CrimeCon – live: Alex Murdaugh’s attorney Dick Harpootlian teases theories of another killer at CrimeCon

NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin interviewed Dr Ramsland — famous for her expertise on criminal minds and for co-authoring a book with the BTK serial killer — at CrimeCon on Friday.

This year is the third time that Dr Ramsland, who also taught Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger at DeSales University, has attended CrimeCon.

When asked why she had decided to study serial killers, Dr Ramsland said that she hoped research about the criminal mind would help prevent tragedies in the future. The expert also said that her own family had experienced trauma stemming from violence.

“… we study these people in a way that helps us prevent future serial killers and that’s probably the most important part of the kind of work we do,” Dr Ramsland said. “My father’s mother was murdered … and my great-grandfather on the other side of the family tried to poison everybody so he could run off with someone else and that didn’t work but there’s certainly violence in the background that trickled down to me.”

Dr Ramnsland told NewsNation that she won’t be able to discuss Mr Kohberger’s case until after his trial.

Attorneys for Alex Murdaugh hinted at multiple new developments in the case of the disgraced South Carolina lawyer during their appearance Saturday at CrimeCon.

The lawyers said the Murdaugh family has run out of money to pay for the new murder trial that the attorneys are seeking, though Murdaugh’s defence has offered to pursue the case again for free.

Additionally, during a question and answer session at the conference, the Murdaugh attorneys said they don’t believe Alex killed Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, hinting that new information suggests a different suspect could’ve committed the crimes.

The lawyers said they are working on obtaining more evidence to support that claim.

Kerri Rawson confronted her father Dennis Rader also known as BTK, after it was announced that he was being investigated in at least two cases years after he was convicted of 10 murders.

Ms Rawson, who is an advocate for victims and survivors, said she went in calm, then also pushed to talk about his crimes.

She said her father pushed her to talk about the Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger. They also discussed the two cases Rader is being of of, including Cynthia Kinney, who went missing 1976 from a laundromat.

Ms Rawson said she told her father, “I love you but this is out of my hands…”

“If you haven’t done anything wrong, I’ll make sure to do everything I can to protect you. But if you did, I’ll come back and nail you to the wall,” Ms Rawson said. “He’s been playing games for years, with me, and with you…”

Ms Rawson also called out true crime fans in the audience for writing letters to her father.

Gabby’s parents, Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt, and her step-parents, Tara Petito and Jim Schmidt, took the stage at CrimeCon 2023 for a powerful session about domestic violence, “Missing White Woman Syndrome,” as they took the audience through what they went through since Gabby was killed.

It was Petito’s posts that inspired enormous interest in the case and were seized on by an army of online sleuths who joined the effort to help locate Petito when she was first declared missing. They pored over her Instagram posts, searching for any inconsistencies, clues or possible causes for concern.

While law enforcement was searching for Petito’s boyfriend Brian Laundrie in Florida on 19 September 2021, investigators announced they had located a body believed to be that of Petito in the eastern portion of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. The discovery was aided by another travel YouTuber who spotted Petito’s van in a video they had been editing.

“It’s thanks to all of you that we found her,” Nichole Schmidt said on Saturday.

Thousands of true crime fanatics – along with some of the biggest names in the popular genre – have converged in Orlando this weekend for CrimeCon, a three-day conference focused on murder and mayhem and all things true crime.

It’s a unique opportunity to rub elbows with top investigators, forensic experts, and well-known true crime television and podcast personalities.

CrimeCon is an immersive, educational experience that gives attendees the chance to be citizen detectives by participating in crowd-solving and learning how to dig into a case properly without hindering the investigation.

Attendees and special guests at the convention range from top experts in the field to notable news personalities to a plethora of true crime podcasters.

Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz, Cold Justice’s Kelly Siegler, and Nancy Grace are among the big names in attendance to discuss their years of work in the industry and insight into their most memorable cases.

On the second day of the conference, Gabby Petito’s parents participated in a panel to discuss their daughter’s life and the events that led to her tragic murder in 2021.

“Gabby’s parents and stepparents, Nichole and Jim Schmidt, and Joe and Tara Petito are changing the narrative and stigmas associated with domestic violence. Through the efforts of the Gabby Petito Foundation and the spirit of who Gabby was, the hope is to make sure this kind of tragedy never befalls another family,” the event description reads.

Another big story dominating the conference this year is the trial of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh. His attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlianand and the prosecutor Creighton Waters will be on hand for meet and greets.

The foundation was created by Gabby’s parents and stepparents, Nichole and Jim Schmidt, and Joe and Tara Petito, to turn the family’s tragedy into purpose.

The purpose is to spread awareness of domestic violence’s warning signs and assist organisations that provide immediate, tangible help to survivors, according to the campaign.

The Gabby Petito Foundation is CrimeCon’s CLUE Award recipient for the event’s Crimefighter of the Year award.

Stacy Chapin, the mother of Idaho murders victim Ethan Chapin, was the last person called on during a CrimeCon panel about the slayings.

“I just have one thing to say,” the woman told the packed room on Friday.

“I’m Stacy Chapin and I’m Ethan’s mom,” she said, choking back tears.

Joseph Scott Morgan, a veteran death investigator and forensics professor, was the solo speaker of the panel in which he took true crime fans on a journey through the crime scene at 1122 King Road.

He took questions at the end, the last one from Ms Chapin who received a gasp from the crowd when she identified herself.

“I actually did not sit through it [the panel],” she said, her voice breaking. “But I just wanted you all to know that these were four of the greatest kids. And all the great things you read are legitimately true.”

She went on to talk about her son Ethan, whom she called incredible, and said that he and the three other victims were in the prime of their lives.

“Don’t forget these kids.”

Mr Waters, the lead prosecutor in Murdaugh’s murder convictions, and his rock band The Sole Purpose performed during the event’s kickoff on Thursday.

The veteran prosecutor then took the stage as a speaker on Saturday.

“This was the scene in the vast auditorium at CrimeCon before SC prosecutor Creighton Waters spoke about the Murdaugh murder trial Saturday afternoon,” The State reporter John Munk tweeted. “…estimated 2,000 people hanging on every word”

David Robinson, the father of missing geologist Daniel Robinson, has a goal of handing out every one of his flyers at CrimeCon 2023 in Orlando this weekend to spread awareness of his son’s disappearance, Andrea Cavallier reports from Florida.

But his ultimate goal is to find his son. Daniel Robinson was last spotted on 23 June as he was leaving a worksite in the Arizona desert at Sun Valley Parkway and Cactus Road in Buckeye – 35 miles west of of Phoenix.

On 19 July, a rancher found Robinson’s busted vehicle – a 2017 Jeep Renegade – in a ravine three miles away. His keys, clothes, boots, and cell phone were also found. According to a crash report, the vehicle sped up just before the crash.

The case has been worked by Buckeye Police, but Mr Robinson said he wants his son’s case turned over to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office where it can get the attention it needs.

Mr Robinson has never given up the fight for his son, and hired a private investigator who he says uncovered new information in the case.

The investigator found that Daniel’s vehicle had 11 additional miles on it after the airbags had been deployed and had been cranked 46 times.