Beyond 90 Seconds

It is my pleasure to share with you a blog from a friend, award-winning journalist, television news reporter, and acclaimed author of September Sacrifice-Mark Horner. While Mark's blog is actually "not-so-new", he recently dusted off the cobwebs and brought it back to life!

Mark has made appearances on numerous television programs, such as Dateline NBC and A&E's "American Justice".

Mark's blog is called "Beyond 90 Seconds" and is sure to be a hit with true crime readers! Please take a moment and check it out!

Enjoy!

Happy (Belated) Blogiversary!!

I'm about 2 weeks late on commemorating the first anniversary of this blog, "Crime, Interrupted". Generally speaking, I am a procrastinator. This time however, the delay was not due to my procrastinating nature, but rather for a reason that has brought much happiness to myself and my family. My parents took a cross-country RV ride from NY (upstate) to Arizona, so that they could spend the holidays with me, my husband, and our kids. The day they came into town was the same day as my blogiversary, December 14th. The last Christmas I spent with my parents was 10 years ago, and the last time I saw them was when they visited in 2000. My son, at the time was 2 months old. Since then, I also had a daughter, whom they had not seen in person, only in pictures.

On December 14, 2006, one of my debut blog entries consisted of the Kanye West/Evel Knievel lawsuit. Since that time, the suit was settled, the two men put their animosity behind them, and sadly-- Evel Knievel passed away, as did Kanye West's mother.

My biggest thanks and gratitude goes to you, the reader, obviously for reading. I cannot express enough the appreciation that I have for all my readers. Thank you!!

It Must Take A Lot Of Gall.....

Imagine you are having a routine surgery. You're in the operating room, unconscious, oblivious to what is taking place. Of course, what should be taking place is your surgery. The surgery that Sean Dubowik went in for was supposed to be gall bladder surgery-which he got-along with much more. Here's a snip from the AZcentral website:

A Mayo Clinic Hospital surgeon in training used a cellphone to photograph a patient's genitals during surgery and now may face disciplinary action and a patient's attorney. Dr. Adam Hansen, chief resident of general surgery at the Phoenix hospital, admitted to Mayo administrators he snapped the photo during a Dec. 11 gallbladder surgery on patient Sean Dubowik, whose penis bears the tattooed slogan, "Hot Rod."

Please read the full article here.


Judging by the numerous comments on the article, I guess most people think this doctor should not lose his job. And since Mr. Dubowik is a strip club owner and has a tattoo on his penis, then how dare he be upset that someone take a picture of it while he's unconcious and is unable to consent to such a photo.

That, of course, is sarcasm-because I don't think it's ever "okay" to take a picture of someone's genitals while they are unable to consent, no matter what the person does for a living, and no matter what is tattooed on that region. Only Mr. Dubowik knows how truly violated he feels. Just because he owns a strip club and has a penis tattoo, doesn't mean that he's not human, and can't feel humiliation.

What do you think?

This Week's "48 Hours Mystery": Castro Valley's Jane Doe

Once again, I would like to bring your attention to a case featured on "48 Hours Mystery". You may remember seeing the recontruction of the young girl who was found brutally murdered in 2003. This 48 Hours Mystery episode takes you through the process of the reconstruction, highlights the determination of a cop who was haunted by this case from the beginning, the outrage of a community, and finally the identification of the victim. Please check your local listings for broadcast times. The show is on an hour earlier this week!!







Left to Right: Reconstruction of "Jane Doe"; Yesenia Nungaray/"Jane Doe"; Miguel Castaneda, potential suspect.
(Thanks to Louise Bashi, CBS News press contact, for providing the photos.)

A COP’S OBSESSION, A COMMUNITY’S RESOLVE, A FORENSIC SCULPTOR AND A 48 HOURS BROADCAST HELP IDENTIFY A MURDERED GIRL THEY CALLED JANE DOE­­--- BUT WILL POLICE FIND HER KILLER?




"48 HOURS MYSTERY" ON SATURDAY, DEC. 15



On the night of May 1, 2003, a teenage girl’s body was found in a trash bag left behind a restaurant in peaceful Castro Valley , Calif. The gruesome discovery became one detective’s obsession and touched the entire community, which came to call the young girl “ Castro Valley ’s Jane Doe.”



With no identity, the chances of tracking down Jane Doe’s killer were slim. Following countless leads, police eventually turned to forensic sculptor Gloria Nusse who embarked on an incredible effort over several weeks, to recreate Jane Doe’s face. Armed with this lifelike construction, police hoped to track down the victim’s identity, an effort that was fruitless, until suddenly the tide turned.



After the relentless efforts of the authorities and the local community, and a tip after a 48 Hours broadcast, police finally caught a break that led them to Yahualica , Mexico , a bereaved mother and a potential suspect.



Now, knowing the identity of their beloved Jane Doe, will police find their killer, and close the case that has haunted them for five years?



Harold Dow reports 48 HOURS MYSTERY: "The Girl Next Door," on Saturday, Dec. 15 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT)** on the CBS Television Network. This broadcast is produced by Clare Friedland. Judy Tygard is the senior producer, Al Briganti is the executive editor and Susan Zirinsky is the executive producer.

To preview this week's episode, please click here.

Tonight on 48 Hours Mystery: Fugitive Esther Reed

Top: Esther Reed, using Brooke Henson's identity; Bottom: The real Brooke Henson, still missing. (Photos provided by Louise Bashi, press contact for CBS news)

I apologize for being so late on this, as many projects and other life "goings-ons" have taken up a large portion of my week. So, for those interested in watching this week's episode of 48 Hours Mystery (CBS), here are the highlights of the episode sent to me via email from Louise Bashi. Thanks, Louise :)

INVESTIGATORS THOUGHT THEY TRACKED DOWN A MISSING SOUTH CAROLINA GIRL TO AN IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL , BUT DISCOVERED INSTEAD, A YOUNG CON WOMAN WHO IS OUTSMARTING THEM ALL

"48 HOURS MYSTERY" ON SATURDAY, DEC. 1

In the summer of 2006, Lisa Henson received the call that she patiently waited seven years for - police had found her missing niece, Brooke, enrolled at Columbia University and were on their way to meet her. But just as Henson's greatest hope was realized, it was quickly dashed when police discovered that the woman they had found was not Brooke. In fact, they had stumbled onto the trail of Esther Reed, a young woman who is still outsmarting them all.

Esther Elizabeth Reed disappeared from her Seattle home in the summer of 1999, right around the time of Brooke Henson's disappearance from her home in Travelers Rest, S.C. While Brooke was a free spirit, Esther was a sullen teen, a gifted chess player whose intelligence far exceeded her age and, as police would uncover, one whose life became a cross-country con of fake identities and frustrated dreams.

From Seattle to Arizona to California , Chicago , Boston and New York , among others, Reed has reinvented herself as a career chess player, a debate champion and even an Ivy League student attending Columbia and Harvard Universities . Over the course of her journey, Reed has used at least four different names, seduced military personnel, and allegedly stolen over $100,000 in student loans.

With a federal indictment and the Secret Service on the hunt, Reed, a high school dropout remains one step ahead, giving authorities a run for their money. "She is not Esther Reed. She is not Brooke Henson," says John Urquhardt a Sergeant with the King County Sheriff's Office in Seattle , Washington , "but she is somewhere and she is somebody."

Now, 48 HOURS MYSTERY launches its own investigation in conjunction with local police, private investigators, friends and family, and obtains exclusive interviews with one of Esther Reed's victims, a number of former lovers, an ex-con in Chicago, and a medical student who remained best friends with Reed for years, never suspecting what she was really up to. Additionally FBI consultant Frank Abagnale, whose exploits as a phony pilot, lawyer, and doctor inspired the motion picture "Catch Me If You Can," weighs in on the case.

Peter Van Sant reports 48 HOURS MYSTERY: "Capture the Queen," on Saturday, Dec. 1 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The broadcast is produced by Miguel Sancho. Chris O'Connell is the associate producer. Peter Schweitzer is the senior producer. Al Briganti is the executive editor. Susan Zirinsky is the executive producer.

You can find the video preview here.

Shevy Wright--One Wish

With so much death, destruction, and evil in the world, I thought it would be nice for once to write about a story about something sad, yet heart-warming. It's not too often that we hear about the good things that our law enforcement do. A great number of people focus on putting down our officers of the law-they aren't doing enough, they are corrupt-blah, blah, blah....the list goes on.

They take an oath to protect all citizens. They risk their lives, see things that everyday people wouldn't wish to see in a million years. Shevy Wright took that oath also. He took the oath in front of the Chief of the Chandler (Arizona) Police Department, as any officer would-amid his fellow officers and other public officals. He had a uniform and other police equipment, as well as his own personal locker. His badge number was #1018. Yes, Shevy was a full-fledged member of the Chandler Police Department.

Shevy had one of his greatest wishes come true-to be a police officer. A nine-year-old little boy wished for one thing- to put away the bad guys just like his fellow officers.

It all started with a diagnosis of a brain tumor in December 2006, a Disney World trip provided by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and eventually the Chandler Police Department caught wind of Shevy's wish to be a police officer.

Sadly, Shevy lost his battle with his tumor. It was one "bad guy" that he couldn't catch, and that no one could protect him from.



Shevy's short life should serve as an example that the people that protect and serve us are human. They are hard-working individuals that really do want to make a difference, protect the community, and make wishes come true.


Rest In Peace Shevy, and may your memory continue to serve what "community" is all about.

If you are interested in sending your condolences to Shevy's family, there is an online guestbook available here.


Shevy Wright, left, with Chandler Police Chief Sherry Kiyler
(photo from the chandlerpd website.)






Sources: azcentral.com; kpho.com

This Week's "48 Hours Mystery": The Madeleine McCann

First, a personal note to everyone. My apologies for the light amount of blogging lately. I've had really crazy work hours lately, and I'm also trying to work on a couple other projects as well.

Left to Right:
Jane Tanner, McCann family, composite of alleged kidnapper.
(Courtesy of Louise Bashi, CBS News)

I received an email from Louise Bashi, the press contact for CBS News about an exclusive episode of "48 Hours Mystery". This week's episode covers the Madeleine McCann case. While I haven't blogged about the case before this time, I thought you all would be interested in this episode.

48 HOURS EXCLUSIVE

“I MIGHT HAVE SEEN MADELEINE BEING ABDUCTED,”
SAYS JANE TANNER, ONE OF THE McCANN DINNER COMPANIONS THE NIGHT OF MADELEINE’S DISAPPEARANCE

Private Investigator Says He is 100% Sure Maddie is Alive

“I never in a million years thought it could have been Madeleine…It was just complete shock and complete horror that I might have seen Madeleine being abducted,” says Jane Tanner in her first public interview to be broadcast on 48 HOURS MYSTERY reported by Peter Van Sant on Saturday, Nov. 17 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

In this exclusive interview, Tanner, one of the McCanns’ friends and dinner companions at The Tapas Restaurant the night of Maddie’s disappearance, describes catching a glimpse of an oddly dressed man carrying a child. “I just saw somebody walking across the top of the road…that person was carrying a child,” she recounts. “I could tell it was a child…I could see the pajamas and the feet.” Tanner initially thought nothing of it, but is now certain that she saw the abduction in progress.

Tanner goes on to say that she told police what she saw that same night. “As soon as the police arrived, they were brought to the apartment and I told them what I’d seen…And then the CID (Criminal Investigative Department) people arrived a little later I again told them exactly what I’d seen.” Her description even led to an artist’s rendering distributed by the family a month ago.

Tanner strongly supports the McCanns, saying they had nothing to do with Madeleine’s disappearance, “We know Kate and Gerry well. We know that there’s no way that what the media are saying is true. It’s just madness.”

Francisco Marco, a Spanish private investigator hired by a supporter of the McCanns, expresses a similar sentiment, claiming to have answers the whole world has been waiting for. “We’re 100% sure that she is alive. We are sure she was abducted. We are very, very close to finding the kidnapper.”

In addition to these explosive revelations, 48 HOURS has acquired information from a highly placed source in the investigation who discloses that Portuguese police are now not investigating homicide by Kate and Gerry McCann as a possibility. 48 Hours has also learned from police sources that the DNA is inconclusive and will not solve this case. 48 Hours also went undercover, hiring top US private investigator Joseph Moura, who has handled cases in Portugal . Moura unearthed eyewitness accounts that contradict both the local investigators’ and the McCanns’ versions of the events of May 3.

What really happened the night Madeleine McCann vanished? Are the McCanns and their friends telling the entire truth? Are authorities close to catching someone?

48 HOURS MYSTERY: WHERE’S MADDIE? is produced by Doug Longhini, Joe Halderman, Liza Finley, Avi Cohen, Patti Aronofsky and Peter Henderson. Al Briganti is the executive editor. Susan Zirinsky is the executive producer.

This 48 HOURS report was prepared in cooperation with the BBC and Sociedade Independente de Comunicaco Sa/TV of Portugal . CBS’ 48 HOURS program and BBC’s Panorama are prepared independently.

There is also a video preview of the episode. It's an episode you won't want to miss with never before seen footage of Kate and Gerry McCann.