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The Dartmouth Murders were the double homicide of married victims Half Zantop (born April 24, 1938) and Susanne Zantop (born Susanne Korsukwitz on August 12, 1945), Dartmouth College professors originally from Germany, who were killed at their home in Etna, New Hampshire on January 27, 2001. List of countries by homicide rate Homicide ( Latin homicidium, homo human being + caedere to cut kill refers to the act of killing another Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Dartmouth College ( is a private, Coeducational University located in Hanover, New Hampshire, U The meaning of the word professor ( Latin: professor, person who professes to be an expert in some art or science teacher of highest rank) varies Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Etna, originally named "Mill Village" is a small village within the town of Hanover New Hampshire, in the United States. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Each of them had been teaching at the Ivy League college in Hanover since the 1970s. The Ivy League is an Athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. High school classmates James J. Parker, age 16, and 17 year old Robert W. Tulloch were charged with their murders after investigators traced the sheaths of two SEAL 2000 knives found at the crime scene to Parker. The SOG knife was a knife designed for and issued to covert Studies and Observation Group personnel during the Vietnam War. [1] The knives had been purchased online. [2]

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Half and Susanne Zantop

Both native Germans, Half and Susanne met while studying at Stanford University in the mid-1960s. Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private Research university located in Fascinated with geology, Half had earned a bachelor's degree from Freiburg University, while Susanne was working on her master's degree in political science. Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Political science is a branch of Social sciences that deals with the theory and practice of Politics and the description and analysis of Political systems After Half achieved a geology Ph.D in 1969 and worked as a field geologist, he and Susanne were married in 1970 [1]. "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. They had two daughters Veronika and Marianna. Susanne taught in the German department at Dartmouth College and was chairwoman of that faculty. Half was popular among many of his students. In the months leading up to their death, they had begun contemplating retirement. Ironically, their murder came upon the day of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Germany. Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laGvura (יום הזיכרון לשואה ולגבורה "Remembrance Day for the Holocaust and Heroism" known colloquially in Israel They were known by a number colleagues and students to be politically active and felt that Germany should admit to its past.

The murders

Robert Tulloch and James Parker, both students at Chelsea High School, went to the Zantop residence on the morning of January 27, 2001. Posing as students doing research for a school survey, their modus operandi was to take the occupants by surprise, threaten them into telling them their PINs, kill them, take their money, and leave. Modus operandi (often used in the abbreviated forms MO or simply Method) is a Latin phrase approximately translated as " mode of operation A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together Being one who often welcomed young people into his home, Half allowed them inside, while Susanne prepared lunch. According to his confession, Parker admitted that Zantop was "an alright guy" and that they didn't need to kill him. Tulloch, on the other hand, was thinking the exact opposite, especially when the professor of earth science told him that he had to come more prepared. Earth science (also known as geoscience, the geosciences or the Earth Sciences) is an all-embracing term for the Sciences related to the planet Being arrogant, Tulloch believed that his comments, however well-intentioned, were a slap in the face. While Half turned his back to look for a phone number, he took his SOG knife and stabbed Half repeatedly in the chest; cutting his leg accidentally in the process. Susanne tried to stop him, but Parker slit her throat. They left with a paltry $340 dollars from Half's wallet, and, during their departure, they forgot to bring their knife sheaths. During interviews with investigators, Parker confessed that he was surprised "that our plan didn't work. "

Capture

The Zantop's bodies were found later that evening by family friend Roxana Verona, who was responding to a dinner invitation by Susanne. Investigators believed at first that it was a crime of passion by someone having an affair with Half, but that idea was soon disproved. After finding a bloody footprint and the two knife sheaths, the police traced the knives back to Parker having bought them via email. Electronic mail, often abbreviated to e-mail, email, or originally eMail, is a Store-and-forward method of writing sending receiving Upon meeting with the 16-year old Parker, they learned that he was not regarded as a troublemaker. As well as having a good alibi, he told them that he bought the knives with Tulloch to build a fort [2], but they sold them at a surplus store after finding they were too heavy. An alibi is the Plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove that the person was in another place when the alleged While he agreed to undergoing fingerprinting, investigators paid Tulloch a visit. A fingerprint is an impression of the friction ridges of all or any part of the finger Although they had reasonable doubt that the pair were not the killers and told him that he did not have to speak with them, Tulloch agreed to speak with them and gave the same story. Upon inquiring about the deep cut just above his right knee, he told them that he slipped on a rock and cut himself on a metal spigot. When they asked to fingerprint and borrow boots for matching purposes, he signed a search warrant. A search warrant is a Court order issued by a Judge or Magistrate that authorizes law enforcement to conduct a Search The reason that the same request had not been made of Parker was because it was suggested by a detective whom they had phoned to give his version of the story.

On the following day, Tulloch and Parker were discovered to have left their homes. Parker's father found a note stating "Don't call the cops," to which he called the police. It was around this time that Tulloch's bootprints matched those found in the Zantop's home, and both sets of fingerprints had matched those at the crime scene. A warrant was put out for Tulloch's arrest, while Parker, still a minor, was sought for questioning in the murders. Most often the term warrant refers to a specific type of Authorization; a Writ issued by a competent officer usually a Judge or Magistrate Sensing that police would be looking for their car, they abandoned Parker's silver Audi at a gas station and planned to hitchhike to California. AUDI AG, ( Xetra: NSU commonly known as Audi (aˈʊdi is a German Automobile manufacturer which produces Audi branded cars with headquarters California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. After a truck driver picked them up in New Jersey, he made the announcement of their desire to travel west via CB radio, a police officer pretended to be another driver and offered to pick them up. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Citizens' Band radio ( CB) is in many countries a system of short-distance simplex radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within At the Flying J truck stop in Spiceland, Indiana, the pair were captured by authorities. Spiceland is a town in Spiceland Township, Henry County, Indiana, United States. Although they unconvincingly gave fake names, both admitted to their identities.

Robert Tulloch

Robert Wayne Tulloch was born the third of four children in 1983 in North Pomfrey, Vermont. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) His parents Michael and Dianne had struggled financially since they were married in 1977. Tulloch took his home birth as the sign of future greatness, which he referred to as the "humble beginnings of an intellectual giant. " Michael Tulloch was known to be very shy and withdrawn by those around him, and he preferred to run his carpentry shop at home. Dianne works as a home nurse. Tulloch has three siblings: two older sisters and a younger brother Kienan. Suffering from development disabilities, his older sister Julia often took things from neighbors lawns; not understanding the concept of private property. Property is any physical or virtual entity that is owned by an individual When this would happen, Mike and Dianne force their son to prevent this, and they would blame him for their daughter's actions if it did happen. Known to be a strict disciplinarian, Mike would force Rob to write out lines starting with "I will not. . . . "

Tulloch ran and won the title of class president of his school's student council. For colleges and universities see Students' union Student council is a curricular or Extra-curricular activity for Despite winning a landslide victory, he frequently did not attend team meetings, and, when there, he often was bored, unprepared, and impetuous. A number of other members tried to remove him from the council, but this failed when the principal declared impeachment unnecessary. Impeachment is the first of two stages in a specific process for a legislative body to forcibly remove a Government official It was reported that Tulloch was very upset with his fellow members. He also was a member of the school debate team, but, being unprepared, he would use insults and witty remarks against his opponents. Debate ( American English) or debating ( British English) is a formal method of interactive and position representational Argument. One such debate involved a foreign exchange student from Germany struggling to understand his questioning; to which Tulloch arrogantly remarked "You're just a German. How can you not know?" Although his team had been leading by far, the victory was awarded to their opponents.

Sentencing

After their capture and incarceration, Parker was declared an adult and therefore liable to stand trial. He made a plea bargain with the state to testify against Tulloch as a witness, plea guilty to second degree murder, and he would receive a maximum sentence of twenty-five years to life, with a possibility of parole after 16 years. A plea bargain (also plea agreement, plea deal or copping a plea) is an agreement in a Criminal case whereby the Prosecutor offers A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about a Crime or dramatic event through their Senses (e Murder is the unlawful killing of another human person with Malice aforethought, as defined in Common Law countries The profits from any book deals or movie offers he might agree to will go directly to the Zantop's children. Tulloch's lawyer tried without success to get the insanity defense, claiming that he suffered from mental illness. In Criminal trials the insanity defenses are possible defenses by Excuse, an Affirmative defense by which Defendants argue that Parker was sentenced to twenty-five years, and Tulloch, pleading guilty, was given life imprisonment. Life imprisonment or life incarceration is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime often for most During the hearing, Parker wept and openly showed remorse during his apology for his part in the killings, but Tulloch showed no emotion and made no statement.

Aftermath

James Parker is currently being held in the New Hampshire State Prison for Men in Concord. New Hampshire State Prison for Men is a state Prison in New Hampshire, United States. The city of Concord (ˈkɒnkərd often mispronounced as " Concorde " is the Capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States He has been classified as a Custody Level Three prisoner, which means that he can go about the prison at any time, except for head counts and lock downs at night. This type of classification allows inmates to leave their cells until the mandatory lock down at 11 P. M. Prison officials have reported that Parker takes part in play productions put on by inmates, works at arts and crafts, plays guitar, and practices yoga. Yoga ( Sanskrit: योग, IAST: yóga, joːgə refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India, to the His parents visit him on a regular basis. He will not be eligible for parole until 2017, when he will be thirty-three years of age.

Robert Tulloch is held at the Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility in Berlin as a Custody Level 4 inmate. The Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility (NNHCF is a state Prison in New Hampshire, USA. Berlin is a city along the Androscoggin River in Coos County in northern New Hampshire, United States

Notes

  1. ^ Snow, Robert L. (2005). Murder 101: Homicide and Its Investigation. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 224. ISBN 978-0275984328.   (see pp. 73-77)
  2. ^ Douglas, John; Ann W. Burgess, Allen G. Burgess, Robert K. Ressler (2006). Crime Classification Manual: A Standard System for Investigating and Classifying Violent Crimes (2nd ed. ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 576. ISBN 978-0787985011.   (see p. 96)

References

Further reading

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