Suspect Arrested for 1983 Murder - Another Cold Case Success

Jose "Joe" Reyes was arrested and charged with capital murder for the murder of Esther Gervara Broberg. In 1983, Broberg's body was found near Givens Park in East Austin. She had been stabbed multiple times.

Detectives believe other people also played a part in the murder. They're asking anyone with information to call the APD homicide tip line at (512) 477-3588 or Crimestoppers at (512) 472-8477.

Police Looking for Suspect in Murder of Two Sisters in North Fort Myers, Florida

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has identified a suspect in the September 10th double murder of two sisters in North Fort Myers. An arrest warrant has been issued for 37-year-old David Richard Patton of North Vernon, Indiana. Patton is described as a white male with blonde hair and hazel eyes. He weighs 300 pounds and is six feet three inches tall.

Anyone who knows where he is should not approach him but call 9-1-1 instead. You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS or www.swflcrimestoppers.org. You can remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward.

Reward Offered in Berkeley Murder

Berkeley officials are offering a $15,000 reward in the case of a man who was shot and then sought help at a University of California, Berkeley sorority house before he collapsed and died, a police spokesman announced today.

The reward is the maximum amount allowed by a city resolution that approves up to $15,000 per homicide victim, according to Officer Ed Galvan, who also said investigators have interviewed numerous possible witnesses but have yet to receive credible tips.

Wayne Drummond, 23, died shortly after 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 4 at the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority house at 2311 Prospect St.

Police have repeatedly met with family members, who reside in Southern California, about how the investigation into Drummond's mysterious death will be handled.

Police say they think Drummond was shot at an unknown location and then walked or was driven to the sorority house, which is located near Memorial Stadium.

He said Drummond was seen on Telegraph Avenue about 1:30 a.m. or 2 a.m. Monday. One witness told police he saw Drummond arguing with another man on Telegraph Avenue, but the argument "was not very animated" and the witness didn't think Drummond was in danger at the time.

Police are asking anyone who saw Drummond or has information about his death to call Berkeley police homicide investigators at (510) 981-5900.

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40 Year Old Cold Case May Have a Suspect

First the Knox County Sheriff claimed to have a DNA match in the Linda Kohlmeier murder that occurred in October 1966.

"In April, Knox County Sheriff David Barber said the office was in the process of submitting DNA evidence, in the form of semen recovered from Kohlmeier’s clothing, to the state’s Bureau of Crime Scene Investigation and Identification. On Tuesday, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office announced a major development in the 40-year-old homicide investigation, a cold case reopened in 1998. Barber recently confirmed the DNA match with a suspect, but would not elaborate further."

Justice 40 years later would have been sweet, but then they released the following:

The mystery killer of go-go dancer Linda Kohlmeier in 1966 was a sexual predator from Michigan who died from natural causes in 1997, Knox County Sheriff David Barber said during a press conference on Thursday. Though he did not reveal the individual’s name, Barber said the man had a history of stalking and assaulting women and had spent time in a state hospital.

“As a result of the unrefuted evidence of DNA on the victim, this office is confident that the individual from Michigan is responsible for Linda Kohlmeier’s death on Oct. 30, 1966,” Barber said. “There is no doubt in my mind ... that if this suspect were alive today, he would be presented to a Knox County grand jury

DNA Solves 1994 Cold Case - Murderer Gets 40 Years

Stories like this show that funding of DNA databases should be a state and federal priority - but they are sadly so underfunded that they have years of backlogged samples.

Bullet-Detecting Cameras WOW!

Saw this special on TV the other day about an amazing new camera that can detect gunshots, then swing around to photograph an incident. The camera has been designed to differentiate between cars backfiring and other loud sounds - and it can detect all types of caliber weapons. The plan is to put these in areas with significant gun violence - some will be placed in areas in South Central L.A. that have had three or more shootings a week (a week? yikes).

I like this idea - it doesn't really get into privacy issues because the camera shoots public areas and ONLY if it detects gunfire - I don't think people have a reasonable expectation of privacy when shooting others in the street ;-)

The only issue I see is that people will simply find other places to shoot each other - away from the cameras - and I doubt most cities have the budget to deploy them everywhere in high-crime areas.