The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a petition for review filed by the chief suspect in the murders of Barry and Louise Berman in a remote corner of the Mojave Desert. The petition arose from a sex crimes case in which Michael Pepe, now 70, was convicted of crossing state
SoCal is famous for sunny skies, sandy beaches – and stolen stuff? It’s true: The L.A. metropolitan area is known for its burgeoning trade in pilfered products. Recently I delved into the underworld of stolen stuff, after the tech company I work for as chief legal officer suffered a heist
When Bob Wildoner, then 76, disappeared in remote Saline Valley in 2021, he didn’t just vanish into thin air. My theory is that the desert swallowed him – literally. As seen in my blog entitled “In the desert, a simple mistake can turn deadly,” it appears Bob got disoriented on
Did Bob get disoriented and turn the wrong way? In the desert, a simple mistake like this can turn deadly. In May 2021, Bob Wildoner, then 76, rolled into a campground in a remote area of Death Valley National Park, fifty miles from the nearest highway. Bob was tired –
After grandpa died, my grandmother Dale King moved into a cabin in a lonely desert valley and spent her days roaming the backcountry. Dale had always been free-spirited and artistic. When grandpa was alive, she weaved colorful fabrics on her loom and loved taking spontaneous trips to explore new places.
Eighteen years before detectives Erik Kusmerz and Tyrell Joyner worked together on the Naomi Irion case, they served in the same Marine Corps battalion. Born one year apart – Erik in 1982, Ty in 1983 – they hailed from much different backgrounds. Erik grew up outside of Atlanta, while Ty
When you write about true crime, other people’s pain becomes part of your work. After Bob Wildoner, a 76-year-old Vietnam veteran, disappeared in a remote corner of the Mojave Desert, and months passed without a single clue, the case seemed like it would make for an intriguing story. Was Bob
The chief suspect chronicled in my upcoming book The Berman Murders has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review his conviction on charges that he crossed state lines with intent to molest underage girls in Cambodia. In the petition filed in February 2024, Michael Pepe, now 70, doesn’t deny the
When Troy Driver was an accessory to the shotgun murder of 19-year-old Paul Rodriguez in April 1997, Matt Kendall was a special agent with the Mendocino County Major Crimes Task Force. Rodriguez was wearing all black and sporting a necklace and diamond ring when he was ambushed in the driveway