Ricky Bible did horrible things to a little girl in Flagstaff in 1988. The case took place just months after Casey Anthony prosecutor Jeff Ashton became the first American prosecutor to use the then new-fangled technology of DNA profiling to convict someone.
Ricky Bible became the first DNA case in Arizona. I remember at the time, I was a radio reporter at KOY in Phoenix, how controversial the technology was. We were all wondering what in the heck they were talking about. Well, Ricky Bible was convicted. While he's been sitting on death row trying to get out of it, DNA profiling has been busy becoming the forensic equivalent of a rock star.
At the time, in Flagstaff, a logging town on the old Route 66, a lawyer was drafted from the civil division into the prosecution because of her special knowledge of zoology. Her uncommon last name, in a bizarre twist, was virtually identical to the defendant's.
I would like to refer you to this excellent, excellent article in the Flagstaff Daily Sun. If you are interested in the Ricky Bible case, this is a must read. I would also like to give a big high five to Daily Sun reporter Hillary Davis for such fine work.
By the way, the Coconino County Courthouse is about a 45 minute drive from the Yavapai County Couthouse, where I've been sitting in on the James Ray sweat lodge trial. Scroll through some of these photos in the last two weeks on the blog, you'll get a feel for the country. However! there's a big change of scenery in the 45 minute ride. Flagstaff has a lot more trees. Lumber is a huge industry there.
No comments:
Post a Comment