parker young yaps at you for 27 minutes

ow

Please introduce yourself.

Good __! My name is Parker Young, I am 54 years old, and I’m a criminal justice professor at my alma mater, the University of Georgia.

What is criminal justice?

Criminal justice is an umbrella term that refers to the system through which crimes are detected, prosecuted, and punished.

What is your experience in criminal justice?

When I went to UGA, I received my bachelor’s in Sociology. I loved it so much that I went on to earn my master’s and then my PhD in Criminal Justice at the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, I was a consultant for the National Criminal Justice Commission.

You mentioned an umbrella term. Do you specialize in any fields under criminal justice?

Yes, I have devoted my my life’s work to organized crime.

What is organized crime?

When people think of these structured groups, they typically think of the mafia, and they're pretty much right. Organized crime refers to a criminal enterprise that operates for profit.  

Do you have experience in organized crime?

I do. I’m a co-director for the International Association for the Study of Organized Crime, which I've been involved in since 2014. We work in conjunction with the American Society of Criminology. There, I collaborate with other experts in the field, to promote greater understanding and research in organized crime and criminal justice. Additionally, I was selected for the President's Commission on Organized Crime in the task force on law and enforcement. I have been published in numerous publications, and I have also written several books.

What does this include?

These publications cover all sorts of topics related to criminal justice and crime rings. My favorite at the moment is Bent Cops and Tampered Evidence. It’s quite a fascinating topic.  

Have you ever testified as an expert in criminal justice?

Yes, 20-30 times for the prosecution and the defense, particularly in cases involving organized crime.

What materials did you review in this case?

I reviewed Detective Branch’s investigation report, the autopsy report, the receipt for the padlock, the copy of the menu notes left behind by Ms. Torrance, the diagrams for the Georgian Bistro and the Miltonville Square, and the spreadsheet of Ms. Torrance's payments. I am also aware of a photograph of the bacon message Ms. Torrance left. All of these things are facts and data that an expert in my field would typically rely on. 

(entered as an expert on organized crime and criminal justice)

yay i hope we don’t get an objection and that veronica bodies them if we do

How are you involved in today’s case?

I was hired by defense counsel to review the materials given to me and render an expert opinion in the murder of Ms. Zoe Torrence.

Are you being paid for your testimony today?

Yes, I’m being paid $9,000 dollars.

Is this your typical rate?

No, I normally charge $10,000. I offered a $1,000 discount as a professional courtesy because I went to school with one of the attorneys years ago. This does not affect my conclusion.

What is your conclusion?

The murder of Zoe Torrance was committed by someone involved in the Bratva.

What is the Bratva?

Bratva is a Russian criminal organization, similar to the Cosa Nostra from Italy, Triads from China, or the Yakuza from Japan. One of the known members of the Bratva is actually in court today.

And who would this be?

Sasha Korchnoi.

Who is Sasha Korchnoi?

Korchnoi is a known member of the Bratva, as I stated previously, as a money collector and loan shark.

Do you know why Sasha Korchnoi is in court today?

Well, as I heard in court today, Ms. Torrance owed Sasha Korchnoi a great deal of money up to her death. Sasha was also arrested for the murder of Ms. Torrance by Detective Dee Branch, but Branch shouldn't have even been assigned to this case in the first place

And why is that?

Branch went undercover in the Bratva for 6 years, where they developed connections with Korchnoi. I believe their unprofessional relationship indicates the appearance of impropriety, and any case where the two intersect is compromised.

I would now like to talk to you about how you came to this conclusion. Why do you believe this case involved the Bratva?

I reached my conclusion using my 3-step process: warnings, level of sophistication, and message.

Let’s break that down. Tell us about warnings.

Well, in organized crime cases, overdue payments are typically punished via violent threats called warnings.

Did you see any warnings in today’s case?

In Ms. Torrance’s autopsy report, there were cigarette burns on her inner right arm and bruising from strangulation; these are both known signature warnings of the Bratva, more specifically, Sasha Korchnoi.

Now onto level of sophistication.

Organized crime typically implements a higher sophistication level. A high skill level indicates experience. Ms. Torrance was murdered slowly, by being locked in a cooler. This is completely different than a crime of passion. The level of sophistication in this case indicates that the murder was planned in advance.

What would a murder by organized crime look like?

There are 2 main types of crimes by these rings. They can be clean, chilling, and planned in such a way as to hide the organization’s involvement, or they are done to send a message.

How does this typically differ from a crime of passion?

In a crime of passion, the crime is impulsive and messy. For example, if Ms. Torrance had been killed in a crime of passion by someone not involved in the Bratva, like Haynes, the attacker would’ve used a nearby tool. To my knowledge, any event that would have triggered a heat-of-the-moment impulse happened 8 days prior. 

Was there any evidence of that?

None at all. (if you didn’t emphasize each word, you’re going in the cooler.)

How do you know this?

I reviewed Ms. Torrance’s autopsy report, which has further detail.

(autopsy gets entered)

yayayayay go team

What does this report tell you about the manner in which Ms. Torrance died?

Ms. Torrance died of hypothermia, while locked in the cooler. There were no signs of cuts on her body and no other evidence of objects being used to harm Ms. Torrance. Well, besides the cigarette burns found on her body.

Tell us more about these cigarette burns.

She had cigarette burns on her arms and strangulation marks on her neck. These marks were inflicted on Ms. Torrance in the last 2 weeks before her death. These injuries are the warnings from my 1st step.

You just described a crime of passion. Would a murder by organized crime be different from that?

Criminal enterprises implement higher skill and sophistication levels, whereas crimes of passion are typically less clean. Crimes of passion include messier scenes, along with a very sudden death created by a brief murderous impulse. The evidence we see today does not reflect any of this.

I would like to talk with you about the final step in your process: message.

A mob hit usually conveys a message to debtors or other crime groups as a display of power or skill.

Were all of these steps present in today’s case?

Yes, all 3. Looking back on the 3 steps, the one that really sticks out to me are the warnings.

Why?

Because the cigarette burns and strangulation bruises are known motifs of Sasha Korchnoi and the Bratva’s money collectors.

What did you conclude?

Zoe Torrance was likely murdered by a Bratva member as a product of organized crime. (EM. PHA. SIS.)