The Art of the Search

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

Another fatal stabbing without any witnesses in Lodi, CA

A year ago the Calaveras County Court found Isiah Fowler guilty in the stabbing of his younger sister Leila Fowler. One of the issues in the case and no doubt a part of the judge's reasoning in the case was the fact that Isiah was the only other person actually known to be in the house at the time Leila was killed. Many neighbors and internet enthusiasts concluded that if no one was seen entering of leaving the house in San Andreas and no screams were heard Isiah had to be the killer. Since then, in February of this year, Dorothy Weiderrich was found tied up and stabbed to death in her home on the 2300 block of Woodlake Circle in Lodi, CA. As posted a couple of weeks ago, no leads exist in the case. None of the neighbors in this affluent neighborhood of closely packed in homes saw or heard anything. Apparently, DNA testing failed to lead to any arrests. However, the Lodi police have shown a photo of a male to nearby residents. It must be noted that this person was not labeled a suspect at the time his photo was shown to possible witnesses. Then on Sunday, September 25, 2016 a man was found dead in his house on the 1500 block of West Vine Street in Lodi. He was found when firefighters responded to a fire at that address. When the fire fighters arrived they found the 50 something male already dead. An autopsy (no doubt by the pathologist Dr. Robert Lawrence who is on contract to San Joaquin and Calaveras counties and performed the autopsy on Leila Fowler.) determined that the deceased male died from stab wounds before the fire was set. Again no one saw or heard anything until flames were seen coming from the house and these two murder scenes are within a mile of each other. 

http://www.lodinews.com/crime/article_6ef01b2e-84e0-11e6-9802-a71b78c2891d.html 

For those who declared Isiah guilty because no local residents saw anyone go into or out of the house where Leila was killed you may want to think again. For those who claimed Isiah was guilty because local dogs failed to sound warning barks, you may want to think again. To the authorities in Lodi, if you have unidentified DNA from either of your crime scenes you may want compare it to the unidentified male DNA found on Leila's body.

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

Wisconsin Girls Will Be Tried as Adults in 'Slender Man' Attack

MADISON, Wis. —A Wisconsin state appeals court ruled Wednesday that two girls accused of trying to kill their classmate in an attempt to please the fiction

This Slender Man case from Wisconsin is very interesting. The two defendants were only about 12 years old at the time of their attack on a mutual friend. Apparently, they both suffer from serious mental disorders but the DA (supported by Wisconsin appellate court) has decided to try them as adults. Wisconsin law says that anyone 10 years old or more will be considered for trial as an adult and the evidence seems to indicate that the attack was premeditated. However, I don't think that premeditation makes them either competent to stand trial or bestows upon them adult status.

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

A Tragic Anniversary

On a hot, sunny Saturday morning three years ago today, Leila Fowler was brutally murdered in her home on Rippon Road in Valley Springs, CA. Calaveras County believes the killer is behind bars despite the remarkable lack of evidence to support that conviction.

We honor Leila by continuing to search for the real killer and interviews with witnesses we were unable to reach have been conducted as recently as yesterday evening.  

If anyone has any information they believe was overlooked or never followed up on please let us know.

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN”S DAY!

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

Justice Clarence Thomas breaks 10-year streak, asks question in court

For the first time in a decade, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spoke during oral arguments.

Will this only happen in leap years?

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

The Real Deflategate Travesty

Teds Wells, an attorney with the firm of Paul/Weiss in NYC claimed during a press conference today in which he defended his report on Deflategate, that the cost of the investigation “was in the millions of dollars.” (Associated Press)

Millions of dollars?

Really?

How is that possible?

Watergate cost millions of dollars, Iran Contra cost millions of dollars, investigating allegations of football tampering should not cost in the millions of dollars.

How many people were interviewed?  If the bill was just one million dollars and 500 hours were spent on the investigation that would be $2,000.00 per hour.

I’m sure that Mr. Wells does not come cheap.  According to the Paul/Weiss web site here are some of Mr. Wells’ career hightlights.

“A partner and co-chair of the Litigation Department, Theodore V. Wells, Jr. has extensive litigation experience in white-collar criminal defense, complex civil and corporate litigation, SEC regulatory work, healthcare fraud, FCPA, AML and OFAC investigations, environmental matters and class action litigation.

In 2010 The National Law Journal named Ted one of “The Decade’s Most Influential Lawyers” and over the years has repeatedly selected him as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America, including naming Ted as the Lawyer of the Year in 2006. Ted also has been recognized as one of the outstanding jury trial lawyers in the United States by numerous publications including Chambers USA, which in 2012 recognized him as “the best trial lawyer in the country.” In both the 2013 and 2014 editions of Chambers USA, Ted was named a Star Performer in three categories: nationwide trial litigation, New York general commercial litigation and New York white-collar crime and government investigations, and Benchmark Litigation named him in similar categories. The Legal 500 has recognized him as a Leading Lawyer in white-collar criminal defense and as a Leading Trial Lawyer.”

His education is very laudable and very New England by the way.

J.D., Harvard Law School, 1976

M.B.A., Harvard Business School, 1976

B.A., College of the Holy Cross, 1972

His firm is located on the Ave. of the Americas in New York City.   Surely monthly rent is a big nut to carry, but it seems he is trying to cover that with this one case.

Where to I send my resume?  I can save the NFL owners a lot of money in the future.

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

Fowler Murder Trail date pushed back, again.

The testing of unidentified DNA found on Leila Fowler is taking longer than expected and as a result the start of trial scheduled for May 18th, 2015 was pushed back to August 5th.  

All that can be said now is that the DNA does not match any of Leila's relatives, including the accused killer, her brother Isaiah.

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

Ex-Police Chief: JonBenet Ramsey Crime Scene Was Mishandled

In his most extensive comments on the JonBenet Ramsey case, the former Colorado police chief who led the investigation into the high-profile 1996 slaying of the 6-year-old beauty queen acknowledged online that officers botched the initial handling of the crime scene. Mark Beckner, former...

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

New evidence in Leila Fowler murder may free brother

The attorneys defending the 14-year-old boy accused of savagely stabbing his younger sister to death are arguing for his release from juvenile hall pending trial because they claim new evidence suggests he's innocent.

(Things are heating up in a very big way.)

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

Attorneys: Murder case against Leila Fowler's brother is crumbling

The attorneys defending the 14-year-old boy accused of savagely stabbing his younger sister to death are arguing for his release from juvenile hall pending trial because new evidence suggests he's innocent.

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

Evidence will clear Northern California boy in stabbing death of sister, 8-year-old Leila Fowler, attorney says

Northern California boy was 12 when he was accused of fatally stabbing his 8-year-old sister, Leila Fowler; defense says police didn't have enough to make an arrest

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

New Evidence in Leila Fowler Murder Case

VALLEY SPRINGS- When speaking to the media, the lawyer of Isaiah Fowler, a boy accused of stabbing his younger sister to death in 2013, had some surprising news. “There has been substantial testing…

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

Attorney: DNA evidence could exonerate brother in Leila Fowler's murder

One of the attorneys defending the older brother charged with killing 8-year-old Leila Fowler at their Valley Springs home two years ago says DNA evidence could prove his innocence.

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

Defense attorneys are petitioning the Calaveras County Superior Court for the release of a 14-year-old Valley Springs boy who allegedly stabbed his sister to death in 2013. The boy is charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing of his sister, Leila

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

Did the F. B. I. willingly withhold proof of entrapment in the Eric McDavid Case?

The following is taken from the KCRA Channel 3 website regarding the Eco Terrorism trial of Eric McDavid.  The federal government was either intentionally or unintentionally in possession of documents that helped prove the defense's case that McDavid was a nerdy kid who was trying lured into an alleged conspiracy to commit "Eco-Terrorism" through a romantic involvement with a female F.B.I. operative.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) —A man who was convicted of plotting to blow up the Nimbus Dam on the American River, in addition to other government targets, was ordered to be released from jail Thursday, according to the defendant's attorney.

Eric McDavid's sentence was vacated in federal court in Sacramento after McDavid pleaded guilty to conspiring to destroy a government institution, according to the U.S. District Attorney.

McDavid, of Foresthill, and two others were arrested in 2006 on charges of trying to blow up the Nimbus Dam, which lies on the border of Folsom and Rancho Cordova.

McDavid was convicted in that case, and his appeals were exhausted.

On Sept. 27, 2007, McDavid was convicted of conspiring to destroy various targets, including the United States Forest Service Institute of Forest Genetics in Placerville, with fire or explosives, according to the U.S. District Attorney's Office.

McDavid was sentenced to 235 months in prison for ecoterrorism.

After his conviction and sentence, McDavid filed an appeal and motion attacking the prosecution on a variety of grounds.

That motion tipped off the government that some documents were unintentionally not given to the McDavid's defense team during the trial.

Those documents were handed over to the defense soon after they were discovered.

The U.S. District Attorney said even though the documents do not necessarily show McDavid committed a crime, it could be possible that without them, the court would ask for a retrial.

However, McDavid's attorney told KCRA 3 the newly released documents support the defense's argument that McDavid was entrapped through romance by an FBI informant.

At the parties' joint request on Thursday, the U.S. District court judge vacated McDavid's original conviction and allowed him to enter a guilty plea of a lesser charge, which carried a reduced penalty.

The judge then sentenced him to nine years, which he has already served while awaiting trial.

The U.S. District Attorney said the government decided not to retry the case because both parties were in agreement because of the cost associated with a retrial.

http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/news-sacramento/man-convicted-of-plotting-to-blow-up-nimbus-dam-set-free/30599962

You can also see a brief interview with McDavid's attorney, Mark J. Reichel, at the following Sacramento Bee link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR6B0F9XR5o

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

Accused former Fox40 anchor enters no plea but says she wants to clear her name - The Sacramento Bee

As Sabrina Rodriguez walked out of Sacramento Superior Court Thursday morning in downtown Sacramento, a well-wisher sitting on a courtroom bench reached out to shake her hand and wish her luck.

New case for us too!

[johnkennedyinvestigations]

Your car has a "Black Box" too!

Automotive Black Boxes

For nearly two decades Ford and GM have included what are often referred to as Black Boxes to record certain accident related data pertaining to your vehicle. Generally this data was stored or generated by the Air Bag Module which processes data from sensors placed throughout a vehicle to determine whether or not air bags should or should not be deployed (inflated).

The systems were originally developed for and installed in race cars to help build safer vehicles. Over time they were inserted in consumer vehicles and after some court battles the means to readily download this data for use in accident reconstruction cases became available.

Depending on the system, impact sets off the sensors which transmit data to the Air Bag Module. The ABM gathers information on speed, RPMs, whether or not seats are occupied, whether seat belts are engaged, whether the brake is engaged and point of impact. This data is stored in the module and can be downloaded in a very readable form for varying periods of time. Typically situations calling for the deployment of air bags are stored indefinitely and those that do not are retained for a certain number of ignition cycles. (Each time you start the engine and then shut it off = one ignition cycle.)

The data can be downloaded from the car or the module can be removed depending on the circumstances. Either way hardware is necessary to access the data. Therefore, a technician can not pull up near your car and conduct a wireless download of data.

This information is collected by law enforcement in many accident situations, but insurance companies have been slow to download the data from their clients' vehicles in non-fatal situations. In fact most cars go to scrap before data is downloaded or the driver effectively erases the data after X number of ignition cycles are exceeded. Either way important evidence is destroyed.

One of the the concerns about this data involves privacy and the issue of who owns the information. The US Senate just passed a bill that says the car owner or lessee is owner rather than the manufacturer or lessor. http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/post--senators-propose-law-covering-car-black-box-data

You should be aware that this data exists and could be used to prove your case if you are ever involved in an accident.