SEFAN Famous and infamous people

Mikhail Botvinnik biography Mikhail Botvinnik was born on August 17, 1911, in Russia. Botvinnik died on May 5, 1995 A more extensive biography of Mikhail Botvinnik is here. last updated September 2022

Boris Spassky biography Boris Spassky was born on January 30, 1937, in Leningrad, Russia. You will find a more extensive  biography of Boris Spassky here. last updated September 2022

Rashid Nezhmetdinov biography Rashid Nezhmetdinov was born on December 15, 1912, in Aktyubinsk, Russia, then part of the Russian Empire, now known as Aqtöbe, in Kazakhstan. Rashid was from a poor peasant family of Tatar ethnicity. Orphaned when very young, he moved to Kazan in the Republic of Tatarstan at a young age under the care of his brother, and it was there that he learned chess by watching local games despite living for some time in great hardship. He also became a renowned checkers (draughts) player, but it was chess that he turned to after leaving military service after the end of World War II. Notwithstanding this, when the 1949 Russian Checkers Semifinals were held in Kazan, Nezhmetdinov agreed to substitute for a player who didn't show up even though he hadn't played checkers for 15 years. He finished 12/16 without losing a game, earning the title of Soviet Master of Checkers. This also qualified him for the finals, where he finished 2nd. Nezhmetdinov's partici

Sofie Dossi biography Sofie Dossi was born June 21, 2001, in Cypress, California, USA. Born and raised in Southern California, Sofie Dossi is an international live-performing artist. Sofie is no stranger to success. From 12, when she discovered her Talent as a contortionist, Sofie has worked continuously to pursue her passion for artistry. She got her start on Season 11 of America's Got Talent as a finalist and Golden Buzzer recipient. Her breathtaking performances and contortion skills have been showcased on Nightline, The Ellen Show, ESPN, Fox Sports, People Magazine, Refinery 29, Allure, and more. Shortly after her television success, Sofie launched her YouTube channel, where she showcases her contortionist talent and shares quirky content with her friends and family. Her channel has amassed over 1.6 billion views and 7 million subscribers. Alongside her TikTok following, which has grown to over 11 million, she's generated over 500 videos clearing millions of views. Sofie ha

Ted Bundy biography Ted Bundy (Theodore Robert Bundy) was born November 24, 1946, in Burlington, Vermont, USA. Ted was a serial killer who kidnapped, raped, and murdered numerous young women and girls during the 1970s and possibly earlier. After more than a decade of denials, he confessed to 30 murders he committed in seven states between 1974 and 1978. Bundy's accurate victim total is unknown and is likely significantly higher. Died: 24. January 1989, Florida State Prison, Florida, USA. last updated September 2022

Dr. Michael West biography Dr. Michael West is a hazardous man; he has put several innocent people behind bars. He is a dentist and forensic odontologist. Forensic odontology, or bite mark analysis, is "the application of dental science to legal investigations," It became popular after the arrest and conviction of serial killer Ted Bundy . However, bite mark evidence can be imprecise, and in 2009, the National Academy of Sciences published a study that discredited it as a means to identify and/or convict defendants. In 2009, it was reported that West had once forced a suspect's dental mold into a corpse to make it fit. David Averill, the former president of the American Board of Forensic Science, said that West's actions were "troubling... there's just no justification for him to push the cast into the skin like that. That isn't an acceptable way to perform a bite mark analysis." West is retired and currently living in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In a

Forrest Allgood biography Forrest "Gump" Allgood - "Stupid is as stupid does." He served as a Mississippi DA from 1989 until 2015, and in that time, he earned a reputation as one of the most aggressive prosecutors in the entire country. He was a staunch proponent of using now-discredited forensic odontology practices and used this bite-mark evidence to connect Brooks and Brewer to crimes they didn't commit. Over the years, Allgood came under repeated scrutiny from the public and state officials and was admonished for his vindictive approach to criminal justice. He had a record of misconduct and was known for pursuing severe sentences even for first-time offenders, continually relying on dubious experts and questionable testimony. For example, even when DNA evidence exonerated Brewer and proved his innocence, Allgood came up with an alternate theory that forced Brewer to remain in prison for another seven years. In 2015, Allgood was defeated by challenger Scott C

  Atif Rafay biography When the two 19-year-olds left to return to Canada after the murders, news broke that they had “fled.” All hell broke loose when Atif Rafay missed his family’s memorial at a Northgate mosque and was videotaped laughing. Atif Rafay claims he wasn’t informed of the memorial, and Klonsky, the wrongful convictions scholar, explains in the documentary that the two were “goofballs in shock.” last updated September 2022

Sebastian Burns biography Sebastian Burns and Atif Rafay were convicted in 2004 of a triple murder that occurred 10 years earlier in Bellevue, Washington, the USA, after this tactic extracted a confession from Burns. last updated October 2022

Vincent Viafore biography Vincent Viafore was born on August 22, 1968 AKA: Vinny Viafore Died: April 19, 2015, Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, USA last updated September 2022

David Kofoed biography David Kofoed was commander of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office CSI unit in Omaha, Nebraska, from around 2000 until 2010 - when he was sentenced to prison in connection with blood-planting incidents in two unrelated murder cases he worked on in neighboring Cass County. last updated October 2022

Greg Fester biography Greg Fester was a drug-addicted, suicidal car thief. Fester was into a world of drugs, crime, and eventually a double murder in Murdock, Nebraska. During a 3 State Crime spree in a stolen truck, Jessica Reid and Greg pulled off the road onto a farm, looking for a house to break into. Craig suggested they both be armed, so they had procured two shotguns during their crime spree. last updated October 2022

Angelika Graswald biography Angelika Graswald was born on February 27, 1980, in Latvia. The kayak killer is one cold-blooded woman. Only days after her boyfriend Vincent Viafore died in the Hudson river, she posted pics on social media laughing and having a good time. AKA: Angelika Lipska, Angelika Maloney, Angelika Grasvarde last updated October 2022

Jessica Reid biography Jessica Reid grew up with no dad and a very 'seldom at home mom". Due to a lack of structure and support at 17, she left school and hitched her wagon to the wrong guy, 19-year-old Greg Fester , who was a drug-addled, suicidal car thief. A Very vulnerable, naive, and smitten Jessica followed Mr. Fester into a world of drugs, crime, and a double murder in Murdock, Nebraska. During a 3 State Crime spree in a stolen truck, Jessica and Greg pulled off the road onto a farm, looking for a house to break into. Craig suggested they both be armed, so they had procured two shotguns during their crime spree. Entering the farmhouse, Greg went upstairs, followed by Jessica; he put on the light and saw two people in their bedroom. Jessica wanted to leave, but Greg turned the gun, fired it, and hit the man in the leg. The man tried to wrestle the weapon from Greg; startled, Jessica's gun went off, but nobody knew where the shot went; the man was startled enough, so

Casey Crowder biography Casey Crowder was born in February 1989 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, USA. Casey was a Watson Chapel High School senior dedicated to her family and guarded by her younger brothers. The 17-year-old had previously participated in athletics for her school. Casey drove down to her boyfriend’s residence in Pickens, Arkansas, on August 26, 2006. According to the show, Casey called home early the following day, reporting she had run out of petrol and was stranded alongside a highway in Dumas, Arkansas. The family was initially unconcerned, but that changed when the youngster did not return home later that day. Her automobile was discovered abandoned on the same highway, and a search for her began. Her decomposing body was found in Desha County, Arkansas, on September 2, 2006. Her neck was wrapped in a zip tie, implying strangling. last updated October 2022

Kenneth Osburn biography Authorities looked at any security camera footage from businesses where Casey Crowder ’s automobile was discovered abandoned. They honed in on a distinctive-looking truck that drove approaching Casey’s automobile at 6:42 a.m. on the day she vanished. According to the show, she had placed four unanswered calls between 5:53 and 6:39 a.m. As a result, the police assumed she was kidnapped shortly after. Furthermore, minutes after it was first noticed, the same automobile was seen heading in the opposite direction. The authorities eventually identified Kenneth Osburn, a local truck driver. They assumed it was his truck that had been captured on video. Nancy Dunn, an Osburn family friend, later testified that on August 27, she observed a girl slumped over in Kenneth’s truck. Nancy assumed it was his daughter at the moment, but she later saw the daughter elsewhere not long after. The police spotted what they thought were defensive wounds on Kenneth’s body, according t

Brendan Dassey biography Brendan Dassey, born October 19, 1989, is a convicted murderer from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, who at 16 confessed to being a party to first-degree murder, mutilation of a corpse, and second-degree sexual assault. He was sentenced to life in prison, with the earliest possibility of parole in 2048. His videotaped interrogation and confession, which he recanted at trial, substantially contributed to his conviction. last updated September 2022

Ken Krantz biography Ken Krantz was the special prosecutor in the Steven Avery case. He is also the man who sends several text messages asking a young woman for sex behind his wife's back. last updated September 2022

Michael OKelly biography When a statement from Avery’s nephew Brendan Dassey turned into a confession that he helped Steven Avery kill Halbach, Dassey’s public defender hired Michael O’Kelly to help him find out about Brendan Dassey. Michael O’Kelly was a known expert on cellular technologies, being called in to help clarify technical points made by a defendant. Presumably, Michael O’Kelly continued offering his services as a human lie detector to various defense firms, somehow ending up on the radar of Len Kachinsky. He hired him to help with his murder suspect, Brendan Dassey. last updated October 2022

Len Kachinsky biography The corrupt lawyer who represented Brendan Dassey is facing his own legal troubles - KARMA IS A BITCH,,,, Len Kachinsky, a lawyer and former municipal judge, failed to persuade a Wisconsin appeals court to reverse his September 2019 conviction for violating a harassment order. The order had limited Kachinsky’s communications with his municipal court manager in Fox Crossing, Wisconsin, to those necessary for court functions. last updated October 2022

Tom Fassbender biography Tom Fassbender was a Special Agent for the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). In 2005 he became the lead investigator in the investigation of Steven Avery alongside Calumet County's Mark Wiegert. However, lawyers defending Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey have questioned the validity of the confession, claiming that Fassbender took advantage of Dassey's low intelligence. In his interview with Dateline, Fassbender will defend the means through which he acquired a confession from then 16-year-old Brendan Dassey. "We didn't try to manipulate Brendan. We just tried to get at the truth. And I don't believe it was a false confession." last updated September 2022

Mark Wiegert biography Mark Wiegert was employed by Calumet County Sheriff's Department during the 2005 investigation of Steven Avery . He was a co-lead investigator with DCI Special Agent Tom Fassbender. Wisconsin's Worst Sheriff Retiring, Mark Wiegert Tricked Brendan Dassey; Illegally Destroyed Evidence. last updated October 2022

Melia Prange biography Detective Dave Remiker and fellow Manitowoc County Sheriff's deputy Melia Prange broke department rules while the jury was sequestered at Brendan Dassey's April 2007 jury trial. "Deputy Melia Prange allowed her husband into the secured area of the jury to deliver pizza and obtain drinks," Prange's disciplinary report stated. "This unauthorized person was in the secured area. Prange has since retired from the Sheriff's Department. last updated September 2022

Dave Remiker biography Dave Remiker was one of a handful of sheriff's detectives from Manitowoc County whose actions were heavily scrutinized by Steven Avery 's defense lawyers, Dean Strang and Jerome Buting. They had built their defense on the premise that Avery was innocent of the Halbach murder and that Manitowoc County Sheriff's planted blood and other clues against him. last updated October 2022

Andrew Colborn biography Andrew Colborn is a retired corrupt sergeant for Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department. His involvement with Steven Avery began, unbeknownst to Colborn, in the mid-'90s when he received a phone call from a Brown County officer who stated someone in Brown County's custody may be guilty of an assault somebody in Manitowoc County is now in jail. According to Colborn, no names were mentioned. He gave the caller the phone number of the detective unit and may have forwarded the call. A decade later, Colborn became involved with Avery again when he assisted Calumet County Sheriff's Department in investigating Teresa Halbach 's death, leading them to Avery's Auto Salvage, where Avery lived and worked. last updated October 2022

James Lenk biography James Lenk is a retired corrupt cop with the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department. Lenk was one of the Manitowoc County resources requested by the Calumet County Sheriff’s Department to participate in the investigation of Steven Avery in 2005 and 2006. Steven Avery is serving a life sentence for the crime of murdering Teresa Halbach of Calumet County, Wisconsin. Lenk has been accused of tampering with the crime scene and planting key evidence that led to Avery’s conviction. last updated October 2022

Kenneth Petersen biography Kenneth Petersen, Manitowoc County sheriff, 2001-2007; retired after 32 years in the department. He was another corrupt cop. Manitowoc native; 1967 graduate of Manitowoc Lincoln High School; obtained associate degree in marketing in 1969 from Lake Shore Technical College, bachelor of science in criminal justice in 1988 from Mount Senario College; joined Manitowoc County in May 1975 as a traffic officer. Role in Steven Avery 's wrongful conviction: Petersen was the sergeant who wrongly arrested Avery for the July 29, 1985 rape, which was actually committed by Gregory Allen. Key moments from Petersen's sworn testimony of Oct. 13, 2005: On the night of July 29,1985, Sheriff Tom Kocourek ordered Petersen, then a patrol sergeant, to arrest Avery for the brutal attack on Penny Beerntsen. last updated October 2022

Judy Dvorak biography Judy Dvorak Yanda, a Manitowoc County Sheriff's deputy, visits the rape victim at a local hospital. Dvorak makes up her mind that the rape victim's description of her attacker sounded like Avery. Steven Avery , who was married with several children, had no history of sexual violence at the time. Judy was very much involved in Steven Avery getting 18 years for a crime he did not commit. last updated October 2022

Teresa Halbach biography Teresa Halbach was born on march 22, 1980, in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, USA. Teresa was more than just the victim of a heinous crime. The Calumet County native was an avid traveler and passionate photographer whose life was taken far too soon. Raised on her family's dairy farm in rural Calumet County, Halbach graduated from Hilbert High School and headed off to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She was an honor student at UWGB, earning her degree in 2002. She was able to travel extensively, visiting Mexico and Spain and scuba diving off Australia's Great Barrier Reef. After graduation, she worked as a portrait photographer at a Green Bay studio and did occasional assignments for AutoTrader magazine. On a 2005 assignment for AutoTrader, Halbach, then 25, disappeared after going to Avery's Auto Salvage in northwestern Manitowoc County to photograph a car for sale. After her remains were found on the property, Steven Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dass

Tom Kocourek biography Tom Kocourek was another corrupt Sheriff.  In 1985, the sheriff's office targeted Steven Avery , then 23, for an attack and sexual assault committed near Lake Michigan outside the Manitowoc city limits. However, city police detective Tom Bergner suspected that a dangerous predator, Gregory Allen, was the likely rapist, not Avery. Allen had been prosecuted for lewd and lascivious conduct in 1983. Allen's crime occurred in the same area where the woman was brutalized around 4 p.m. on July 29, 1985. He shared his suspicions with the sheriff's department, but to no avail. Avery insisted he was innocent of the sexual assault along the beachfront. Still, the Manitowoc County authorities and a Manitowoc County jury did not believe him. He spent 18 years in prison before exonerating by DNA evidence that showed Allen committed the assault just as Manitowoc city police suspected. last updated October 2022

Steven Avery biography Steven Avery was born July 9, 1962, in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, USA. Steven is a convicted murderer from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, who had previously been wrongfully convicted in 1985 of sexual assault and attempted murder. After serving eighteen years of a thirty-two-year sentence (six years concurrent with a kidnapping sentence), Avery was exonerated by DNA testing and released in 2003, only to be charged with the murder of Teresa Halbach two years later. last updated October 2022

Brian Wells biography Brian Wells was born November 15, 1956, in Warren, Pennsylvania, USA. His full name was Brian Douglas Wells. On August 28, 2003, pizza delivery man Brian Douglas Wells robbed a PNC Bank near his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. After being apprehended by police, Wells was murdered when an explosive collar locked to his neck detonated.  Died: 28. August 2003, Erie, Pennsylvania, USA last updated October 2022

Marjorie Diehl biography Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was born February 26, 1949, in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. As one judge described her, Marjorie Diehl was "a coldly calculated criminal recidivist and serial killer." She had experienced a lifetime of murder, mayhem, and mental illness. She killed two boyfriends, including one whose body was stuffed in a freezer. The Pizza Bomber case And she was convicted in one of the FBI's strangest cases: the Pizza Bomber case, in which a pizza deliveryman ( Brian Wells ) died when a bomb locked to his neck exploded after he robbed a bank in 2003 near Erie, Pennsylvania, Diehl-Armstrong's hometown. Her life unfolded in an enthralling portrait, a fascinating interplay between mental illness and the law. As a female serial killer, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was in a rare category. In the early 1970s, she was a high-achieving graduate student pursuing a career in education but suffered from bipolar disorder. Before her death, she was sente

Jessica Hoopsick biography Jessica Hoopsick is best known for her involvement in the pizza bomber case as the favorite prostitute of Brian Wells , who died when a bomb locked around his neck exploded on Aug. 23, 2003. last updated October 2022

Bob Prince biography Captain Bob Prince was another corrupt, incompetent cop in the Henry Lee Lucas case. Bob Prince was the head of the special Lucas task force that comprised Texas Rangers. Formed in November 1983, the task force was not investigative but meant to make access to Henry Lee Lucas easier for other law enforcement agencies. Eventually, the task force came under fire for allegations of having coerced, pressured, and promised rewards to Lucas for his confessions. In the mid-1980s, when the Lucas case fractured, the Rangers dismissed any criticism of them as unfair. They said it was not their job to document Lucas’ actual whereabouts when the crimes in question occurred. “We didn’t feel like that was our responsibility,” said Ranger Bob Prince, head of the task force. He said they were a mere conduit of information, a clearinghouse. But to accept that, one must ignore the hidden files. last updated October 2022

Henry Lee Lucas biography Henry Lee Lucas was Born on August 23, 1936, in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. Henry was a convicted "serial killer." Lucas was convicted of murdering his mother in 1960 and two others in 1983. He rose to infamy while incarcerated for these crimes when he falsely confessed to approximately 600 other murders to Texas Rangers and other law enforcement officials. Lucas' case damaged the reputation of the Texas Rangers, caused a re-evaluation in police techniques, and created greater awareness of the possibility of false confessions.  Died March 12, 2001 (aged 64), Huntsville, Texas, USA. last updated October 2022

Jim Boutwell biography Jim Boutwell (James Franklin Boutwell) was born June 9, 1927, in Amarillo, Potter County, Texas, USA.  The corrupt sheriff feeds Henry Lee Lucas with information about murders he never did commit. This was a sheriff who thought he was above the law. Died December 7, 1993 (aged 66), Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas, USA. last updated September 2022

Jackie Kennedy biography Jackie Kennedy (Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis) was born July 28, 1929. Southampton, New York, USA. She was born Jacqueline Lee Bouvier. Died May 19, 1994 last updated October 2022

Gary Ridgway biography Gary Ridgway was born February 18, 1949, AKA the Green River Killer, He was convicted of 48 separate murders. As part of his plea bargain, another conviction was added, bringing the total number of convictions to 49, making him the second most prolific serial killer in American history. last updated October 2022

Betsy Russell biography Betsy Russell was born September 6, 1963, in San Diego, California, USA. Betsy is best known for her roles in Private School (1983), Tomboy (1985), and Jill Tuck, one of the primary characters of the Saw film series from 2006 to 2010. last updated October 2022

Dennis Rader biography Dennis Rader was born March 9, 1945, is a serial killer known as BTK (an abbreviation he gave himself for "bind, torture, kill"), the BTK Strangler. Between 1974 and 1991, he killed ten people in Wichita and Park City, Kansas, and sent taunting letters to police and media outlets describing the details of his crimes. last updated September 2022

Tyson Fury biography Tyson Fury was born on August 12, 1988, in Wythenshawe, UK. His full name is Tyson Luke Fury. Nickname: The Gypsy King last updated October 2022

Gary Busey biography Gary Busey (William Gary Busey) was born June 29, 1944, in Goose Creek, Texas, USA. While in fourth grade, Busey moved from Goose Creek to Tulsa, where he later attended Bell Junior High School, then graduated from Nathan Hale High School  in Tulsa. Busey attended Coffeyville Community College before attending Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, on a football scholarship, where he became interested in acting. last updated October 2022

Megan Olivi biography Megan Olivi was born in New Jersey, USA, on August 29, 1986. She spent the majority of her youth growing up in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. She is of Italian descent. Olivi attended Seton Hall University , where she earned a degree in political science as her undergraduate major. While attending Seton Hall, she interned with Fox News . Olivi then earned a master's degree in broadcast journalism at Fordham University . Olivi is married to former UFC flyweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez. last updated October 2022

Laura Sanko biography Laura Sanko was born on December 7, 1982, in Illinois, USA. Laura graduated from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, in 2015. She is a former MMA amateur and professional fighter who is a UFC analyst, reporter, and commentator at Legacy Fight Alliance. last updated October 2022

Leon Edwards biography Leon Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on August 25, 1991. AKA: Rocky Leon Edwards became UFC Champion by beating Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 with a head kick in the 5th round on August 20, 2022. last updated October 2022

Kamaru Usman biography Kamaru Usman was born May 11, 1987, Auchi, Nigeria. AKA: The Nigerian Nightmare A professional MMA fighter, former freestyle wrestler, and graduated folkstyle wrestler. last updated September 2022

Karolina Kowalkiewicz biography Karolina Kowalkiewicz was born October 15, 1985, Łódź, Poland. AKA: Polish Princess last updated October 2022

Michael Adams biography Michael Adams was born on November 17, 1971, as an English chess grandmaster and a seven-time British Chess Champion. His highest ranking is world No. 4, achieved several times from October 2000 to October 2002.[1] His peak Elo rating is 2761, the highest achieved by an English chess player. last updated October 2022

GM Bent Larsen biography Bent Larsen was born in Thisted, Denmark, on March 4, 1935. Read a more extensive  biography of Bent Larsen here. last updated October 2022