Crime
What is it good for?
Practical Law
Step #1 and #2
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DESCRIBE each of the 5 crimes you have chosen
Act as though you are the attorney and I am the
jury
Where was the crime committed?
When was it committed?
Why was it committed (motive)?
How was the principal actor caught?
What specific evidence was used to convict or
acquit.
Crimes against a person
Westley Allan Dodd
The Beltway Snipers
Westley Allan Dodd:
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Perpetrators (who) : Westley
Allan Dodd
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child molester and serial killer
Born: July 3, 1961 in Washington State
Motivation: Grew up in a
“loveless” home, neglected by
his parents in favor of his
younger brothers. Developed
sick fantasies for molesting
and abusing young children.
His fantasies then turned to
killing children.
Westley Allan Dodd
The Murders
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1st Murder Victims: the Neer Brothers
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2nd Murder Victim: Lee Iseli
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September 4, 1989 at 6:15pm in David
Douglas Park, Washington State
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Billy and Cole Neer, ages10 and 11,
were taking a shortcut home through
the park from a golf course when they
were blocked by Dodd. Frightened,
the boys were led off the park trail
when Dodd molested both boys,
stabbed them to death, and cleaned up
the evidence. The Neer family
reported their missing sons and the
local authorities would find their
bodies several hours later. Dodd gets
away with this murder.
October 29, 1989 in the Richard
School Playground then in Dodd’s
home
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Dodd found 4 year old Lee Iseli
playing by himself in the school
playground. Dodd abducted Lee Iseli
and brought him to Dodd’s home. He
tortured Lee Iseli and then strangled
him the next morning before hanging
him in his closet. He went to work
and returned to dispose the body in a
lake but kept the boy’s briefs as a
souvenir.
Step #3
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Describe the punishment that the principal actor
received.
If they were acquitted or wrongfully convicted, explain
why
There HAS to have been a trial in order for you to
complete this step. DO NOT choose a crime for which
there has not yet been a trial (example: Treyvon Martin)
Punishment
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Caught: Dodd is arrested after
attempting to abduct a boy but is
tackled and held down by the boy’s
mom’s boyfriend. Questioned by
authorities, he confesses to the
murders of Billy and Cole Neer, and
Lee Iseli.
Incriminating evidence:
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(link)
a briefcase under Dodd’s bed
containing Iseli’s underwear
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pictures taken by Dodd’s of Iseli’s
corpse
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his diary outlining his fantasies and
plans to act them out
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homemade torture rack
Dodd was charged with three
counts of first degree murder and
attempted kidnapping.
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Punishment: Dodd received the
death sentence on July 15, 1990.
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Dodd chose to be executed by
hanging, claiming he “wanted to
experience what Lee Iseli had
experienced.”
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Executed at 12:05 a.m. on June 5,
1993
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The first legal hanging in the
U.S. since 1965
Dodd’s briefcase and his homemade torture rack which was intended for
his next victim.
Step #4
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Analyze the punishment.
Did the punishment fit the crime?
Why or why not?
Does this show that our justice system is working or
does it prove that the system may need some refining?
Whether Justice was served...
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Dodd was executed for his crimes but the execution method was his
choice, hanging. He wanted to feel how his last victim felt when the
victim was hanged, so there seems to be a small amount of
gratification for Dodd to be executed this way. Also, many protested
that hanging was cruel and unusual punishment and that Dodd
seemed he wanted to hang as if to die a martyr.
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He had also molested over 30 children before he committed the
murders. He was caught several times but was never heavily
punished.
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In conclusion, justice was not served in that Westley Allan Dodd
was executed the way he wanted be executed. The judicial system
seems be a little flawed also because authorities had caught him
several times molesting and exposing himself to children, but was not
heavily punished for his crimes (he was usually just allowed to walk
away or given a few days in prison). He could have been stopped if he
had been given heavier punishments for his earlier crimes.
Room where Dodd
was hanged on June
5, 1993.
John Allen Muhammad
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(The Beltway Snipers)
Perpetrators: John Allen Muhammad and his younger partner, Lee Boyd Malvo
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Muhammad was born on Dec. 31 1960
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Malvo was born on Feb. 18 1985
Motive: Supposedly the murders were part of Muhammad’s and Malvo’s “Jihad” as
both were members of the “Nation of Islam.” Muhammad’s prosecutor later
claimed that the rampage were part of a plot to kill Muhammad’s ex-wife.
The Beltway Snipers, John Allen Muhammad (right)
and Lee Boyd Malvo (left)
The Beltway Sniper Attacks
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The attacks occurred throughout Washington D.C.,
Virginia, and Maryland
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Washington Metropolitan Area and Interstate 95 in Virginia
Known as the Beltway attacks because the snipers were
thought to have been using the Capital Beltway to travel
There had been earlier crimes by Muhammad and Malvo
in Louisiana and Alabama.
The Beltway attacks began October 2, 2002 and ended
October 24, 2002.
The Attacks continued
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October 2nd Attacks:
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5:20 pm, a shot was fired through the
window of a Michael’s Craft store in
Aspen Hill, Maryland. No was injured,
so no alarm was raised.
6:30, 55 year old James Martin was shot
and killed in the parking lot of a
Shoppers Food Warehouse in
Glenmont, Maryland.
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October 3rd Attacks:
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7:41 am, 39 year old James L. Buchanan
was shot and killed while mowing grass
near Rockville, Maryland.
8:12 am, 54 year old taxi driver
Premkumar Walekar was killed while at
a gas station in Aspen Hill Road,
Maryland.
8:37 am, 34 year old babysitter and
housekeeper Sarah Ramos was killed at
Leisure World Shopping Center in
Aspen Hill, Maryland, while reading a
book on a bench.
9:58 am, 25 year old Lori Ann LewisRivera was shot and killed while
vacuuming her car at a gas station in
Kensington, Maryland.
9:15 pm, 72 year old Pascal Charlot, a
retired carpenter, was killed while
walking on Georgia Avenue in
Washington D.C..
Sniping method used by Muhammad and Malvo
The Attacks
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October 4, 2:30 pm, 43 year old
Caroline Seawell was wounded in
the parking lot of Spotsylvania Mall
in Spotsylvania,Virginia.
October 7, 8:09 am, 13 year old
Iran Brown was wounded in
Benjamin Tasker Middle School in
Bowie, Maryland.
October 9, 8:18 pm, 53 year old
Dean Harold Meyers was killed
while pumping gasoline at a gas
station in Prince William County,
Virginia.
October 11, 9:30 am, 53 year old
Kenneth Bridges was shot dead
while he was pumping fuel at a gas
station in Spotsylvania,Virginia.
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October 14, 9:15, 47 year old FBI
intelligence analyst Linda Franklin was
shot outside a Home Depot in Fairfax
County,Virginia.
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October 19, 8:00 pm, 37 year old
Jeffrey Hopper was shot but wounded
in the parking lot near the Ponderosa
steakhouse in Ashland,Virginia.
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October 22, 5:56 am, Conrad Johnson,
a bus driver, was shot dead in his bus
in Aspen Hill, Maryland. He is the last
victim of the Beltway Attacks.
Reactions (link)
List of the Victims
Killed:
 Claudine Parker
 James Martin
 James Buchanan
 Premkumar Walekar
 Sarah Ramos
 Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera
 Pascal Charlot
 Dean Harold Meyers
 Kenneth Bridges
 Linda Franklin
 Conrad Johnson
Wounded:
 Caroline Seawell
 Iran Brown
 Jeffrey Hopper
 Paul LaRuffa
 John Gaeta
 Kellie Adams
Location of the attacks
Arrest and Punishment
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On Oct. 34, police were tipped off by
Whitney Donahue of a suspicious blue
1990 Chevrolet Caprice parked in a
rest stop on Interstate 70 near
Myersville, Maryland. Police blocked
off the rest stop and arrested
Muhammad and Malvo, who were
sleeping in their car.
Police also found a Bushmaster XM-15
.233-caliber rifle and bipod in
Muhammad’s car.
Evidence:
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The rifle found in Muhammad’s car.
Ballistics test matched the weapon to
the murders.
A sniping perch built in the back of the
car.
Cryptic Messages sent to the police by
Muhammad.
Photos with messages written on them
referring to Islamic Jihad.
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In September, 2003, Muhammad was
sentenced to death for the Beltway
sniper attacks. Malvo was sentenced
to six consecutive life sentences
without possibility of parole.
November 10, 2009, Muhammad was
executed by lethal injection.
The rifle used by Muhammad and Malvo
Justice?
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Justice was served in that Muhammad was executed and
Malvo received 6 consecutive life sentences without
parole, punishments that fit the crime and because
Muhammad dominated in his relationship with Malvo, so it
is fitting that he received the death sentence and not
Malvo.
However, it took until 2006 to finally prosecute the
murders concerning an issue concerning the death
penalties with minors (Malvo). However, the judicial
system had done a fine job to convict the two murders.
This proves that the judicial system works.
Crimes against property
John Orr
The Great Brinks Robbery
John Orr, Arsonist
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Who: John Orr, born April 26 of 1949, a former fire captain and arson investigator
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When and Where: Throughout the 1980s and 1990s in the Los Angeles area
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Motive: Unclear. Perhaps when he failed an entrance exam to become a police
officer and instead became a fire fighter. Or perhaps was angered when fellow
arson investigators dismissed his claim that a certain fire was caused by arson.
What:
John Orr committed a series of arsons
that plagued the Los Angeles area from
the 1980s through the 1990s.
Victim: the state of California, costing
millions of dollars in damages.
John Orr in the foreground
The Arsons
Accounts of Arson by John Orr
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Arson -Pasadena, CA (10-Oct-1984)
Arson -Fresno, CA (13-Jan-1987)
Arson -Fresno, CA (15-Jan-1987)
Arson -Tulare, CA (16-Jan-1987)
Arson -Bakersfield, CA (16-Jan-1987)
Arson -Fresno, CA (30-Jan-1987)
Arson -Morro Bay, CA (3-Mar-1989)
Arson -Salinas, CA (4-Mar-1989)
Arson -Atascadero, CA (9-Mar-1989)
Arson -Atascadero, CA (again, 9-Mar-1989)
Arson -Atascadero, CA (yet again, 9-Mar-1989)
Arson -San Luis Obispo, CA (9-Mar-1989)
Arson -Highland Park, CA (10-Dec-1990)
Arson -Burbank, CA (13-Dec-1990)
Arson -North Hollywood, CA (14-Dec-1990)
Arson -Glendale, CA (22-Feb-1991)
Arson -Lawndale, CA (27-Mar-1991)
Arson -Redondo Beach, CA (27-Mar-1991)
Site of one of Orr’s arson
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How (modus operandi): Orr set fires
using incendiary timing-devices, usually
of a lit cigarette, three matches
wrapped in ruled yellow writing paper,
and secured by a rubber band. He
often chose open and populated areas.
He draw away firefighters, he would
set small fires in grassy areas before
committing his crimes.
Arrest and Punishment
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In 1987, an Arson Investigators convention
occurred in Fresno, CA, while a series of
arsons occurred.
Investigators led by the Bakersfield Fire
Department suspected an arson
investigator due to a fingerprint found on a
recovered incendiary device and created a
short list of suspects from the attendance
list from the Fresno convention. Orr was
on that list.
Another fingerprint recovered from an fire
matched that of John Orr and investigators,
now the Fire Investigators Regional Strike
Team, began to heavily suspect him.
John Orr became a subject to surveillance
for many months and he was found to have
been present at the locations of the next
series of fires.
Investigators agreed to obtain an arrest
warrant for Orr and arrested him on Dec.
4, 1991.
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Evidence:
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Finger prints found at sites of fire
Incendiary devices
Evidence from surveillance
On July 31, 1992, Orr was convicted by a
jury in a federal court on three counts of
arson and three more counts of arson on
March 24, 1993 and received life
imprisonment.
Was Justice served?
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In conclusion, justice was served for John Orr who was
given a life sentence. Considering the damages he caused,
which cost California millions of dollars, the jury was
correct in giving him a life sentence. In prison, John Orr
would no longer be able to set fires and be a danger to
society.
John Orr’s case may prove that the judicial system is
working. However, John Orr, even to today, proclaims
that he is innocent. Indeed, but concerning the evidence,
the jury seems to have convicted Orr correctly and thus
proves that judicial system is working.
The Great Brinks Robbery
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Who: An eleven-man team
led by Tony “the Pig” Pino:
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Joseph “Specs” O’Keefe
Anthony “Fats” Pino
Joseph “Big Joe” McGinnis
Stanley “Gus” Gusciora
Vincent Costa
Michael Vincent Geagan
Thomas Francis Richardson
Adolph “Jazz” Maffie,
Henry Baker
James Faherty
Joseph “Barney” Banfield
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Date: Jan. 17 1950
Where: the Brinks Building at the
corner of Prince St. and Commercial
St. in the North End of Boston,
Massachusetts, USA
Victim: The Brinks Company, a security
and protection services company.
The Heist
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The robbers donned uniforms and
every one of the robbers dressed in
blue Navy pea coats, chauffeur’s caps,
Halloween masks, gloves, and rubbersoled shoes.
Pino and Banfield remained in the
getaway car while seven of the other
robbers entered the building at 6:55
pm.
Using copied keys, the robbers
entered the second floor and jumped
five Brinks employees who were
storing and counting money. They
robbers bound the employees and
gagged them.
Multiple canvas bags of cash, coins,
checks, and money orders were taken.
The robbers walked out at 7:30 taking
$2.7 million with them.
The crime scene (above) and a newspaper headline (below).
Diagram of the Brinks Robbery
Arrest and Punishment
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The robbers agreed not to use the
money until after 6 years (when the
statute of limitations expire), deciding
to separate to form alibis.
However, Joseph “Specs” O’Keefe was
required to serve a prison sentence
for another crime and felt he would
be cheated of his share of the cash.
He thus threatened to “talk.”
Tony Pino hired a hit man, Elmer
Burke, to kill O’Keefe.
O’Keefe was only wounded though
and agreed to authorities to testify
against his gang members.
Evidence:
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O’Keefe’s and Elmer Burke’s
confessions.
Recovered uniforms.
Information informers collected
concerning O’Keefe and Pino’s
arguments over money (the stolen
money)
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On January 12, 1956, the FBI arrested
Baker, Costa, Geagan, Maffie, McGinnis, and
Tony Pino. Faherty and Richardson were
arrested on May 16.
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Gusciora died on July 9 and Banfield had
already been dead since an unknown date.
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Trial began on August 1956.
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Eight of the gang members received
maximum sentences of life imprisonment.
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All were paroled by 1971, expect for
McGinnis who had died while in prison.
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O’Keefe only had to serve 4 years in
prison and was thus released 1960.
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Only $58,000 had been recovered of the
$2.7 million
Was justice served?
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Justice was served in the case of the Brinks Robbery. The
punishment the robbers received, maximum life
imprisonment, was fitting concerning the huge amount of
money they stole. However, they were all paroled which
is acceptable concerning that they were much older than
they were at the time of the robbery. However, they had
only served only about 20 years in prison which may not
have been enough but seems to be a fitting number for a
bank robbery plus the fact that no one killed in the crime.
Still, it seems that the convicted robbers were fit to be
paroled. In conclusion, it seems that the judicial system is
working in that a proper punishment was given out and
the criminals were paroled after a good number of years.
Victimless crimes
Jeffrey Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein
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Perpetrator: Jeffrey
Epstein, an American
financer
Victims: several girls aged
13 to 17
Where: Palm Beach,
Florida
When: 2005 to 2011
What: soliciting
prostitution of underage
girls
Jeffrey Epstein
Solicitation of Prostitution:
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March 2005, a woman
contacted Palm Beach police,
concerned that her 14 year
old step-daughter was taken
to Epstein’s mansion by
another girl and was paid
$300 to strip and then
massage Epstein as he
masturbated.
By 2011, over 40 girls aged
13 to 17 confessed similar
stories.
Some said that Epstein
sexually assaulted them.
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Police began an 11-month
investigation of Epstein,
followed by a search of his
home.
Evidence includes:
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Arrest and Punishment
Interviews with 5 alleged
victims and 14 under oath
Phone messages
Pictures of the young girls
Testimony of Epstein’s two
house keepers
He was arrested in 2006.
Punishment and Justice
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A grand jury charged
Epstein with the single
felony of solicitation of
prostitution. He
pleaded not guilty in
August of 2006.
In June of 2008 he
pleaded to single charge
of solicitation of
prostitution. He
received a 18-month
sentence.
He served 13-months
of his 18-month
sentence and was
required to register as a
sex offender.
Justice was not served in the case of Jeffrey
Epstein. As a sexual crime, especially against
underage girls, Epstein should have gotten a
longer sentence than 18 months in prison.
Also, instead only serving 13 months of his
sentence, Epstein should have served his full
sentence of 18 months. Fortunately though,
the judicial system did require Epstein to
register as a sex offender. However, the
judicial system needs to be fixed. If it had
been, it would have given Epstein a harsher
punishment.
Works Cited
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http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2011/02/28/jeff
rey-epstein-sex-offender-yes-billionaire-no/
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-greatbrinks-robbery
http://kurtkamm.com/uncategorized/john-orr-arsoninvestigator-serial-arsonist/
http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/08/ajb/tmve/wiki1
00k/docs/Beltway_sniper_attacks.html
http://wn.com/Beltway_sniper_attacks
http://www.cnbc.com/id/27653548/Prostitution_Scandals_
of_the_Rich_Famous_Powerful?slide=17
http://crime.about.com/od/murder/a/westley_dobb.htm