When Davenport police begin investigating suspected drug activity at an apartment complex, two K9s—Kurly and Dawn—are called in to put their noses to work.

What follows becomes much more complicated than a narcotics investigation. The dogs' work raises a Fourth Amendment question that makes its way through the federal courts, forcing judges to consider where the protections of a home begin when that home is an apartment.

This week on Dog Days of Murder, we're following two very different police dogs, the investigation that brought their paths together, and a legal fight where even the hallway matters.

Sources

• United States v. Donell Hines, No. 21-2477, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, opinion filed March 10, 2023.
• U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Iowa — “Davenport Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Charge,” June 30, 2021.
• U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Iowa — federal sentencing information concerning Donell Hines's subsequent drug conviction and 2026 sentence.
• Davenport Police Department — K9 Kurly memorial/retirement information and community responses, Facebook.
• Davenport Police Department — K9 Dawn retirement announcement and career information, Facebook.
• City of Davenport, Iowa — community and city background.
• Florida v. Jardines, 569 U.S. 1 (2013).
• United States v. Scott, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (2010).
• United States v. Hopkins, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (2017).
• United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897 (1984).
• Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154 (1978).
• National Institutes of Health / National Library of Medicine — research on canine olfaction and the biology of the canine nose.

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Music by Vibe Depot and Mircea Iancu

A respected California vice principal appears to have the perfect alibi after his wife, three young children and mother-in-law are found murdered in their Bakersfield home.

As detectives begin pulling at loose threads, an unlikely clue emerges from insects crushed into the radiator of a rental car. What follows is one of the most unusual forensic investigations ever presented in a courtroom, proving that sometimes the smallest witnesses can help uncover the truth.

Sources

• The Principle Suspect (Investigation Discovery)
• The New Detectives – "Written in Blood"
• Forensic Files – "Insect Clues"
• Bakersfield Californian (2003–2007) trial and investigation coverage
• Los Angeles Times coverage of the Vincent Brothers investigation and trial
• Associated Press reporting
• University of California, Davis – Bohart Museum of Entomology
• Dr. Lynn Kimsey interviews and publications on forensic entomology, including The Case of the Red-Shanked Grasshopper
• Compiled newspaper archives, court records, and source documents used in researching this episode

Follow along and stay connected:

📸 Instagram: @dog_days_of_murder
📧 Email: dogdaysofmurder@gmail.com
TikTok: @dog.days.of.murde

If you’d like to support the show—or treat Ein to a well-earned pup cup—you can do that here:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dogdaysofmurder

www.dogdaysofmurder.com coming soon!

Music by Vibe Depot and Mircea Iancu

When a former boxer is abducted from his home and brutally murdered, detectives in West Yorkshire are left with a case built almost entirely on circumstantial evidence. Then they discover a few seemingly insignificant dog hairs on the victim's clothing.

What follows is a groundbreaking investigation that stretches from England to California and changes forensic science forever. But just when the case appears to be over, one final twist brings one more question: Who Was Sasha?

Sources

• BBC News. "Family dog 'helped solve murder.'" January 20, 2004.
• Crimewatch UK. BBC television broadcast and transcript covering the investigation into the murder of Brian Keating.
• The Birmingham Post. "Reunited – dog who helped solve murder." January 21, 2004.
• The Sun. "Dog-hairs DNA snares killers." January 21, 2004.
• The Times (London). Andrew Norfolk. "Hair of the dog sends killers to jail for life." January 21, 2004.
• Yorkshire Evening Post. "Boxer's murderer loses freedom bid." November 10, 2005.

Follow along and stay connected:

📸 Instagram: @dog_days_of_murder
📧 Email: dogdaysofmurder@gmail.com
TikTok: @dog.days.of.murde

If you’d like to support the show—or treat Ein to a well-earned pup cup—you can do that here:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dogdaysofmurder

www.dogdaysofmurder.com coming soon!

Music by Vibe Depot and Mircea Iancu