Denny Griffin-Blog talk Radio
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin Check out his broadcasts each week!!!
Follow his site on the Internet at http://www.dennisngriffin.com/
Call in with questions or comments at 646 478-0982
Check out his BLOGS! http://dennisngriffin.wordpress.com/
To check on upcoming shows or comment on Denny's show... Click Here!
September 23
Tonight we’ll be joined by InSession correspondent and author Lisa Sweetingham to discuss three Black Widow cases:
Julia Lynn Turner - Georgia mother of two who poisoned her cop husband by putting antifreeze in his Jell-O and cocktails. And then, years later, did the same thing to her firefighter boyfriend.
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/toxicology/14.html
Susan Polk - California housewife who stabbed her husband with a paring knife and claimed it was self-defense. She defended herself at trial, at one point having to cross-examine two of her sons who testified against her.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/06/16/polk.verdict/index.html
Cynthia Sommer - a San Diego mother of four, was convicted of murdering her Marine husband by feeding him arsenic. Sommer was young and pretty, and not so bright. She used part of her husband's death benefits to pay for the breast implants she had always wanted. She mourned poorly - sleeping with a series of young lovers and partying in Tijuana with girlfriends. In the end, the jury decided she behaved more like a murderer than a grieving widow. But in 2008, she was cleared and freed when new tests proved inconclusive and it didn't appear her husband's tissues actually had any arsenic in them.
The verdict story here: http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/30/arsenic.murder/index.html
and the denouement here: http://www.freecynthia.com.
You can catch the show beginning at 9 pm Eastern at www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin.
Denny Griffin, author
http://www.dennisngriffin.com
September 9
We'll continue our discussion of domestic violence with DV victim and author Abigail Lurae. Abigail has authored Graceful Reflections - a story of her DV experience - and the novel Birthplace of Evil. I'm pleased to have Delilah Jones join me as co-host for this program.
August 26
Join Denny Griffin Wednesday night at 9:00pm EDT, 6:00pm PDT for a special Jurorthirteen Blog Talk Radio Show about Maternal Deprivation Abuse.
Victims of domestic violence suffer physical and emotional trauma at the hands of their abusers. Some don’t escape these relationships alive. But even for those who are fortunate enough to get out with their lives, their ordeal isn’t necessarily over. In many cases their tormentors still pose a threat to them and their children. And as they try to protect themselves and their loved ones they are often victimized again; this time by the very legal system they thought would provide them with justice and a safety net.
There are way too many horror stories out there about how these vulnerable women are subjected to even more abuse as they go through the system. And one of the most troublesome scenarios is when the courts issue a ruling that removes their children from them, sometimes awarding custody to the abuser.
On the Juror Thirteen show on August 26 we’ll talk about this problem with three women who can speak from personal experience. Advocate and author Susan Murphy-Milano, and Janice Levinson and Claudine Dombrowski of the Protective Mothers Alliance will discuss what mothers can do to bring about change in the treatment of protective mothers and their children in family court proceedings. All three have lost children to maternal deprivation abuse.
Your questions or comments can be called in by phone or made through the show’s chat room.
August 19th is a continuation of August 12th's discussion!
August 12
On Memorial Day weekend, 2006, Regan Martin lay in a bed at St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights. Bruises covered most of her body. Her wrists were bloody, her lower lip split and swollen.
Nurses had given her morphine and tended to her wounds. Now, a police officer hovered over her bed.
He wanted her to sign a complaint that would allow Will County to prosecute her husband—John Samolis— for criminal sexual assault, aggravated domestic battery and unlawful restraint. After seven years of abuse Regan had had enough. Wincing in pain, she reached out her hand and signed the paper.
Samolis served 19 months for the assault. When he was released, Regan feared he would kill her. She had tried to move out of state with their children, only to learn that abusers—even convicted felons—rarely lose visitation rights. If she left Illinois without permission, she’d be considered a child abductor. You can read more of Regan’s story at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-regan_tuenov11,0,389866.story?page=2
On the Juror Thirteen show on Wednesday, August 12, Regan Martin and her mother—victim’s advocate Cherry Simpson —will talk about spousal rape, abuse, plea bargains and the courts. They’ll tell you what they have done to fight back; and what you can do if you are a victim of abuse.
The show can be heard at 9 pm Eastern at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin. You can ask questions or make comments by calling in at 646 478-0982, or through the show’s chat room.
July 15
A New Trial and Favorite Trial
On July 15 at 9:00pm Eastern (6:00pm PDT) the JurorThirteen Blog Talk Radio show will feature Lisa Sweetingham as she discusses the Marcia Trimble Murder that she will be covering for TruTV and recount the popular Binion trials.
Jurorthirteen will be following the trial of Jerome Barrett, accused murderer of 9-year-old Marcia Trimble back in 1975.
Join in with JurorThirteen members Kindee and LoveLaw as they discuss the cases with Lisa, who covered the 1998 murder of Las Vegas casino mogul Ted Binion and the subsequent trials of his accused killers, Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish. In 2000 Murphy and Tabish were convicted of killing Binion, but were acquitted of the murder in a 2004 retrial.
Lisa is the author of "Chemical Cowboys" and a former reporter for Court TV. She has covered numerous high-profile cases, including the trials of Michael Jackson, Robert Blake, Scott Peterson, and the Binion retrial in Las Vegas. Lisa's writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Parade, Health Affairs, and many other publications. Feel free to drop her a line at www.LisaSweetingham.com, or, better yet, listen and call in to JurorThirteen.
Call in with questions or comments at 646 478-0982
July 1
On July 1, the guest for the first half hour will be Maureen Reintjes. Her husband disappeared without a trace in May 2005. On May 11 of this year he reappeared, looking for a divorce. We'll talk about the circumstances of this bizarre case; and Maureen's efforts to get legislation enacted that will protect spouses from what she calls a "malicious disappearance."
The second half hour of the program will feature the debut of Cloey’s Corner. J13 founder Cloey will set the agenda for this segment. It should be a fun and informative thirty minutes.
June 17
Those of us that follow true crime are well aware that sex crimes, including crimes against children, are an unfortunate reality of our time. We also know that after the crime has been reported one of the keys to identifying, apprehending and successfully prosecuting the perpetrator, are the police interviews of the victim and suspect.
Investigators must gain the trust and cooperation of the victim. This can be especially difficult when the victim is a child; and even more so if the child’s family doesn’t want to expose their loved one to the emotionally difficult process of taking the case to trial.
And as the investigation moves forward, the suspect will need to be talked with. What can be learned in these sessions – especially before the suspect retains a lawyer – can be critical to the outcome of the case.
What techniques should the investigator use during interviews and interrogations? What methods have the best chance of gaining cooperation or eliciting a confession?
On Wednesday, June 17, at 9 pm Eastern, I’ll ask those questions of retired Hunting Beach , California police detective Don Howell. As a detective for more than 15 years, he specialized in the investigation of sexual assaults and child abuse. He is a court certified expert in these areas and is a highly sought after consultant to agencies on complex cases. As a consultant to the California Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and training (P.O.S.T.), Don was considered to be one of the best in his field and was selected to assist in making a teleconference course on rape investigations. He has written three police procedurals on interview and interrogation techniques.
June 3
Tonight we'll discuss crimes against children and domestic violence with Robin Sax and Susan Murphy-Milano. Robin is a 15-year Los Angeles County prosecutor specializing in prosecuting sex crimes against children. Susan is an advocate for victims of domestic violence. Both women are co-hosts on the popular BTR show Justice Interrupted.
May 20
Tonight Denny Griffin's JurorThirteen will continue it's discussion of crimes against children with guest Heather Steele. Heather is the president and CEO of the Innocent Justice Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting children from sexual abuse.
Be sure to tune in as JurorThirteen's own Karental will be the guest panelist!
May 5
On Tuesday, May 5 at 9PM EDT, J13’s “Children Under Siege” series will continue with host Denny Griffin at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin. The 45-minute show will feature Marc Klaas who, after the 1993 kidnap and murder of his twelve-year-old daughter Polly, created the non-profit KlaasKids Foundation to “give meaning to Polly’s death and create a legacy in her name that will be protective of children for generations to come by pursuing the singular mission of stopping crimes against children.”
Mr. Klaas is now a renowned expert on missing children and the perpetrators who commit crimes against children. Moreover, his foundation is a first choice resource for law enforcement. With the latest wave of child abductions, murders, and missing children hitting the airwaves - and the hearts of so very many across the country - Mr. Klass finds himself, again, working as a tireless advocate for these children under siege.
Joining Mr. Klaas will be a member of J13 (www.jurorthirteen.com) who is a certified foster mother and lifelong child advocate. She adopted one child through the foster care system in New York but was shocked and dismayed to learn the ins and outs of a nationwide system that is designed to protect children yet seems to weigh heavily towards parental rights instead. It's a system that, in her opinion, discourages prospective foster parents and, therefore, endangers children who might otherwise be placed in protective environments.
April 29th
The media play a key role in what the public learn about current events, including crimes against children. How are they handling the coverage of cases like Caylee Anthony, Haleigh Cummings, and Sandra Cantu? Are we hearing too much or not enough? What should we expect from the media in the way of fair and accurate reporting; and are we getting it?
On Wednesday, April 29, at 9 pm Eastern, Denny's going to address those questions on the Jurorthirteen Blog Talk Radio show.
His guests will be reporter TJ Hart of Florida talk radio station The Sky. Joining TJ will be Simon and Jan Barrett of Blogger News Network and Blog Talk Radio.
TJ has been providing in-depth reporting on the Haleigh Cummings case for his station. He'll provide an update on the status of that investigation, as well as a reporter's perspective of the media's performance in covering these stories.
April 22nd
Topic: The verdict in the Phil Spector trial and crimes against children, with a focus on the Haleigh Cummings case. Renowned private investigator Vito Colucci will be a special guest panelist.
April 8th
Topic: Phil Spector Trial
Denny Griffin’s Blog Talk Radio Show on Wednesday, April 8 (9PM EDT) will feature JurorThirteen’s own “Cloey” along with “Sprocket” to discuss the continuing spectacle of rock musician Phil Spector’s murder trials. This trio of blog site owners has followed the sorry tale for over two years and have linked sites to provide their members with more complete coverage than any single news organization.
Sprocket has been a fixture at both trials, sitting in her regular seat every day for five months as an avid spectator at Spector II. She writes daily, unparalleled coverage on her blog at www.trialsandtribulations.com. Cloey is ever-ready to find live coverage for her trial-hungry membership. Her site, www.jurorthirteen.com, was created after Spector I for people who wanted to stay together and continue chatting about this case and others. It has become a daily gathering site for live trial watchers including victims' family members and friends, crime witnesses, past jurors, lawyers, judges and forensics experts. Denny is former crime fighter and prolific writer. Dennis N. Griffin and his bio can be found at www.dennisgriffin.com. As the host of the Denny Griffin radio show at www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin, he adds the perfect real-life experience plus his numerous, published books are attractive to trial buffs as well as a wider audience.
Even more exciting news for all of the Spector trial followers is that Ricardo Enriquez, a juror who spoke out on Court TV during the first Spector trial will be joining us as special guest!
The live radio show will combine these talents and continue discussion, not only about Spector II (that will hopefully have reached a verdict by then) but also illustrate how linking with like-minded blogs is a win-win-win for avid trial and crime buffs everywhere.
March 28th
Topic: Sean Fitzpatrick Case
Another Jurorthirteen Blog Talk Radio show recapping the Sean Fitzpatrick trial will be aired on Friday on The Denny Griffin Show.
Feelings ran strong and deep among the small New Hampshire community during the first (hung) and second (guilty) trials of Sean Fitzpatrick who, in a years-long love triangle, ended up murdering his lover’s husband and his in-the-wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time business associate.
Michael Zammitti, Jr. and Chester Roberts were gunned down in their workplace on March 13, 2006. Among the 700 jurorthirteen.com members, passions raged as family members, friends, witnesses, jurors and spectators discussed the many facts and nuances of the case for months.
Join us on Friday, March 27th at 9pm EDT, 8pm CDT and 6pm PDT, to participate in continued examination of this fascinating case.
March 16th
JurorThirteen will make its Blog Talk Radio debut on March 16, at 9 pm EDT. This and future programs will be dedicated to discussing current investigations and court cases that have captured the public’s attention. Guest panelists won’t be attorneys or media legal experts. They’ll be regular people that happen to be interested in true crime and the operation of the criminal justice system. But don’t sell these trial-watchers short. They are as up to speed about the cases they follow as the professional pundits.
In the initial program we will talk about the ongoing retrial of Phil Spector, and the murders allegedly committed by women often referred to as “Black Widows.” You can catch the show live or play it back at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin. Questions or comments can be called in or asked via the chat room.
Let me know if you would like to discuss any trials you have been interested in as we are looking for future panelists.
March 4th
On September 10, 2007, the dead body of six-year-old Hanna Mack was found hanging from the rafters of a garage near her home in Texas . She was naked from the waist down and had been sexually abused. Today I'm going to discuss Hanna's tragic death and the broader problem of crimes against children, with guests Heather Steele and Robin Sax.
Heather is the President and CEO of the Innocent Justice Foundation, which supports law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute sex crimes involving children.
Robin is a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney who specializes in prosecuting sex crimes against children. For over fifteen years, she has prosecuted some of the most despicable defendants who have committed the most heinous crimes. For the last seven years, she has been the prosecuting attorney for the Child Sexual Assault division of the Los Angeles County Sex Crimes Unit.
Her new book, titled Predators and Child Molesters: What Every Parent Needs to Know to Keep Kids Safe, is a must-have guide for parents and is available for pre-order on Amazon.
February 17
Denny Griffin and the Hanna Mack case
Tonight, February 17, Denny Griffin will be doing his Blog Talk Radio show about Crimes Against Children and Hanna will be included in the topic.
Dennis Griffin had a 20 year career in investigations and law enforcement in New York State. Later, he decided to try writing stories about what he saw. That has now culminated into nine books with 2 of them on Amazon's best seller list.
Mr. Griffin says...
Over the weekend I was thinking about the still-missing Haleigh Cummings, wondering what happened to her and if and when she'll be found or returned. And then my attention was grabbed by an email I received regarding another young Texas girl - a six-year-old - named Hanna Mack. On September 10, 2007, Hanna was found hanging from the rafters of a metal garage next to her home. She was nude from the waist down and had been sexually assaulted. This past Friday a 19-year-old man confessed to her murder. He also implicated Hanna's mother's boyfriend in the brutal crimes, the details of which are nauseating.
Please remember that I'm hosting a special Blog Talk Radio show on Tuesday at 8 pm EST titled Crimes Against Children. My guest will be Heather Steele, President and CEO of the Innocent Justice Foundation. You can catch the program at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin. You can call in with questions or comments at 646 478-0982.