Dec 12, 2015
The case behind the "Twinkie Defense:" the infamous murders of Harvey Milk and George Moscone. How Dan White used the "diminished capacity" defense to argue that excessive amounts of sugar reduced his criminal intent.
Dec 2, 2015
When charged with heinous crimes, sometimes the accused resort to creative defense strategies. One of the more controversial claims is that the person was sleep-walking while he or she committed the illegal act, thus removing intent and responsibility.
Nov 2, 2015
Teenage lovers murder eleven people in the 1950s in a two-month killing spree in Nebraska and Wyoming sparking one of the largest manhunts in the region. But was this a case of two dominant personalities fueling each other's murderous fantasies, or was young Caril Ann Fugate a hostage unable to break free...
Oct 1, 2015
It was a case that divided the nation. In December of 1984, Bernhard Goetz shot four men in a New York subway who were trying to mug him. How much abuse does a crime victim have to take before he can retaliate or defend himself? What is the right level of force in retaliation? We will discuss the ethical line around...
Sep 2, 2015
In December of 2001 in Durham, North Carolina Michael Peterson called 911 to report that his wife had fallen down a flight of stairs in their house. Though emergency personnel found her at the bottom of a staircase, some of the evidence was inconsistent with a fall. According to the autopsy report, Kathleen Peterson...