What is it? This our 12th conference. As always, the conference will be presented exclusively in the “case presentation format”. No dry instructional lecture, just real cases presented by real investigators. This two- and one-half day conference will include numerous high profile homicide case presentations, presented by the actual investigators and prosecutors with a focus on “lessons learned”. There will also be a product vendor expo where relevant equipment and products will be on display with manufacturer/company reps on hand to answer any questions. The presentation lineup is under development now. Check back for details.
Who should attend: This conference is open to governmentally employed law enforcement officers and investigators, supervisors, lab employed scientists, analysts, prosecutors and medicolegal staff. Click HERE for more information on qualifications for membership/attendance.
When: May 7th through 10th, 2024. The actual presentation days are May 8th & 9th and the morning of May 10th. Hotel check in and hosted evening social event Tuesday May 7th (there are evening hosted “networking” events Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). There will also be a golf event Tuesday May 7th, click HERE for details.
Where: Clearwater Casino and Resort. Hotel information page here. This is our seventh year at this venue as we have been extremely pleased with the conference events held there previously. This venue is a 35 minute ferry ride from Downtown Seattle then a 20 minute drive to the Resort from the ferry dock.
Cost: Tuition for the full two-and-a-half-day conference is $425. This includes a 2024 WHIA membership (required). If the attendee acquires 2024 membership prior to the conference, a $25 refund will be issued at the event. All attendees will receive admission to various hosted evening “networking centers” as well as inclusion in drawings for some fantastic door prizes. Tuition also includes morning coffee & snacks (3 days), 2 lunches and 3 evening hospitality events with food provided. There will be a special conference rate for hotel rooms. Go to the Hotel page for details.
Registration now open.
We are again hosting a golf invitational on the Tuesday before the conference. Click HERE for details.
We are still collecting potential cases for presentation. If you think you might have a case, or know of one that might be good for presentation, click HERE for more information on being a presenter.
The Kidnap - Murder of Kelsey Smith
Presented by the Overland Park, KS Police Department
Kelsey Smith had just graduated high school in the last week of May 2007. She had gone shopping on June 2, 2007 for a present to give her boyfriend on their 6-month anniversary. Kelsey left home to shop at a local Target and never returned. Her family and boyfriend attempted to call and text her with no reply. Her family went searching and Kelsey’s vehicle was found unoccupied one-half mile away from the Target store almost four hours after her disappearance. Her father, Greg Smith was a retired LEO and notified the Overland Park Police Department. Detective Bob Miller was called in due to the suspicious circumstances of the potential missing teenager. The investigation was very slow to start, but as other agencies and the media became involved, the leads came at a rapid pace. A “Person of interest” and his vehicle were identified along with physical evidence and within six hours of the start of the interview, probable cause was established and the suspect was in custody.
The Murder of Christie Wilson
Presented by the Placer County (CA) District Attorney's Office
On October 5th, 2005, at 1:15 am, Christie Wilson walked out of a casino in Placer County, California, and disappeared. Over the next few days, investigators spent hours reviewing video footage and interviewing people, trying to identify a man who sat with Christie at several gaming tables and ultimately walked out the doors with her. That man was finally identified as Mario Garcia, a local health care executive with a wife and family and a dark past. Garcia was found guilty of murder by a jury about a year-and-a-half later, after a 3-month trial. This case, though, was about Christie, and investigators never gave up trying to find Christie’s body for her family. You’ll hear about that work, and through determination, hard work, and a little help from technology, Christie’s body was found buried on Garcia’s property, recovered, and given back to her family.
The Murder of Sarah Yarborough
Presented by the King County Sheriff's Office, and the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office
At around 7:45 am on Saturday, December 14, 1991, 16-year-old Sarah Yarborough raced out of her house in her drill team uniform and drove to her high school where she would be meeting the rest of her teammates for a competition that day. About an hour later, her murdered body was found on an embankment on the school’s campus. Wearing only her sweater and skirt, she had been strangled to death with her nylon stockings. Detectives had DNA evidence and eyewitnesses, but it would take nearly 30 years to identify Sarah’s killer.
Some of the features of this case that will be covered in the presentation include: cold case resolution; Forensic Genetic Genealogy; suspect composite sketch; sexually motivated violent crime; sex offender investigation; plea negotiation and others.
The Murder of Mackenzie Lueck
Presented by the Salt Lake City (UT) Police Department
An in-depth case study of University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck, reported missing in June of 2019, which quickly developed into a homicide investigation. This presentation covers a variety of techniques utilized during the course of this investigation, including surveillance video recovery, canvassing, cellular extraction reviews/location mapping, IP address locations, wi-fi router downloads, forensic excavation, social media/website reviews, and interview and interrogation. A start to finish case study covering from the patrol response to the courtroom.
The Murder of Mavis Kindness Nelson
Presented by the Seattle Police Department and the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office
Navigate through the investigative process of the sexually motived homicide of a missing Native woman, who was murdered, dismembered, sexually assaulted by a necrophile, then discarded all while located in the Greek Housing area of the University of Washington in Seattle.
Some of the features of this case that will be covered in this presentation include:
- –DNA analysis – what the WSPCL can, cannot, and will not process and their timelines; private crime lab & SAKI options.
- –Covert/unwitting DNA collection
- –Fingerprints vs DNA processing
- –First officers on scene vs. CSI scene processing and its considerations.
- –DIY Cell phone & Google record analysis
- –Wooded search area in an urban location
- –Investigating a sex crime committed by a non-RSO living among RSOs
- –WA HITS & FBI ViCAP
- –FBI Behavioral Sciences Unit (BAU) consultation
- –Extensive and detailed interview of suspects, interview preparation, and tactics; knowing the history of the suspect
- –Video collection and analysis
- –Arrest planning, surveillance and undercover options
- –Information sharing considerations – both within and outside of LE; communication with victim’s family
- –Case organization and management
- –Working with medical examiner and prosecutors, plea negotiations, and more.
The Murder of Arezu Kashify
Presented by the Spokane County Sheriff's Office and the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney's Office
On 5/31/2019, a friend of 24-year-old Arezu Kashify requested a welfare check on Arezu. This friend, who had not spoken to Arezu since 5/26/2019, made the request after Arezu’s parents had not heard from her in days, something which was an uncommon occurrence. A walkthrough of the apartment Arezu shared with her husband and two children on 5/31/2019 did not result in findings of great concern. On 6/4/2019, Arezu, a native of Afghanistan, was found deceased in a small chest freezer concealed beneath a “false bottom,” covered with garbage bags and baskets containing food items. There were indications she had been beaten prior to being placed in the freezer and forensic testing located areas of apparent blood staining which had been cleaned.
Arezu’s husband, Wahid Kashify, told a friend Arezu had run away and that he was planning on leaving their two children (5-year-old boy and 9-month-old boy) to “go to work.” This friend had his wife and son collect the children, shortly after which Wahid fled the United States for Afghanistan. Prior to fleeing, Wahid recorded a video confession in which he admitted to killing Arezu.
Local, federal and international agency cooperation continues to take place to bring Wahid to justice.
The Road Rage Murder of David Knoepfle
Presented by the Washington State Patrol
On Friday, July 15, 2022, David Knoepfle met his fiancée, Nicole Wiens, in Spokane for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Following dinner, David followed Nicole back towards her home in Newman Lake, Washington. They were in separate cars. Nearing the I-90 on-ramp at Maple Street, Nicole said either she drifted into another lane or a white Chevrolet sedan drifted into her lane; she was unsure. After a horn honk, Nicole thought the incident was over and entered eastbound I-90, with David still following. While in the far left lane of I-90 and David behind her, the Chevrolet caught up to her and threw something at her car. A road rage incident occurred and as Nicole was attempting to get away from the situation, she moved to the Chevrolet’s right side. The passenger window rolled down and the black male driver pointed a handgun at Nicole. David interjected himself into the situation and the attention of the Chevrolet driver turned towards him. With the Chevrolet on the right side, on or near the shoulder, and David’s vehicle to the left, the black male shot at David, striking his vehicle three times. One round entered David’s right side, below the arm, and entered his chest cavity, penetrating his lungs. David exited the freeway to Appleway Boulevard, but ran off the road and across a grassy lot, until his vehicle traveled through a fence and stopped. David died on scene from the gunshot wound to his torso. Nicole stopped and called 911, but rescue efforts to save David were unsuccessful.
Detectives from the Washington State Patrol (WSP) Criminal Investigation Division (CID) were called to handle the homicide investigation. Investigation revealed, through witness interviews, cell phone records, social media searches, and other means, that Treven F. Lewis was suspect in David’s homicide. Treven’s current girlfriend, Asmin J. Bellinger, was also in the area the entire time. Treven had been driving Asmin’s 2014 Chevrolet Malibu and likely used her gold Glock 9mm to conduct the shooting. Treven was currently on parole for a Manslaughter 1, so DOC personnel were able to provide current contact and residence information, among other evidence. With some good, old fashioned police work and a few lucky breaks, Treven Lewis was arrested for the drive-by shooting murder of David Knoepfle. Asmin Bellinger was also charged with several crimes associated with this murder. In a plea deal, Treven Lewis was sentenced 22 years for David’s death.
Death by Pellet Gun
Presented by the Vancouver Police Department
In July of 2021 Joshua Beatty was discovered deceased in his vehicle parked outside of a medical office near a busy intersection in Vancouver, WA. Initially thought to be a natural death via overdose became a homicide investigation several days after processing the scene when a .177 caliber (pellet) was located in the chest cavity of the victim during the postmortem exam. Further investigation would reveal that what started as communications with a minor for immoral purposes turned into an episode of “To Catch A Predator” which ultimately caused the death of the victim. With the help of the FBI’s Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory (RFCL), unorthodox interview techniques, and more than a little luck, an arrest and successful prosecution took place.
Murder for Hire in Bellevue
Presented by the Bellevue Police Department
On July 10th, 2020, Baron Li was shot repeatedly in the parking lot of his Bellevue apartment complex as he was leaving for work. Despite suffering approximately nine gunshot wounds, responding officers and Fire personnel were able to stem the bleeding and transport Li to Harborview Medical Center. Li survived his injuries, and the investigation into who had attacked him and why began. Beginning with very little information and several potential suspects, the investigation led to an unlikely murder-for-hire scenario involving juvenile hitmen, a disabled child with a trust fund, a medical -malpractice lawsuit, a GPS tracker, a customer service representative in the Philippines, and the Tigard, Oregon Walmart loss prevention team. Over the following three months, over 20 warrants for electronic phone, social media, and tracking data led to a three-prong simultaneous arrest operation. The investigation continued in order to connect the three known suspects, establish a motive, and “bulletproof” the case for trial. The case attracted international media attention at the time of arrest and documentary stories are still in the works.
More cases will be added as the information becomes available.
Cancellation/refund policy: Cancellation with full refund up to COB April 15, 2024. Refund minus $100 food cost up to the start of the conference. No partial attendance/refund.
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Washington Homicide Investigators Association
A 501(c)(3)non-profit organization committed to training and education
PO Box 21526, Seattle, WA 98111
info@wahomicide.org