10/01/2026
FROM THE CASE FILES OF Lt. Cmdr. (Ret.) VERNON J. GEBERTH AUTHOR OF PRACTICAL HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION and SEX-RELATED HOMICIDE AND DEATH INVESTIGATION
ANGELA CROCKETT - A STALKER CASE
CASE FACTS
Angela Denise Crockett, a 26-year-old White female, had been r***d and sodomized in her garden apartment on August 27, 1992.
The following morning, August 28, Angela’s father, Charles Crockett, received a call from his oldest daughter. She was concerned because Angela was supposed to report to work at 8:00 a.m. but had not shown up. She had also been unable to reach Angela by telephone.
Concerned, Charles went to his daughter’s apartment. When he arrived, he found the front door locked from the inside, and Angela’s car was still parked in the apartment complex parking lot. He contacted the building manager and asked him to accompany him back to the apartment.
At approximately 11:30 a.m., they used a security pass key to enter the locked apartment.
Inside, they discovered Angela’s lifeless body lying on the floor, covered in blood.
Grand Prairie, Texas Police responded to the 9-1-1 call from the building manager. Police Officer “Butch” Danford was among the first officers to arrive and took charge of the crime scene. He secured the apartment and confirmed that the victim was deceased, apparently from multiple stab wounds. He then directed the other responding officers to secure the surrounding area and notified detectives to respond.
The building manager and the victim’s father were questioned by the uniformed officers and asked to remain at the scene until the investigators arrived. During this initial inquiry, the officers obtained information from building management concerning several incidents about which Angela had previously complained. Management also provided the names of three possible suspects. This information was immediately passed on to the arriving detectives.
Officer Danford also began a canvass of the neighboring apartments in an effort to identify anyone who might have heard or seen anything suspicious.
POLICE RESPONSE – FIRST OFFICERS
Grand Prairie, Texas Police responded to the 9-1-1 call from the building manager. Police Officer “Butch” Danford was among the first officers to arrive and took charge of the crime scene. He secured the apartment and confirmed that the victim was deceased, apparently from multiple stab wounds. He then directed the other responding officers to secure the surrounding area and notified detectives to respond.
The building manager and the victim’s father were questioned by the uniformed officers and asked to remain at the scene until the investigators arrived. During this initial inquiry, the officers obtained information from building management concerning several incidents about which Angela had previously complained. Management also provided the names of three possible suspects. This information was immediately passed on to the arriving detectives.
Officer Danford also began a canvass of the neighboring apartments in an effort to identify anyone who might have heard or seen anything suspicious.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CRIME SCENE
The victim occupied a second-floor apartment in a two-story garden apartment complex. Her body was found lying supine just inside the front door, with her legs spread apart. Her bloody panties were lying near her head. Her blouse had been ripped open, exposing a blood-soaked bra that had been pushed up to expose her breasts. Except for the bra, she was completely n**e.
The condition of the apartment indicated that a furious struggle had taken place. A trail of blood extended from the victim throughout the apartment, suggesting that she had fought desperately with her assailant as she attempted to defend herself and escape. Furniture had been overturned, and a telephone answering machine was lying on the floor beside the victim’s body.
There were numerous stab wounds to the victim’s chest and breast area, along with obvious defensive wounds to her hands and arms. A blood-spatter pattern was visible on the wall near the location where her body was found. Her throat had also been cut, with multiple slashing wounds across her neck. Incised wounds were present across her eyes and eyelids.
The detectives determined that the assailant had remained inside the apartment for a significant period of time. Evidence in the bathroom indicated that he had washed blood from his hands and attempted to clean himself after the attack. Bloody tissues were found in the sink, and an empty b**r bottle was recovered from the trash. The b**r appeared to be the same brand found in the victim’s refrigerator.
The first officers also discovered a blood drop on the stairs leading from the apartment. Initially, investigators considered the possibility that the offender had been injured during the struggle and had left a trail of his own blood as he escaped.
That theory was eventually eliminated. The blood on the stairs was determined to be the victim’s blood, apparently deposited there when blood from the murder weapon dripped as the offender fled the apartment.
VICTIMOLOGY
Angela was twenty-six years old at the time of her murder. She was an attractive, single white female who lived alone in a garden apartment complex. She worked part time as a model and was pursuing a career as an actress. Those who knew Angela described her as outgoing, personable, and someone who loved life and enjoyed being around people.
Angela dated regularly and maintained a number of friendships with other women as well as relationships with former boyfriends. According to interviews with her friends and former boyfriends, several men had wanted a more serious relationship with Angela than she was willing to pursue. Angela, however, was focused on establishing her career and did not want to become involved in a serious relationship until she had accomplished her educational and professional goals.
At the time of her murder, Angela was studying for a nursing degree at Texas Woman’s University. She had also been awarded a Navy Nurse Commission and had already received orders to report to Okinawa following graduation. There, she was scheduled to serve as a commissioned officer and registered nurse in a midwife program. She was excited about the future and the opportunities that lay ahead.
Angela had previously served in the United States Army as a medic after graduating from Arlington High School. She subsequently joined the Navy to pursue a career in nursing.
INVESTIGATIVE CONSIDERATIONS
Detective Alan Patton of the Grand Prairie Police Department was assigned as the primary investigator. Detective Dennis Clay and Evidence Technician Don Swanz assisted Patton in the investigation. The crime scene was processed under the supervision of Sergeant Bob Wilbanks.
From the circumstances surrounding the death and the condition of the crime scene, it was immediately apparent that the homicide had a strong sexual component. Accordingly, the crime scene examination was conducted with particular emphasis on recovering microscopic and trace evidence that could establish a connection between the offender and the victim.
Investigators understood that the physical evidence recovered from the apartment could ultimately become critical in identifying the offender and corroborating the circumstances of the attack. Every effort was therefore made to locate, document, collect, and preserve evidence that might establish the offender's presence and movements within the apartment.
THE INVESTIGATIVE HYPOTHESIS
Investigators initially suspected that the victim might have known her attacker because she had apparently allowed him into her apartment. There was no evidence of a forced entry or a break-in. The condition of the apartment also indicated that the offender had remained inside for a considerable period of time. Most significantly, the offender had locked the apartment door when he left.
The investigation revealed that Angela’s father had spoken with her by telephone the evening before her murder. During that conversation, Angela told him that she was not feeling well. That was why he became concerned when he attempted to call her the following morning and received no answer.
Her father drove to the apartment complex and contacted the building manager. He asked the manager to use his passkey to enter the apartment. When the door was opened, he saw the n**e and bloodied body of his daughter lying on the living-room floor.
Detectives immediately began canvassing the apartment complex and surrounding neighborhood. During the canvass, they learned that a neighbor had seen Angela allowing a man carrying fast food into her apartment. Investigators obtained a description of the man and issued a request for him to come forward and assist with the investigation. At that point, it was unknown whether this man had left the apartment before Angela was attacked.
Detectives also learned that two neighbors had heard screams at approximately 11:15 P.M. on Thursday, August 27. One neighbor, who lived in the apartment directly below Angela, heard a woman scream upstairs and then heard what sounded like someone running through the apartment above her. Another neighbor, who lived directly across the hallway from Angela, also heard screams at approximately the same time.
Neither neighbor called the police. When the screaming suddenly stopped, they apparently assumed that the disturbance was over and returned to sleep.
The subsequent autopsy established that Angela's trachea had been cut, preventing her from crying out. Ironically, her sister had attempted to telephone her at approximately the same time. There was no answer.
It was during this period that the offender was sexually assaulting and murdering Angela.
The failure to summon police when the screams were heard represented a tragic missed opportunity. A prompt 9-1-1 call might have resulted in a much earlier police response and potentially could have interrupted the attack or led to the offender's apprehension.
CRIME SCENE PROCESS
Angela had sustained numerous stab wounds to her chest and breasts. Based upon the circumstances of the homicide and the nature of the injuries, the case was classified, in accordance with Practical Homicide Investigation®, as a Lust Murder.
Angela also had extensive defensive wounds on her hands and arms, consistent with her having fought desperately against her attacker.
The blood evidence on the rugs, together with the drainage of blood from her torso, provided important information concerning the movement of her body. The evidence indicated that the offender had manipulated the victim, turning her onto her stomach before subsequently repositioning her in a supine position.
The victim's chest and breast area bore the pattern of the blood-soaked rug. Blood from her wounds had drained onto the carpet, creating a distinct impression of the wounds in the blood. Some of the wounds had also continued to drain while the body was being moved, providing additional evidence that the body had been turned during the attack.
When detectives turned the body over, they discovered additional stab wounds to her back. These wounds were relatively shallow and appeared more consistent with torture-type injuries than with wounds inflicted solely to cause death.
Investigators also observed blood on the soles of the victim's feet. This indicated that Angela had moved through her own blood, consistent with her attempting to flee or escape from her attacker.
Additional evidence indicated that the offender had taken a wet towel from the bathroom and used it to clean the victim's p***c area before engaging in vaginal in*******se.
A close examination of the victim's body revealed foreign p***c hairs caught in the p***c region. The hairs were black and visibly contrasted with the lighter-colored p***c hair of the victim. A crime-scene photograph was taken of this evidence in situ, before it was disturbed.
The physical evidence at the scene indicated that Angela had been r***d and a**lly sodomized. These findings were subsequently confirmed by the medical examiner.
Before the body was removed, crime-scene investigators carefully outlined its original position on the carpet. They then removed the entire section of carpeting for microscopic examination. This procedure is recommended in Practical Homicide Investigation® because carpeting can retain critical trace evidence that might otherwise be lost.
An additional nine p***c hairs were recovered from the carpet and surrounding area, bringing the total number of recovered foreign p***c hairs to eleven. The hairs were determined to be of Negroid origin and were eventually matched to the suspect.
Investigators also believed that the offender had taken a b**r from Angela's refrigerator and carried it into the bathroom while he cleaned himself. The b**r bottle had apparently been wiped clean of fingerprints, and the offender had attempted to wipe down portions of the crime scene.
The detectives had already learned during their neighborhood canvass that a man had been seen entering Angela's apartment carrying fast food. When they searched the refrigerator, they found a box of Church's Chicken, apparently consistent with the information provided by the neighbor.
The box was processed for fingerprints, but no usable prints were recovered.
Then investigators made an important discovery.
When they opened the refrigerator door, they noticed a smudged bloody fingerprint on the front of a w**e box. Immediately behind the same w**e box was a clear fingerprint in blood.
The explanation appeared straightforward. The offender had apparently moved the w**e box to reach into the refrigerator for a b**r. In doing so, he placed his bloody finger against the container, leaving behind a clear patent fingerprint in blood.
That fingerprint would become critical evidence.
THE IMPORTANCE OF RECONSTRUCTING THE CRIME SCENE
According to Practical Homicide Investigation®, an important crime-scene procedure is to have someone thoroughly familiar with the victim and the normal condition of the residence go through the scene with the investigator after processing has been completed.
The purpose is to identify anything that appears out of place or inconsistent with the victim's normal lifestyle.
The principle is simple: What is foreign to the scene may be evidence.
After processing the apartment, the Grand Prairie detectives—several of whom had attended Practical Homicide Investigation® courses—asked members of Angela's family to examine the apartment and determine whether anything was missing.
The family identified two missing items: a portable television and a 35mm camera.
Detective Patton immediately transmitted an alarm and advisory concerning the missing property. Investigators wanted pawnshops and other appropriate outlets alerted in case someone attempted to dispose of the stolen items.
At this stage, the investigators had developed several significant pieces of evidence: a possible eyewitness to the victim's last known visitor, foreign p***c hairs, a bloody fingerprint, evidence of sexual assault, and stolen property that could potentially lead investigators directly to the killer.
AUTOPSY
On August 29, an autopsy was performed on the body of the victim. The examination established that Angela had been stabbed one hundred and thirteen (113) times. Her throat had been cut, and there were numerous incised wounds across her eyes, along with extensive defensive wounds to both arms and hands. The weapon was estimated to have a blade approximately four inches long.
The Cause of Death was ruled to be multiple stab wounds of the chest and abdomen. Homicide.
The distribution of the stab wounds was as follows:
• Right upper chest: sixteen (16) stab wounds
• Right upper arm: four (4) stab wounds
• Right side of abdomen and flank: thirty-seven (37) stab wounds
• Left upper chest: thirty-two (32) stab wounds
• Left abdomen and flank: five (5) stab wounds
• Right forearm and hand: three (3) stab wounds
• Left forearm and hand: five (5) stab wounds
• Back of torso: nine (9) stab wounds
• Inner aspect of left thigh: three (3) stab wounds
Internal examination of the wound tracks revealed two separate wound tracks penetrating the left ventricle of the heart. Four to six of the wound tracks penetrated each of the lungs. The remaining wound tracks penetrated the liver, stomach, and peritoneal cavities.
In addition to the stab wounds, there were numerous incised wounds to the victim's face, neck, and throat, as well as numerous defensive-type wounds to her hands. There was also evidence of injury to the interior aspect of the vaginal vault.
The victim's trachea had been cut, preventing her from screaming during the attack.
The autopsy confirmed that the victim had been r***d and a**lly sodomized. A r**e-kit procedure was performed, and sufficient genetic material was recovered to permit DNA a**lysis.
The autopsy findings, together with the physical evidence recovered at the crime scene, established the extraordinarily violent nature of the attack and provided investigators with critical biological evidence that would ultimately become an important component of the investigation.
DETECTIVE INVESTIGATION
The first officers established through interviews with building management and neighbors that, during the three months preceding the murder, Angela had complained about unwanted attention and contact from several male residents. There were three incidents that particularly interested the detectives.
One involved a male neighbor who had come to Angela's door in the middle of the night, awakened her, and attempted to gain entry into her apartment.
A second incident involved a male resident who appeared to be psychotic. He believed that he was a former government agent and that people were watching and following him. He also believed that women were “evil” and “prostitutes.” Angela had complained to management after observing him staring at her in what she described as a very strange manner.
The third incident involved a former resident of the apartment complex, Kenneth Renord Smith, a thirty-two-year-old Black male. According to Angela's complaint, Smith had been leaving notes on her automobile indicating that he wanted to date her. Angela had complained to both management and friends about these unwanted solicitations. However, Smith had moved out of the complex in June, and the manager had advised Angela that there was little management could do because he was no longer a resident.
Angela subsequently confided in a male professor at Texas Woman's University, who was also African-American. She told him about the incidents involving Smith and asked his advice about how to deal with the situation without appearing to be prejudiced. He advised her to treat Smith as she would any other unwanted suitor and simply tell him to leave her alone.
Although the Kenneth Smith incident was the most recent, the detectives initially focused more heavily on the unidentified male who had been seen bringing fast food to Angela's apartment on the night she was murdered. Despite their efforts, they were initially unable to locate or identify him.
The detectives continued examining every aspect of the case when they received an important laboratory finding: the unknown p***c hairs were determined to be Negroid in origin.
That information caused investigators to take a much closer look at Kenneth Smith.
THE FINGERPRINT
On Thursday, September 3, 1992, at approximately 2:00 P.M., Detective Dennis Clay made contact with Kenneth Smith. Smith agreed to accompany the detective to the police station for an interview.
During the interview, Smith denied leaving any notes on Angela's automobile. Detective Clay requested a set of Smith's fingerprints, which Smith voluntarily provided. The fingerprints were submitted for comparison with the latent prints recovered by Crime Scene Technician Don Swanz.
At this point, the detectives were still developing the case and did not disclose everything they knew.
PRESS RELEASE
Once Detective Patton had developed Kenneth Smith as a viable suspect, he issued a press release designed, in part, to psychologically stress Smith by suggesting that investigators were closing in on the offender.
Detective Patton stated:
“It could be anyone, from a deranged psychotic serial killer to a man who was angry at the entire female gender,” said Detective Alan Patton. “But I believe it was someone who wanted to have a sexual relationship with her and she rejected him. I really do.”
The statement was calculated to put psychological pressure on the person responsible while avoiding any direct identification of a suspect.
DEVELOPING THE SUSPECT
On September 10, Detective Alan Patton interviewed Kenneth Smith. Smith stated that he had left the apartment complex in June after divorcing his wife and had moved several miles away. He again denied leaving notes on Angela's automobile. He also voluntarily provided his fingerprints to investigators.
On September 11, detectives contacted Smith's employer. They established that Smith had worked on Thursday, August 27, from 6:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. He did not return to work until 4:00 P.M. on August 28.
Detectives also contacted Smith's estranged wife. She confirmed that they had separated and that Smith was living alone at another apartment complex several miles from the crime scene.
The investigation was continuing, but the detectives still needed to establish Smith's connection to Angela's apartment.
On September 13, detectives who were examining the victim's telephone records located a U.S. Marine pilot stationed at Pensacola. The records indicated that he had been in telephone contact with Angela earlier in the month.
The Marine was interviewed and recalled speaking with Angela on Thursday, August 20, exactly one week before her murder.
During that conversation, Angela told him:
“The guy that has been leaving the notes on my car is at my door. I'm not going to answer.”
She then described Kenneth Renord Smith to him.
The statement was significant because it independently corroborated Angela's complaints about Smith and established that he had continued attempting to contact her even after moving away from the apartment complex.
THE INTERVIEW
On September 15, Kenneth Smith was invited back to the station house for another interview.
Detective Alan Patton's objective was straightforward: he needed to establish whether Smith had ever been inside Angela's apartment.
The fingerprints obtained from Smith on September 10 had now provided the answer.
Smith's left middle finger matched the bloody patent fingerprint recovered from the w**e box inside Angela's refrigerator.
This was extremely important evidence.
If Smith had never been inside Angela's apartment, how had his bloody fingerprint ended up on a w**e box inside her refrigerator?
Detective Patton needed Smith to commit himself to an answer before confronting him with the fingerprint evidence.
After engaging Smith in routine, non-threatening conversation,
Patton suddenly confronted him in the interview room.
“Had you ever been in Angela's apartment at any time?”
Smith responded that he had never “crossed the threshold” of the deceased's apartment.
That was the answer Detective Patton wanted.
Patton then informed Smith that his bloody fingerprint had been found inside the apartment, on the w**e box in the refrigerator, apparently left when the offender reached into the refrigerator for a b**r.
Smith immediately invoked his Miranda rights.
At that point, Smith was formally charged with Angela's murder. The r**e and so**my charges were added later after consultation with the laboratory and further evaluation of the forensic evidence.
THE SEARCH FOR ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE
Detectives obtained a search warrant for exemplars of Smith's hair and blood for DNA a**lysis. Smith was unable to provide a verifiable alibi for his whereabouts at the time of the murder.
Because Smith had driven his own automobile to the police station voluntarily for the interview, detectives also obtained a search warrant for the vehicle. They wanted to determine whether additional evidence connecting Smith to Angela or the crime scene could be recovered.
The search produced even more incriminating evidence.
Detectives located a Hershey's Kisses candy tin containing Angela's military collar brass, military unit crests, and other insignia that her family identified as having been inside her apartment.
Investigators also found a piece of paper in Smith's jacket pocket bearing Angela's name in her own handwriting.
Smith claimed that he had found the items at a basketball court in Dallas.
The explanation was difficult to accept.
Smith had apparently possessed items belonging to Angela that investigators had established came from her apartment. He could have discarded these potentially incriminating objects. Instead, he kept them.
To the detectives, these were not simply possessions.
They were trophies.
THE UNKNOWN MAN
Eventually, investigators located the unidentified male who had been seen bringing Church's Chicken to Angela's apartment.
He explained that he had contacted Angela through her workplace and had gone to her apartment with the fast food. When he arrived, however, Angela told him that she was not feeling well. He made arrangements to return at another time and left the apartment shortly thereafter.
His account was consistent with the evidence developed during the investigation, and there was nothing connecting him to Angela's murder.
The unknown male was cleared of any involvement in the death of Angela Denise Crockett.
FORENSIC FINDINGS
The search warrants executed on Kenneth Renord Smith for physical specimens of blood and hair proved to be extremely valuable. Ultimately, all of the foreign p***c hairs recovered from the victim were matched to Smith. In addition, a single head hair recovered during the investigation was also matched to Smith.
The semen and s***m recovered from the victim were submitted to the Southwest Institute of Forensic Sciences for a**lysis. DNA testing established a match to Kenneth Renord Smith.
The forensic evidence provided a direct scientific connection between Smith and the sexual assault and murder of Angela Denise Crockett.
INVESTIGATIVE FINDINGS
Detective Alan Patton was also able to establish that Kenneth Renord Smith had pawned a Bentley portable television and a 35mm camera at a pawnshop in Irving, Texas, on August 29 at approximately 4:00 P.M.
Patton provided the pawnshop employee with a photographic array. The store clerk positively identified Smith as the person who had pawned the items.
Angela's family subsequently identified the television and camera as property belonging to the deceased.
The physical evidence, forensic findings, and stolen property now provided investigators with an overwhelming body of evidence connecting Smith to the murder.
FINAL DISPOSITION
Kenneth Renord Smith was permitted to plead guilty to Capital Murder in satisfaction of the indictment.
In February of the following year, he received a life sentence and was required to serve thirty-five years before becoming eligible for parole.
RECONSTRUCTION AND OPINION
Kenneth Renord Smith had stalked Angela with the intent of sexually assaulting her after being repeatedly rejected by the victim. He had left numerous notes on her automobile in the parking lot of the apartment complex indicating that he wanted a relationship with her. Angela did not respond to his advances and, in fact, ignored him.
This rejection angered Smith, and his conduct escalated into stalking.
If he could not establish a relationship with Angela, then, in his mind, he would have her sexually.
When Smith came to the apartment complex on the evening of August 27, he was carrying a weapon. This strongly suggests that he had anticipated the possibility of an assault. It is also possible that he saw another man arrive at Angela's apartment and waited for him to leave.
When Smith approached Angela's apartment, he was prepared to force his way inside if necessary.
I believe Angela probably thought she could explain her lack of interest to Smith without personally offending him. That may very well have been how the encounter initially began.
Then everything changed.
Smith suddenly lashed out at Angela and threatened her with the knife. She screamed, and he realized that he would have to “shut her up.” The incised wound across her throat effectively cut her trachea and prevented her from continuing to scream.
Angela continued to fight for her life, attempting to escape through the apartment. Smith knocked her to the floor and repeatedly stabbed her in the chest and breasts.
This is the rationale for labeling the attack a Lust Murder (Geberth, 2006, 1998).
Smith then mounted the victim from the rear, a**lly penetrating her while stabbing her in the back. After turning the body onto its back, he went to the laundry area, removed a wet towel, and used it to “clean” the blood from her abdomen.
He then engaged in pen*s-vaginal sexual assault, leaving two of his p***c hairs ensnared in the victim's p***s.
Upon completing his attack, Smith went to the refrigerator and removed a cold b**r with his bloody hands. In doing so, he left a patent fingerprint in blood on the w**e box.
He then went into the bathroom, where he cleaned the blood from his hands and washed himself. He wiped the b**r bottle to remove his fingerprints.
These actions are similar to other cases that the author has investigated and assessed.
First, the offender violates the victim sexually and then violates the victim's personal space. He helps himself to a b**r from the victim's refrigerator. He then uses the victim's bathroom to “clean up.”
He basically made himself at home.
When he was satisfied that he had removed or destroyed what he believed to be evidence, he apparently looked outside to make certain that no one was around. He then exited the apartment and locked the door behind him.
In one final act of degradation, he left Angela's body lying on the floor with her legs spread apart.
Kenneth Renord Smith was a sexual psychopath who demonstrated an utter disregard for his victim's life. His primary concern was his own sexual desire and lust.
The overkill injuries speak volumes about his anger and retaliation following Angela's rejection of him. The location and nature of the penetrating wounds to the victim's chest and breasts manifest the psychosexual nature of the crime.
The a**l so**my was perpetrated to degrade the victim, while the torture-like stab wounds to her back were, in my opinion, intended to punish her for rejecting him.
Smith demonstrated a stalker mentality. He left messages on Angela's automobile and repeatedly attempted to communicate with her despite her obvious lack of interest. He was fully aware of the effect his actions were having on her, yet he continued this conduct. The stalking was a prelude to the eventual attack.
THE TROPHIES
Smith's possession of Angela's Hershey's Kisses candy tin, containing her military collar brass, military unit crests, and other insignia, together with the piece of paper bearing Angela's name in her own handwriting, represents another significant aspect of the offender's behavior.
These were trophies of the event.
The objects themselves had little monetary value. Their importance was psychological.
They became associated with the murder and sexual assault and served as an “engram”—a physical reminder that could enable Smith to recall the event and fantasize about his sexual conquest of Angela.
There is another remarkable aspect of this case.
When police asked Smith to come to the station for an interview, he drove there in his own automobile—with the Hershey's Kisses candy tin containing Angela's military insignia inside the vehicle.
He was sitting in a police interview room being questioned about Angela's murder while the physical trophies of the crime were sitting outside in his automobile.
To me, this is another example of the psychopath's belief in his own superiority over the police. He probably thought it was amusing.
The police were questioning him about the murder while the evidence of his relationship to the victim was sitting right outside in his car.
The piece of paper bearing Angela's handwriting is another example of an offender retaining something intensely personal that belonged to the victim as a physical reminder of the event.
This illustrates an important investigative consideration:
It is not necessarily the monetary value or usefulness of an item taken by an offender that is important. It is the psychological significance that the item has for the sexual psychopath.
In this case, the trophies had no practical value.
Their value was in what they represented to the offender.
POSTSCRIPT
I presented my Practical Homicide Investigation® program in Grand Prairie, Texas, in February 1992. The program featured various case scenarios along with investigative tactics, procedures, and forensic techniques.
While teaching the class, I met Alan Patton, who was then a detective with the Grand Prairie Police Department, along with several of his partners. We had some great discussions and established a professional relationship.
Little did I know that Alan and his team would soon become involved in a brutal, sex-related homicide involving a stalker.
Later that year, in August 1992, they were confronted with exactly the type of cases we had discussed in the classroom.
Alan and his team did an excellent job not only solving the murder but also applying many of the investigative techniques they had learned during my February course.
In February 1993, I returned to Grand Prairie, Texas, to teach another Practical Homicide Investigation® class. During the program, Detective Alan Patton approached me and presented me with their “Murder Book” containing the investigative material from the Crockett case.
Alan told me that I could incorporate the information, investigative material, and crime-scene photographs into my Practical Homicide Investigation® course of instruction.
What an honor that was for me as an instructor.
To be given the privilege of presenting an actual homicide investigation—along with the crime-scene photographs and investigative lessons learned by the detectives who worked the case—to future generations of police officers and detectives was extremely gratifying.
The relationship continued for many years.
Whenever I was in Texas, Alan Patton, who had subsequently been promoted to Detective Sergeant, would often join me in class. We eventually developed a joint presentation of the case. Alan would present the police investigative techniques and procedures used by the Grand Prairie detectives, while I would address the psychological and behavioral aspects of this brutal sexual homicide.
For me, this was exactly what Practical Homicide Investigation® was intended to accomplish: taking the lessons learned from an actual homicide investigation and passing them on to the next generation of investigators.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I subsequently incorporated this case into my professional literature and revised textbooks as a classic example of a sex-related homicide involving stalking, sexual violence, overkill, and offender behavior.
Sex-Related Homicide and Death Investigation — Second Edition
This volume provides the most comprehensive clinical and behavioral examination of the case. The complete case history is utilized to examine the psychodynamics of the offender, his deviant behavioral patterns, the stalking behavior that preceded the homicide, and the unique crime-scene characteristics associated with the sexual assault and murder.
Practical Homicide Investigation® — Fourth and Fifth Editions
In these broader investigative manuals, the case is referenced in a more abbreviated form as a practical case study. Rather than reproducing the entire narrative, selected aspects of the case are used to illustrate specific investigative principles and behavioral considerations, including signature behavior, staging, crime-scene a**lysis, and criminal investigative assessment.
This cross-referencing allows Practical Homicide Investigation® to remain focused on the broad investigative procedures and master-checklist approach for homicide investigators, while directing readers who want a more detailed clinical and behavioral examination toward Sex-Related Homicide and Death Investigation.
The Crockett case remains particularly valuable because it demonstrates how victimology, stalking behavior, crime-scene reconstruction, forensic evidence, DNA a**lysis, behavioral assessment, and traditional police investigation can come together to identify and successfully prosecute a sexual homicide offender.
