Researching an old case?

Question

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqJh6QtYbad8lQy1cD6RTe7sy6IX?qid=20060913205552AA269Dd

I would like to research an old murder from about 50 years ago here in TX. I've already googled it and it came up nothing in old news. My libraries no longer carry the mircro films for old newspapers. How else can I go about it?

Answer 1

Microfilms of old newspapers exist somewhere in every state. Only the New York Times, the Times of London and a few other newspapers are digitized back to first issues. If I had a name I could check those two, although it's improbable that a provincial murder would have been mentioned outside Texas. On the other hand, the Library of Congress or your state library of record would search for you within reason and at a price.

If the case is notorious and if you know the name of the murderer and if it went to appeal, one can check on Lexis or Westlaw. You can do that at your county law library (perhaps not free), or you can easiy get a law student to do it (free). Thus: http://uniset.ca/other/cs6/261SW2d339.html

Answer 2

If it's a murder case, there's a good chance it was appealed at some point. You can go to megalaw.com, enter in the accused's name and see what hits you get. The appeals court will have a few details, but won't go into great depth about the particulars of the crime. If you know what county handled the trial, the court clerk may be able to direct you to the full case file. This file is public record, but you may have to file a Freedom of Information Act request to access the records. If you want a copy, expect to pay a hefty per page fee.