Directo Flashcards
What do you do as a detective at Dover county
I am a lead investigator of a wide variety of crimes, i trained especially for robbery and burglary situations
What were you investigating at that time
A string of convenience store robberies
Can you elaborate on these robberies?
Well, in 2011, multiple convenience stores were robbed in the town of Wilmington, on the 17th of that year there was another convenience store robbery—At first it seemed like others but I quickly realized it was unlike the others I was assigned to
Where did the robbery occur
Ironically, the luckyconvenience store
Was this case investigated?
Yes I was assigned lead investigators
Who was the first suspect
Robert Carmichael a convicted felon involved in the previous armed robberies of large targets such as community banks and religious institution
Who was the second suspect
Robin Roberts a convicted burglar but not a person known to use a weapon
Who was the third suspect
Robin Bergman who lived just a few blocks away from the lucky convenience store that was robbed on the 17th of December 2011. Berkman previously had a history of graffiti, such a vanadlization that once took place just adjacent to the crime scene
Why berkman
Berkman knew the area well and had previously vandalized the area
And how isthmus significant (berkman having vanadlizard thestorr previously
From the wall berkman tagged there is Avery good view of the surveillance camper as of the lucky convenience store
Why was that relevenent (berkman having knowledge of the wall tagged)
That knowledge would’ve advantageous to a robber with intentions of targeting this store
How did you begin to meet with him
I called him to meet with me but it was a bit odd
Why was the all odd
It was as thought he had expected my call it had definitely raises my suspicion in this suspect
Did he agree to meet with you
Yes he readily accepted and I had proceeeded with my investigation
How did you proceed
I met wberkman at his apartment and I simply questioned his involvement, standard procedure
Did you believe him when he said no
Absolutely not. He claimed he was running errands in briarcliff but there was no proof or assurance from other that he was there on December 17. The location is just minutes from the crime scene anyways
How did your meeting with the plaintiff conclude
He insisted on notifying me of any new info he would find on the case so I left him my business cards so he could contact me
What if anything happened after your meeting with the plaintiff
He would make a number of phone calls above a considerably normal standard to speak off the case. He would be so attached that my partners would refer to him as my junior detection. It was absurd
What did you do then?(after DNA test)
I continued meeting and speaking with the suspect, following the normal procedure required of me)
Did you learn anything from this (meeting and speaking with berkman afterDNA test)
Yes— berkman spoke to me about the specific type of weapon used in the crime, information not publicly disclosed
Why was this significant (berkman talking bout the weapon used)
The additional information about the type of gun used coupled with berkman xontinued efforts to help with the investigation convinced me even more strongly that berkman was indeed the perpetrator
What if any other steps did you take in your investigation (after berkman talks bout gun)
FOLLOWINGSTANDARD PROCEDURE I asked berkman to take a polygraph examination
Who conduction the polygraph
A trained officer from the NYS police
Did you attend the examination
Ya
What did you observe during the polygraph
Towards the end berkman became emotional and was sobbing uncontrollably. He apologized doesn’t trouble he may have caused including the injuries sustained by the owner of the convenience store who had been shot
How did you respond to the situation (sobbing @polygraph)
I comforted him
What happened after you comforted him
Berkman contrinued to apologize and express his sorrow through his repeated “sorry’s” like a confession
What was the significance of the sorrys
It was clear that berkman appeared guilty and apologetic regarding the troubles of the case he may have caused emphasizing his role in the crime
What did you do after the polygraphexamination
I arrested berkman for the dec 17 robbery of the lucky convenience store
Why did you arrest berkman
Berkmans guilt during the polygraph was obvious. He raised suspicion as he was overly attached to the case that he was not obligated to pursue and spoke of info NOT publicly released.hehadno proof of not being in the area when the robbery took places ships history of graffiti near the sight of the crime illustrates his expertise on the area and convenience store himself. He knew where the cameras were and knew the area inside out.
What happened then(arrest)
The district attorney presented the case to a grand jury
What was the result of the grand jury
Berkman was indicted and eventually found guilty. It’s my understanding that his conviction was unanimously confirmed.
Did you I vestigatedcarmichael
Of course I investigated him using standard procedures
What did you find after I vestigatingcarmichael
his MO was to hot much larger targets such as community banks and large religious institutions.not convenience stores. The evidence just didn’t point to him—it pointed to berkman
