Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "murder"

Cold case squad solves crime, faces budget cuts

2011-05-12T00:18:16Z

It was a beer can that gave cold case detectives the evidence they needed to make an arrest in a 1987 homicide on Friday.

Detective Peter Willover spends his time poring over homicide and rape crimes committed before DNA became a routine part of police work. He is a reserve officer who previously spent 40 years as a detective with the Sacramento Police Department.

“I’ve probably reviewed close to 100 cases,” he said Wednesday. “We focus on cases that may provide DNA evidence.”

One of those cases was the 1987 stabbing death of 52-year-old Richard Schultz in an alley near 21st and K streets.

At the time, homicide detectives had a vague description of a man who had allegedly stabbed Schultz and another homeless man, who survived his wounds.

When reviewing the report of the case in February of 2009, Willover noted the surviving victim’s statement that he, Schultz and the attacker had all been drinking beer together. That detail made the case a priority for Willover.

“We get a lot of DNA evidence off of beer cans and bottles,” he said.

The can was sent to the crime lab, where DNA evidence was eventually extracted and uploaded into a national database of DNA profiles.

It took more than two years to get a result – a fact Willover attributed to manpower shortages at the crime lab. He said the crime lab is integral to solving cold cases.

“Cases that are going to court get the first priority,” he added.

The Department of Justice’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database matched the DNA to 48-year-old Gregory Samuel Olguin, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

At 8:15 a.m. Friday, officers arrested Olguin in the 9100 block of Elk Grove Boulevard, and he was subsequently booked and charged with murder, according to a police department press release.

Department spokeswoman Laura Peck said Wednesday that she could not discuss whether Olguin made any statements or confessions, but said he is being held without bail and will go to trial.

The cold case unit at the department is composed of Willover, two other part-time reserve officers and a full-time detective.

While Willover and the other reserve officers are funded by a federal grant set to expire in October, the full-time detective is employed by the Sacramento Police Department, which could potentially lose about 12 percent of its staff, Peck said.

Proposed budget cuts include eliminating 80 sworn police officer positions, which could see the end of the cold case unit, Peck said.

“It’s all up in the air at this point,” she added. “We’re not sure what the department is going to look like.”

Willover said that, depending on the language in the grant, it’s possible that the cold case squad could be eliminated if other positions in the department are lost, including the detective assigned to the unit.

Peck said cases like the one from 1987 would essentially have no one looking into them if that happened.

Willover said there are more than 100 cases from before the early- to mid-1990s – when DNA testing became mainstream – that still need to be reviewed.

Generally, he added, homicide and rape cases top the list, since other crimes tend to be past the statutes of limitations, meaning that even if they are solved, arrests can’t be made.

The department’s cold case unit has been featured three times on the A&E TV show “Cold Case Files,” Willover said.

Most notable was a case shortly after the program was started 10 years ago at the behest of Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert.

The murder of a young woman, Penny Parker, in 1977 had originally been investigated by Willover when he was a homicide detective. She was a paper carrier for The Sacramento Bee and went missing while on her route, only to be discovered dead several days later, with evidence of sexual assault.

Willover said he had a good idea of who had committed the crime, but didn’t have enough evidence to make an arrest at the time.

In the early 2000s, the case was one of the first he looked at, and DNA evidence placed the original suspect at the scene of the crime.

Willover traveled to Arkansas, where the man was living, and he still denied knowing the woman.

A warrant was obtained, and when police knocked on the door, the suspect killed himself.

“It was a made-for-TV movie,” Willover said.

To read more about that case and Willover, click here.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

MURDER, MAYHEM, GHOSTS AND LIVE TV. ALL IN A DAYS WORK!

2010-11-09T21:40:15Z

MURDER, MAYHEM, GHOSTS AND LIVE TV. ALL IN A DAYS WORK!

Everything that could possibly go wrong on a live television segment at a haunted spot happened the morning of Oct 26th, 2010. As I was preparing for investigating the site with GOOD DAY SACRAMENTO # 31 (KMAX-TV) the transmitting cable on their truck went haywire forcing them to bring in another truck, and the mikes for Marianne McClary, anchor and seasoned reporter, went dead and had to be changed several times. I knew then that we were in for a bumpy ride. Chalk another up to restless spirits causing excitement.

The Dorothea Puente Murder House in Sacramento, California at this moment is a powder keg waiting to explode. Especially at floor level. The percolating Victorian house located at 1426 F. Street is building to a crescendo with all the negativity and horror that has happened there. The release can only come when the women known to have caused the misery, killing so many and then burying them on the property, dies. The new owners are waiting and watching for strange occurrences at the property. They have plans to relax and live there eventually and hopefully in total peace and comfort. It is common that once a perpetrator of horrible crimes dies, the negative energy of what they created releases, having nowhere else to go. The imprint of the event can remain, but the charged energy will start to dissipate. This murderer's death is eminent and slowly closing in. Today, the property waits as it gives off an air of strangeness, uncertainty, pain and uneasiness. You easily feel vertigo at the site. And of course disruptive energy causes things to go haywire, which is typical on these kinds of investigations.

For those of you who do not remember, this home in Sacramento, California was the site of national headlines in the late 1980's. A known and repeated felon on several accounts, gray haired, pixie and 'cute as a button' soft-spoken grandma looking Dorothea Puente somehow fell through the bureaucratic cracks and was able to get yet another license as a care provider. She became well known in the community as someone who would take in ‘difficult’ cases, homeless, those with a history of drugs, violence and mental disorders. She set up ‘shop’ in a two-story blue Victorian house on an old section of Sacramento, a tree lined street with other beautiful and stately homes. Looking back, it must have seemed like a good place to hide a crime, it was a good neighborhood and only a few blocks from the Governors Mansion. Today, it's quite eerie traveling down, this unsuspecting street with the manicured lawns and yards only to remember what happened there. For quite some time, no one suspected anything strange or odd going on for a long time way back then though, with the exception of her immediate neighbors. The odor coming from the house and property was unbearable. They insisted on wanting to know what the ‘stench’ was that was coming from her yard. Sweet little old Ms. Puente made a host of excuses as she smiled at them - sewer problems, rats, to perhaps it being the fertilizer she used in the yard. Of course she kept one small fact to herself, and that was not mentioning that the majority of that fertilizer was human flesh decaying. Always the accommodating pleasant neighbor, old lady Puente tried her best to camouflage the odor coming from her yard with continual bags of lime and the planting of roses and trees and other plants with lingering flower smells. Puente kept a deep dark secret. She was drugging and killing her residents when they angered her or became too needy and annoying for her to deal with. Moreover, she got rid of most of the bodies by burying them in the yard. As a bonus, she continued to keep their social security checks coming in each month. It remained a lucrative business for her for a long while, bringing in as much as $5,000 a month off her dead ex-tenants checks.

Over time this little lady lavished herself with furs and designer clothes and some say expensive jewelry as well. It is told that she provided herself with an upstairs well stocked bar with the most expensive liquor, bottles of $100 perfume, and toiletries. Other than those perks she provided for herself, life went on for the outside world as if nothing was amiss in the life of Dorothea Puente for a good long time.

But then, fortunately, social workers began to notice that they could not make contact with some of the people that were supposedly living in that house. They alerted the authorities who, on these tips, decided to visit. On November 11,1988, Detective John Cabrera and some of his officers went to the Puente house looking for one of the missing persons, Alvaro “Bert” Montoya. By all reports this tenant was a mentally-retarded person. His social worker was worried about him and after visiting the Puente house and not finding him there, recorded him as missing.

Puente greeted investigators warmly at the door, wearing her standard one strand pearl necklace and nicely pressed blue dress. Friendly and inviting, she asked them in and stated she had no problem with them checking out the yard. When looking around the property the officers noticed newly disturbed dirt and to be thorough they called for shovels and started digging in the yard. Cabrera jumped into one of the holes thinking he was helping things along by pulling up a stubborn tree branch. To his dismay what broke off was a human leg bone. By the following day, Ms. Puente had to know they were on to her. Still, undaunted, she feigned no responsibility and in fact, appeared as shocked as the authorities when the bodies were unearthed from her yard. Over several days, neighbors and onlookers hung onto the wrought iron gate and perched themselves up in trees around the property as law enforcement officials, forensic anthropologists and folks from the coroners office dug up decaying, decomposing and skeletal remains of seven people – five men and two women. At one point during the excavation Puente asked if she could go 'down the street' to the Clarion Hotel for a cup of coffee. From there, with at least $3,000 in her purse, she went to a bar, chugged a few stiff drinks and hitched a ride out of town. When she did not return, an all points bulletin was issued. Puente was on the lam. Later two other deaths would be attributed to Puente, a woman thought to be Puente's business partner who had died earlier in the house of an overdose of codeine and Tylenol, and a man whose remains were found by a fisherman near the bank of the Sacramento River in a make-shift wooden coffin. She was eventually apprehended in So. California and brought back to stand trial for her crimes. She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole and today is serving her time in a Central California prison. Puente is currently in the hospital and is fighting cancer.

October 28th was the date of the first investigation. I, as the Celebrities Psychic, along with McClary from Good Day Sacramento, Robert Reppert of our Gold Rush Ghosts International Paranormal Investigations (WWW.GOLDRUSHGHOSTS.COM), my agent Bill Bradley of ME Communications, and Cat Noble, one of our head investigators, came to the scene early in the morning. It was foggy, cold, and a little damp - great atmospheric condition for an investigation. Besides all the other things that went wrong with the equipment, when the new owners arrived they gave us more bad news. They could not get the key to go inside the house until later that day. Undaunted, we decided to explore the outside grounds as that is where the bodies were buried, hoping to 'dig up' (pun, sorry) as much information as possible. When the cameras finally began rolling, McClary and I walked the property.

It was strange and eerie. Looking up to the house it felt like it was expanding and contracting. We went up the stairs to the second landing and McClary and I both felt off-centered. I asked the camera person to get a wide shot, so the audience could hopefully experience this with us.

Interesting.

During the second segment of the morning, we continued to walk the yard. A feeling of foreboding was there, solemn and still very off-centered. Twice I braced myself so that I did not fall over. Although cement had been poured over where the bodies were originally found, the lingering ghostly images (imprints of what happened) were easy to assess. Our meters went off the charts.

I was approached by one spirit, a man who called himself Gus and told us he was also known as Guy. He kept walking in circles, and as our time for this segment was limited we only followed him for a short time after which a man in spirit came into view. His name was Harold, and he wanted to tell me that he was someone living in the area at the time and that he did odd jobs. He stated that he had on several occasions helped dig holes in the yard. If he were referring to the time that Puente had the house this was great to know, because there was no way this little woman could have dug those holes without help. He stated later to me that he 'made a few dollars' for doing this, and he would be coaxed to continue digging as he was told the hole was not big enough for a tree to go into. When the dirt became too hard and packed to dig through he had 'help' as 'the woman' would soak the soil with water from the hose. He did not refer to the woman by name. There was more information for me to give our audience concerning this property than was known about at the time. I could sense an indentation at the front of the property and knew that a body had been buried there at one time and then dug up and placed elsewhere.

As time grew near to leave, we knew we had to come back at another time to go inside the house. We hoped the equipment would accommodate us and not fail on the next visit.

On Monday, November 8th, 2010, Marianne (GOOD DAY SACRAMENTO) and I, along with Reppert made our way back to the property with the cameras rolling. It was 7:00 am, a cold drizzly morning when we opened the door and went into the Dorothea Puente Murder House. It was an unnerving and a heartfelt assignment even for as seasoned an investigator as myself. I have been in worse situations such as conducting exorcisms with clergy or investigating facilities that tortured poor innocent people, and all of these places took a back seat to this house. I announced to our audience that there were two kinds of energy I was finding at this site, ghostly imprints (a videotape if you will of things that had transpired), and there were spirits of several deceased that were willing to talk to us. Of course you cannot communicate with a ghost, but it was not long before a man in spirit came forward and took my arm. I asked him prior to going on the air if he had something to say to me and to the audience. He told me "I dug my own grave." He looked sad remembering that time. He was a tall man so I had to look up to connect with those piercing eyes, and as I did I asked him "At the time, did you know it was to be your grave?" He answered "No, but it was." He also stated that when the earth was too hard to continue digging, Puente would pour water into the hole so that he could keep digging. "I kept saying that the hole was plenty big enough for a trees root," he said. "But she kept telling me that the hole had to be wider, not deeper." I looked at his calloused hands with cuts on them. I told him how sorry I was and shivered knowing this was his fate. He looked down, "I was poisoned" he said. "And she" he stated, "Too many pills."

As we walked on through the house, I noticed several places that were uncomfortable, especially on
the first floor. It was known that Puente kept her tenants on the first floor, herself living upstairs. It was obvious that the upstairs of the building was more stately, groomed and well kept. And, there was less activity on the top floor. This unraveled a secret for GOOD DAY SACRAMENTO. In most reports of the time, it was stated that Puente when confronted with a difficult tenant she was about to dispose of, would tell the other tenants "I am going to take him/her upstairs and make them feel better." From my observation and from the energy, it was plain that she may have said that, but rarely did she ever take one of her charges upstairs but instead, as the night became quiet, took them into her kitchen where she slowly drugged and poisoned them. This made it quite convenient to drag them out the side door and into the waiting graves.

On this investigation McClary spoke with the current owners of the house. They stated that the activity that they have experienced so far is a banging and rapping sound that comes at night, every night, and at the same time. It appeared to be from the kitchen/stairs area. They investigated the first few times and found nothing...nothing they could see. Eerie. I promised to come back once they get settled in or at any time that they have a problem that they are concerned about or need my expertise for. They do need more answers. I have come to love these people, the deceased as well as the new owners of the property. If they get through moving in over the holidays, my crew is prepared to come back in January with our special equipment and record any continual ghosts and spirits that roam the property.

This is an ongoing investigation. As you know spirits come and go. There is much more we will be investigating as things transpire.

And so we wait!

As a side note, a person emailed me and said "I was baby-sat as a child by Dorothea Puente in that house. My mother thought she was a sweet old lady." Another woman stated, "My mother worked for the state and recommended the Dorothea Puente facility to several difficult people to place. Two of them eventually were found dead and buried on the property. Today she feels terrible about it." I told her to tell her mom she did nothing wrong, she was a victim of circumstance, there was no way she could have known.

Sad story. Lovely House. Shudder!

The segment can be seen by going to GOODDAYSACRAMENTO.COM and pull up NANCY BRADLEY.

The Celebrities Psychic NANCY BRADLEY is one of the top ten Psychics and Life Coaches in the world. She is the best selling author of many books, among them THE INCREDIBLE WORLD OF GOLD RUSH GHOSTS, BE A GHOST BUSTER WITH INVESTIGATING THE UNKNOWN (her television show) and BIZARRE AND GHOSTLY TALES FOR THE CAMPFIRE. She currently lives in the Sacramento area with her husband, her 7 cats and two dogs where she conducts Readings and Life Coaching Sessions and teaches psychic development classes. She is a regular on Good Day Sacramento, Channel #31, KMAX.

For more info:
WWW.NANCYBRADLEY.ORG
WWW.GOLDRUSHGHOSTS.COM
(530) 622-0977

Murder and mayhem at Evangeline's

2010-10-01T00:05:11Z

Most law-abiding citizens would rather not dabble in any business involving murder and mayhem, but Evangeline’s Costume Mansion finds a way to entice even its best-behaved visitors.

A quick visit can turn into an entertaining hour of aimless milling around. But now customers can infuse some purpose into their wandering as they guide themselves through a murder-themed scavenger hunt, gathering interesting facts at stations throughout the store about some of history’s most notorious villains and gruesome killers.

Evangeline’s store manager Jen Kossmann is responsible for organizing and implementing the hunt into the already-overwhelming layout of the store. Kossmann said the design for each of the 10 stations was inspired by the themes of the rooms themselves.

Rooms’ names are titled after the contents they display. There is a Gothic chamber, a renaissance room, a storybook land, heaven and hell, a saloon and a lab where naughty nurse costumes cover the walls from floor to ceiling.

“I used the store itself as a tool for knowing who and what would go where,” Kossmann said.

Stations are hidden on both the second and third floors of the Costume Mansion, most of which are inconspicuously tucked away in corners of the themed rooms. Others, like Jack the Ripper’s station, can be identified by elaborate decoration (severed heads and blood) and props relating to the character being investigated.

Visitors can collect scavenging guides on the second floor, which contain a map and questions corresponding to each station.

Axe murderer Lizzie Borden’s clue can be found propped up on a fireplace in the saloon room. It was believed that she burned her bloodstained dress after murdering her parents. With tangible visuals accompanying each station, participants don’t need to strain their imaginations to feel the weight of the horrors these individuals created with their crimes.

Criminals on the circuit include Al Capone, Son of Sam, the Zodiak Killer, Blackbeard the pirate, and other lesser-known villains and dark characters from various periods in history.

Kossmann said that in preparing the hunt she did a lot of reading on serial killers. In her research she came across America’s first documented serial killer, H.H. Holmes. Kossmann’s guide makes comparisons between Holmes’ infamous Murder Castle and Evangeline’s Costume Mansion.

It was in Holmes’ Murder Castle that many of his victims were trapped and discombobulated by the unorthodox layout of the building – doors opened onto brick walls, and staircases led to nowhere. Evangeline’s costume mansion has similar features and is recognized as one of Sacramento’s oldest buildings.

Kossmann admitted that she did not want to make the hunt too creepy, but given that the hunt is titled “Murder & Mayhem,” visitors cannot complain when they find themselves embarrassed by their frightful reactions to the mansion’s many hidden scare tactics.

With so much foot traffic coming through the store, Kossmann said there hasn’t been much need to advertise the hunt.

Kossmann said the store is usually staffed by 35-50 employees, but during the Halloween season around 100 seasonal workers join the staff to keep the mansion up and running.

The scavenger hunt is self-guided and can be enjoyed anytime the store is open. Kossmann said she hopes the scavenger hunt will be an ongoing feature in the store by changing the questions and themes that go along with it.

As Halloween approaches, people will begin flooding into Evangeline’s. Kossmann said “it gets really crazy” and furniture is moved to make way for the high volume of customer traffic.

The scavenger hunt adds history and intrigue to the already-stimulating mansion store. Whether you have a morbid fascination with the crimes of murderers or wish to brave the padded-cell dressing room, Evangeline’s offers an escape into the bizarre for everyone who visits.

Evangeline’s is located at 113 K St. and is open from 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Friends Show Support For Accused Security Guard Murderer

2009-09-25T22:06:37Z

Before this week, he could have been best described as your average, typical 23-year-old male. A love of cars, technology and fashion is evident from the photos and descriptions that litter his online MySpace and Facebook profiles. Comments from friends show he was much loved and adored, but now those same friends are showing signs of solidarity and support for a man accused of murder.

"My heart goes out to you," friend Christopher Williams wrote Michael "Mykel" Weisz's MySpace profile. "I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt someone on purpose."

But that's exactly what authorities say Weisz did Wednesday morning when he allegedly ran down 64-year-old security guard Leroy Fisher with his car after being ejected from "Badlands," a popular gay Sacramento nightclub. Fisher died from the hit-and-run incident; Weisz and a friend later surrendered to authorities in San Francisco. Authorities say Fisher's death was not accidental.

"We believe he [Weisz] purposefully hit him," police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong told reporters Wednesday. "It was not an accident."

A passenger that was reportedly with Weisz at the time of the murder has not been charged, though the investigation is still ongoing.

Weisz was booked into Sacramento County Jail early Thursday morning on one count of felony murder and one count of felony hit-and-run. Almost immediately following the news, an influx of friends flocked to Weisz's online profiles to express their support and love.

"Love ya Mykel, here for you!" friend Cheryl Ehara wrote on Weisz's Facebook profile. Another, Tru Calderon, wrote "May God be with you my friend."

The support for Michael Weisz seems underwhelmed compared to the evening vigil for Leroy Fisher, where friends, family and supporters of Sacramento's gay and lesbian community gathered on K Street near a line of gay clubs and businesses to remember a person who felt more like a friend than a security guard. Sacramento resident George Raya frequently hired Fisher for security at events, but was also familiar with Weisz.

"He has a bad reputation," Raya told Sacramento Press reporter Suzanne Hurt. "He's just this wild 23-year-old who gets drunk and doesn't act considerate."

Now, the same 23-year-old adored by family and friends sits behind bars, accused of murdering a beloved community figure. Weisz did not enter a plea when he appeared in Sacramento County court Friday afternoon. Instead, his attorney requested, and was granted, a delay by the court. Weisz's next scheduled appearance in court is set for early October.

A statement reportedly from Weisz's family was placed on his Facebook profile Thursday afternoon on his behalf, thanking the public for their support.

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Matthew Keys is an online news writer for FOX40.com and community contributor to The Sacramento Press. He can be reached by e-mail at mkeys@tribune.com.

Photos appear courtesy Michael Weisz' Facebook profile.

Three people arrested for June 10 Midtown murder

2009-06-13T23:44:32Z

From Norm Leong of the Sacramento Police Department:

The Sacramento Police Department has arrested Jeremy Ackerman, Johnathan Baker and Nadine Klein for the murder of 23-year-old James Arthur.

On Wednesday, June 10, 2009, at 5:18 p.m., the Sacramento Police Department responded to the 600 block of 22nd Street regarding a possible dead body. Officers arrived and found the victim with stab wounds. The victim, later identified as James Arthur, was located after his mother became concerned that she had not heard from him for numerous days. A neighbor was asked to check on James and found him dead inside the house.

The Sacramento Police Department's Homicide and Crime Scene Investigations Units responded to the scene and took over the investigation. Detectives developed information indicating that 20-year-old Jeremy Ackerman, 21-year-old Jonathan Baker and 20-year-old Nadine Klein were involved in the homicide.

Detectives believe that on June 3, 2009 the suspects went to commit a robbery of James Arthur. The suspects were acquaintances with the victim. At some point during the robbery the suspects became more violent and ultimately killed James Arthur.

On June 12, 2009, at approximately 4:30 p.m., Jeremy Ackerman and Nadine Klein were picked up at 10013 Folsom Blvd. without incident. On June 13, at 12:15 a.m., Jonathan Baker was picked up at his home in the 7000 block of Fair Oaks Blvd. without incident.

The Sacramento Police Department urges anyone with information pertaining to this crime to contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

Neighborhood feud turns to deadly gun battle in West Sacramento

2009-05-21T20:15:33Z

May 20, 2009
West Sacramento, CA

Though the community near Cummins Way and Keegle Drive was packed with police cars, news vans with communications masts in the air, and a large amount of onlookers, there was a tangible quietness that hung in the night air. Neighbors and passersby looked on in stillness and hushed tones as investigators meticulously and patiently combed through the scene in the middle of the blocked off street of this West Sacramento shooting tragedy.

Neighbors related that at approximately 6 p.m. two men with pistols walked up to a neighbor’s house and opened fire. Occupants of the house under fire came out with a shotgun and returned fire on the two men. When the shooting ended and the dust settled, two men were on the ground and four others were wounded.

“On May 20, 2009, at approximately 6:15 p.m., West Sacramento Police Officers responded to a call of a man down in the street on the 1100 block of Cummins Way” said Lieutent Tod Sockman of the West Sacramento Police Department in a press release today. “When officers arrived on scene there were two males lying in the street with apparent gunshot wounds. Police units from Sac PD, Sac Sherriff and Yolo County responded to assist. “Joe Villanueva, 32 year old male from West Sacramento was pronounced dead on the scene. The other male’s name is not being released until family members can be notified,” said Sockman. Out of the other four wounded, one was another gunman with non-life threatening injuries; two were bystanders hit by pellets from the shotgun blasts and the fourth victim showed up at a local hospital with a gunshot wound. Near midnight, West Sac Police secured signed warrants to search two addresses related to the shooting.

Lieutenant Stockman states, “During the initial incident a perimeter was establish looking for a male that ran from the scene. That male was identified as Adrian Villanueva, 31 year old male, and the brother of Joe Villanueva. He is a person of interest and it is unknown what if any involvement he had in the incident. If anyone has any information of his whereabouts they are encouraged to call the West Sacramento Police Department at 916-375-6474. This incident appears to be part of an ongoing neighborhood dispute between neighbors. “

As developments become available, they will be placed in the comments below.

The O.J. Trial. The Real Super Star

2008-12-06T18:49:40Z

It is probably the court rules on high profile trials, that if you leave the courtroom while it is in session you cant return back in until the next break. So here I was trying to hold myself so I wouldn't have to miss any of the courtroom action. But being in Las Vegas and drinking bottle of water after bottle of water I found myself having to dismiss myself from the courtroom. I surely didn't want my 15 minutes of fame to go down with people saying "wasn't he the man who wet his pants during the O.J. trial?" So here I was out in the hall again waiting for the next break in the court session. While I was out there I was thinking about my brief encounter with O.J. and thought to myself that I always thought of him as being a big and tall man with the stereotypical stature of a pro football player. But he wasn't. He stood just a little taller than me and I am five foot nine. So he is probably five ten or eleven at the most. Maybe when he was in his prime, when he was a 'bigger than life hero", he could have been over six feet tall, but today he almost stood eye to eye with me. I believe God works in many mysterious ways, and maybe for O.J. he was just bringing this guy down to size. No longer a big super hero, but a man who is like everyone else that must face the truth, and if "you do the crime you gotta do the time"; well at least at some point you gotta do the time. When I walked up to him he smiled and I introduced myself to him. I asked him how he was doing and if he was holding on to hope. At this point in the trial I wasn't convinced there was enough evidence to put him away. He said "hope is the only thing I have". He then shared with me of his visit to a local church that previous Sunday. I am not impressed when people tell me of their church experiences unless it makes an impact in such a way to change a negative in their life into a positive. That is what a true encounter with God should do. For me as a person who has experienced life changing events through my first hand experiences with God, I know what that will do. So in my mind I am thinking to myself, 'come on O.J., just confess, tell me the truth, why did you kill Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman?' So even though our conversation was brief with no break through of seeing any remorse for his circumstances, I realized that O.J. Simpson is probably just another rich and famous person who has enough money to buy his way out of justice. When we parted I said to him "hang in there, the truth will set you free" or something like that.
Coming out of my own playback of my O.J. encounter, all of the sudden the courtroom door opens up and out steps this little old man, little of about five foot three and looking like he is in his eighties. He seemed like he was disoriented and dizzy. I stood up and asked him if he was okay, and he said that he was under some medications for his cancer and that he needed to get some rest. I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said "no, I need to get a cab, I just need to go back to my hotel". I said would you like me to drive you there? I am park right in front of the courthouse. He hesitated at first and then said "uh, okay". I did not know who it was that I was riding down the elevator with, but I could see that he was not in any condition to walk alone. So we exited the courthouse together and got into my rental car that I miraculously found a parking space for right outside the courthouse. As we got into the car I introduced myself to him and asked him where his hotel was. He said his name was Dominick Dunne and that he was staying at the Wynn. I hate to admit it, but when he told me his name, I did not know who he was. So I thought our conversation was going to be small talk about his visit to Las Vegas and how much he lost in the nickel slot machines. Boy was I ever wrong. I had no idea who was in my rental car with me and that I was in for the ride of a lifetime and a story that most people don't get first hand. This elderly man wasted no time to strike up a conversation and began telling me about O.J. Simpsons double murder trial.

NEXT: Expert witness, Dominick Dunne exposes the real O.J.