Karas on Crime

Michelle Carter Trial
2017-06-05 09:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
Michelle Carter is charged with manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend to commit suicide via text messages. She was not with him when he killed himself by carbon monoxide poisoning in 2014 in Massachusetts. Both were teens at the time. Carter is now 20 years old. The trial was continued to today from March 6.

Bill Cosby Trial
2017-06-05 09:00 - 17:00
In November 2016, the judge set this date for trial, noting that it could move up. Cosby is charged with the 2004 sexual assault of a Temple University employee, Andrea Constand, whom he allegedly drugged before assaulting.

Dalia Dippolito Retrial
2017-06-02 09:00 - 17:00

Michael Slager Federal Civil Rights Trial
2017-05-01 09:00 - 17:00
The federal civil rights trial of former North Charleston, South Carolina police officer Michael Slager was scheduled to begin today. Slater shot and killed motorist Walter Scott in April 2015 after Scott ran away during a routine traffic stop. Slager accepted a plea deal rather than go to trial. He pled guilty to violating Scott’s civil rights and will be sentenced up to 25 years later this year. The state charges were dropped as a condition of the plea agreement.

Robert Durst Control Date
2017-04-25 09:00 - 17:00
Today is the next court date in Durst’s California murder case. He’s charged with shooting his close friend, Susan Berman, in the back of the head in December 2000 to silence her from talking to authorities about the disappearance (and presumed murder) of Durst’s first wife, Kathy, in 1982.

Angelika Graswald Kayak Drowning Case
2017-04-06 09:00 - 17:00
Graswald, 37, is due back in court today after filing notice of intent to use psychiatric evidence at trial. That notice was filed a week before jury selection was to begin last month. The state was to have her evaluated by their own psychiatric witness. A new trial date could be set today.

Trial of One Defendant in 2011 Holly Bobo Murder
2017-04-03 09:00 - 17:00
The trial of at least one of the 3 men accused of murdering Holly Bobo is expected to begin today. As I write this (in Nov. 2016), the judge has not ruled on a motion to sever the trials nor has he stated which defendant will go to trial first.

Jeffrey Rackover & Lawrence Dilione/Control Date
2017-03-07 09:00 - 12:00
Rackover and Dilione are charged with crimes related to the death of Joseph Communale in Rackover’s upper east side Manhattan apartment. Neither has yet been charged with murder. Communale’s body was found in a shallow grave in New Jersey. Today is a control date, I suspect, to determine whether the DA has elevated the charges to murder.

Michelle Carter Trial Continued
2017-03-06 09:00 - 17:00
Michelle Carter is charged with manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend to commit suicide via text messages. She was not with him when he killed himself by carbon monoxide poisoning in 2014 in Massachusetts. Both were teens at the time. Carter is now 20 years old. The trial was scheduled to begin today but has been rescheduled for June 5.

Pedro Hernandez Sentencing
2017-02-28 10:00 - 17:00
Pedro Hernandez, convicted on February 14, 2017 in a retrial for the kidnapping and murder of Etan Patz, will be sentenced today. He faces 25 years to life. Patz was only 6 years old when he disappeared on his way to school on May 25, 1979.

Bill Cosby Hearing
2017-02-27 09:00 - 17:00
Today the judge will hear arguments on Cosby’s motion to change the venue of his sexual assault case currently pending in Montgomery County, PA. The judge ordered that Cosby must appear.

Michael Peterson To Plead Guilty
2017-02-24 01:11 - 17:00
Michael Peterson is scheduled to plead guilty to manslaughter instead of facing a retrial for the murder of his wife. Since he’ll receive credit for time already served, he’s not expected to receive additional prison time. He will be a convicted felon but he will be free.

Robert Durst Hearing
2017-02-14 10:00 - 17:00
Durst will be in court in Los Angeles for a hearing on a number of motions. Cameras are not allowed. He’s charged with murdering his friend and confidante, Susan Berman, in December 2000.

Angelika Graswald Pretrial Conference
2017-02-14 09:00 - 17:00
Jury selection in the second degree murder trial of Angelika Graswald, 36, for the drowning death of her fiancé was scheduled to begin today. But that’s not happening. Instead, the court rescheduled a pretrial scheduling conference, that was to take place last week, for today. A new trial date should be set today.

Angelika Graswald
2017-02-07 09:00 - 17:00
Today is the new date set for a pretrial conference to make sure the attorneys are on track to begin jury selection on February 14, 2017. Since this hearing was supposed to occur two weeks ago, there’s a good chance the trial date will change.

Dalia Dippolito Hearing
2017-02-02 09:00 - 17:00
At a hearing today, the judge modified Dippolito’s house arrest conditions. She’s allowed to attend her brother’s wedding, rehearsal dinner and brunch the following day. She can also walk the entire 1/4 acre property of her mother’s, extending the permission beyond the patio. Dippolito’s trial is scheduled for June 2.

Larry Dilione Control Date
2017-01-31 09:00 - 17:00
Larry Dilione, together with James Rackover, is charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence in connection with the November 13, 2016 murder of Joey Comunale who bloody, broken and burned body was found in a shallow grave in New Jersey. Rackover lived in a swanky upper east side apartment building in Manhattan. Dilione is currently out on bail. He was arraigned on Dec. 13, 2016. Today is his next court appearance.

James Rackover Control Date
2017-01-24 09:00 - 17:00
James Rackover is charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence in connection with the November 13, 2016 murder of Joey Comunale who bloody, broken and burned body was found in a shallow grave in New Jersey. Rackover lived in a swanky upper east side apartment building in Manhattan. Rackover is being held on $300,000 bail. He was arraigned on Dec. 13, 2016. Today is his next court appearance.

Dylann Roof Trial (State Capital Murder Case)
2017-01-17 09:00 - 17:00

Robert Durst Hearing
2017-01-06 10:00 - 17:00
A hearing is scheduled for today on motions in Robert Durst’s murder case in Los Angeles.

Dalia Dippolito
2017-01-06 09:00 - 17:00
Following Dippolito’s December 14, 2016 mistrial, the judge set a control date for today–likely to set a new trial date. The State indicated it will retry Dippolito for solicitation to commit murder (for hiring an undercover hitman to kill her husband of six months in 2009). Her first trial ended in a conviction in 2011. She was sentenced to 20 years but an appellate court reversed and ordered a new trial—the one that took place last December.

Dylann Roof Federal Sentencing Hearing Begins
2017-01-03 09:00 - 17:00
Dylann Roof faces the death penalty for murdering nine parishioners during a prayer meeting at a South Carolina church. Opening statements in the penalty phase are scheduled for today.

Angelika Graswald
2016-12-16 09:00 - 17:00

Teresa Sievers Murder/Case Management Hearing
2016-12-15 09:00 - 17:00

Bill Cosby Hearing
2016-12-14 09:00 - 17:00, 2016-12-13 09:00 - 17:00
The judge is Cosby’s Pennsylvania sexual assault case set aside Dec. 13 and 14 for a hearing on various motions. The tentative trial date is June 5, 2017 though, depending upon the outcome of the hearing, that date could move up.

Angelika Graswald
2016-12-08 09:00 - 17:00
This case has been adjourned a number of times for the long-awaited decision on the admissibility of Graswald’s statements to the police, including the videotaped interrogation. A trial date should also be set.

Justin Ross Harris Sentencing
2016-12-05 09:00 - 17:00
Harris is scheduled to be sentenced for the murder of his son Cooper who died in a hot car on June 18, 2014. He faces life in prison so murder and other charges.

Dalia Dippolito Retrial
2016-12-05 09:00 - 17:00
Dippolito’s retrial for solicitation to commit murder is set to begin this day. She was convicted in 2011 of hiring a hitman to kill her husband two years earlier, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The hitman was actually an undercover police officer. Her conviction was thrown out on appeal and sent back for a retrial.

Dani Mathers Arraignment
2016-11-28 09:00 - 12:00
Dani Mathers, 2015 Playboy Playmate of the Year, is scheduled to be arraigned today on the misdemeanor count of invasion of privacy. She took a selfie at an LA gym with a 70-year-old naked woman in the locker room in the background. Mathers included the caption: “If I can’t unsee this, you can’t either” then posted it on Snapchat. Her action violated the gym rules and California law. She faces up to 6 months in jail and a fine.
