Robert Keller - Cold Cases: Solved Volume 3: 18 Fascinating True Crime Cases

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18 Baffling Cold Cases Solved!

: A chance encounter at a homicide conference unmasks a deadly predator, who may just be a serial killer.

: Ollie is a two-bit Casanova with a wife, a mistress, and several illegitimate children. Now hes cleaning house.

: The case had gone unsolved for decades, then a veteran detective took an interest and uncovered a killer close to home.

: Growing up rich, Gerald was used to getting his way. What he wanted; he took. By force if necessary.

: The truck sat in the drive on flats, an electrical cable powering a freezer in its cargo hold. Whats inside is the stuff of nightmares.

: The savage murder of a disabled woman sends police on a decades long hunt for a cowardly killer. One small detail might unlock the mystery.

: A sweet little girl suffers horrendous abuse at the hands of her sadistic stepmother. One day, that abuse goes too far.

: A man is seen running from a burning house. Inside is the badly burned corpse of a young woman. Are the two events connected?

: Annie thought that shed found the man of her dreams. She had no idea shed invited a psychopath into her life.

: A six-year-old goes missing while riding his bicycle and is found strangled to death. The man who took him should never have been free to walk the streets.

: A much-loved elderly couple is executed at Christmas. The police have two strong suspects but lack prooffor now.

: He was the countys youngest ever D.A. at just 32. He was also a drug addict and a criminal. Nothing was beyond himnot even murder.

: A promising young athlete with dreams of the Olympics; a sexual predator with far less admirable objectives. They meet. Tragedy ensues.

: Johns wives had a habit of walking out on him, never to be seen again. Unlucky in love? Or something more sinister?

: She was a popular waitress with an infectiously upbeat attitude. Unfortunately, that spirit has attracted the attention of a serial killer.

: A brutal murder with an obvious suspect. The police have evidence, but the killer has an alibi. It will take time for technology to catch up.

: Fire had always been John Veyseys friend. Sometimes it put money in his pocket. Other times, it covered the evidence of his evil deeds.

: Dawn had a perfect life, a loving husband, an adorable baby son. One brutal encounter will end all that.

Sitting in the auditorium at a 1998 homicide conference in Florida, Captain James Tucker could hardly believe what he was hearing. Tucker was attending the seminar as a representative of the Portsmouth Police Department in New Hampshire. The officer currently on stage was from NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service). His presentation had to do with the killing of a young Navy wife, Dina Kichler, whod been raped and strangled at her home in Mayport, Florida, on December 3, 1990.

What really caught Tuckers attention, was the similarity to an unsolved case he had on his books, the 1987 murder of 23-year-old, Michele LaFond. Then the NCIS agent put a picture of his victim up on screen and Tuckers level of interest went up another notch. Dina Kichler and Michele LaFond looked very much alike. They could have been sisters.

Michelle LaFond had met her terrible death at her home in Dublin, New Hampshire on March 4, 1987. It was her husband, Gary, who had the misfortune of finding her. Hed come home from work to find the house in disarray and his wifes naked body in an upstairs bathroom. Her hair was wet, suggesting that her killer had placed her in a tub of water at some point. Hed also bound her wrists and ankles and subjected her to a savage rape before strangling her to death. Michele LaFond had been four months pregnant at the time of her death.

The Portsmouth police worked the case hard, focusing on Michelle and Gary LaFonds inner circle. The lack of forced entry suggested that Michelle might have known her killer and let him into the house. They had semen from the victims body, but the sample wasnt sufficient for a DNA match, using 1987 technology. Despite the best efforts of investigators, the case had slipped away from them and gone cold. Now, Captain Tucker was listening to the details of another tragedy, involving a young woman on the other side of the country.

Like Michele LaFond, Dina Kichler was an attractive young woman, recently married, living a happy life. Michelle had been 23, Dina was 21 years old and the mother of a two-year-old son. Her husband, Pat, was a naval officer, serving aboard the USS Forestall. On the morning of Monday, December 3, 1990, the day that Dina was killed, Pat was away on deployment. Dinas son was visiting his grandparents. Dina was home alone.

Dina Kichler was employed at an optics store in Jacksonville at this time. Her outgoing personality made her popular with colleagues and customers alike. She was also an unfailingly reliable person, so when she failed to show up at work that morning, there was immediate concern. Friend and co-worker, Amy Stark, tried calling her but got no reply. Amy then decided to drive over to Mayport Landing, a complex for military families, where Dina lived. The first sign of something untoward was when Amy spotted her friends car in the driveway. If Dina was home, why wasnt she answering her phone? Amy parked her car and got out. She started towards the house, then stopped. A chill ran down her spine. Something was wrong here, very wrong. In any case, she wasnt going any further. Reaching into her purse, she retrieved her phone and called the police.

Amy Starks decision not to enter the house turned out to be a wise one. It spared her a glimpse into the horror that lay within. The patrolman who picked up the call noticed something wrong the minute he stepped through the door. There was blood pooled in the foyer and clear signs of a struggle. The officer followed a trail of blood upstairs. On the floor of the master bedroom was a pile of blankets from which a human foot protruded. The officer backed out of the room, returned to his cruiser, and called it in.

Dina Kichler had been savagely raped, brutally killed. Her life had been snuffed out with a length of rope, twisted into a tourniquet around her slender neck. There were blood spatters throughout the house, as well as tufts of dark hair, which appeared to have been snipped from the victim, most likely by her killer. Plenty of forensic evidence was gathered, including a cigarette butt, and three hairs, determined to be from the inner thigh, the leg, and the pubic area. These were found on the blanket covering Dinas body, but they werent hers. Most likely, they were from her killer.