April '10 Entertainment—Nikki Artale's Vegas Stars Interviews Column

CSI: Behind The Scenes

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C
alifornia Homicide Investigators Association held their annual conference on March 2–5 at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas with the country’s leading crime scene investigators in attendance. A CSI showcase was set up in the Key West ballroom that included evidence, photos and artifacts from many famous crime scenes.

Items related to the most notorious crimes were on display for all to see as we stepped under the tape to see the evidence. Charles Manson’s car, ropes, photos and evidence were eerie to see.

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Charles Manson’s photo brought back many memories of the horrific murders of Sharon Tate and the LaBiancas that he and the Manson Family, known as The Family had committed. All were living in a commune in California at the time of the murders. Manson was sentenced to death and when the death penalty was eliminated and he was committed to a life sentence. He has applied many times for parole, but has always been denied.

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Another horrific crime was the murder of Elizabeth Short aka The Black Dahlia who was found decapitated and mutilated. Her body was dumped in two pieces in a lot in LA. It is one of many unsolved murders and LA has all but given up hope of solving this crime. It has become a hobby for generations for many crime solvers to find the murderer.

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Another famous murder case was OJ Simpson. Boards displaying the crime scene and a case showing the gloves and hat found there were attracting a lot of attention. OJ was found not guilty, but a lot of people did not agree with the verdict.

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A very disturbing sight was the LA shoot out at the Bank of America between the police and bank robbers. The police car was riddled with bullets.

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A sad sight to see was the dead bodies of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. Most shocking was the actual assassination of RFK which was watched live by all of America.

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Tables were set up with an arsenal of firearms that attracted a lot of attention.

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This event was open to the public, free of charge, and it was the best morning that I had spent in a long time looking at all the displays and talking to the law enforcement officers. The Scientific Investigation Division (SID) was responsible for collecting and interpreting the physical evidence found at the crime scenes and from the victims and the suspects. I think this should be a permanent display here in Las Vegas so everyone could get a chance to see what a great job law enforcement is doing in our country.

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