Technicians sometimes erect makeshift tents to preserve evidence at a crime scene. But that wasn't done in Brown's case, says J. Tom Morgan, DeKalb's district attorney. Evidence was marked with small flags until a thorough investigation could begin in the morning. Danny Boone, a veteran homicide detective in Maryland, says the first 24 hours of a case are the most important. Every day after that, the trail grows colder.
Memories start to fade.
The killer has a chance to destroy evidence linking him to the crime and rehearse alibis. After his election, Brown told 38 sheriff's department employees they would be fired once he took office. He also planned to bring in the GBI to conduct an investigation at the DeKalb County jail. In cases like Brown's, every suspect must be questioned, their alibis corroborated. And time is a factor.