Archive for the ‘True Crime’ Category

Former homicide detective and author, Ken Lang

Former homicide detective and author, Ken Lang

Hey, Everyone,

I’ve received awesome feedback about my interview with Ken Lang.  We’re also happy to hear that you would like  easier access to the interviews with members of law enforcement and authors. So I’ve decided to make room on Criminal Lines and will post the interviews here.

To listen to Ken’s interview, just click on his picture and it will take you directly to the show.

Please remember that due to my upcoming book, Criminal Lines Radio will not be able to host weekly interviews until late April. I am taking submissions and the schedule is now booking for June.

You can also subscribe via RSS or iTunes.

Thanks for being a part of Criminal Lines.

Sincerely,

Marguerite Ashton

Violence in Our Schools: Protecting Our Children

Join us as we talk about active shooters in our schools and what can we do to protect our children.

Listener dial-in number: (646) 915-9208

To learn more about, Ken, visit his site at Ken Lang Studios.

If you missed the free online workshop back in November ~ Here’s your chance to see it…

Welcome to the Crime Writers’ Panel.

Streamed live on Nov 2, 2012.

We are a cadre of current and former law enforcement investigators, supervisors, forensic experts, investigative reporters and experts in the field of corrections. Visit us on Facebook and ask your questions to write better fiction. http://www.facebook.com/CrimeWritersPanel

Joe and I are looking at February to host the next one. We will see and keep you updated!

Tonight is the night and I just wanted to send out reminders that there are four ways that you can contact the panel members during tonight’s workshop.

1. Twitter: use hashtag #crimewriterspanel

2. Email: use crimewriterspanel@margueriteashton.com

3. Facebook: use Crime Writers’ Panel. Just type your questions in the status bubble.

4. Google Chat: can be accessed as long as you have a Gmail account.

The name of the Google+ hangout will be Crime Writers Panel.

We’re happy with the response and look forward to answering your questions.

On November 2, 2012, Joe Giacalone and I will be hosting a FREE crime writers’ online workshop with the best investigators in law enforcement and forensics live on Google+ at 8pm eastern time.

This online workshop is for anyone interested in learning the correct procedures in handling an arrest to processing a crime scene, and anything in between that will help you to understand the way it’s done in reality.

Questions can be asked via twitter, email or Google chat and our panel will be glad to provide an answer for you.

For twitter use the hashtag #crimewriterspanel, email: crimewriterspanel@margueriteashton.com and Google chat can be accessed as long as you have a gmail account.

Our FB page Crime Writers’ Panel can be used to ask questions as well. Just type your question in the status bubble.

Below are the panel members.

We look forward to seeing you in November.

Joe Giacalone is a retired Detective Sergeant and former Commanding Officer of the Bronx Cold Case Squad that has investigated hundreds of homicides, cold cases and missing persons.

He is the author of the Criminal Investigative Function: A Guide for New Investigators published by Looseleaf Law Publications, Inc.

To find out more about Joe or his book, please visit website at www.joegwrites.com.

It all began when I was forty-five years old and decided to lose weight, get in shape and attend the police academy. I became the first female officer in my small town and two years later a detective.

When I’m not working on my next big case, you can find me writing, gardening, taking care of my horse and dogs or playing dominoes with my husband.

I write about the humorous side of my career in law enforcement as I stumble through my mid-life adventure.

Best Wishes, Suzie Ivy

To learn more about Suzie, please visit her blog at www.badluckdetective.com.

If you’re interested in purchasing her books, you can find them at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Recently named a winner in the 2011 “50 Great Authors You Should Be Reading,” Ken Lang is a 22 year law enforcement veteran from the State of Maryland who is now an accomplished author. He has served the last 15 years as a detective in the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Section where Sex Crimes, Robbery, and Homicide investigations have become his forte. A decorated officer, Ken has been awarded the William J. Simms Memorial Award, was named 1997 Officer of the Year by the Optimist Club, has been issued three unit citations, a Chief’s Award, and was the recipient of 14 letters of appreciation for outstanding service as recognized by distinguished members of government and civilians alike.

For more information about his books, please visit his website http://kenlang.weebly.com/index.html

Fred Connors is a semi-retired investigative reporter and True Crime writer. He holds several West Virginia Press Association awards for Investigative Reporting, Legal Issues and Courts and Best Lifestyle Features; a Southern Newspaper Publishers Association award for Best Local Story; a Third Place award (Articles category) in the 2012 Pennwriters Writing Competition.

He is founder and coordinator of the Ohio Valley Cold Case Initiative.

David Swinson is a highly decorated member of the Metropolitan Police Department, having received numerous awards including the department’s prestigious Detective of the Year Award for 2003; Meritorious Service Medals for significant, outstanding and sustained achievements; Achievement Medals of Honor for a significant case investigation and several Department of Justice, United States Attorney’s Annual Law Enforcement Awards for significant case investigations. He has also received to major awards from Target Corporation for outstanding community service.

Swinson currently spends most of his time with his wife and daughter in Northern Virginia, where he is working on his second novel. For information on David and his books please visit his website at DavidSwinson.com

From investigating the shootings at Columbine High School to locating gravesites in the remote back country of the Rockies, Tom Adair has lived a life most crime authors only write about. An internationally recognized forensic scientist, he has a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a Master’s degree in Entomology. He has served as the president of the Association for Crime Scene Reconstruction, Rocky Mountain Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts, and the Rocky Mountain Division of the International Association for Identification. While in law enforcement he was board certified as a senior crime scene analyst, was one of only 40 board-certified bloodstain pattern analysts and one of 80 board-certified footwear examiners worldwide. In addition to writing over 60 scientific papers, he has served as the editor of an international peer-reviewed science journal. Over his 15 year career he has been interviewed by and consulted for television, text books, novels, magazines, and newspaper articles as well as documentaries on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. He continues to teach and conduct research in the forensic sciences.

My debut novel The Scent of Fear is now available

Marguerite Ashton was born and raised in Colorado. She discovered her passion for writing crime in 2002, which has since become her genre of choice. Before moving to Wisconsin, Ms. Ashton had the honor of working with agent, Peter DeAnello of Big Fish Talent, where she appeared in a commercial for Furniture Row, along with some indie and student films. Shortly after, she had the privilege of collaborating with veteran stock car driver and Executive Director, Jerry VanDenHul at JVI Productions.

In 2006, Marguerite decided to keep her completed works, broaden her horizons, and hone her craft by entering writing competitions and refocusing her home office into a writer’s library. Through radio interviews and speaking at public schools she found a way to educate and entertain. While pursuing paralegal training, her strong interest in law earned her a job at the State Public Defender’s Office in Milwaukee. During her experience, Marguerite found an interest in using criminal investigation as a basis for her novels.

Ms. Ashton’s hobbies include interior decorating and listening to jazz/classical music.

A member of Sisters in Crime.

Her book Burned Bridges will be released October 30th, 2012

For more information on Ms. Ashton please visit her website at www.margueriteashton.com

Kathleen A. Ryan is a retired Suffolk County Police Officer on Long Island. During her 21-year career, she worked in Patrol, Public Information, and Crime Stoppers. She volunteers with Board of Directors Crime Stoppers of Suffolk County, Inc. A breast cancer survivor, Kathleen is a member of NY/TriState SinC, LI SinC, MWA-NY, Public Safety Writers Association (PSWA) and Short Mystery Fiction Society (SMFS). She blogs at Women of Mystery and From Cop to Mom & the Words in Between; on Twitter, she’s @katcop13.

Kathleen’s work has received several awards from PSWA, including one for “Heat of Passion” — a story among the finalists for the 2012 Derringer and Macavity Awards.

“The Watcher” appears in the recently released anthology, Women Warriors: Stories from the Thin Blue Line, edited by John M. Wills.

Charlie Snyder – Bio still pending.

Criminal trials are like weddings. Friends and family of the bride/victim sit on one of the aisles, the groom/defendant’s people on the other.

As a criminal courts reporter, I have covered hundreds of them. Courtroom faces and case circumstances change, but the ambience seldom wavers. Crime writers wanting to pack more truth into their fiction would be wise to attend a few trials for a real world grasp of how it works.

Presumption of innocence be damned, most defense attorneys spend a lot of time reminding jurors it is not his client’s duty to prove his innocence, but rather the prosecution’s burden to prove guilt. Jurors are people, and people tend to form subconscious loyalty to victims.

As the prosecutor marches out his arsenal of forensic and material evidence and eyewitness and expert testimony, he feeds off the emotional reactions of victim supporters in the gallery. Judges warn against outward displays of emotion but even they can’t mask the jury from the sniffles, tears, hand holding and hugs as family members see a blow by blow description of what that monster at the defendant’s table had done to their loved one.

Savvy prosecutors will position themselves with victim loved ones as a backdrop so jurors can see their pain. Wise defense attorneys steer jurors’ eyes in another direction. Testimony and attorney arguments tell what happens at a trial. Emotions show how people feel about it.

A wedding highlight is the happy exit of the new mister and misses as guests rejoice on both sides of the aisle. Not so much at a trial. The defendant either walks free or shuffles out of the courtroom in cuffs and shackles. Depending on the outcome, one side is thrilled at a just verdict. The other side is devastated.

In cases of heinous crimes, both sides lose. Even with a guilty verdict, rape victims spend the rest of their lives dealing with the trauma; and families of murder victims have a perpetual hole in their hearts. The rapist or killer leaves behind a family to deal with shame and guilt. He victimizes his own family. Innocent wives and children are left to fend for themselves.

Weddings culminate with a gala celebration marking the beginning of a lifetime of memories. Nobody can measure the pain attached to a criminal trial. The jury is still out on that.