***UPDATED for 2024***
This Investigating Shocking Crimes in America class will help learners understand the basics of what the criminal justice system is all about (Law Enforcement, The Court System, and Corrections) by covering twelve startling cases that shook America to it’s roots. At the end of this 12-day class, students will be familiar not only with the cases covered but also how the criminal justice system works by going through the law enforcement response, trials, sentencing of the suspect(s), where they were sent after court, and any updates on the case. 

This class is not only for students interested in the criminal justice field but also for someone interested in finding out details about popular cases they may have heard about or watched on television. No experience necessary to join this class.

In this class students WILL HAVE TO dedicate spending time outside of normal class hours watching additional video's on the topic that is being covered for the day, along with some research time on their own. Learners will also need to take notes in class and ask questions when something is not clear to them. 

At the end of each class, there will be a fun quiz given on Kahoot, so please make sure you have a secondary device available for this. 

I do require ACTIVE PARTICIPATION, LIVE VIDEO, AND NOTE TAKING IN THIS CLASS. If you miss class time, a recording will be available for you to watch but attendance is strongly encouraged. Some classes may be longer than an hour.

Topics include the following but may be subject to change due to recent cases:
Day 1 - Richard Kuklinski - The Iceman
Day 2 - Casey Anthony
Day 3 - Chris Watts
Day 4 - The Oklahoma City Bombing
Day 5 - Richard Ramirez - The Night Stalker
Day 6 - The Jon Benet Ramsey Case
Day 7 - Ronald Gene Simmons
Day 8 - Scott Peterson
Day 9 - The OJ Simpson Case
Day 10 -Lori Daybell
Day 11 - The West Memphis 3 Case
Day 12 - Alex Murdaugh & the Murdaugh Family Murders

Classes will be structured with the following to help the learners comprehend what they studied:
-> Lecture Notes & Active Discussions of the assigned video(s)
-> Daily Quiz
-> Videos pertaining to the topics
-> Impromptu Trials (depending on the number of students in class). Students will be made aware in advance to prepare questions for either the Prosecution or Defense.


(Mr. D has been in the law enforcement field for the past twenty-six years and has spent the last eight years teaching Criminal Justice classes to high school students and being a part-time School Resource Officer).