Jennifer Chase's Blog, page 32

A Phone Call That Likely Saved Many Young Lives

Image Courtesy: CNN

Many of us hesitate to get involved when faced with potentially dangerous situations. Maybe when we see someone driving erratically or even witness an accident, we assume someone else will call the police. If we notice an individual engaging in what appears to be suspicious activity, we may not want to speak up in case we are bothering an innocent person or if this person is not innocent, we could be putting ourselves in danger by pointing him out. But one woman in a small...

Was There a Rush to Convict in Nation’s Oldest Cold Case?

Photo Courtesy: DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department

I want all of those who commit violent crimes, particularly those who harm children and others who are the most innocent among us, to be held accountable for their actions. But, I also want to know that the justice that they face is done fairly and that guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt, as our legal system demands. I read about a man convicted in 2012 of a decades-old cold case for whom it seems a verdict and sentence was handed down...

Woman Killed Her Own Hit Man but Now Fears Ex-Husband’s Release

I like reading stories about strong women who fight for justice, whether it is in their own lives or behalf of those around them. In fact, such depictions are so important to me that I created protagonist Emily Stone, a woman who acts as a vigilante crime solver in her efforts to rid communities of the most heinous criminals, to star in a series of my novels.

For this reason, I am captured by the story of Susan Walters, an emergency room nurse who came home from work one day in 2006 to find a...

Man Who Allegedly Murdered His Family Nearly Forty Years Ago is Newest Addition to Most Wanted List

It is a cold case that is filled with horrific acts of brutality, clues left in multiple states, and a possible element of international mystery. And, the FBI is hoping that by highlighting its suspect on the Ten Most Wanted list, a murderer who has remained free for nearly forty years finally will be brought to justice.

William Bradford Bishop is wanted by the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland for the murder of five of his family members. He allegedly left work early one day and...

Assessing the Psychopath

Have you ever gotten frustrated with someone’s indifferent reaction or maybe even the harmful way one person treated another and thought, “That person is a psychopath!” Merriam Webster defines “psychopath” as “a person who is mentally ill, who does not care about other people, and who is usually dangerous or violent; a person affected with antisocial personality disorder.” According to an assessment by Dr. Robert Hare, a criminal psychologist, more of us may fall somewhere on this spectrum th...

Following the Clues of Forensic Anthropology

Originally posted on Author Jennifer Chase:

One of the more interesting aspects of forensic science, at least for me, is the study of forensic anthropology. It entails the analysis of human skeletal remains that is within the context of a legal investigation.

During my academic studies, I took forensic anthropology as one of the requirements for my bachelor’s degree in police forensics. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and it made me view skeletal remains in more of a scientific way. I was surpr...

Former Homicide Detective Shares How He Got Criminals to Talk

Law and Order: SVU

It is always exciting to come upon an article about someone whose career offers me insight and inspiration as I constantly strive to learn more about criminal psychology and use that knowledge to be a better writer. For this reason, the CNN piece and accompanying documentary featuring retired Miami homicide detective Marshall Frank was perfect for me.

Since retiring from the force nearly a quarter of a century ago, after thirty years of service, Frank has been researching and...

Alaska Rallies to Raise Awareness of Sexual Assaults in the State

Photo Courtesy: Office of the Governor of Alaska

Something that has been important for me to advocate through the development of my Emily Stone character is the notion that women are strong and deserving of respect. Emily takes it upon herself to become a vigilante member of law enforcement, tracking down the criminals in our communities who commit the most heinous of crimes, including rape and murder. I hope that the women who read my novels perhaps become a bit bolder in appreciating their o...

Escaped Murderer Captured after Nearly 40 Years of Freedom

I would assume that when a prisoner manages to break out of jail, he probably spends nearly every moment looking over his back. Is this the day the authorities finally catch me? Will someone from my past life recognize me? But I also wonder if, after an extended period of time, an escaped convict might begin to let his guard down. After a decade or two of freedom, maybe there is the feeling that you got away with it. As was proven in Florida last week, though, individuals who escape from thei...

Using Patterns to Predict Crimes

We have all heard that humans are creatures of habit. We like certain pillows when we sleep, we always drive the same route to work, maybe even have the same breakfast to start each day. Now it seems that our predictable nature is aiding law enforcement in predicting criminal activity, with the notion that past behavior creates a pattern for future plans.

In Madison, Wisconsin, crime analyst Caleb Klebig predicted a bank robbery last week that left the local police officers amazed with its acc...