September 15, 2009

Double Murderer Found Guilty – San Diego RCFL Provides Digital Forensics Expertise

On September 10, 2009, Dennis Mickjale Potts, 25, was convicted of two counts of first degree murder for the strangling death of his 10-month old son Dean Springstube, and the child's mother, Tori Vienneau, 22. A member of the San Diego RCFL (SDRCFL) conducted an examination of Potts' computer and testified in court regarding his findings which included Internet search terms on “getting out of child support," “paternity tests," and “getting away with murder" shortly before the killings. The SDRCFL Examiner also learned that Potts used his computer to alter two lines of his cellular telephone bill which detailed a call he received while he was at the murder scene. Potts changed the entry to make it appear he was in a different location at the time of the murders. However, prosecutors said a ping from a cell phone tower placed Potts near Ms. Vienneau's apartment in south San Diego at 6:44pm—the approximate time she and her son were slain. (An engineer for Potts' cellular phone carrier testified and confirmed this finding.)

Ms. Vienneau once dated Potts and claimed he was her child's father. Potts denied the claim and used a friend's DNA to fake his paternity test. Ms. Vienneau decided to take Potts to court in 2006—shortly thereafter, she and her son were found strangled to death in their home.

Potts was formerly arraigned in January 2008 for the murders and went to trial in San Diego Superior Court in August 2009. The trial lasted three weeks with the jury of nine men and three women also finding Potts guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice in addition to murder. Potts will remain in the county jail without bail until his sentencing on November 6, 2009. He is expected to receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

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