Karas on Crime

Verdict Reached in Justin Ross Harris Trial
2016-11-14 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
On the fourth day of deliberations, the jury of 6 men and 6 women convicted Harris of murder (and all 8) counts for the hot car death of his son Cooper on June 18, 2014 in Georgia.

Angelika Graswald
2016-11-10 09:00 - 17:00
The judge was expected to issue the long-awaited decision on the admissibility of Graswald’s statements to the police, including the videotaped interrogation, as well as set a trial date. But the matter is put over to Dec. 8.

Robert Durst Arraignment
2016-11-07 13:30 - 15:00
Robert Durst will finally be arraigned today on murder charges stemming from the December 2000 shooting of his close friend Susan Berman in Beverly Hills, CA. The arraignment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. PT at the Airport Courthouse in Los Angeles.

Dylann Roof--Charleston, SC Church Shooting Federal Trial Begins
2016-11-07 09:00 - 17:00
Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in the federal capital case against Dylann Roof, accused of shooting nine people in a South Carolina church on June 17, 2015. Roof who is white killed nine African-Americans who had invited him to pray with them in their church. Roof is also facing the death penalty in the state murder case scheduled for January 2017.

Angelika Graswald
2016-11-04 09:00 - 17:00
The judge should issue 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.

Michael Slager Trial
2016-10-31 09:00 - 17:00
Jury selection begins today in the trial of former Charleston, SC police officer Michael Slager who is accused of murder in the shooting death of Walter Scott. A bystander recorded the shooting; it’s clear that Scott was running away after a routine traffic stop. At the time Slager said Scott had grabbed his Taser though that claim is not certain.

Kathleen Kane Sentencing
2016-10-24 10:00 - 17:00
Former Pennsylvania Attorney General will be sentenced today. She was convicted of several counts (including felonies) on August 15, 2016. The convictions are for perjury, obstruction and related counts for leaking grand jury information to the media in order to embarrass an opponent, and then lying about it. She is the first woman and the first Democrat elected to that office. Kane was stripped of her law license before trial but stayed in office until August 17, 2016. She served about two years of her first term.

Brittany Pilkington Status Conference
2016-10-21 09:00 - 17:00
Pilkington faces three counts of murder for killing her infant children over a two-year period in Logan County, Ohio. She is accused of murdering a 3-month-old in July 2014, a 4-year-old in April 2015 and a 3-month-old in August 2015. She originally faced a March 16, 2016 trial but it has been moved to 2017. In August, 2016, her husband who is 20 years her senior pled guilty to felony sexual battery charges for sex acts with Brittany when she was underage. Husband and wife are now in the same jail (at least as of Sept. 2016). Brittany confessed to the crimes and said she killed the boys because their father favored boys over girls. The couple has a daughter.

Charles Merritt Case Management Conference
2016-10-21 08:00 - 17:00
Attorneys for Charles Merritt who is charged with four counts of capital murder, have asked for a trial date at least seven months away. The attorneys are about to begin a lengthy corruption trial; Merritt’s trial, they say, must follow it.

Pedro Hernandez--Opening Statements in Retrial
2016-10-19 10:00 - 17:00

Justin Ross Harris Trial
2016-10-03 09:00 - 17:00
Final jury selection will occur today. Opening statements are also likely, followed by the first witnesses. Ross Harris is accused of murder for leaving his toddler son in a hot car to die. The married man was distracted by texting underage girls at the time.

Angelika Graswald to Appear in Court
2016-09-30 09:00 - 17:00
A decision on Graswald’s motion to suppress her statements to police was originally scheduled for July 28. On July 27, the court adjourned the matter to September 1, then to September 30. Presumably, there will be a decision today on whether the prosecution can use her incriminating statements about Viafore’s drowning death. The judge also hopes to set a trial date today.

Justin Ross Harris Trial to Begin in New Venue
2016-09-12 09:00 - 17:00
Justin Ross Harris, the Cobb County, GA father accused of murder for leaving his 22-month-old son in a hot car all day, is scheduled for trial in Brunswick, GA. This is a change of venue from the Atlanta area following an attempt to seat a jury last March. Jury selection is scheduled to begin today.

Pedro Hernandez Trial
2016-09-12 09:00 - 17:00
Jury selection is scheduled to begin today or tomorrow in the retrial of this decades-old murder case. Hernandez was arrested in 2012 for the May 25, 1979 murder of 6-year-old Etan Patz. He was tried in 2015 but the jury deadlocked 11-1 for conviction. Hernandez confessed to the murder but has recanted the confession. He faces 25 years to life, if convicted, of second-degree murder.

Nick Hillary Trial
2016-09-06 09:00 - 17:00
Nick Hillary is charged with second degree murder in the death of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips, the son of Hillary’ former girlfriend, in 2011. Hillary denies he killed the boy. There is no forensic evidence tying him to the murder. Hillary’s case has received national attention, particularly after the New York Times published a long article about it on March 5, 2016.

Angelika Graswald to Appear in Court
2016-09-01 09:00 - 17:00
A decision on Graswald’s motion to suppress her statements to police was originally scheduled for July 28. On July 27, the court adjourned the matter to today. Presumably, there will be a decision today on whether the prosecution can use her incriminating statements about Viafore’s drowning death.

Live Chat with Beth
2016-08-30 20:30 - 21:30, 2016-07-20 20:00 - 21:00

Steven Avery's Appellate Brief to be Filed
2016-08-29 09:00 - 17:00
Steven Avery, sentenced to life for the 2005 murder of Theresa Halbach, is appealing his conviction again. After the Netflix series Making a Murderer raised questions about the merits of Avery’s conviction, Illinois attorney Kathleen Zellner agreed to represent him. The highly-anticipated brief to be filed today could contain some interesting allegations. Zellner is known for her representation of the wrongfully convicted. She has succeeded in obtaining 18 exonerations.

Robert Durst Arraignment on Murder Charges in LA
2016-08-18 08:00 - 17:00
By agreement signed on October 15, 2015 but not filed until February 3, 2016, the Los Angeles District Attorney agreed that Durst will be arraigned on the murder charges no later than this date. Durst is accused of shooting his long-time friend Susan Berman in December 2000.

Live Chat with Beth at 9:00 p.m. ET
2016-08-11 21:00 - 22:00

Nick Hillary Trial
2016-08-01 09:00 - 17:00
Nick Hillary is charged with second degree murder in the death of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips, the son of Hillary’ former girlfriend, in 2011. Hillary denies he killed the boy. There is no forensic evidence tying him to the murder. Hillary’s case has received national attention, particularly after the New York Times published a long article about it on March 5, 2016. The trial is continued to Sept. 6, 2016.

Suge Knight Trial
2016-08-01 09:00 - 17:00
Rapper Suge Knight’s murder trial is scheduled to begin today. He’s charged with killing one man and attempting to kill another with his truck near the movie set of Straight Outta Compton on Jan. 29, 2015 in Los Angeles.

Drew Peterson Sentencing
2016-07-29 09:00 - 17:00

Decision in Angelika Graswald Hearing on Statements
2016-07-28 09:00 - 17:00
The judge is expected to issue a decision today on whether the statements made by Graswald to police on April 29-30, 2015 about the drowning death of her fiance Vincent Viafore in New York’s Hudson River can be used by the prosecution at trial. On July 27, 2016, the judge continued Grawald’s case to Sept. 1, 2016. That is her next court appearance.

Live Chat with Beth at 8:00 pm EST
2016-07-27 20:00 - 21:00

Mark Sievers Court Appearance
2016-07-27 09:00 - 17:00
Mark Sievers is charged with capital murder for the death of his wife Teresa in June 2015. He is accused of hiring a childhood friend, Curtis Wayne Wright, to kill her. Wright allegedly hired his friend Jimmy Rodgers to assist. Wright is now cooperating with prosecutors. He pled guilty to second degree murder and is expected to receive a sentence of 25 years to life. Rodgers is also facing capital murder charges. It’s unclear, as I write this, the purpose of today’s hearing. It may just be a status conference.

Garrett Miller Trial/Baltimore Cop
2016-07-27 09:00 - 17:00
Garrett Miller’s trial, on charges related to Freddie Gray’s death in April 2015, is scheduled to begin today. He is the fourth officer to be tried since Officer Porter’s mistrial last December and the subsequent appeals. Porter fought the State’s efforts to compel his testimony against the remaining five officers while charges are still pending against him. He lost in Maryland’s highest court and has been forced to testify against the others.

Hearing in James Bradley Murder Case
2016-07-21 09:00 - 17:00
Bradley is charged with murder in a case without a body or a crime scene or a confession. The state wants to use as evidence against him a previous murder he committed (for which he served 23 years) and another murder for which he has NOT been charged. This hearing will address the “prior bad acts” and should end in a decision.

Bill Cosby Arraignment in Sexual Assault Case in PA
2016-07-20 09:00 - 17:00
