Below is a brief discussion on the murder of Anna Brown. In this discussion it speaks on the terms of the documentation and presentation that is believed to be the most influenced for the decision of the case. Do you agree/disagree with the post and why. Please provide references to backup your thoughts.

In 1921 a decomposed body was found in a remote ravine in Oklahoma shot in the back of the dead ("Murder", N.D.). The body was identified as Anna Brown, an Osage Native American. Within three years her mother, cousin, sister, brother-in-law, and two dozen additional people within her city were killed. After private investigators failed to find a single suspect, the Osage Tribal Council asked for assistance from the FBI. Because of a small tight-knit community, locals were not talking to law enforcement. Later it was determined that some were getting paid to not talk or giving false leads. Several agents went undercover to gain trust and build their case while seeking a confession from the people involved.

The investigation determined the murders were orchestrated by William Hale in an attempt to get all rights to oil on Osage land. His accomplices included a hired killer and a lawyer who were sentenced with him. The main evidence in this case was the bodies, oil rights transferred to Hale's nephew Ernest Burkhart, and testimony from Burkhart and others in the town who had been threatened to silence ("Murder", N.D.). After arrest Kelsie Morrison, the hired killer, would testify against Hale ("Confession", 1926). The testimonies of Morrison and Burkhart were the most significant in the case as it was from a person involved in the crimes and directly identified all three criminals.

The same case today would likely have the same outcome. The major difference would be the technology available. Oil shares would've been traced making it easier to identify the abnormal amounts Burkhart was amassing. Additionally, DNA evidence and forensic analysis on bullets could be used on the bodies found shot. The DNA may have connected the bodies to the hitman. Communities today can still be closed off or not willing to share information, so undercover investigators may still be used to gain trust and get confessions.

These are the references used for this post:

Confession of Kelsie Morrison to the Murder of Anna Brown Transcription. (1926). Famous Trials. https://famous-trials.com/osage-home/2384-confession-of-kelsie-morrison-to-the-murder-of-anna-brown

Murder and Mayhem in the Osage Hills. (N.D.). FBI. https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/murder-and-mayhem-in-the-osage-hills