January 20, 2008 Brianna Denison is missing from a friend’s home in Reno, Nevada. The Santa Barbara student was last seen around 4am. A small blood stain was found on the pillow she used to sleep with that night, which led her friend to alert Brianna's parents and consequentially local authorities. Denison had left the house without her shoes, cell phone and purse. Authorities believe she was barefoot, wearing only sweats and a white tank top. The nineteen year old college student will not be found until February 15, 2008 when a company worker discovered a body on a company's field, partially covered in the . February 16, 2008, an report confirmed that the body found in a field near a Reno business park was that of Brianna Denison. Police believe she had been dead for at least two weeks. In the weeks before Denison’s body was found, nearly two thousand police officers, FBI agents, community members, friends, and family of Brianna were searching Reno and the surrounding areas for her, or any clues to where she might be. All of the search team members, and hopeful people at home wanted nothing more than to bring “Justice” for Brianna Denison. On Tuesday November 25, 2008 James Michael Biela, 27, of Sparks, Nevada, was arrested and booked at the Washoe County Jail on charges of murder, 1st-degree kidnapping, and sexual assault while dropping his son off at the Stepping Stones Children's Center in Reno.
A DNA sample was collected from Biela he had previously been arrested in 2001 for threatening his former girlfriend's neighbor with a knife. Everyone who has been following the Denison case will be glued to their TV for a special report from Reno’s finest. In a press conference held by the Reno Police Department on Wednesday, November 26th, 2008, it was confirmed that the DNA collected from Biela matched the DNA found at the crime scene, positively linking him to both the murder of Brianna Denison and a previous sexual assault. Today, Biela remains in custody awaiting trial. “Washoe County District Attorney Richard Gammick announced that his office will seek the death penalty against James Biela, who is charged with raping and killing Brianna Denison, as well as sexually assaulting two other women”(RJG 2009).
I don’t see Biela as such a strong predator now, and I believe that justice will be served to this man for the horrific crimes he has committed. I am a strong believer in the death penalty, and believe that those who commit murder deserve murder. Regardless of the outcome of the trial justice has been sought for Brianna Denison, and I think that her family will see that justice will served. Sadly, Brianna was not found alive, but at least her family will finally be given closure to this case. There is another open case for a close friend of mine of six years, he was gunned down outside a strip club in Reno, Nevada. Bryan Coursey, a 20 year old college student was struck in the head fatally injuring him on June 15, 2008 outside of a local strip club. Coursey was an innocent bystander to a senseless crime. Bryan lived for seventeen days with a bullet lodged in his brain, paralyzing half of his body, but was able to tell family members and police the story of what happened. The two men suspected of this murder are still on the run, and have likely fled to Mexico. Justice will continue to be sought for Bryan Coursey, and hopefully closure will also come to his family and friends. I would like to see both of these men apprehended and charged for the murder of Bryan Coursey. I also hope that the death penalty will be sought for them as well.
Another on going case is the case of Jerome Castro who was fatally shot in the head at his residence in Reno, Nevada in the early hours December 30, 2007. A few months prior to that time, Jerome was my roommate and the two of us would talk every single day on the phone. Jerome was a great man, and a very good friend of mine. Castro was rushed to Renown Regional Medical Center where he was taken into surgery to remove the bullet from his brain, unfortunately the brave surgical team at Renown could not save his life. Castro was pronounced dead December 30, 2007. The two men suspected of his murder are currently on trial, and one of the men has been charged with murder in the first degree with a deadly weapon and will serve his time in prison. I have been following all three cases in which I have talked about in throughout this paper very closely because as a criminal justice major I want to see justice brought to those who bring it upon themselves. The most horrible part about this case, to me, is that I was at work that morning when the paramedics brought Jerome into the emergency room, and there was nothing I could do to help him.
To me, justice is putting a person who has committed a crime behind bars, or to death as they deserve. I am currently seeking a degree in criminal justice, and in the long run I would like to become a prosecuting attorney. With that in mind, I would like to strive to see that my definition of justice is served by protecting family and friends to the best of my ability, and to bring justice and closure to families who have suffered like the families mentioned above. Unfortunately, I know that not all cases are solvable and that justice can not always be served as I would like, but I would like to think that I can make a difference in the world.
Reference
Bellisle, M. (2009). Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved January 18, 2009, from http://rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/SPECIAL30/80122019/0/NEWS18&theme=DENISON&template=theme
