Documents

Steven Avery is the subject of the hit Netflix series, “Making a Murderer.” In 2003, Avery was exonerated for a sexual assault he did not commit. He was released from prison after 18 years. Avery filed a $36 million lawsuit against the Manitowoc, Wisconsin police and county for his false imprisonment. While that case was pending, Avery was arrested in 2005 for the murder of Theresa Halbach whose charred remains were found in a pit behind Avery’s garage. Avery always maintained his innocence. He was convicted after a trial in 2007 and is serving a life sentence. The links here are to the complete transcript of his murder trial.

James Bradley is charged with murdering a co-worker, Shannon Rippy Van Newkirk. She’s been missing since April 5, 2014; her body has never been found. In fact, not only is there no body, there’s no murder weapon, no confession, no crime scene. But Bradley has murdered before. He spent 23 years in prison for the murder of his 8-year-old stepdaughter and was released the year before Van Newkirk disappeared. There’s more–authorities believe he also killed another woman after his release from prison and before Van Newkirk’s disappearance. He has since been charged with that murder — after the Van Newkirk murder charges were filed.

Michelle Carter, 18, is accused of Involuntary Manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend Conrad Roy III, 18, to commit suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in July 2014 in Massachusetts. Carter was not with Roy when he killed himself but numerous text messages and phone calls reveal that she encouraged him from afar to carry out the plan. On April 7, 2016, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard oral arguments on whether the case should be dismissed. Carter’s briefs are listed here; the Commonwealth’s brief has been sealed by the court. On July 1, 2016 the Massachusetts SJC held that Carter’s indictment was proper so the case will move forward. That decision is also listed here. If prosecuted as an adult, Carter faces up to 20 years in prison.

On December 8, 1980, Mark David Chapman shot and killed John Lennon outside of Lennon’s apartment in the famed Dakota building near Central Park. John Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, was at his side when he was murdered. The documents here are parole hearing transcripts. He faces the New York State Parole Board every two years. The next hearing will be in 2018.

Dippolito was convicted in 2011 of solicitation to commit 1st degree murder of her husband. She received a 20-year prison sentence but her conviction was overturned in 2014. Her retrial finally took place in December 2016 but the jury deadlocked 3-3. She faces yet another trial in 2017. If convicted, Dippolito could be sentenced up to 30 years in prison. Click here to go to the Dippolito home page.

The murder conviction of Ryan Ferguson in Columbia, MO was reversed. Ferguson served 10 years of a 40-year sentence for a crime he did not commit. He was freed in late 2013.

Graswald is charged with the murder of her fiance, Vince Viafore, while they were kayaking in New York State on April 19, 2015. The defense fought to have Graswald’s statements to police thrown out. After a lengthy hearing and an even longer time to decide, the bulk of those statements will be heard by a jury at her 2017 trial. Graswald maintains Viafore’s drowning was accidental. Click here to go to the Graswald home page.

Harold Henthorn was accused of pushing his second wife, Toni, off a cliff in Sept. 2012. Her “accidental” death led investigators to reopen the “accidental” death of his first wife, Lynn, in 1995. In Sept. 2015, he was convicted of first degree murder of Toni’s death in Colorado federal district court. On December 8, 2015, Henthorn was sentenced to life without parole.

Herring is charged with the August 7, 2015 murder of DCF social worker Lara Sobel in Vermont, and faces life without parole. A day after Herring’s August 7 arrest, the bodies of three more victims were discovered, all shot to death: two cousins and an aunt. Herring is charged with their murders also. In July 2017, Herring pled guilty to all four murders. There will be a sentencing hearing in October 2017 where she could face life without parole but it is no longer a mandatory sentence, based on the plea agreement.

Holmes was convicted of murdering 12 and attempting to murder 70 in a crowded movie theater on July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colorado. The trial took place in 2015. His sentence was 12 sentences of life without parole plus 3,318 years. Click here to go to the Holmes home page.

Todd Kendhammer was accused of beating his wife of 25 years to death in the car as he drove her to work on a remote Wisconsin road. He claimed that a pipe had come off the bed of a truck in front of them and gone through the windshield of the couple’s car, impaling his 46-year-old wife. Investigators tried to recreate the accident, and were apparently unsuccessful. An autopsy showed that Barbara Kendhammer died from multiple blunt force trauma injuries including lacerations in the back of her head, a broken nose, a skull fracture and lip contusions–injuries inconsistent with a pipe passing through the windshield and hitting her. Moreover, there were inconsistencies in Kendhammer’s story, and video surveillance was unable to locate the truck he described. Todd Kendhammer was arrested and charged with murder. His case went to trial in December 2017. He was convicted of first degree intentional homicide and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Kendhammer maintains his innocence and is appealing.

Comedian Tracy Morgan suffered serious injury during a traffic accident in June 2014. Fellow comedian James McNair died in the crash; 3 others were injured. Morgan sued Wal-Mart whose truck hit his SUV. In May 2015, Wal-Mart settled the lawsuit. Criminal charges against the Wal-Mart driver, Kevin Roper, are still pending in NJ.

Peterson was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife Laci and their unborn son Conner in late Dec. 2002 in Modesto, CA. His trial was in 2004; the jury sentenced him to death. The judge imposed the death sentence in March 2005. Peterson is currently in San Quentin’s death row and is appealing the convictions.

Roof is charged with nine counts of murder for killing parishioners at a Bible study meeting in a Charleston, South Carolina church on June 17, 2015. The State is seeking the death penalty. A January 2017 trial date has been set in the State murder case. Roof also faces 33 counts in a federal indictment of hate crimes and other related charges. His federal trial began in November 2016 with hearings and jury selection. After a sealed competency hearing, the judge found Roof competent. Then Roof decided to represent himself at his federal trial where he faces the death penalty.The State murder case will follow the federal trial.

Johnny Small, 44, spent 27 years in prison for a crime he always denied. He was 16 years old when he was convicted in North Carolina of the 1988 murder of Pamela Dreher. A key witness later recanted. After a four-day hearing in August 2016, a judge vacated Small’s conviction. He still faces a possible retrial but is out of prison, at least for now.

Read more from North Carolina’s Star News reporter Fran Norton.

In a retrial, Young was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife in 2006 in Raleigh, NC. The Court of Appeals reversed and ordered a new trial but, on 8/21/15, the NC Supreme Court disagreed. Young will not get a third trial unless the the Court of Appeals finds new grounds.