The manhunt continues in Southern California as authorities offer a whopping one million dollars to anyone whose information leads to the capture of former LAPD officer and accused killer, Christopher Dorner. For the last several days, the story has plagued our news broadcasts, from Riverside to Big Bear, and now police say there is evidence that Dorner left California and fled to Mexico in order to evade capture.

In case you missed it, Christopher Dorner is accused of murdering two civilians before ambushing a police patrol car stopped at a traffic light and killing one police officer. Dorner, a 33-year-old brick house of a man, has been on the lamb since last Thursday. According to his extensive manifesto (published online), Dorner was targeting members of LAPD and their families who were involved in his being fired from the force back in 2009. In the first paragraph of his tyrade, Dorner tells friends and family “Unfortunately, this is a necessary evil that I do not enjoy but must partake and complete for substantial change to occur within the LAPD and reclaim my name.”

So…Why Was Christopher Dorner Fired From LAPD? The short version: he lied about one of his training officers having kicked a mentally ill man during an arrest.

The Background

Christopher Dorner and his training officer Teresa Evans responded to a call out for a disturbance at a San Pedro hotel. When they arrived, the subject was uncooperative and after throwing a punch at them, Evans used her electric Taser to subdue the man. Two weeks after the fact, Dorner went to his supervisor (allegedly in tears) to report that Evans had kicked the man in the face, shoulder and ribs. Evans, according to Dorner, had instructed him to leave it out of their initial report.

The "Investigation"

An internal review ensued and later determined that Dorner’s report was a lie and charging him with having made false accusations. There were numerous witnesses who testified that there was no kicking involved in the arrest; further, there was no evidence of the kicks on his clothing and the man’s injuries were apparently inconsistent with having been kicked. As for the defense, the victim’s father testified that his son had told him he’d been kicked, but the Board found that due to the victim’s mental illness, he was not capable of giving a reliable account of what happened.

The Findings

The initial internal affairs investigation officially found that the kicks did not occur. In 2010, in one of Dorner’s appeals, Judge David P. Yaffe reviewed the case and said he was “uncertain whether the training officer kicked the suspect or not” but nonetheless upheld the Board’s decision to terminate Dorner’s employment. Now the case has been reopened, police citing their desire to show the public that Dorner’s termination was justified. Police Chief Charlie Beck told reporters “It is important to me that we have a department that is seen as valuing fairness.”

The Charges

Today, Christopher Dorner was officially charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder in Riverside County, California. Prosecutors have also alleged “special circumstances,” since the killing was of a police officer, meaning that Dorner now faces the possibility of a death sentence if caught.

My 2 Cents

No way Christopher Dorner is going to be taken into custody alive. In fact, I would be shocked if it ends with anything short of a guns-blazing battle royale, possibly (and God forbid) claiming additional innocent lives.

HOPEFULLY this will shed some light upon LAPD’s internal review system, which is the most inbred, pro-blue blood institution around. Without talking you into dizzy circles, suffice to say that the Board – comprised of appointed lackeys with self-interest for days – does little to ensure justice within the Department. I learned all about it during law school in one of my favorite classes, Police Practices, taught by triple threat (cop-lawyer-professor) and personal hero Steve Lurie, who too agreed that the department’s review for allegations of excessive use of force was tantamount to a kangaroo court.

Guess who’s back in the news – the accused from my favorite celebrity trial, Ms. Casey Anthony!  She was found not guilty of all homicide-related charges back on July 6, 2011, after a jury trial that drew massive media coverage.

 Casey Anthony's Appeal

Although she was absolved in the death of her daughter Caylee Anthony, she was convicted of four misdemeanor counts for lying to law enforcement during the investigation. Now, two of those convictions have been overturned by the Appellate Court; Florida’s Fifth Circuit agreed with Anthony’s lawyers, that the numerous counts for an ongoing act violated double jeopardy laws. Anthony’s other arguments, related to ‘Miranda’ warnings and the vagueness of state law, were both rejected by the court.

Lifetime Does Casey Anthony, Rob Lowe Prosecutes

I couldn’t help but watch the Lifetime Movie “Prosecuting Casey Anthony,” documenting…you guessed it, the prosecution of Casey Anthony, from the perspective of Florida Prosecutor, Mr. Jeff Ashton. Led by sexy Rob Lowe, the film showed how confident – nay cocky – the prosecution was in the success of their case, never once considering the possibility of Casey’s innocence. Should you see it? Only if you’re a nerd like me and enjoyed getting caught up in the Casey Anthony trial nearly two years ago. It’s interesting but far from cinematic genius.

Where is Casey Anthony Now?

Under the terms of her probation, Casey had to stay in Florida for one year after her release from custody. She has since completed the term of her probation and as of August 2012, could be just about anywhere. Turns out there are Facebook pages and other sites claiming to track Casey or report sightings of her, but most seem to be yet another forum for people with poor grammar to talk sh!t. Truth is, I hope she stays in hiding and avoids the threatened violence of the ignorant yahoos on these sites.

Casey Anthony first “resurfaced” back in October 2011, when someone posted her video blog (“vlog”) on YouTube. Here it is.   It’s 4 minutes and 20 seconds in which Casey Anthony appears in a white tank top and glasses, talking about her computer, her love for personal ownership, and the dog she adopted. She does not mention Caylee or the trial at all, and only notes “it’s just a little surreal how much things have changed since July…and how many things haven’t changed,” no doubt referring to her Not Guilty verdict.

On Friday, the prosecution’s case crumbled against professional tennis umpire Lois Goodman, leading to all charges being dismissed. Goodman was accused of murder after the death of her 80-year-old husband, Alan Goodman, earlier this year.

According to the Los Angeles Times, LAPD first agreed with Lois Goodman’s account of the story, that her ailing husband had fallen down a flight of stairs. A few days later, the coroner’s office claimed that a wound to Alan Goodman’s head was consistent with having been struck with a sharp object. Homicide was alleged and suspicions turned to Lois.

Now, it appears as though the authorities have come to their senses and dropped their case against the 70-year-old grandmother, who has had to face an awful ideal after the death of her husband. One of Goodman’s lawyers, Alison Triessl, is a friend and colleague of mine. Among other things, Triessl was able to show that Lois Goodman suffered from various physical ailments that prevented her from being capable of the brutality alleged by the district attorney. The prosecution’s case was also lacking in motive, and an independent medical examiner concluded that the wounds suffered by Alan Goodman could very well have been caused by an accident. One expert also found that Goodman was likely to have died from heart failure, citing the fact that Goodman’s heart was four times larger than a normal heart.

For a “security guru,” John McAfee is not the sharpest pencil in the box. He created a website, http://www.whoismcafee.com, to track his own hiding, which is now claiming the following:

We have received an unconfirmed report that John McAfee has been captured at the border of Belize and Mexico. More information as it is received.

I can’t help but giggle at the irony of the security guru not being able to keep himself secure against the authorities – maybe a little less computer screen and a little more real life would have benefited Mr. McAfee!

* * *

John McAfee was (and maybe still is?) in hiding, in what CNN refers to as a “tropical island paradise,” where they were able to interview him after “a secret phrase, a mysterious driver and a circuitous route full of left turns, right turns and U-turns.” The 67-year-old American is wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of his neighbor, Gregory Faull, who was found dead in his home on the Caribbean island Ambergiris Caye.

Authorities believe the dispute between the security giant and his neighbor started with the dogs. McAfee had called the police the just days before the murder to report that his four dogs had been poisoned, naming the neighbor as the culprit. Two days later, Faull was discovered in his living room with a gunshot wound to the head.

Now, McAfee is acting like a paranoid conspiracy theorist from the movies, telling CNN he has gone through some 200 disposable (“burner”) phones since the murder. Not surprisingly, he maintains his innocence in the alleged crime, and says he will not show his face publicly until the real perpetrator is arrested and charged.