Spotlight Cases

Michael Knight, Columnist and Author; Liz Franklin, Editor

January Spotlight In December 1995, there was a drive-by shooting at a Nashville, TN market. The shooting left Kevin Robinson shot in the leg and 12-year-old Jeremiah Warfield dead. Within 48 hours of the shooting police released the names of three possible suspects, brothers Shaun and LaDonte' Smith and their cousin, Gary Jordan. A "manhunt" for...

February Spotlight An objective review of the record, in this case, the police investigation, and the additional new information that's been provided overwhelmingly support the conclusion that Jon-Adrian Velazquez was wrongfully convicted. We are confident that upon reinvestigation and evaluation of all the facts and circumstances of this case,...

I just watched the 20/20 program that aired November 1, 2019, Texas Love Triangle, featuring the tragic case of David Temple's wrongful conviction, in which Nancy Grace was apparently invited to pipe in with her ever-offending opinions, (shame on you 20/20). I haven't kept it a secret that I am not a fan of Nancy Grace, but that...

December Spotlight 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home on April 1, 1999. She was discovered by her mother, who had arrived to take 6-year-old Preston to afternoon kindergarten. Tawnia Layne ran to a neighbor's and asked her to call 911.

November Spotlight On March 20, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Va., heard oral arguments on the behalf of Ronnie Long, a North Carolina man who has been in jail for 43 years for a crime he didn't commit. While the U.S. Court of Appeals usually adheres to a 75-day timeframe to make decisions,...

Wednesday, August 21, 2019, was a very sad day for our nation and humanity as a whole. At 6:35 pm, the state of Texas murdered an innocent man. I realize that may sound like a bold statement made with emotional bravado, but since the State didn't take every available avenue to prove me wrong, I stand by my statement. If...