CrimeCon 2022 Recap
As the world heals from a devastating pandemic, CrimeCon is back in a BIG way — record-setting crowds, packed-house sessions, and more to offer than ever before. The event ran the gamut of emotions, with high-fiving highs and gut-wrenching lows, belly laughs and ugly-cries. Through it all, the spirit of this convention held strong: advocacy, education, and bottomless compassion for the victims and their families.
In 2017, we were thrilled to have 800 people at our first event in Indianapolis. This year, the smallest breakout room alone held
twice that many as we welcomed approximately 5,000 true crime fans, creators, experts, speakers and more to Las Vegas.
There’s a special power in the room when you gather that many people who want to do good things. Watching this event grow to this size, simply because enough people are invested in that simple and right idea, is an incredible honor.
While hot-ticket sessions like
Dateline 24/7: What’s Next for the True Crime Original
and
JonBenét: Dispelling 25 Years of Myths
were the largest events of the weekend, CrimeCon 2022 sessions presented a massive array of topics and ideas:
- Advocacy: Sessions that brought attention to overlooked cases, called for compassion in the true crime community, or raised awareness about the rights of victims and families
- Science: New advancements in scientific investigative methods and in-depth looks at how science changed the game in high-profile cases
- Practical Tips: Sessions that delivered specific, actionable advice attendees can put into everyday practice to keep themselves and their loved ones safe
ADVOCACY
The most common question during CrimeCon Q&As: “What can we do to help?” We love the spirit of our audience and their determination to make a difference, and oftentimes the answer is simply to spread the word and lead with compassion.
A Father's Fight: David Robinson's Search for His Missing Son Daniel
David Robinson; Moderated by Kate Winkler Dawson
Many people show up to CrimeCon for the high-profile cases they’ve followed for years, and that’s a great way to learn more about cases that have been widely investigated. However, CrimeCon also features less well-known, more recent cases that deserve more attention than they’ve received in the media. One such case is that of Daniel Robinson.
In June 2021, 24-year-old geologist Daniel Robinson disappeared after leaving a worksite in the Arizona desert. A month later, his vehicle was found wrecked in a twenty-foot ravine in a remote part of the Sanora desert about three miles from the worksite. No trace of Daniel has ever been found. His father David took the stage to tell the CrimeCon audience about the case and his personal efforts to find his son.
Ever since the moment David left his home across the country and began driving to the Arizona desert, fielding calls and taking tips along the way, he has not let up in his efforts to work alongside law enforcement to find answers for his son — and he has no plans to quit anytime soon: “In the military, we never left a battle buddy behind. As a father, I can’t leave my battle buddy behind, either.” David asked the audience to spread the word about his son’s case and to share the website
PleaseHelpFindDaniel.com.
Sister Strong: Fighting Back Against the Dark Corners of the Internet
Julie Murray, Kelsi German, Sarah Turney; Moderated by Renee Williams
Many CrimeCon attendees come for the star power — the Datelines, the Chris Hansens — but they stay for the everyday heroes touched by horrible tragedies who somehow come out swinging. CrimeCon 2022 saw three such heroes join forces to show the audience how far a little compassion can go for surviving families of lost loved ones.
Julie Murray (sister of missing UMass student Maura Murray); Kelsi German (sister of Delphi murder victim Liberty German); and Sarah Turney (sister of missing/presumed murdered Alissa Turney) teamed up for a powerful session that highlighted their pursuit of answers for their loved ones but also shone a light on the harrowing journey it has taken them through. Flashes of screenshots, nasty messages from heinous online trolls, and troubling social media comments flashed across the stage as the three “sisters of” recounted the re-victimization and abuse they’ve endured during the simple act of trying to bring their loved ones justice.
“If you’re hearing me say ‘Go out and attack someone on behalf of my sister,’ then you’re not listening to me,” said Julie Murray. Kelsi German defended her right to feel her emotions while also working to find her sister’s killer: “I am allowed to be angry at my sister, because we didn’t have secrets” she said, wishing that Libby had told her she’d been interacting with a stranger online who is now a suspect in her murder. It’s a comment that online trolls cruelly insist implicates Kelsi in her sister’s murder.
The Complexity of Grief & Trauma in the Public Eye
Kim Goldman
When Kim Goldman’s beloved brother Ron Goldman was killed alongside Nicole Brown Simpson in 1994, her family was thrust into a national spotlight to grieve under unimaginable circumstances: a nationally televised, embittered trial and intense harassment and scrutiny. Almost 28 years later, Goldman admits that the wounds are still as raw as the first day. Alternatively breaking into tears and cracking impeccably timed jokes, Goldman acknowledged the complexity of trauma and the confusion that families and survivors experience: that she can cry and laugh in the same breath or that she can acknowledge that she’s a victim even though she doesn’t feel like one.
“My friend Kelsi German said earlier that she doesn’t like it when people say “I’m sorry for your loss.” I don’t like it, either,” said Goldman. “And I don’t know why.” Upon learning there were other trauma survivors in the audience, Goldman offered a possible alternative: “Just ask what people need. When I’m grieving, I don’t want to be touched,” she admits, recounting that her acutely affectionate fiancé has sweetly adapted to her inherent need for space when grieving. “Some people may just want to sit in silence with someone who loves them. And that’s okay.”
SCIENCE
In one of his Netflix specials, comedian John Mulaney performs a bit about old-school 1940s detective work:
As we know today, that old-school detective now works hand-in-hand with modern scientific advancements and tools that find answers in the tiniest of clues. Many sessions at CrimeCon 2022 gave audience members a fascinating look into how these tools are used. Let’s take a look at some of the standouts:
Bringing Them Home: Behind the Scenes with DNA Doe Project
Margaret Press, Kevin Lord and Cairenn Binder
Following a captivating session about their work and the results they’ve garnered so far, CrimeCon attendees were encouraged to visit the DNA Doe Project booth in the exhibit hall and learn how to upload their 23andMe or Ancestry DNA results to GEDMatch. In doing so, attendees revealed hundreds of new matches to unidentified Jane Does that will give genetic genealogy investigators new hints to help give names to victims who deserve answers and justice. Seeing our justice-minded audience create hundreds of new tips on-site during the event is one of the most amazing things to happen at CrimeCon.
Investigative Genetic Genealogy: The Secrets Behind the Magic
Barbara Rae-Venter
We all know that genetic genealogy investigation led to the downfall of Golden State Killer Joseph James DeAngelo. Many of us know it was clandestinely collected from his car door handle while he shopped at Hobby Lobby and matched against his family tree DNA. But did you know that the arrest of the Golden State Killer came down to one factor: his eye color?
After scouring through the genetic family tree and comparing samples to those collected at crime scenes, it was Joseph James DeAngelo’s blue eyes that finally identified him as the Golden State Killer and landed him behind bars after 40 years on the run. Barbara Rae-Venter, who worked closely with CrimeCon fan-favorite Paul Holes on the genetic investigation, rattled off the number of decades spent investigating the Golden State Killer’s crime sprees, the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent, the hundreds of suspects identified, thousands of hours of surveillance in the GSK case — and then contrasted that with a few hundred dollars and the short list of suspects she and her genetics team narrowed down in just a matter of weeks.
Justice Through Genomics: Help Families Get the Answers They Deserve
Paul Holes and David Mittelman
When Detective Paul Holes joined the investigation of the 1974 cold case homicide of 17-year-old Carla Walker, he was elated to find a large DNA sample in evidence. More than 10 nanograms — a more than sufficient sample to test. “The case was as good as solved,” said Holes. When the results were returned, his heart sank: “Entire sample consumed during testing. No matches found.”
But then there came a pandemic that gave Paul a lot of time to think. He thought about a much worse DNA sample found on her dress. He reached out to Dave Mittelman at Othram, Inc., specializing in forensic genealogy to resolve unsolved murders, disappearances, and identification of unidentified decedents or murder victims. Using a miniscule amount of the already-tiny sample, Othram was able to determine a full genealogical profile and nail the perp.
Othram, Inc. founder David Mittelman took the stage to talk about the fascinating work his company does: “Our facility is purpose-built and designed for only one purpose: to dissect even the most trace quantities of evidence and follow all the processes you’d expect all the way into the court system.” Read that last part again: all the way into the court system.
“Identifying the killer is great,” said Mittelman, “but you’ve gotta be able to prosecute them, too.” Flashes of three newspaper covers appear on screen: one from 1974 announcing Carla Walker’s death; one from 2020 showing the arrest of 77-year old Glen Samuel McCurley for her murder; and one from 2021 in which McCurley pled guilty, knowing that the DNA evidence was more than enough to convict him of her brutal murder. Just as importantly, Carla’s boyfriend Rodney, who lived under a cloud of suspicion for more than fifty years, was officially cleared.
To the people in the room, and the people in the case files on David Mittelman’s desk, this is the work of angels. From a miniscule sample, otherwise unusable for investigative purposes, Othram, Inc. can sequence a genome to identify a killer, give names to unidentified victims, or close long-frozen cases. “There are hundreds of thousands of unsolved cases,” said Mittelman. “I didn’t know that when I came into the forensics field. You hear about a case that hasn’t been solved, then there’s a new case, and that one kind of gets put out of memory. But not for their families.”
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR LIFE
The overwhelming majority of the CrimeCon audience are female, and women make up most of the true crime entertainment market. Why is it? We may never know, but it could have something to do with the fact that women are trained and conditioned from a young age to be wary, to look over their shoulders, and to protect themselves in a world where they’re perceived as easy targets. To that end, many attendees come to CrimeCon to learn practical tips they can implement to protect themselves and their loved ones long after they leave the event. Here’s a look at a few things we learned at CrimeCon 2022:
Manipulation of the Mind: Have You Been There or Done That?
Dr. Kimberlie Massnick
Have you ever done something completely out of character for someone else and then wondered “Why did I do that?” It’s possible, says Dr. Kimberlie Massnick, you were manipulated into such action. After years spent corresponding with incarcerated violent offenders as part of her research into criminal behavior, Dr. Massnick has identified many ways that the heinous killers have tried to coerce her into falling under their control — and it turns out they are the same tactics used in controlling and manipulative relationships. If you’ve identified any of these red flags in your current or fledgling relationships, she says, it’s time to take action:
- Intense emotional connection: Are things moving too fast?
- Lie-and-Deny: Did you catch them in a clear lie? Did they deny it?
- Moving the goalpost: Do they keep wanting more and more from you every time you “give in”?
- Social inequities: Do they try to undermine your social status, gender, or economic situation to create self-doubt?
Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins; Presented by Oxygen
Faith Jenkins and Stephanie Gomulka
If we had to distill this session down to one sentence, it would be “Do your due diligence.” Oxygen presenter Faith Jenkins hammered home the point time and again: “When you meet someone online, look at their profiles. See what they think is funny. See what they value. See what they take pride in.”
The 911 Experience
Brandon Hall
If you’re lucky, you’ll never have to call 911 with a life-or-death emergency. If you’re extraordinarily lucky, you’ll never have to
answer a 911 call for a life-or-death emergency. Dispatcher Brandon Hall took to the CrimeCon 2022 stage to demonstrate how difficult, yet how important, it is to get every detail necessary to render appropriate aid from the receiving end of a 911 call: locations, behaviors, descriptions, circumstances, relevant vs. irrelevant information, and much more. His tips: if and when you call, be calm, clear and concise; ask the dispatcher what they need; and be patient — the dispatcher is working to get you help even if it doesn’t seem like it.
To drive the point home, Hall invited a lucky (or not-so-lucky) CrimeCon attendee to the stage to take a mock 911 call and attempt to collect the relevant details necessary to dispatch assistance. Although the call was relatively low urgency - a shop owner calling about a disruptive customer - the volunteer attendee showed how incredibly difficult it was to determine what information she needed and how to accurately capture it under such extreme pressure.
Best Session to Rewatch on crimeHQ
crimeHQ Presents: AMA with John Ramsey
John Ramsey and Paula Woodward
Every year, while CrimeCon attendees leave for home on Sunday, crimeHQ members are treated to a special members-only session — and it’s always one for the books. This year, crimeHQ members were joined by JonBenét Ramsey’s father John Ramsey and Paula Woodward, author of
Unsolved: The JonBenét Ramsey Murder 25 Years Later.
A true AMA (ask me anything), crimeHQ members were invited to line up at the microphones and ask any question they had about JonBenét, her murder, the investigation, or the Ramsey family’s experience. True to form, crimeHQ members didn’t hold back or shy away from tough questions, but they presented them with the professionalism and genuine investigative interest we’ve come to expect out of our most dedicated attendees.
In front of a packed room, John Ramsey patiently answered questions about how he remembers his daughter, what he would have done differently, and what the media got wrong. One painful moment came when John admitted that, although Patsy Ramsey supported JonBenét’s interest in beauty pageants as a way to spend time with JonBenét because Patsy knew her life would be cut short by breast cancer, John regrets allowing his daughter to become so exposed to possible predators.
Learn More about the Justice for JonBenét Ramsey Petition →
NOTE:
crimeHQ is where you can watch ALL session videos from CrimeCon 2022, plus all past events!
Cutest at the Con
Before offering a fascinating look at how forensic scientists rely on logical deduction to make crucial determinations in crime scene investigation, legendary forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee surprised his wife, Xiaping Jiang with a trip to Death Valley National Park.
CrimeCon: After Hours
At CrimeCon, some of the most amazing things happen after sessions have wrapped up for the day. Attendees head to the hotel restaurants and bars and run into their favorite podcasters; they hit the streets in search of local entertainment and meet other attendees who become friends; or they join one of the many after-hours CrimeCon events that take place all weekend long.
The CLUE Awards
This year, CrimeCon VIPs had the distinct honor of attending the inaugural CLUE Awards, the only awards show dedicated to recognizing excellence in true crime entertainment. CrimeCon VIP attendees enjoyed a plated dinner and open bar as the ever-dapper legal analyst Dan Abrams hosted the event and introduced nominees before CrimeSonics’s Dan Brown Jr. wowed the crowd with a jaw-dropping performance of skill well beyond the “scary true crime documentary music” that has earned him FIVE Emmy awards. Rounding out the evening, the inspiring ladies from Black and Missing Foundation, Inc. took home the top award, Crimefighter of the Year, for their 14 years of tireless work finding answers for more than 400 missing and murdered minority victims with a speech that brought the most stoic audience members to tears.
Making Merry at the Mob Museum
After a long, jam-packed weekend of heavy, emotionally charged programming, CrimeCon attendees want to kick back and enjoy some much-needed moments of levity. This year, attendees flooded the Las Vegas Mob Museum to enjoy live music, dancing, hors d'oeuvres, and private tours of the museum that included artifacts such as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre wall, handwritten notes from Al Capone’s tax evasion trial, and the chair from Nevada’s first gas chamber, used in the state’s first execution: a member of the Tong organized crime family.
The best part? Meyer Lansky II, grandson of mafioso Meyer Lansky, was on hand to show attendees around the museum, which includes many of his own grandfather’s belongings. Lansky, Sr. was close friends with infamous mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and helped finance The Flamingo hotel. The two are largely credited with building the foundation for Las Vegas to grow to the “Sin City” entertainment mecca it is today.
Overall
Every year, the CrimeCon team strives to deliver something new and inspiring for our attendees. And every year, it’s the
attendees who inspire
us. You show up, year after year, to listen, learn, and advocate for victims and families. You share hugs and offer words of support to people you’ve never heard of while you celebrate the big names we all know and love. No matter how much work we put into it, every year it’s our audience that makes this event great. And every year, you’re the reason we can’t wait to do it again.
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