How many criminals from Unsolved Mysteries Episodes are still serving their time?

[jy1977]

From what I can gather most criminals who were caught and convicted as result of Unsolved Mysteries have since been released or have died. However, there a few that remain in jail.

Example - David Gordon Smith from Oklahoma. - He shot and killed a police chief in a robbery. He escaped and was recaptured. David Gordon Smith remains in jail to this very day.

[jy1977]

Stuart Heaton is another. Stuart is in Illinois and was convicted of killing Crystal Nabb. He got life. He has served almost 30 years. Stuart claims he's innocent but damning DNA tests seemed to prove otherwise. Neverthless, you would think after 30 years, there might have been some movement in the case if Stuart is really innocent. I guess Stuart's family and the legal profession has given up on him.

[nicoge21]

Quite a few are still alive and in prison.

[XCalibur]

Most well known one is probably Joe DeAngelo the EAR/GSK.

Other notables:

1. Johnny Salazar Stewart also comes to mind, he was Patrick Michael Mitchell's accomplice in the Gainsville bank robbery, I think he's still in jail, he got forty years and he's been in jail thirty. I'm surprised he hasn't been paroled honestly.

2. Rick Church, who murdered his girlfriend's parents and tried to kill her is still in jail.

3. the Talbott guy who was Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg's killer

I was about to say Ira Einhorn as well, as he was finally indicted back to the US for killing Holly his gf. But I checked and he just died this year back in April apparently.

[Jon]

A few examples -

Cheryl Holland and Eddie Wooten are still in prison in TN for murdering her aunt and uncle.

Darlie Routier is on death row in TX.

Alva Hank Worley, who has Kenneth McDuff’s accomplice in the abduction and murder of Colleen Reed, is still in prison.

Bill Blackwell, for the murder of Neal Jennings

Jesse James Hollywood is serving a life sentence

[jy1977]

Yes, I think many of these individuals are from some of the later seasons of Unsolved Mysteries. I can find very few from the earlier 80's and early 90's seasons of Unsolved Mysteries. John Mooney who killed TK Hardy was from an an early season on Unsolved mysteries but he just got paroled in 2020.

[SitcomsHeydayfan]

Originally Posted by nicoge21

Quite a few are still alive and in prison.

Wasn't at least one or 2 given the death penalty?

[jOHnNyD]

Michael Swango is still serving his life sentence in a federal supermax in Colorado.

[James T]

Originally Posted by jy1977

Stuart Heaton is another. Stuart is in Illinois and was convicted of killing Crystal Nabb. He got life. He has served almost 30 years. Stuart claims he's innocent but damning DNA tests seemed to prove otherwise. Neverthless, you would think after 30 years, there might have been some movement in the case if Stuart is really innocent. I guess Stuart's family and the legal profession has given up on him.

That guy was so arrogant/obnoxious it amazes me he had any supporters. DNA tests were initially 562 thousand to one which there could be some doubt over, but more modern testing in 2001 pegged it at 31 billion to one in a worldwide population of just over 6 billion back then-yet still some people think he is innocent.

[jy1977]

Originally Posted by James T

That guy was so arrogant/obnoxious it amazes me he had any supporters. DNA tests were initially 562 thousand to one which there could be some doubt over, but more modern testing in 2001 pegged it at 31 billion to one in a worldwide population of just over 6 billion back then-yet still some people think he is innocent.

Stuart may still be innocent. He only got one more DNA test. It could have been flawed. I think Stuart was railroaded from minute one.

I'm no lawyer and may be Illinois is an exemption, but it seems to me you can't just cuff people from their homes and haul them down to the police station and start questioning them and taking pictures of their hands.

At the very least, they needed a warrant to arrest Heaton is the first place, and Miranda certainly would have applied. Heaton was in custody and they were asking him questions and taking pictures. You can't do that without invoking Miranda.

Heaton should have immediately asked for a lawyer and that would have ended it.

Unfortunately, for Heaton, he probably only had a public defender who provide just lack luster defense. By the time, Heaton brought any of this up on appeal it was too late.

[James T]

Originally Posted by jy1977

Stuart may still be innocent. He only got one more DNA test. It could have been flawed. I think Stuart was railroaded from minute one.

I'm no lawyer and may be Illinois is an exemption, but it seems to me you can't just cuff people from their homes and haul them down to the police station and start questioning them and taking pictures of their hands.

At the very least, they needed a warrant to arrest Heaton is the first place, and Miranda certainly would have applied. Heaton was in custody and they were asking him questions and taking pictures. You can't do that without invoking Miranda.

Heaton should have immediately asked for a lawyer and that would have ended it.

Unfortunately, for Heaton, he probably only had a public defender who provide just lack luster defense. By the time, Heaton brought any of this up on appeal it was too late.

So guilt is about procedure rather than reality? We need another DNA test despite both of them showing he is guilty, with the second one showing the odds of it not being him were about five times more than the number of people on earth? I get there was doubt from 1994 to 2001, but the 2001 test showed he is where he belongs. Heaton apparently refused to take the stand & put his version of events over as it is 'against his relgion' so he has nobody to blame but himself.

[DALLASTEXAN!!]

Originally Posted by James T

So guilt is about procedure rather than reality? We need another DNA test despite both of them showing he is guilty, with the second one showing the odds of it not being him were about five times more than the number of people on earth? I get there was doubt from 1994 to 2001, but the 2001 test showed he is where he belongs. Heaton apparently refused to take the stand & put his version of events over as it is 'against his relgion' so he has nobody to blame but himself.

I thought after the 2001 test it was considered a closed case? Is there any reason to doubt?

One guy I’m glad is in prison...George Washington Hicks....for killing Roxanne and Christopher Jeeves. This was a case that took years to solve, investigators never gave up and finally caught him. I think I’ve read somewhere that he denied the charge, in spite of overwhelming evidence and his repetitive history of violent sexual assault. Anyway I also heard that he was actually going to be up for parole at some point, so the DA office charged him with Christopher’s murder later to secure another life sentence. He definitely earned that sentence for what he did. Absolute monster he is.

Clayton Wagner, the abortion clinic domestic terrorist. He said god made him invisible as to be able to escape prison, but he was caught in 2002 by a tipster that looked at his fbi picture. He was also an anthrax prankster.

[jy1977]

Originally Posted by James T

So guilt is about procedure rather than reality? We need another DNA test despite both of them showing he is guilty, with the second one showing the odds of it not being him were about five times more than the number of people on earth? I get there was doubt from 1994 to 2001, but the 2001 test showed he is where he belongs. Heaton apparently refused to take the stand & put his version of events over as it is 'against his relgion' so he has nobody to blame but himself.

It was probably a mistake Heaton did not testify. Heaton is likely innocent and the dna sample they had to work with has lead to flawed results. They never were able find any other forensics that tied Heaton to the crime and I think that was a real problem. Even in the OJ Simpson case, they found forensic trace in OJ's truck. They would have found something.

[Corkys-Place]

I'm pretty sure Strickland's still locked up, although the trashy Girlfriend who was in on their crime got released years ago.

[James T]

Originally Posted by Corkys-Place

I'm pretty sure Strickland's still locked up, although the trashy Girlfriend who was in on their crime got released years ago.

As repulsive her part in his crime was it is clear she was a grooming victim of a paedophile & she likely gravitated toward him because of her overbearing parents-she was only allowed to leave the house to go to church & to the ball game. Her friends stated she got the attention from him that she didn't from her parents-which is an all too familiar story. I highly doubt she knew Strickland's intention was to murder Elmer & she was patently trapped with him due to having a child & under his control-she was only 16 or just turned 17 when this happened.