The Killing Season premiered on A&E in the fall of 2016 and focuses on one of the most haunting and chilling cold cases in America today: the unsolved murders by the “Long Island Serial Killer.” Join award-winning creators and executive producers Rachel Mills and Joshua Zeman along with award winning investigative reporter and author Robert Kolker (The Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Myster) for unparalleled access into one of the most compelling cases of our time. Come inside the case and learn where the investigation has been, is now, and is headed for the future. Be prepared to sleep with the lights on.
If you’ve ever wanted to help solve a cold case, this session is for you. Through a selection of cold cases (both famous and lesser known), you will learn the techniques, investigative methods, means, and actions taken by Sheryl and her team to help solve each case. At the end of the session you'll walk away with the tools, techniques, and working knowledge necessary to lend real help to cold case researchers.
Barbara Trathen, co-prosecutor in the Mike Tyson rape trial (which took place in Indy), will talk about these two famous cases and explain her view as to why one athlete went to prison while the other walked free.
Trathen will take the audience inside what it's like to be a prosecutor in a high-profile case involving a celebrity and will explain how she and her team were able to complete a trial in just a fraction of the time it took for the OJ case.
A mock crime scene will be set up so that attendees can observe actual crime scene processing techniques used to identify, protect, and collect physical evidence. Attendees will be able to interact with Crime Scene Specialists processing the crime scene by asking questions related to physical evidence including a victim’s body, cartridge casings, knives, bullets, firearms, fingerprints, bloodstain patterns, blood, hairs, fibers, documents, drugs, and alcohol. Various forensic equipment and supplies will be used and explained. The goal of this demonstration is to provide attendees with basic knowledge as it relates to how a crime scene is processed and the attention to detail that is required for complex physical evidence recovery.
Arguably one of the most portrayed and dramatized role in law enforcement is that of the Crime Scene Investigator. From real world cases, such as the O.J. Simpson trial, to the fictional CSI television franchise, the role of collecting and examining evidence has itself been put on trial. However, within this already highly specialized world exists an even more elite group of investigators who conduct forensic investigations in places no one even knows about and no one has ever seen.
In this session Bobby Chacon will describe how the FBI’s underwater forensic divers are sent into some of the most dangerous places to conduct their crime scene investigations. Operating in a space that is hostile to human life, these investigators must follow all the procedures of their dry land counterparts, but must do so while on life supporting breathing equipment and in a place where things are constantly moving around and where hostile marine life may be present.
Bobby will explain what goes into becoming a forensic diver in the FBI and how this might differ (greatly) from what many people know about recreational diving. Bobby will also describe some of the more high profile cases that FBI divers have been involved in, such as the 1996 TWA Flight 800 crash, the 2003 Space Shuttle crash, the Laci Peterson case, the recent San Bernardino terror attacks, and others.
Having covered the Scott Peterson murder trial for Fox News gavel-to-gavel, Jones will give the audience her insider view into media coverage of the case, and will touch on the behind-the-scenes antics of the high profile attorneys involved. In contrast to the public image of Scott Peterson as an indifferent husband, Aphrodite Jones will expose Scott Peterson as not only a calculating killer – but as someone who planned to kill again… Using a unique power-point and mixed-media presentation, Jones will present courtroom evidence that will reveal little-known details about the trial and will cover the 41 clues that allowed the prosecution to win an entirely circumstantial case. Ultimately, the audience will learn how an embattled jury came to their final decision: a death row sentence for a killer trapped by his own lies.
Have you ever been watching TV and thought to yourself, "Man, I wish the police would do this, or I wish the cops would think of that." Now is your chance because Sheryl McCollum from the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute needs your help solving a cold case!
In Wine & Crime you'll work alongside nationally recognized experts inside our war room! Help find clues and think about new avenues to explore--all of which may help solve a case. Sheryl, along with nationally recognized experts (including a homicide detective, a CSI, a profiler, and a forensic expert) will work beside you, helping formulate ideas, plans, and theories. We will also have our signature cold case wines on display, so come crack open a bottle and crack open a case!
Every idea and new lead formed during "Wine & Crime" that is used in the investigation will vbe followed up on and registrants will receive information after the Con letting them know how things panned out.
This year marks the 10th anniversary since the disappearance of Stacy Peterson. Snapped Notorious: Drew Peterson will examine the two widely reported explanations of her vanishing. Drew, her local law enforcement husband, claimed she ran off with another man, however, her family believes Drew is to blame. The show’s deep dive into Drew Peterson’s abuse of power, corruption and eventual conviction for the murder of his previous wife, will all unfold as Stacy’s family continues to look for answers.
New Episodes of Snapped premiere every Sunday at 6/5c on Oxygen
The part of any case we don’t see on television or in the movies is perhaps the most important of all: jury deliberations. In this experience the audience will witness a live reenactment of an actual trial and will then join their jury for deliberations. Can they reach a verdict? Will their verdict match that of the original trial jury? And what does all of this say about the importance of picking the right people for the right case?
He’s the most prolific serial rapist and killer in California history – and he’s never been caught. This panel will give you unprecedented insider access to the experts, the case and the victims. Survivors and victim family members reunite to tell their stories and breathe new life into this case. Jane Carson-Sandler (survivor); Michelle Cruz (sister of 12th murder victim); and Debbie Domingo (daughter of 10th murder victim).
The panel is being moderated by Cathy Scott.
The Kaleidoscope System is the newest and most innovative bloodstain impact pattern reconstruction system in the world. It's designed to reconstruct impact patterns often found in beatings and stabbings. Come inside an entirely recreated crime scene that is reconstructed using the same tools employed by the best experts in the world.
Come and say hello to TV personality and bestselling author Aphrodite Jones as she reads from her new book All HE Wanted.
Jon Ronson will recount the adventure of a lifetime - the funny, terrifying and utterly compelling events that led to his internationally bestselling book The Psychopath Test. Is it true that psychopaths rule the world? Or have we gone labelling-crazy?
Introducing the Midwest Search Dogs! In this session you'll learn who we are and what we do. We'll have 4 of the newest K9 team members doing demos in Trailing, Live Area Search, and Human Remains Detection. In addition you'll learn about:
*Required certifications for team members and dogs.
*How we start new dogs.
Plus plenty of time for Q&A!
Note: The dogs in this demo are still learning so expect them to make mistakes, or be distracted by all the people, or even decide they don't want to work.
We are working on the description for this session, please check back soon.
Follow along and get the behind the scenes account as Payne Lindsey walks you through his untold story of Up and Vanished with exclusive audio and video clips, plus an audience Q&A.
Introducing the Midwest Search Dogs! In this session you'll learn who we are and what we do. In addition you'll learn about:
*Required certifications for team members and dogs.
*The different type of Live search dogs on the team.
*The difference between Live Area Dogs and Trailing dogs.
*Different type of Live Area dog alerts: Bark and Refind, with a demo of both
*Training dogs demo
*Myths about Live area and Trailing dogs and what they can and can't do.
Plus plenty of time for Q&A!
Note: We'll have wipes for anyone that comes in contact with bloodhound slobber. When they shake their head no one is the room is safe.
As Jodi Arias' defense attorney, Kirk Nurmi saw firsthand the powerful and unpredictable things that can happen when social media and traditional media work in tandem to scrutinize a trial. In this session he will share his concerns about maintaining the purity of the American Justice System in the social media era.
The Generation Why Podcast hosts will talk about the history of the podcast, the format, choosing and researching topics, the recording and editing process, as well as episodes and moments from the past five years that stand out to them.
Wrongful conviction activists claim that false confessions occur in up to 25% of overturned cases. The “epidemic” of suspects providing made-up inculpatory statements is most often attributed to coercive or physically abusive police interview tactics. But are these incendiary claims true?
Attorney Ken Kratz examines the current legal issues surrounding custodial confessions, and challenges the accuracy and motives of many popular innocence crusaders, making claims of wide-spread interrogation abuses. Kratz uses real-life interrogation examples, including the confession of Brendan Dassey, when he asks his audience to take a critical look into this common criminal justice fallacy.
We are working on the description for this session, please check back soon.
Most people became interested in the State of Arizona v. Jodi Arias on January 2, 2013, when opening statements were delivered. Over time that interest became a media sensation and a world-wide phenomenon. However, as her attorney, I know that what you saw at trial is only part of the story.
Have you ever wondered what happened before the trial began, what it was like to deal with Ms. Arias when the cameras were not rolling?
In this book I detail what happened before the case began; before the cameras were on. I detail the things that you do not know, things that will describe my reality, the reality that I was "Trapped with Ms. Arias."
Introducing the Midwest Search Dogs! In this session you'll learn who we are and what we do. In addition you'll learn about:
*Required certifications for team members and dogs.
*How we get training material for the HRD dogs
*How we train the dogs with demos of them finding training material hidden in the room.
*Myths about HRD dogs and what they can and can't do
Plus plenty of time for Q&A!
Note: The training material will be inside boxes so you can't see anything, but you may be able to smell it. We'll point out where things are hidden so you can pick your seat accordingly.
On television Nancy is a force to be reckoned with—but, in person, her warmth, wit, and candor make for a memorable and uplifting program rich in anecdotes, humor, and genuine emotion. Nancy tells a story as inspirational as it is devastating: her fiancé was shot and killed, shattering the image she held of her future. Determined to help others affected by violence and to keep criminals off the street, she abandoned her plan to become an English professor and instead attended law school, becoming a Law Review graduate of Mercer Law School and earning her LLM from New York University. With her extraordinary conviction rate as a prosecutor and years of TV work, she has achieved many times over her dream of making the world a little safer—and sparing others the pain of losing a loved one to senseless violence. She also addresses questions of overcoming obstacles, including what felt to her like insurmountable grief.
Bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) is the examination of bloodstain patterns in order to reconstruct the movement that caused it. This session offers real bloodstain pattern analysis reconstruction to show how experts examine the size, shape, angle of origin, and location of the bloodstains in order to better interpret what happened.
Dateline NBC correspondent Josh Mankiewicz will discuss his career with Dateline NBC, currently in its 25th season . Mankiewicz will go “behind-the-scenes” of the longest-running series in NBC primetime history.
Have you ever been watching TV and thought to yourself, "Man, I wish the police would do this, or I wish the cops would think of that." Now is your chance because Sheryl McCollum from the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute needs your help solving a cold case!
In Wine & Crime you'll work alongside nationally recognized experts inside our war room! Help find clues and think about new avenues to explore--all of which may help solve a case. Sheryl, along with nationally recognized experts (includng a homicide detective, a CSI, a profiler, and a forensic expert) will work beside you, helping formulate ideas, plans, and theories. We will also have our signature cold case wines on display, so come crack open a bottle and crack open a case!
Every idea and new lead formed during "Wine & Crime" that is used in the investigation will vbe followed up on and registrants will receive information after the Con letting them know how things panned out.
What happens when a true crime journalist got so frustrated with writing unsolved murder stories with no endings that he started solving the murders himself?
Billy Jensen will present some of his methods--which combine old-fashioned shoe leather work, marketing, geo-profiling, social media targeting, and scotch—as he walks the crowd through one of his recent cases that resulted in an arrest, as well as one of his active investigations, where the crowd can put its collective heads together to try and get some answers.
Along the way Jensen will speak to the feature stories he has written and filmed that have large citizen detective components—like Luka Magnotta (Rolling Stone), Maura Murray (Boston Magazine) and the Allenstown 4 and Caledonia Doe (Crime Watch Daily). He will also present a peek at his plan for how police forces can begin to use civilian volunteers to assist them in cold case investigations.
Have you ever been watching TV and thought to yourself, "Man, I wish the police would do this, or I wish the cops would think of that." Now is your chance because Sheryl McCollum from the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute needs your help solving a cold case!
In Wine & Crime you'll work alongside nationally recognized experts inside our war room! Help find clues and think about new avenues to explore--all of which may help solve a case. Sheryl, along with nationally recognized experts (includng a homicide detective, a CSI, a profiler, and a forensic expert) will work beside you, helping formulate ideas, plans, and theories. We will also have our signature cold case wines on display, so come crack open a bottle and crack open a case!
Every idea and new lead formed during "Wine & Crime" that is used in the investigation will vbe followed up on and registrants will receive information after the Con letting them know how things panned out.
An absolute can't-miss experience! X-G Productions experts (former FBI profilers and interrogation specialists) will discuss the varying types of interrogations they have done around the world: rapists, robbers, murderers, serial killers, al Qaeda terrorists, etc. Then some select members of the audience will get a chance to be the subject of these interrogations. How much information can you really withhold against a professional interrogator?
The disappearance of Maura Murray is the first great mystery of the social media age. The UMass nursing student vanished the week Facebook launched, in February, 2004. After sending an email to professors claiming there was a family emergency, Murray drove north into the White Mountains where she got into a single-car accident, crashing into a snow bank at night along Rt. 112. In the few minutes between the accident and the arrival of police, she disappeared and has never been seen again.
Was it an abduction? Did she wander into the woods to die? Or did she walk away from her life to start fresh somewhere new?
Join author James Renner (True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterous Disappearance of Maura Murray) and Missing Maura Murray podcast producers Lance Reenstierna and Tim Pilleri for a discussion and debate about what might have happened. Q&A to follow.
The Wisconsin Innocence Project, a group that seeks to exonerate the wrongfully convicted, has been at the forefront of some of the most talked about cases in recent years. But what is it really like to be an attorney working on cases that often take years (or even decades) to conclude?
In this session, two attorneys from the Wisconsin Innocence Project (the same project that was instrumental in the exoneration of Steven Avery after his first conviction) will talk about their work and identify three of the main things they look for when considering whether to take on a new case.
They’ll then take the audience inside two murder convictions they are currently investigating—The State of Texas vs. David Wood and The State of Wisconsin vs. Eric Peterson—explaining what drew them to these cases initially and what’s next in terms of the legal process.
Audience Q&A will end the session, so bring your best questions about false confessions, jailhouse snitches, eyewitness testimony, forensics, or anything else on your mind!
Police procedurals and criminal investigation shows on television make it look easy, but digital forensics is a discipline that requires a unique amount of skill and care to conduct a successful investigation. In this presentation, participants will learn what it is like to assist in the collection and analysis of electronic evidence by getting the opportunity to make decisions themselves.
Make the right choices and your case will be successful. But make the wrong ones and a criminal could easily walk free. After running through the mock scenario and comparing participant choices with best practices, our experts will discuss the importance of digital evidence using real-world examples of good and bad investigatory decisions.
Participants will leave this presentation with a more complete understanding of the capabilities of digital forensics and the importance of data that can be found on mobile phones, laptops, GPSs, and other commonly used electronic devices.
As a long time defense attorney, F. Lee Bailey discusses the impact of media on cases and what steps need to be taken by defendants once the news media "adopt" a case for coverage.
Tricia Todd was reported missing by her brother and sister-in-law when the babysitter called and said her ex-husband had dropped off their daughter because he had not been able to get a hold of Tricia and she did not come to pick up their daughter. Less than a month and a half later, Steven Williams, the ex-husband would admit to killing Tricia, dismembering her body and disposing of her remains by burying buckets containing acid and various body parts.
Moderated by the hosts of Thinking Sideways, this Panel discusses the complexities of the modern-day citizen detective. We will delve into the complexities of being a citizen detective, what the role should be, and the important impact that anyone can have on cold cases. Panelists include Tricia Griffith, owner of Websleuths, Alice de Surler, of Defrosting Cold Cases, and Cathy Scott, author of The Crime Book, and The Killing of Tupac Shakur.
