.  Discuss any crime scene evidence (including witness statements and digital evidence if applicable) and describe the methodology used and its impact on the investigation.

4.  Discuss how the management of the crime scene impacts the potential admissibility in the criminal proceedings of the case.

5.  Discuss any defense challenges of the evidence (if applicable) made during the prosecution.

– Aaron Hernandez- The former New England Patriots running back was arrested in 2013 and charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd, an acquaintance of Hernandez’s. Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee, had been found shot to death on June 17, 2013, near Hernandez’s home in suburban Boston.  

– Lonnie David Franklin Jr.- For more than two decades, the Los Angeles Police Department worked to solve a series of 11 murders of African-American women in south-central Los Angeles that occurred between 1985 and 2007. The nickname “Grim Sleeper” refers to the 14-year hiatus the killer took between 1988 and 2002 before murdering three more women. 

– Drew Peterson- Former Bolingbrook, Illinois, policeman Drew Peterson made national headlines in October 2007 when his wife Stacy Peterson disappeared. She wasn’t the first of Peterson’s spouses to die. Kathleen Savio, his third wife, was found dead in her bathtub in 2004. 

– Casey Anthony- On June 15, 2008, Cindy Anthony called 911 in Orlando, Florida, to report that her daughter, Casey Anthony, had stolen a car and some money. She called again later to report that Casey’s daughter, two-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony, had been missing for more than a month. The child’s remains were found in December 2008 near the Anthony home. 

–  Cheyanne Jessie- On August 1, 2015, 25-year-old Cheyanne Jessie of Lakeland, Florida, called the police to report that her father Mark Weekly and her daughter Meredith were missing. She was arrested and charged with their murders less than 24 hours later. 

– Alexander Turner and Chelsi Griffin- On March 6, 2015, Carrie and Steven Turner were found dead at the Landmark Resort on South Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They had been shot to death. Just three days later, the Turners’ son Alexander and his girlfriend Chelsi Griffin were arrested and charged with the couple’s deaths.