Are Murder Cases Collapsing in Court? We Tracked 297 Arrests to Find Out

After several high-profile murder cases were dismissed in court, we wanted to know how often this happens and if its unique to any one city. When Dan hit a roadblock obtaining public records, he built his own database by tracking 297 murder arrests and researching their outcomes to find out. Prosecutors told Dan his findings underscore the need for a funded witness protection program in Virginia. 

Broke and Homeless: Potential Scam Targets Home Buyers
A judge ruled the home seller at the center of a months-long 13News Now investigation remains the legal owner of some of the homes where his buyers now reside. The structures are often in dire disrepair and, in the case of one house we found in Newport News, in violation of city codes.

​This story required extensive legwork through data building, working anonymous sources and consulting with an attorney. 

Trend Reporting: Violence Plagues Downtown Norfolk

Fifteen people were shot in the heart of downtown Norfolk in a six-month span. After one mass shooting, Dan sent an anonymous survey to 200 downtown business owners asking for their thoughts on the violence. 

By the time a second mass shooting happened, there was no time to wait for a statement from City officials. Dan was equipped with enough City sources, crime trends and survey analysis to field anchor from the scene hours later with exclusive context and perspective.

Police Departments Don't Reflect Demographics of Hampton Roads
Amid America's racial reckoning in 2020, communities wanted to know if their police departments reflected the diversity of their cities. Dan requested the demographic makeup of current sworn personnel, command staffs, and past three recruiting classes from Hampton Roads' seven police departments. He then used Excel to organize the data and compare it with recent census data. The numbers show every department has work to do in recruiting minority officers. Dan humanized the story by talking with a seasoned police chief and a Black female officer who had just graduated from the Academy.