My husband and I have ordered seed from the Stock Seed Farms in Murdock, Nebraska, many times over the years. We even drove there once to pick up seed and admire fields of prairie grasses such as Big Bluestem and Little Bluestem. Like most Nebraskans, we were shocked to hear that owners Wayne and Sharmon Stock had been murdered in their home in 2006.  There were more surprises during the investigation of those murders that shook law enforcement and citizens in Nebraska.

Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) has produced a one-hour documentary on the case investigation and the evidence initially used to hold two innocent men in jail. It shows the involvement of ex-CSI chief David Kofoed, who has since been sentenced to prison. Kofoed maintains his innocence.

I have to agree with Judge Rehmeier's statement in the Lincoln Journal Star: "Nothing should undermine the confidence in the system." The evidence tampering for which Kofoed was found guilty threatened the lives of innocent men and jeopardized the hunt for the real killers. It also made it harder for other law enforcement investigators to prove their credibility.

The good news is that the innocent men are now free, the guilty are in prison, and Kofoed is no longer working CSI. If you are interested in crime, justice, or murder mysteries, watch NET's CSI on Trial online or on your television.

• CSI on Trial (schedule and links), Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, 2012
• Extended video excerpts and documents from the investigation (Available mid-November 2012)
• "Ex-CSI chief Kofoed sentenced to prison," Lincoln Journal Star, June 01, 2010
• "Was Nebrask Couple's Murder Revenge or Random?" ABC 20/20, September 3, 2010
  

I can only hope that you are not one of the many people who have lost a family member or friend to murder. Yet, many were hit by the loss of one of the nearly 14,000 U.S. murder victims in 2011. We need to honor their memories on National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims.

Little makes people more angry at the criminal justice system than the notion that accused criminals seem to have more rights than crime victims. "If the criminal justice systems of the world were private companies, they would all go out of business, because half of their main customers--that is, the victims of crime--are dissatisfied with their services," said Jan Van Dijk, Principal Officer of the United Nations Centre for International Crime Prevention.

According to the National Organization for Victim Assistance, most states in the U.S. do indicate the need and intent to protect Crime Victims' Rights in their statutes or constitutions. Common victims' rights include:

• The right to protection from intimidation and harm.
• The right to be informed concerning the criminal justice process.
• The right to reparations.
• The right to preservation of property and employment.
• The right to due process in criminal court proceedings.
• The right to be treated with dignity and compassion.
• The right to counsel.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a crime, seek groups and agencies to provide assistance and to protect your rights. In the U.S., the National Crime Victim Law Institute provides a Victim Resource Map to get started.

Remember that crime statistics aren't just numbers. They represent people.

• The National Center for Victims of Crime: http://www.victimsofcrime.org
• Directory of Crime Victim Services: http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/findvictimservices/
• Parents of Murdered Children (1-888-818-7662): http://www.pomc.com/