KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney is hosting its 31st annual Criminal Justice Conference 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday (Sept. 30) in the Nebraskan Student Union Ponderosa Room.
This year’s event, which is free and open to the public, features bloodstain pattern analysis expert Craig Moore and Douglas County prosecutors Donald Kleine and Brenda Beadle.
“We’re very excited about this year’s speakers,” said associate professor Timbre Wulf, chair of UNK’s Department of Criminal Justice. “They will provide dynamic and informative presentations for our students and other conference attendees.”
Moore retired in 2015 after 30 years in law enforcement, including 16 years in the forensic services unit of the Niagara Regional Police Service in Ontario, Canada. He teaches bloodstain pattern analysis on three levels and is considered an expert and managerial consultant in the area. In 2000, he was the first Canadian certified as a bloodstain pattern examiner with the International Association for Identification (IAI), which recognized him as a distinguished member in 2006.
Moore has testified as an expert witness on bloodstain analysis, been published numerous times and given more than 175 presentations on the topic.
Kleine and Beadle, with the Douglas County Attorney’s Office in Omaha, will present “Faces of Evil: Prosecuting Nebraska’s Most Fascinating Cases.”
A 1974 graduate of UNK and 1997 graduate of the Creighton University School of Law, Kleine is serving his fourth term as Douglas County attorney. Prior to his election in 2006, he was chief of the criminal bureau for the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office and the chief deputy county attorney in Douglas County.
Kleine has successfully tried many high-profile criminal cases, including the quadruple homicide convictions of Nikko Jenkins and Anthony Garcia.
A certified legal instructor by the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Kleine is an adjunct professor at the Creighton University School of Law, a member of the National District Attorneys Association Board of Directors and past president of the Nebraska County Attorneys Association.
Beadle, who has 25 years of experience as a prosecutor, is the chief deputy county attorney in Douglas County. She has prosecuted more than 100 jury trials, including the Jenkins and Garcia cases, as well as one of the oldest cold cases in Nebraska. Her legal commentary has appeared on “Dateline,” “48 Hours,” “Snapped,” “On the Case with Paula Zahn” and Investigation Discovery.
Also a certified legal instructor by the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice and past president of the Nebraska County Attorneys Association, Beadle was appointed by former Gov. Dave Heineman to serve on the Nebraska Crime Commission. She’s an adjunct professor at the Creighton University School of Law and Metropolitan Community College.
UNK’s Criminal Justice Conference was founded by the late Jim Gilbert, a former law enforcement officer and longtime criminal justice professor at UNK. It’s hosted in conjunction with the criminal justice department’s annual career fair.
“The conference and career fair provide unique opportunities for students that enrich our curriculum,” Wulf said. “This event allows students to meet and hear from experts in the field, as well as practitioners and potential employers.”
UNK Criminal Justice Conference
Monday, Sept. 30 – Nebraskan Student Union Ponderosa Room
8:30-9 a.m. – Conference registration and career fair
9-9:15 a.m. – Conference welcome
9:15-10:30 a.m. – “Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: Part 1,” Craig Moore, bloodstain pattern analysis expert
10:30-11 a.m. – Career fair and break
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – “Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: Part 2,” Craig Moore
12:15-12:30 p.m. – Career fair and break
12:30-1:30 p.m. – Lunch
1:30-3:30 p.m. – “Faces of Evil: Prosecuting Nebraska’s Most Fascinating Cases,” Brenda Beadle and Don Kleine, Douglas County Attorney’s Office
