Until the End of Crime

The Murder of Karmen Smith

On October 23, 1995, Karmen Smith was brutally attacked and killed in the house she shared with her 5 year old son Nick, her friend Lottie Spencer Blatz, and Lottie's daughter. Nick was also attacked and left for dead. In 2009, her murder was linked to DNA that ultimately brought her killer to justice...
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Sources:
Georgia Appellate Court Record: Daker v. State 2000
ABC News: Star Witness Admits Lying
Homicide: Hours to Kill - Season 2 Episode 17
 

The Disappearance of Kristen Modaferri - Part 2

On June 23, 1997, eighteen-year-old Kristen Deborah Modafferi clocked out of her shift at Spinelli's Coffee in the Crocker Galleria in San Francisco's Financial District and was seen forty-five minutes later, on the second level of the arcade, walking with an unidentified blonde woman. She has not been seen since. 
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Sources
ABC7 News (KGO-TV San Francisco), "The Kristen Modafferi Mystery: 20 years later, private investigators shed light on cold case" (2017) — https://abc7news.com/kristen-modafferi-disappearance-san-francisco-coffee-shop/2134466/
ABC7 News (KGO-TV San Francisco), "Persons of interest in 20-year-old San Francisco cold case" (2017) — https://abc7news.com/news/kristen-modafferi-mystery-private-investigators-shed-light-on-cold-case/2138162/
WSOC-TV Charlotte, "The search for Kristen Modafferi: 20 years later" by Paul Boyd (2017) — https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/family-speaks-out-20-years-after-charlotte-teen-disappears-in-california/530724359/
WRAL Raleigh, "Police Track Down New Lead in Case of Missing NCSU Student" (May 24, 1999) — https://www.wral.com/story/136150/
WRAL Raleigh, "Family and Friends of Missing NCSU Student Hope to Generate New Leads" (1999) — https://www.wral.com/story/168446/
SFGate, "Disappearance of Woman, 18, Linked to Ad" — https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Disappearance-Of-Woman-18-Linked-to-Ad-3007247.php
SFGate, "Potential lead in Kristen Modafferi cold case goes uninvestigated" by Mike Moffitt (2018)
NBC Bay Area (2015) — coverage of the Buster cadaver-dog basement alert at the Jayne Avenue residence
HuffPost, "Cold Case: The Mysterious Disappearance Of Kristen Modafferi" (2015) — https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kristen-modafferi-cold-case_n_7673236
FBI Kidnappings/Missing Persons listing, Kristen Modafferi — https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/kristen-modafferi
NamUs Missing Persons Case #4015 — https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/4015/details
Doe Network Case File 1864DFCA — https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1864dfca.html
Charley Project, Kristen Deborah Modafferi — https://charleyproject.org/case/kristen-deborah-modafferi
Find a Grave memorial, Kristen Deborah Modafferi — https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9179518/kristen-deborah-modafferi
The Kristen Foundation — http://www.kristenfoundation.org
"Help Find Kristen Modafferi" public Facebook group
Dennis Mahon, FindKristen.com — https://findkristen.com
Wikipedia, "Disappearance of Kristen Modafferi" — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Kristen_Modafferi
Wikipedia, "Crocker Galleria" — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocker_Galleria
Wikipedia, "Craigslist" — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigslist
NC State Park Scholarships program history — https://park.ncsu.edu
Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD), Crocker Galleria entry
Acappology (NC State a cappella group) members archive — https://www.acappology.com
 

The Disappearance of Kristen Modaferri - Part 1

On June 23, 1997, eighteen-year-old Kristen Deborah Modafferi clocked out of her shift at Spinelli's Coffee in the Crocker Galleria in San Francisco's Financial District and was seen forty-five minutes later, on the second level of the arcade, walking with an unidentified blonde woman. She has not been seen since. Part 1 of "Kristen's Law" walks through who Kristen was — the Charlotte-raised inaugural Park Scholar at NC State, in San Francisco for a summer photography course at UC Berkeley and working two jobs — and reconstructs the day she vanished, the seven-day delay before the Oakland Police Department opened an investigation, the bloodhound trail that ended near Sutro Heights Park, and the early moves the Modafferi family made when they flew west on Friday, June 27, and were told to come back Monday. 
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Sources:Investigative Reporting
ABC7 News (KGO-TV San Francisco), "The Kristen Modafferi Mystery: 20 years later, private investigators shed light on cold case" (2017) — https://abc7news.com/kristen-modafferi-disappearance-san-francisco-coffee-shop/2134466/
ABC7 News (KGO-TV San Francisco), "Persons of interest in 20-year-old San Francisco cold case" (2017) — https://abc7news.com/news/kristen-modafferi-mystery-private-investigators-shed-light-on-cold-case/2138162/
WSOC-TV Charlotte, "The search for Kristen Modafferi: 20 years later" by Paul Boyd (2017) — https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/family-speaks-out-20-years-after-charlotte-teen-disappears-in-california/530724359/
WRAL Raleigh, "Police Track Down New Lead in Case of Missing NCSU Student" (May 24, 1999) — https://www.wral.com/story/136150/
WRAL Raleigh, "Family and Friends of Missing NCSU Student Hope to Generate New Leads" (1999) — https://www.wral.com/story/168446/
SFGate, "Disappearance of Woman, 18, Linked to Ad" — https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Disappearance-Of-Woman-18-Linked-to-Ad-3007247.php
SFGate, "Potential lead in Kristen Modafferi cold case goes uninvestigated" by Mike Moffitt (2018)
NBC Bay Area (2015) — coverage of the Buster cadaver-dog basement alert at the Jayne Avenue residence
HuffPost, "Cold Case: The Mysterious Disappearance Of Kristen Modafferi" (2015) — https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kristen-modafferi-cold-case_n_7673236
Federal and Official Case Records
FBI Kidnappings/Missing Persons listing, Kristen Modafferi — https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/kristen-modafferi
NamUs Missing Persons Case #4015 — https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/4015/details
Doe Network Case File 1864DFCA — https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1864dfca.html
Charley Project, Kristen Deborah Modafferi — https://charleyproject.org/case/kristen-deborah-modafferi
Find a Grave memorial, Kristen Deborah Modafferi — https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9179518/kristen-deborah-modafferi
Family and Foundation
The Kristen Foundation — http://www.kristenfoundation.org
"Help Find Kristen Modafferi" public Facebook group
Independent Investigator
Dennis Mahon, FindKristen.com — https://findkristen.com
Reference and Background Context
Wikipedia, "Disappearance of Kristen Modafferi" — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Kristen_Modafferi
Wikipedia, "Crocker Galleria" — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocker_Galleria
Wikipedia, "Craigslist" — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigslist
NC State Park Scholarships program history — https://park.ncsu.edu
Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD), Crocker Galleria entry
Acappology (NC State a cappella group) members archive — https://www.acappology.com
 

The Murder of Buddy Musso

Louis Charles Musso, or Buddy as he was known, had grown up with intellectual disabilities. In 1980, his wife lost her battle with cancer, and Buddy, who had always loved being a husband, was left devastated. In 1997, he thought he had met a woman who would turn things around for him, so he packed up and moved to Texas to be with her...
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Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Basso
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10700041/louis_charles-musso 
Court Documents: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit filings related to the appeals of Suzanne Basso and her co-defendants.
Newspaper Archives: The Record (Bergen County) and the Houston Chronicle.
Advocacy Groups: Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) and The Marshall Project.
https://morbidology.com/the-horrific-death-of-buddy-musso/#:~:text=All%20six%20were%20charged%20with,to%20become%20Buddy's%20legal%20guardian. 
https://globalnews.ca/news/1131646/texas-executes-woman-for-killing-of-mentally-impaired-man-she-lured-with-promise-of-marriage/

Serial Killer: Robert Garrow Jr.

In 1973, Robert Garrow went on the run from law enforcement and a 12 day manhunt ensued. The crimes he had to answer for were gruesome and growing. His attorneys made choices that questioned their ethics, and legality. 
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Sources: 
https://www.adirondack.net/history/garrow-manhunt/ 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Garrow 
https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/08/archives/murder-suspect-visits-his-sister-man-sought-in-the-stabbing-of.html

The Last Call Killer

In the early 1990s, New York City’s nightlife was a vibrant escape, but for a specific community, it became a hunting ground. This week, we dive into the chilling case of Richard Rogers, notoriously known as the "Last Call Killer."
Operating under the cover of the city’s bustling piano bars and gay lounges, Rogers was a master of the "ordinary." He was a mild-mannered nurse by day who spent his evenings befriending men, buying them drinks, and offering them rides home—rides that would ultimately lead to their gruesome ends.
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Sources: 
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The Murders of Jacqueline and Sydney Blackwell

In the quiet suburbs of Merseyside, Sydney and Jacqueline Blackwell were raising their 18-year-old son, Brian. He was a straight-A student with a bright future in medicine and a lifestyle that seemed to mirror his academic success. From luxury cars to lavish international trips, Brian appeared to be the ultimate overachiever.
But behind the facade of the "perfect son" lay a complex web of staggering lies and a dark, narcissistic obsession. When a singular, impulsive moment shattered the family’s quiet life, the true extent of Brian's double life was finally forced into the light.
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Sources:
https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/brian-blackwell
“Teens Who Kill” Series 1 Episode 5. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Blackwell 
https://grokipedia.com/page/Brian_Blackwell 
https://www.thetimes.com/best-law-firms/profile-legal/article/killers-girlfriend-explains-how-she-was-seduced-by-lies-k0ls7s2tkct 
https://parade.com/living/traits-of-people-raised-by-older-parents-according-to-psychologists 
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10233307/

The Starlight Tours

For decades, Indigenous communities in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan whispered about a police practice called a "starlight tour" — officers detaining First Nations men and abandoning them on the frozen outskirts of the city in sub-zero temperatures. In this episode, we trace the story from the 1990 death of seventeen-year-old Neil Stonechild, found frozen with handcuff marks on his wrists, to the harrowing winter of 2000, when two more frozen bodies were discovered near the same power station where survivor Darrell Night had barely escaped with his life days earlier. Night's courage in coming forward shattered decades of denial, triggered a landmark public inquiry, and forced a nation to confront a truth it had long refused to hear.
Patreon
Sources: 
CBC News. "RCMP Investigate Two Freezing Deaths." CBC, 16 Feb. 2000. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/rcmp-investigate-two-freezing-deaths-1.227672
CBC News. "Sask. Man at Centre of Historic ‘Starlight Tours’ Police Misconduct Case Has Died." CBC, 23 Apr. 2023. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/darrell-night-died-starlight-tour-1.6818232
CBC News. "Saskatoon Police Removed ‘Starlight Tours’ Section from Wikipedia, Student Says." CBC, 31 Mar. 2016. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/saskatoon-police-starlight-tours-wikipedia-delete-1.3512586
Commission of Inquiry into Matters Relating to the Death of Neil Stonechild. "Background Information." Government of Saskatchewan. https://www.stonechildinquiry.ca/backgrounder.shtml
Commission of Inquiry into Matters Relating to the Death of Neil Stonechild. Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Matters Relating to the Death of Neil Stonechild. Government of Saskatchewan, Oct. 2004. http://www.publications.gov.sk.ca/freelaw/Publications_Centre/Justice/Stonechild/Stonechild-FinalReport.pdf
Flyn, Corinne L. "Freezing Deaths: The Starlight Tours." Gladue Rights Research Database, University of Saskatchewan. https://gladue.usask.ca/node/2860
Globe and Mail. "RCMP Add 1990 Death to Saskatoon Police Probe." The Globe and Mail, 24 Feb. 2000. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/rcmp-add-1990-death-to-saskatoon-police-probe/article1037160/
Historical Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles (DCHP-3). "Starlight Tour." University of British Columbia. https://dchp.arts.ubc.ca/entries/starlight%20tour
Hubbard, Tasha, dir. Two Worlds Colliding. National Film Board of Canada, 2004.
Hutchinson, Brian. "Frozen Ghosts: Saturday Night’s Starlight Tour." Saturday Night Magazine, 19 Aug. 2000. Archived at https://injusticebusters.org/index.htm/frozenghosts.htm
InjusticeBusters. "Dustyhorn: Native Dies After Police ‘Drive Him Home.’" https://injusticebusters.org/index.htm/Dustyhorn.htm
InjusticeBusters. "Lawrence Wegner Death: Questions Remain." https://injusticebusters.org/index.htm/Wegner.htm
InjusticeBusters. "Darrell Night Story: Washington Post." https://injusticebusters.org/2003/Night.htm
Chicken, Priscilla. "Starlight Tours Show Anti-Indigenous Racism in Canadian Policing." The Manitoban, Mar. 2024. https://themanitoban.com/2024/03/starlight-tours-show-anti-indigenous-racism-in-canadian-policing/46968/
Maclean’s. "New Light on Saskatoon’s ‘Starlight Tours.’" Maclean’s, 8 Apr. 2016. https://macleans.ca/news/canada/new-light-on-saskatoons-starlight-tours/
Palmater, Pamela. "Remembering Neil Stonechild and Exposing Systemic Racism in Policing." The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2020. https://theconversation.com/remembering-neil-stonechild-and-exposing-systemic-racism-in-policing-128436
Reber, Susanne, and Robert Renaud. Starlight Tour: The Last, Lonely Night of Neil Stonechild. Random House Canada, 2005.
Sillito, David. "Starlight Tours Whistle Blower Darrell Night Passes Away." APTN National News, 26 Apr. 2023. https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/starlight-tours-whistle-blower-darrell-night-passes-away/
Spheres of Influence. "Canada’s Best-Kept Secret: Starlight Tours." Apr. 2025. https://spheresofinfluence.ca/canadas-best-kept-secret-starlight-tours/
University of Saskatchewan, Indigenous Saskatchewan Encyclopedia. "Stonechild, Neil." https://teaching.usask.ca/indigenoussk/import/stonechild_neil.php
University of Regina, Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. "Stonechild, Neil." https://www.esask.uregina.ca/entry/stonechild_neil.html
Wikipedia. "Neil Stonechild." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Stonechild
Wikipedia. "Saskatoon Freezing Deaths." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatoon_freezing_deaths

The Mad Bomber: George Metesky

For 16 years, spanning from the 1940s to 1950s, bombs were left around prominent locations of New York City, including Consolidated Edison buildings. The only information surrounding who might be responsible for these attacks came down to notes sent and left by the bomber signed, "F.P." That's when investigators had a novel idea: talk to someone trained in psychology and come up with a sort of 'picture' of who might carry out this type of terrorism...and it worked! 
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Metesky
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2016649583/
https://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/criminal#:~:text=In%201956%2C%20the%20frustrated%20investigators,and%20notes%20from%20the%20bomber. 

Prison Break: Steven Jay Russell

Friday the 13th carries a lot of weight with different people. Some are superstitious and consider it bad luck, but Steven Jay Russell believed the date to be a lucky one for him; this is why he chose this date over the span of several years to try his hand at escaping prison whenever Friday the 13th rolled around...
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Sources: 
*incoming*