The expansive and shadowy waters might appear to be an ideal location for committing a nefarious act of murder; however, those who engage in such crimes are not exempt from legal consequences.

Even if a murder occurs far from the shores of the United States, federal prosecutors often retain the authority to bring charges against the offenders.

To gain further insight into the management of these distinctive cases, Oxygen.com consulted with Professor Steven Friedell of Rutgers Law, who specializes in maritime law.

Who has jurisdiction to prosecute crimes in international waters? 

The United States does not possess the authority to prosecute every crime occurring on every vessel in international waters, as explained by Friedell. Prosecution typically requires the involvement of an American individual or a ship associated with the United States, unless international law provides otherwise.

The concept known as the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States permits intervention when a crime is committed outside any nation's jurisdiction, provided that the offense involves a U.S. national. Such offenses encompass a range of serious crimes, including murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, rape, assault, and robbery.

Friedell noted that complications often arise when multiple countries assert jurisdiction. For example, many ships are governed by the laws of the nation where they are registered, referred to as the vessel's flag state.

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California's Zodiac Killer stands out among murderers for his audacious behavior, as he openly mocked law enforcement and instilled fear within the community. He took pleasure in his heinous acts and threatened further violence through a series of disturbing, handwritten letters.

These letters, dispatched to local media outlets, contained intricate cipher puzzles that he claimed would reveal his identity. He also demanded that his messages be published, seeking the notoriety he so desperately desired. One letter even included a blood-stained piece of evidence to substantiate his claims of being the killer, as reported by ABC News.

To this day, law enforcement has connected five notorious murders to the Zodiac Killer, although it is conceivable that he may have committed additional crimes during his spree.

The initial double homicide took place on December 20, 1968, when 17-year-old David Faraday and his 16-year-old girlfriend, Betty Lou Jensen, were parked at a secluded area on Lake Herman Road near Vallejo, California. The assailant fatally shot both teenagers.

A similar attack occurred on the morning of July 5, 1969, when 22-year-old Darlene Ferrin and her 19-year-old boyfriend, Mike Mageau, were parked in a remote location. A man approached their vehicle and opened fire, resulting in Ferrin's death while Mageau managed to survive.

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He informed investigators that he typically would have vacated the Gustafson residence upon hearing others arrive, but he chose to remain. LaPlante proceeded to bind Priscilla, who was several months pregnant, to her bed in the master bedroom and confined William in a closet, as indicated by the court records. He then assaulted Priscilla sexually before fatally shooting her twice in the head with a firearm that had been stolen from his neighbor, Raymond Pindell.

Following the murder of Priscilla, LaPlante drowned William in the bathtub located upstairs and attempted to exit the home; however, Abigail returned from school during this time. According to court records, he subsequently drowned Abigail, who also sustained blunt force trauma, in the bathroom on the lower level.

Andrew Gustafson contacted law enforcement upon returning home from work at approximately 5:30 p.m. that evening, discovering the bloodied remains of Priscilla in the master bedroom. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 1990, he expressed, I was too afraid of going to look for my children because I was afraid I’d find them dead. It was so shocking and unbelievable. I screamed. I wailed.

George Aho, a retired police officer, located the bodies of Abigail and William in separate bathtubs.

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When unusual movements began to occur within the Bowen family's residence, Frank Bowen was quick to dismiss his daughters' concerns that an external force was behind the bizarre events. He speculated that perhaps his daughters had been influenced by an excess of horror films.

However, on December 8, 1986, when Frank Bowen and his daughters found themselves held captive in their own home, he was compelled to acknowledge the unsettling truth that an intruder had been secretly residing with them all along.

This intruder, later recognized as Daniel LaPlante, would ultimately commit the heinous act of murdering the pregnant Priscilla Gustafson along with her children, 7-year-old Abigail and 5-year-old William.

Who is Daniel LaPlante? 

LaPlante, born in 1970, spent his childhood on Elm Street in Townsend, Massachusetts, a quaint town located near Boston. Even in his early years, he was perceived as an unusual child—long before he instigated fear in the Bowen family and committed the murders of the Gustafson family. Classmates and neighbors characterized him as anti-social and aggressive in an interview with the Boston Globe.

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Mississippi teenager Carly Gregg wept in court on Friday as she was convicted of the brutal murder of her mother and the attempted murder of her stepfather, following the revelation of her involvement with drugs earlier this year.

The 15-year-old was found guilty on all counts, which included first-degree murder, attempted murder, and tampering with evidence. She has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The jury's decision was influenced by disturbing surveillance footage that depicted the young girl, appearing innocent, moving awkwardly around their home in Brandon while concealing a firearm behind her back, moments before she fatally shot her mother, Ashley Smylie, 40, who was a math teacher at Northwest Rankin High School.

The jury engaged in deliberations for approximately two hours before delivering their verdict.
At the time of the incident, Gregg was 14 years old and was also facing charges for the shooting of her stepfather, Heath Smylie, in their residence in Brandon, Mississippi, on March 19, following the revelation of her involvement with drugs.

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The iconic figure of Freddy Krueger, known for his striped sweater and glove adorned with knives, may have roots in a true story. Indeed, the character portrayed by Robert Englund in A Nightmare on Elm Street was not solely a creation of Wes Craven's imagination; rather, it drew inspiration from real-life events. Just when one might think the notion of Freddy invading dreams and inflicting gruesome deaths could not be more terrifying, it appears there was a genuine dream killer causing distress during the 1980s.

A Nightmare on Elm Street follows a group of teenagers from the Midwest who find themselves ensnared in a shared nightmare: a man named Freddy Krueger stalks them while they sleep. This grotesquely disfigured figure murders individuals within their dreams, leading to their demise in reality. The only means of evading Krueger's deadly grasp is to remain awake at all costs; otherwise, the chilling refrain one, two, Freddy's coming for you" becomes a grim reality.

The franchise comprises eight films, including a crossover titled Freddy vs. Jason, as well as a 2010 remake of the original film, which is best left forgotten. The legacy of Freddy Krueger stands as one of the most enduring in horror history, proving that such legacies are immortal. So, what led to the emergence of this sardonic and malevolent child murderer? The Los Angeles Times deserves credit for that.

The Real-Life Inspiration Behind A Nightmare on Elm Street

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Polly Klaas was just 12 years old when she was kidnapped on October 1, 1993, from her residence in Petaluma, California, during a slumber party with two classmates of the same age. Her abduction ignited a nationwide search effort, drawing in thousands of volunteers and making her story widely recognized across the country.

Tragically, the search for Polly concluded two months later when her body was discovered in a wooded area approximately 50 miles from her home, having been strangled. The perpetrator, Richard Allen Davis, an ex-convict with a documented history of substance abuse and on parole for a prior kidnapping, incited public outrage and calls for stricter sentencing laws.

In response to Polly's murder, California voters enacted the three strikes and you’re out law a year later, which mandated longer prison sentences for repeat offenders like Davis. He was convicted of her murder in 1996 and is currently on death row at San Quentin. However, as of June of this year, the state of California has suspended executions.

This overview provides essential information regarding the Polly Klaas murder case.

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The true crime genre, which draws upon real-life atrocities for the purpose of entertainment, has frequently turned its attention to Sonoma and Napa counties throughout the years.
From startling homicides to an individual linked to JFK, this overview highlights several cases and residents with local ties that have served as inspiration for true crime films, documentaries, and television series.

The Salcido murders

Ramon Bojorquez Salcido committed the heinous act of murdering seven individuals, primarily women and children who were his family members, 35 years ago, an event that the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office describes as the worst mass murder in the history of Sonoma County.
On the morning of April 14, 1989, Salcido, a resident of Boyes Hot Springs and a winery employee, embarked on a violent spree fueled by alcohol and drugs. Within a span of three hours, he took the lives of his wife, two children, mother-in-law, two sisters-in-law, and his supervisor. A nearly weeklong manhunt concluded with his arrest in Mexico.

The case was dramatized in a 2012 episode of the Investigation Discovery series Evil, I, titled Killer in the Sun.

Carmina, Salcido’s only surviving daughter, also featured in the 2010 E! Network documentary Kids of Killers. This hour-long film included the stories of the daughters of Diane Downs, who murdered one of her children and attempted to kill her other two in 1983, as well as the Happy Face Killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, who was responsible for the deaths of at least eight women in the early 1990s and infamously included smiley faces in his correspondence with the media and law enforcement.

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The city of Conyers, Georgia, was recognized for its tranquility; however, on January 13, 2010, this calm atmosphere was disrupted when Jarmecca Nikki Whitehead, aged 34, was discovered murdered in her residence.

The horrific finding was made by her 16-year-old twin daughters, Jasmiyah and Tasmiyah Whitehead. One of the sisters had rushed outside, calling for assistance from a sheriff’s deputy who was in the vicinity.

Who was Nikki Whitehead?

Nikki was described as an incredible individual by her longtime friend Yucca Harris in an interview with The Real Murders of Atlanta. Despite not having a stable background, Nikki persevered to obtain her license and became a hairstylist.

To broaden her career prospects, Nikki enrolled at Bauder College in Atlanta to pursue a degree in fashion. Her instructor, Ronda Anderson, characterized her as extremely enthusiastic and a very devoted mother.

When the twins’ biological father learned of Nikki's pregnancy, he abandoned her and relocated to Canada, as reported by Atlanta television journalist Shaunya Chavis in The Real Murders of Atlanta.

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My aspiration is that we can obtain additional DNA testing and integrate that with our existing data to formulate a profile of the actual murderer, he stated.

However, the attorney acknowledges the existence of another distinct possibility, a theory he finds difficult to dismiss despite its unsettling nature.

In 2007, DNA analysis revealed a partial match linking Moore to Branch’s stepfather, Terry Hobbs, while another test identified a partial match at the crime scene associated with Hobbs alibi witness, David Jacoby.

Investigators have exonerated both men, who have consistently denied any connection to the case. Hobbs even authored a memoir detailing the aftermath of the trial, including the alleged threats and harassment he endured after amateur sleuths identified him as a possible suspect.

Nevertheless, Stidham expressed that his team has yet to completely trace Hobbs whereabouts on the night the boys were murdered, leaving him hesitant to dismiss any possibilities.

While he remains optimistic that his investigative efforts, along with a request for new testing, will ultimately fulfill his long-standing commitment to Misskelley, Stidham, who is now a judge in Arkansas, shared that the process of writing his book and piecing together the events has provided him with a sense of closure regarding the traumatic experiences and public backlash he encountered in 1993 when he first engaged with the case.

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