Seminar Title
National Homicide and Death Investigation Conference
Dates of Events
04/05/2027 through 04/09/2027
Last Updated: 08/06/2026
Instructor(s): Michael Murphy, Robert G. Lowery, Jr., Joseph Rauch, Timothy Gocha, William Fritze, Stacey Chepren
Location: Tarrant County Sheriff's Academy - 1500 Circle Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76119
Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott Cityview - 6400 Overton Ridge Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76132
Hotel: Hampton Inn Fort Worth Cityview - 4799 S W Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX 76132
Course Registration Fee: $595
Instructor Bio
Michael Murphy
Michael Murphy serves as President and CEO of M POWER USA, an international management consulting firm providing management and leadership guidance to public and private agencies. Dr. Murphy brings forty plus years of law enforcement and public service experience to the position serving in a multitude of roles giving him a unique perspective beginning with boots on the ground to Chief of Police.
His journey of public service began as an entry level police officer in Kansas City, Kansas to serving as Chief of Police in Mesquite, Nevada. Dr. Murphy most recently served as Director of Special Services for The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Virginia where he was responsible for the Long Term Missing and Unidentified, Forensic Services, Image Enhancement/Age Progression Units while serving as the National Amber Alert Coordinator.
Prior to his time on the national stage, Dr. Murphy served as Coroner for the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner for 13 years while simultaneously acted as the Interim Director of Juvenile Justice Services and Chief Lobbyist for the 76th & 77th Legislative Sessions of the Nevada Legislature.
Michael is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a doctoral degree in Business Administration with California Pacific University. He is also a Fellow with the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators.
Robert G. Lowery, Jr.
Robert Lowery was the 5th police official to be appointed as Commander of the elite 35-year Greater St. Louis Major Case Squad, a multi-jurisdictional violent crime task force concerned with the high profile murder investigations in Missouri and Illinois. Serving 2.5 million citizens across 12 counties. Formed partnerships with Federal Law Enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United State Marshal Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Secret Service and Internal Revenue to maximize resources available for in-progress homicide cases. Robert created the Technical Operations Group, a specially trained team designed to provide electronic support in tracking and locating suspects. Robert created the Family Liaison Program which provided specially trained investigators to work with families of victims of homicide cases, investigated violent crimes with 500 Law Enforcement Investigators from over 100 local, county, state, federal agencies and managed high-level murder cases in collaboration with numerous officers and agencies.
Robert is a member of the International Homicide Investigators Association, Quantico, Virginia, United State Department of Justice, Federal Agency Task Force on Missing and Exploited Children, Washington DC, International Coroners and Medical Examiners Association and Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Academy Association.
Joseph Rauch
Joseph M. Rauch is a decorated twenty-five year veteran of the Atlantic City Police Department in Atlantic City, New Jersey, assigned to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit in Atlantic County, New Jersey since 2006.
Joe began his career in 1984 working in Atlantic City’s casino gaming industry as an Investigator with Harrah’s Entertainment Incorporated and Trump Entertainment Resorts Incorporated conducting civil and cooperative criminal investigations, serving as a law enforcement liaison and providing protective services for executives, dignitaries, celebrities and high profile clientele. In 1994, he left the casino gaming industry and joined the Atlantic City Police Department.
Detective Rauch has an extensive education, training and experience in multiple facets of law enforcement, having served a variety of assignments throughout his career including; Uniform Patrol Division, Community Policing Section, Accident Investigation Unit, Gun Reduction Unit, Narcotics Unit, Prostitution Unit, Casino Hotel Investigations Unit, Police Community Partnership Grant Team, Juvenile Investigations Section, Criminal Investigations Section, Shooting Response Team and the Special Projects Unit. He is a certified Fire/Arson investigator routinely assisting the Atlantic City Police & Fire Departments Arson Investigation Unit and Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Investigation Unit in conducting arson and fire related death investigations. As a member of the Atlantic City Police Department Emergency Response Team, he also serves as a Negotiator with the Crisis Negotiation Team and is a certified public safety diver trained in rescue and underwater search & recovery.
In August 2011, Detective Rauch accepted the position of Eastern Regional Director with the International Homicide Investigators Association. He continues to serve his position organizing and instructing training events throughout the east coast, advancing curriculum, developing new training products and promoting membership.
Since 2016 Detective Rauch has served on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Advisory Board for the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP).
Timothy Gocha
Timothy P. Gocha is an Associate Director of the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University. Prior to this, he was a forensic anthropologist in Las Vegas, NV. He has participated in forensic anthropology casework throughout the U.S. as well as internationally. This experience includes assisting with victim recovery and/or identification from several mass fatality events including the deadliest hot air balloon crash in U.S. history, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, the deadliest wildfire in California history, as well as the ongoing humanitarian crisis of migrant deaths along the U.S./Mexico border. His personal research focuses on improving methods for estimating age at death from human skeletal remains, as well as positive identification of decedents.
William Fritze
William Fritze (Bill) is Chief of Gun Violence Task Force of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Bill created the Analytics Program Division of GVTF, a lab of computer forensic analysts that extract cell phone and use other electronic media to assist law enforcement in the arrests and prosecutions. Known as the “Electronic Sherlock Holmes”, Bill continues to focus on using digital forensics pushing the Gun Violence Task Force to become a unit known for its extensive investigations and prosecutions of straw purchasing and gun related violent crime and conducting large scale investigations to tackle gun violence in Philadelphia.
Bill joined the District Attorney’s Office in 2007, finding his passion in providing public legal service as a Victim/Witness Coordinator serving the needs and protecting the rights of victims in the City of Philadelphia. During his time with the District Attorney’s Office, Bill attended Law School in the evening at Widener School of Law, and graduated with honors in 2012.
Upon graduation, Bill became an Assistant District Attorney assigned to the Southwest Division. During that time Bill handled Municipal Court preliminary hearings and trials, Court of Common Pleas felony waiver and major trials. Bill later served as an Assistant Chief of the Northeast Division before transferring to the Gun Violence Task Force in 2018.
Stacey Chepren
Stacey L. Chepren, MFS, MSc
Stacey Chepren is a 20-year U.S. Air Force veteran who served as a legal investigator for prosecution, defense, and victims’ counsel at stateside, overseas, and deployed locations. She managed thousands of federal criminal cases on major crimes trial teams, collaborating with local, state, and federal partners. She also conducted death investigations for active-duty personnel and served on fatal ground/aircraft accident investigation boards. She represented the Air Force before the House Armed Services Committee on the Victims’ Counsel Program and a Congressional review panel on active-duty suicides.
She is the Programs Manager for the International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners, managing the accreditation program and overall operations of the association, and founder/owner of Pegasus Forensics, LLC, a consulting firm providing forensic reconstruction, expert consultation, and witness testimony—specializing in death cases—for criminal and civil matters. She is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners, and National Association of Medical Examiners, serving on committees and presenting regularly.
Michael Murphy serves as President and CEO of M POWER USA, an international management consulting firm providing management and leadership guidance to public and private agencies. Dr. Murphy brings forty plus years of law enforcement and public service experience to the position serving in a multitude of roles giving him a unique perspective beginning with boots on the ground to Chief of Police.
His journey of public service began as an entry level police officer in Kansas City, Kansas to serving as Chief of Police in Mesquite, Nevada. Dr. Murphy most recently served as Director of Special Services for The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Virginia where he was responsible for the Long Term Missing and Unidentified, Forensic Services, Image Enhancement/Age Progression Units while serving as the National Amber Alert Coordinator.
Prior to his time on the national stage, Dr. Murphy served as Coroner for the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner for 13 years while simultaneously acted as the Interim Director of Juvenile Justice Services and Chief Lobbyist for the 76th & 77th Legislative Sessions of the Nevada Legislature.
Michael is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a doctoral degree in Business Administration with California Pacific University. He is also a Fellow with the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators.
Robert G. Lowery, Jr.
Robert Lowery was the 5th police official to be appointed as Commander of the elite 35-year Greater St. Louis Major Case Squad, a multi-jurisdictional violent crime task force concerned with the high profile murder investigations in Missouri and Illinois. Serving 2.5 million citizens across 12 counties. Formed partnerships with Federal Law Enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United State Marshal Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Secret Service and Internal Revenue to maximize resources available for in-progress homicide cases. Robert created the Technical Operations Group, a specially trained team designed to provide electronic support in tracking and locating suspects. Robert created the Family Liaison Program which provided specially trained investigators to work with families of victims of homicide cases, investigated violent crimes with 500 Law Enforcement Investigators from over 100 local, county, state, federal agencies and managed high-level murder cases in collaboration with numerous officers and agencies.
Robert is a member of the International Homicide Investigators Association, Quantico, Virginia, United State Department of Justice, Federal Agency Task Force on Missing and Exploited Children, Washington DC, International Coroners and Medical Examiners Association and Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Academy Association.
Joseph Rauch
Joseph M. Rauch is a decorated twenty-five year veteran of the Atlantic City Police Department in Atlantic City, New Jersey, assigned to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit in Atlantic County, New Jersey since 2006.
Joe began his career in 1984 working in Atlantic City’s casino gaming industry as an Investigator with Harrah’s Entertainment Incorporated and Trump Entertainment Resorts Incorporated conducting civil and cooperative criminal investigations, serving as a law enforcement liaison and providing protective services for executives, dignitaries, celebrities and high profile clientele. In 1994, he left the casino gaming industry and joined the Atlantic City Police Department.
Detective Rauch has an extensive education, training and experience in multiple facets of law enforcement, having served a variety of assignments throughout his career including; Uniform Patrol Division, Community Policing Section, Accident Investigation Unit, Gun Reduction Unit, Narcotics Unit, Prostitution Unit, Casino Hotel Investigations Unit, Police Community Partnership Grant Team, Juvenile Investigations Section, Criminal Investigations Section, Shooting Response Team and the Special Projects Unit. He is a certified Fire/Arson investigator routinely assisting the Atlantic City Police & Fire Departments Arson Investigation Unit and Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Investigation Unit in conducting arson and fire related death investigations. As a member of the Atlantic City Police Department Emergency Response Team, he also serves as a Negotiator with the Crisis Negotiation Team and is a certified public safety diver trained in rescue and underwater search & recovery.
In August 2011, Detective Rauch accepted the position of Eastern Regional Director with the International Homicide Investigators Association. He continues to serve his position organizing and instructing training events throughout the east coast, advancing curriculum, developing new training products and promoting membership.
Since 2016 Detective Rauch has served on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Advisory Board for the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP).
Timothy Gocha
Timothy P. Gocha is an Associate Director of the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University. Prior to this, he was a forensic anthropologist in Las Vegas, NV. He has participated in forensic anthropology casework throughout the U.S. as well as internationally. This experience includes assisting with victim recovery and/or identification from several mass fatality events including the deadliest hot air balloon crash in U.S. history, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, the deadliest wildfire in California history, as well as the ongoing humanitarian crisis of migrant deaths along the U.S./Mexico border. His personal research focuses on improving methods for estimating age at death from human skeletal remains, as well as positive identification of decedents.
William Fritze
William Fritze (Bill) is Chief of Gun Violence Task Force of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Bill created the Analytics Program Division of GVTF, a lab of computer forensic analysts that extract cell phone and use other electronic media to assist law enforcement in the arrests and prosecutions. Known as the “Electronic Sherlock Holmes”, Bill continues to focus on using digital forensics pushing the Gun Violence Task Force to become a unit known for its extensive investigations and prosecutions of straw purchasing and gun related violent crime and conducting large scale investigations to tackle gun violence in Philadelphia.
Bill joined the District Attorney’s Office in 2007, finding his passion in providing public legal service as a Victim/Witness Coordinator serving the needs and protecting the rights of victims in the City of Philadelphia. During his time with the District Attorney’s Office, Bill attended Law School in the evening at Widener School of Law, and graduated with honors in 2012.
Upon graduation, Bill became an Assistant District Attorney assigned to the Southwest Division. During that time Bill handled Municipal Court preliminary hearings and trials, Court of Common Pleas felony waiver and major trials. Bill later served as an Assistant Chief of the Northeast Division before transferring to the Gun Violence Task Force in 2018.
Stacey Chepren
Stacey L. Chepren, MFS, MSc
Stacey Chepren is a 20-year U.S. Air Force veteran who served as a legal investigator for prosecution, defense, and victims’ counsel at stateside, overseas, and deployed locations. She managed thousands of federal criminal cases on major crimes trial teams, collaborating with local, state, and federal partners. She also conducted death investigations for active-duty personnel and served on fatal ground/aircraft accident investigation boards. She represented the Air Force before the House Armed Services Committee on the Victims’ Counsel Program and a Congressional review panel on active-duty suicides.
She is the Programs Manager for the International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners, managing the accreditation program and overall operations of the association, and founder/owner of Pegasus Forensics, LLC, a consulting firm providing forensic reconstruction, expert consultation, and witness testimony—specializing in death cases—for criminal and civil matters. She is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners, and National Association of Medical Examiners, serving on committees and presenting regularly.
Course Objectives
Course Overview:
ABMDI Accreditation # 24-073 for 31.5 hours of continuing education credit
Crime Scene • Documentation and Report Writing • Courtroom Presentation • Successful Prosecution • Managing a Major Case Investigation • Advances in DNA and Genealogy• Cause and Manner of Death • Forensic Anthropology • Homicide Investigator Resiliency
Bill Fritze
Working with your Prosecutor for Successful Prosecution
The Three main areas that help to build strong cases that I will focus on are as follows:
1. Community Policing to provide on the ground intelligence.
2. Use of Digital Forensics to support the investigation and prosecution.
a. NIBIN, Social Media, cloud data and Cell Phone analysis to identify and corroborate evidence.
3. Prosecution of Group violence without the existence of organized crime to link the defendants and incidents.
a. The prosecutors tool box: Other acts, Modus Operandi and other ways to secure a conviction.
Tim Gocha
Introduction to All Things Forensic Anthropology
• Recovery
• Decomposition
• Information Bodies can Provide the Homicide Investigator
• Case Examples from across the US including Las Vegas and Texas
Joe Rauch
Importance of the First Responder
•Who is the First Responder?
•Understanding and Changing the Mindset of the First Responder
•Communication and Team Building between the Investigator and the First Responder
•Establishing and Maintaining the Integrity of the Crime Scene
•Supervision of First Responders, Crime Scene and Media Relations
•Knowing the Abilities and Limitations of the First Responder
•Issues and Challenges of the First Responder
• Preparing the First Responder for Court
. The Homicide Investigator
•Who is the Homicide Investigator?
•Ethics & Responsibilities of the Homicide Investigator
•Conducting
•Case Management -Keeping your Focus and learning to Juggle
Crime Scene Analysis, Investigative Techniques and Resources
•Learning to Read the Crime Scene
•Identification & Individualization of Physical Evidence
•Practical Application of Crime Scene Analysis to the Investigative Process
•Investigative Tools and Techniques
•Application & Use of Advancements in Technology and Digital Forensics
•Leveraging Private Sector Cooperation
Documentation and Report Writing
•Reaffirming the Basics of Report Writing
•Documenting the Case from the Initial Call to the Verdict
•Documentation as a Positive/Negative Reflection of the Investigation
•Errors and Pitfalls of Report Writing
•Techniques and Importance of Note Taking
Bob Lowery
•DNA
• Genealogy
• Databases
•Managing Major Case Homicides
Michael Murphy & Stacey Chepren
• Role of Coroner in Death Investigation
• Cause and Manner of Death
•Case Review of All Manners of Death
• Homicide - Suicide - Natural - Accident - Undetermined
•Courtroom Testimony
•Death Notification
•Resiliency/Wellness
Crime Scene • Documentation and Report Writing • Courtroom Presentation • Successful Prosecution • Managing a Major Case Investigation • Advances in DNA and Genealogy• Cause and Manner of Death • Forensic Anthropology • Homicide Investigator Resiliency
Bill Fritze
Working with your Prosecutor for Successful Prosecution
The Three main areas that help to build strong cases that I will focus on are as follows:
1. Community Policing to provide on the ground intelligence.
2. Use of Digital Forensics to support the investigation and prosecution.
a. NIBIN, Social Media, cloud data and Cell Phone analysis to identify and corroborate evidence.
3. Prosecution of Group violence without the existence of organized crime to link the defendants and incidents.
a. The prosecutors tool box: Other acts, Modus Operandi and other ways to secure a conviction.
Tim Gocha
Introduction to All Things Forensic Anthropology
• Recovery
• Decomposition
• Information Bodies can Provide the Homicide Investigator
• Case Examples from across the US including Las Vegas and Texas
Joe Rauch
Importance of the First Responder
•Who is the First Responder?
•Understanding and Changing the Mindset of the First Responder
•Communication and Team Building between the Investigator and the First Responder
•Establishing and Maintaining the Integrity of the Crime Scene
•Supervision of First Responders, Crime Scene and Media Relations
•Knowing the Abilities and Limitations of the First Responder
•Issues and Challenges of the First Responder
• Preparing the First Responder for Court
. The Homicide Investigator
•Who is the Homicide Investigator?
•Ethics & Responsibilities of the Homicide Investigator
•Conducting
•Case Management -Keeping your Focus and learning to Juggle
Crime Scene Analysis, Investigative Techniques and Resources
•Learning to Read the Crime Scene
•Identification & Individualization of Physical Evidence
•Practical Application of Crime Scene Analysis to the Investigative Process
•Investigative Tools and Techniques
•Application & Use of Advancements in Technology and Digital Forensics
•Leveraging Private Sector Cooperation
Documentation and Report Writing
•Reaffirming the Basics of Report Writing
•Documenting the Case from the Initial Call to the Verdict
•Documentation as a Positive/Negative Reflection of the Investigation
•Errors and Pitfalls of Report Writing
•Techniques and Importance of Note Taking
Bob Lowery
•DNA
• Genealogy
• Databases
•Managing Major Case Homicides
Michael Murphy & Stacey Chepren
• Role of Coroner in Death Investigation
• Cause and Manner of Death
•Case Review of All Manners of Death
• Homicide - Suicide - Natural - Accident - Undetermined
•Courtroom Testimony
•Death Notification
•Resiliency/Wellness