who was the defense attorney for karen boes

by Skyla Kerluke III 3 min read

Hulsing declined to comment on the case this week. Payne said the prosecution had “the timeline wrong” but Boes' defense team had a hard time swaying the jury. She said defense lawyer David Zessin, who had primarily done divorce cases, didn't even ask Boes about her experience on the day of the fire when she testified.Apr 30, 2021

Why did Karen Boes not have an attorney?

Apr 30, 2021 · Rayne said the prosecution had “the timeline wrong” but Boes’ defense team had a hard time swaying the jury. She said defense lawyer David Zessin, who had primarily done divorce cases, didn’t even...

What did Karen Boes do to her daughter?

On March 31, 2003, Karen Boes was sentenced to life in prison for killing her daughter in an arson crime she didn't commit. Despite various innocence advocacy groups’ efforts to exonerate Karen, the defense community’s steadfast belief in her innocence, and the later discrediting of the prosecution’s fire expert, her various appeals attorneys have not been successful in overturning …

Did Karen Boes get a fair trial in Michigan?

Sep 08, 2017 · Holland attorney David Zessin says Boes, who repeatedly denied killing her daughter, was trying to help police figure out what happened when investigators convinced her she must have killed her....

What did Karen Boes say before the fire?

Apr 30, 2021 · The Innocence Clinic argues prosecutors convicted Boes with a false confession and arson science that is no longer valid. “It’s not surprising to me at all that people who sat through the trial,...

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Where did Karen Boes live?

In July 2002 at their home in Zeeland, investigators said, Boes used gasoline to set a fire in her daughter Robin's bedroom, killing the 14-year-old girl, then left to go shopping for shoes.Apr 30, 2021

When was Karen Boes convicted?

Karen Boes was convicted of first-degree-murder for setting the fire that killed her teenage daughter, Robin, on July 30, 2002. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

What happened to Karen Boes?

Knowing that she left her 14-year-old daughter alone at the house, she raced home, only to learn the unthinkable – her daughter had perished in the fire. The nightmare quickly spiraled when investigators classified the fire as arson and began to finger Karen as a suspect.

Who testified against Karen?

John Dehaan, the fire investigator who testified against Karen, may have written several books on fire investigation, but he has been wrong before. In a 2001 Louisiana case involving a mother allegedly killing her three children, he nearly sent a woman to be executed before being pressured to withdraw his blatantly false conclusions. An ABC special documentary on the case, Burned, can be found below.

How many times was Karen questioned?

Karen was interrogated multiple times over a six-week period. These extensive and confrontational interrogations lasted up to twelve hours each and led to no smoking guns. Minor contradictions emerged after police began to lie to Karen about the evidence they had, and Karen began to second guess her own memory. She was accused of setting the fire 193 times — she denied it 303 times.

Where did Amanda Dehaan's fire happen?

On January 9 2001, a house fire in Pineville, Louisiana killed Amanda's three children. While Amanda sat in jail on capital charges for four years, authorities believed Dehaan's report which presented evidence of arson based on bunk data and unsound science.

What was the cause of the fire in Karen's bedroom?

This gasoline produced flammable vapors that mixed with the air causing a combustion explosion in the bedroom , which lifted a portion of the roof, pushed the door shut to the bedroom, and isolated the bedroom from the hallway.

How long was George George in prison?

George spent 17 years in prison before a federal judge overturned his conviction and ordered his immediate release. Learn More.

When was John DeHaan expelled from the Academy of Forensic Sciences?

After reviewing his actions related to the Gutweiler case, the Ethics Committee of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences officially recommended that John DeHaan be expelled from the Academy on July 13, 2015.

How long was Karen Boes in jail?

As of today, Karen Boes has served fifteen years of her life sentence but maintains her innocence. According to Boes, her confession was coerced by the police who intentionally misled her during the interrogations and also never informed her that she was being filmed.

Who killed Robin Boes?

On March 31, 2003, Karen Boes was found guilty of first-degree murder of her daughter Robin Boes and sentenced to life in prison. Judge John Hulsing, who was the prosecuting attorney on the case, concluded that: “Twelve members of the community looked her in the eye and said, ‘We find you guilty of murdering your 14-year-old daughter,” ...

How did Robin Boes die?

14-year-old Robin Boes was killed in a house fire in 2002 and investigators quickly discovered that this was no accident. The fire was set intentionally, either by the teenager herself or by her mother. Robin’s mother, Karen Boes, initially pled guilty to her daughter’s murder. She has since gone back on this plea and claims ...

Is a polygraph test unreliable?

Findagrave The grave of Robin Boes. However, according to some forensic sources, polygraph tests are often unreliable indicators of a person’s guilt. To fail one, though, can cause innocent parties to lose confidence and begin to mistrust their own memories, which can lead to false confessions.

Who is John DeHaan?

John DeHaan, a nationally known fire investigator , confirmed findings that the fire started in the hallway and spread to the teen's bedroom. Fire investigators from Grand Rapids Fire Department, state police and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reached that conclusion.

Who is Jon Hulsing?

Jon Hulsing, a former Ottawa County prosecutor, gives his closing statement at trial while an image of 14-year-old Robin Boes is projected behind him. Hulsing, now an Ottawa County Circuit Court judge, told MLive the evidence was overwhelming.

Who killed her 14 year old daughter?

Karen Boes falsely confessed to daughter's killing: Netflix documentary. ZEELAND, MI - With her appeals exhausted, Karen Boes, in prison the last 15 years for killing her 14-year-old daughter, hopes that a Netflix documentary focused on false confessions can help prove her innocence. Boes, 61, is serving life without parole for first-degree murder ...

Who was the last person to leave the house?

Karen Boes was the last to leave the house, at least five minutes before the fire was noticed. She stopped at her then-husband's body shop, got iced tea at Burger King, then took a friend shopping in the Grand Rapids area.

Where was the gas can found?

A gas can was found in the girl's bedroom. A defense expert said the fire originated in the bedroom then spread to clothing in the hallway before the door closed. The defense said the teen may have accidentally ignited gas. Maybe she didn't realize its volatility.

When was Jane Doe discovered?

St Louis Jane Doe is one of the most infamous Jane Doe cases by far. I don’t think I need to sum it up. But she was discovered February 1983, and has never been identified.

Why was the FBI looking for gold in Dent's Run?

The Washington Post reports that court documents have revealed the FBI was looking for gold in Dent's Run, Pennsylvania, and they were searching for it covertly because they were worried that Pennsylvania would try to claim it.

Where is Stephanie Crane?

She lived in Challis, Idaho; a sleepy mountain town which in 1993 had a population of under 1000.

Who is Gordon Sanderson?

ETA 06/30/21 UPDATE: His name is Gordon Edwin Sanderson, a 26-year-old Indigenous man from Manitoba. He is survived by an older sister and a daughter. The investigation into his killing remains open. This article includes photos of Gordon: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/man-found-burned-body-septic-tank-identified-1.6086082

What color is Bumblebee?

Two of the characters in this series, Bumblebee, who transformed into a Volkswagen Beetle, and Cliffjumper, who transformed into a Porsche 924, were released in both red and yellow to add more variety to the line. Despite this, package artwork and media always depicted Bumblebee in yellow and Cliffjumper in red.

What happened to Martin in the house?

Distraught, Martin ran to the house and attempted to push down the front door and get in through a window. His friend, with the help of police deputies, restrained him for safety. After the fire was put out, Martin was taken to a hospital in San Angelo. He was arrested for arson and murder in April 1998.

Who set the Pioneer Hotel fire?

Louis Taylor was convicted of setting the 1970 Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson, Arizona which took the lives of 29 people. On the night of the fire, 16-year-old Taylor came to the hotel to try to get into a Hughes Aircraft Christmas party. Soon after, police arrested Taylor and claimed that he had set the fire as a distraction so he could burglarize ...

What is Arizona Justice Project?

The Arizona Justice Project is now focusing on the flawed fire science at the heart of the case— flawed science very similar to what was used in other questionable arson cases in Texas and elsewhere. Eric Jackson-Knight (New York)

How many firefighters died in the fire?

Six firefighters were killed in the blaze. The investigation was plagued by public disputes between fire marshals and police arson investigators. Police were eventually led to Jackson by an informant. Known to police as a petty criminal, Jackson was indicted in May 1979 on arson and murder charges.

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The Housefire That Killed Robin Boes

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On the morning of July 30, 2002, a fire was ignited in the home 14-year-old Robin Boes shared with her mother Karen, father Wayne, and brother Bill, in Zeeland, Michigan. Her mother had allegedly left the house not long before someone reported the fire. She claims to have gone to see her then-husband, purchased an …
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The Investigation

  • Karen Boes was interrogated by Zeeland Police Chief Bill Olney, who was also her neighbor. He told her the interrogation was friendly, that they wanted the same thing: to find out what happened to her daughter. Boes, therefore, did not call an attorney. “We were friends, I took care of (Olney’s) kids,” she stated. Olney and his team interrogated Karen for over 16 hours. Prosecutors subsequ…
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The Court Case

  • Prosecutors latched onto the rocky relationship between Karen and Robin Boes. Witnesses cited a recent fight which involved a family vacation and a friend the parents of Robin felt was a bad influence to conflate the volatile relationship. Prosecutors subsequently claimed that Karen was violent towards her daughter and therefore capable of her murder. In defense, Karen Boes claim…
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The Case of Robin Boes Today

  • As of today, Karen Boes has served fifteen years of her life sentence but maintains her innocence. According to Boes, her confession was coerced by the police who intentionally misled her during the interrogations and also never informed her that she was being filmed. Karen says that she denied involvement in Robin Boes’ death 303 times. Due to the police’s misleading inter…
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