Genai Coleman was a Houston woman convicted in 2003 for the murder of her ex-girlfriend, but her case drew attention because of a complicated DNA twist involving identical twins.

The crime involved the fatal stabbing of her former partner, and investigators found male DNA at the scene. Initially, this confused the case—until it was revealed that Genai had recently been in contact with identical twin brothers, and DNA evidence alone couldn't distinguish between them, since identical twins have nearly identical genetic profiles.

This case highlights a rare challenge in forensic science: DNA can't tell identical twins apart using standard testing, which can complicate investigations when either or both twins could be suspects. Although Genai Coleman was ultimately convicted, her case is often cited in legal and scientific discussions about the limitations of DNA evidence when it comes to identical twins and complex crime scenes.

The Toolbox Killers were two American serial killers, Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris, who committed a series of horrific crimes in 1979. They earned their nickname from the set of tools they used to torture and murder five teenage girls in California. The pair abducted their victims in a van—nicknamed “Murder Mac”—using charm and manipulation, then subjected them to brutal acts, often recording the attacks on audio tape. The case became infamous not only for the sheer cruelty involved but also for the chilling evidence recovered. Norris eventually confessed and testified against Bittaker, leading to Bittaker’s death sentence and Norris’s life imprisonment. It remains one of the most disturbing cases in American criminal history.

The West Memphis Three case involves the 1993 murder of three 8-year-old boys—Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers—in West Memphis, Arkansas. Three local teenagers—Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr.—were arrested and convicted, largely based on a coerced confession, their appearance, and the hysteria of the Satanic Panic era. There was no physical evidence linking them to the crime, and later DNA testing excluded all three. After years of public outcry and legal battles, they were released in 2011 under an Alford plea, which allowed them to maintain innocence while pleading guilty. The real killer remains unknown