Jack Branson - Delayed Justice. Inside Stories from Americas Best Cold Case Investigations

C onducting an investigation is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Before the case can be closed with finality, you need every piece of the puzzle in place. Some elements of an investigation constitute the frameworkthe all-important edges of the puzzle. Who was the victim? Even when Jane Doe's killer is identified, the case cannot be closed with satisfaction until Jane's identity is known. Who was the perpetrator? No case can be solved without that piece of the puzzle.

With these primary pieces in place, a case may reluctantly be filed away, but it will never be closed for a dedicated investigator and for family and friends of the victim until all the puzzle pieces are identified and in place. Some pieces are hard to locate but are no less important to those involved. Why did the perpetrator commit the crime? Why did he or she choose the victim? As the framework of the case falls into place, missing pieces become more noticeable. Every piece of an investigative puzzle is valuable, and when it's missing, it's missed.

It's the same when writing a book. An author can create the framework for a book, but its richness comes from the pieces generously contributed by others. Some of these pieces have strong, vibrant colors, and some have deeper hues that make up the background. But a book is made strong by each contribution and enriched by their variety.

We created a framework for this book, but we are not presumptuous enough to think that we put together the puzzle. We're grateful to acknowledge the resources and the people who filled in the framework with their support, encouragement, expertise, insights, and experiences:

Our familyPenny, Adam, Taylor, Elliott, and Kaylayou make everything worthwhile, including writing. We love you.

Our friends and editors Bob and Ruth Hallyou find all the things we miss, and you do it diplomatically. We admire you.

Our agent, Claire Gerusyou have a knack for finding just the right publisher for each book. We appreciate you.

Editor in Chief Steven Mitchell, Prometheus Booksthis book was originally your brainchild. We hope it meets your expectations.

Print Resources. Though we did not quote directly from print resources, we read as much as we could about the cases described to us by investigators, including reading from the (North) Carolina News Channel online version; the LaGrange (Georgia) Daily News; the Virginia Pilot; the Red Orbit (North Carolina) News; CharMeck.org (city of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Mecklenburg County government news); charlotte observer.com; WKBW-TV online news; the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; the Madisonville (Kentucky) Messenger, WGRZ.com (Buffalo, New York); latimes.com (Los Angeles, California); the Gaston Gazette (Gastonia, North Carolina); the Washington Post; Fox Radio online news (Redding, California); and the Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News. If you'd like to read an in-depth study of the Timothy Spencer rape/murder trial, we recommend Paul Mones's Stalking Justice (Pocket Books, 1995). For details of the Moore's Ford Bridge murders, see Laura Wexler's Fire in a Canebrake (Scribner, 2003). And for more information on murderer Russell Winstead, we suggest our own Murder in Mayberry (Berkley, 2009).

The victims of the violent crimes described in these pages. It is our hope that by telling your stories, you will be no longer victims but victors. If your stories can help readers understand the mind-sets and behaviors of perpetrators and learn strategies for bringing killers and rapists to justice, your already-valuable lives will be even more valuable. You are represented in the final chapter by Jessica, a victim who survived and tells her story. Jessica is one of the most courageous women we've ever met, and she speaks with candor about what it was like to be a victim, to wait ten years for justice, and to meet a cold case detective who cared about her as though she were his own sister. She relived her painful experiences in order to help cold case investigators understand the immeasurable gift they give families when they solve cases long forgotten by most.

The families of the victims whose stories we've told. We are the family of a violent-crime victim, and we know the pain of watching television reenactments and reading hundreds of newspaper articles describing the brutality of the crime. But we wrote about the murder in our own family because we believed it would help others going through similar experiences. We hope that you will see the retelling of events that are deeply personal to you as a way of helping investigators solve more cold cases.

The families of the perpetrators. You are the forgotten secondary victims, and you must suffer more than most of us can imagine. You face blame and public embarrassment while trying to reconcile the person you love with the crime that person committed. We know that environment can play a big part in shaping criminals, but we also acknowledge that some of the vilest perpetrators came from loving homes. We regret what you've experienced, and we understand your torn loyalty.

The investigators, prosecutors, and others who generously shared their expertise and insights. Throughout the interviewing and writing processes, you amazed us with your generosity in sharing what it took years to learn and what you're paid to share as you lead seminars and workshops. We sensed that, without exception, your primary goal is to get the bad guys. Here, in alphabetical order, are our cold case heroes extraordinaire.

Detective Troy Armstrong began his career as a street cop in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1991. In 1999, he was temporarily detailed to a regional homicide cold case task force to assist in the investigation of the possible serial murders of more than thirty high-risk females. During this assignment, he discovered a keen interest and ability in handling older cases. When the task force disbanded in 2001, he joined Charlotte's Sexual Assault Unit.

In 2006, he became the first and only member of the Sexual Assault Cold Case Unit, which he now works with the assistance of what he describes as a crack group of retired detectives. Troy has helped solve more than a hundred sexual-assault cold cases, resulting in the conviction of more than twenty suspects with combined sentences of more than 850 years.

Troy is in high demand as a speaker and instructor, and he generously shared his extensive experience and insights to enrich this book.

When asked the reasons for his success, Troy says, Over the years literally hundreds of people have been involved in our cold case successes. The victims, their families, and I are forever grateful to everyone who played a part in the investigations. I especially appreciate some who have gone above and beyond in their dedication and pursuit of delayed justice: the CMPD (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department) Crime Lab; Major Rick Williams; Sergeants Darrell Price, Marsha Dearing, and Dick Riedel (ret); Detective (ret) Linda Holmes, CMPD Lab Director (ret) Jane Burton; volunteer Halli Gomez; Assistant District Attorney Samantha Pendergrass; and most important, the victims and their families, whose courage never ceases to amaze me.

Investigator Clay Bryant has a law degree, and he's also a certified paramedic. But since childhood, when he rode with his dad, small-town police chief Buddy Bryant, all Clay had wanted was to be a law enforcement officer.

Clay served as an officer with the Georgia State Patrol before being appointed chief of police in Hogansville, Georgia. From 2002 to 2006, he served as an investigator for the Coweta County Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office. During this time, he solved four intricate highprofile cold cases. Due to his diligence and expertise, five defendants are now serving life sentences for crimes once thought unsolvable.