INTERVIEW: Cold Case Detective Paul Holes

BIO:

Paul is retired cold-case investigator known for his extensive work on serial predator crimes and for helping solve the Golden State Killer case using genetic genealogy. Paul spent 27 years working with the Contra Costa County (CA) sheriff and district attorney’s offices. With his experience in forensic and investigative techniques, Paul specialized in cold case and serial predator crimes such as the Zodiac killer, Golden State Killer, and the Jaycee Dugard cases. Paul is frequently sought out as a consultant on some of the most complex and high-profile cases and has played a part in putting several predators on death row, such as Darryl Kemp, Joseph Naso, and Joseph Cordova Jr.

While employed with the DA’s office as an FBI Task Force Officer, Paul teamed up with FBI and Sacramento DA personnel to apply innovative technology that identified Joseph DeAngelo as the Golden State Killer, the most prolific and cunning serial predator in U.S. history. Since the arrest of DeAngelo, Paul has been very involved on the media side, continuing to assist law enforcement and victim’s families with their unsolved cases, while also advocating for victims and mental health awareness in law enforcement. He has worked in media, including the television show “The DNA of Murder with Paul Holes” and HLN’s show “Real Life Nightmare.” Paul was also used as an expert for Fox’s reboot of “America’s Most Wanted” and is now co-host on two podcasts, “Buried Bones” and “Small Town Dicks.”

INTERVIEW:

LYNN: In your book, you talk about being able to compartmentalize your work and home life. Can you elaborate on that a bit? Can you also tell us how successful you felt you were at keeping them separate?

When I write about compartmentalizing work versus home life it's more about keeping the horrific details of the cases away from the family. However, I was also doing that just out of self protection. What I have found is that shoving all these cases into myself without having an outlet has had a negative Impact on me.

Outside of keeping the graphic aspects of the cases away from the family, I did a poor job at compartmentalizing work from home life. As an example, we could be at a family dinner, and a conversation between family members could be going on, and I would be ruminating about the latest efforts that I needed to do on a case such as the Golden State Killer. I often failed to engage at home, and that's where I often failed at compartmentalizing work from home life.

LYNN: What case did you know immediately you had the type of skills and knowledge that could make a difference?

After being involved with cases for more than thirty years, I can very quickly judge if it is going to be the type of case that I can have an impact on. I frequently get asked by family to look into their case where a loved one was shot on their driveway or something similar. That type of case is not in my wheelhouse, and the reality is the local authorities have street-level connections to best investigate a case like that.

The type of case I have concentrated on involves close interaction between the offender and the victim. Under such circumstances, I can interpret offender actions, behaviors, and assess potential physical evidence that could solve the case. I just need to see what has been attempted by the investigating agency up to the point I get involved and then independently evaluate the case to provide recommendations.

LYNN: What case (solved or unsolved) lingers within the recesses of your mind and why?

A case that haunts me is the 1970 abduction and homicide of 15-year-old Cosette Ellison out of Moraga, CA. Cosette was last seen getting off her school bus and had to walk home through a very rural and forested area because her isolated house was about a quarter of a mile from the road. She never made it home, and her body was found dumped ten months later in a creek at the base of Mt. Diablo.

In working the case, Cosette’s sister sent me photos of Cosette growing up, and I just became very connected to her. I really tried hard to solve the case, but nothing panned out, and to this day, it drives me nuts. I have a prime suspect who is a serial killer active in that area, but he has denied involvement, and there is no evidence to refute that. Hopefully, the current technology has advanced to the point where an answer can be obtained.

LYNN: What’s the first thing you want to know (or the first thing you do) when you begin a new case?

I’ve developed a process that involves first reviewing autopsy and crime scene photos, along with corresponding reports, followed by reviewing the forensic testing done up to the point in time I get involved. I do not want (or won’t read) any investigative supplements until I have independently assessed the case and formed my own opinions. After that, I will assess the investigative reports and provide feedback to the agency as to further forensic testing plus investigative directions they can take.

LYNN: Do you have a sense of why the U.S. has such a high rate of unsolved murders, and what we could do to change that?

I’m not familiar with nation-wide statistics and will limit my answer to my experience. There’s a lot of nuances related to how a case is defined as being “unsolved.” A vast majority of the homicides I got called out to help with involved gangs and guns. These cases are often very limited with physical evidence, as firearms allows the offender to kill at a distance. Additionally, any witnesses are often too scared to come forward. However, investigators in many of these cases know who the shooter is but can’t prove it to the point where a DA will be willing to charge the suspect.

I cut my teeth during the ‘crack’ wars in the Bay Area in the 1990s and was constantly being called out to gang-related shootings. The reality is that the shooter in a case I might be called out on, will often be tracked down and shot in retaliation before law enforcement can develop sufficient probable cause for an arrest. Under this scenario, there are two homicides (the first murder and then the retaliation murder) and both are technically “unsolved” but fundamentally closed. My suspicion that the high rate of unsolved cases in the U.S. is due in part to these types of cases I experienced firsthand.

LYNN: You have worked on so many cases during your career, with so much detailed information attached to each one. Do you ever get them confused? And if so, did it ever cause a problem?

I never had a problem crossing up details of one case with another, at least cases I was really invested in. Part of my success in working cases can be attributed to my ability to retain details about each case. That ability appears to be better than many of the other investigators I’ve worked with. My investigative friends were often shocked at the level of detail I was able to recall from any case I was working on. I have a near photographic memory when it comes to crime scene and autopsy images, and I can often see in my mind words on a page in the written supplements.

With that being said, I struggle to remember wedding anniversary dates or my kid’s birthdays. LOL

LYNN: Stay tuned for the second half of Paul's interview on November 1.