Cold Case Investigations

First Tuesday

Calling all Las Vegas amateur detectives! Come watch a short video and then discuss and debate the facts of the case in an attempt to determine the killer(s).

Apr 7 Princess Diana

Princess Diana died in the early hours of August 31, 1997, from injuries sustained in a high-speed car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France. The official investigations—French authorities in 1999 and the British Operation Paget inquiry (culminating in a 2008 inquest)—both concluded it was a tragic accident caused by grossly negligent driving, not some shadowy conspiracy. Yeah, the endless murder theories are dramatic, but they don't hold up when you look at the evidence.

Here's the key factual timeline and details from the official findings:

Evening of August 30/31, 1997: Diana and her companion Dodi Fayed were staying at the Ritz Hotel in Paris (owned by Dodi's father, Mohamed Al Fayed). They dined privately but left around 00:20 (12:20 a.m.) from the rear entrance to evade paparazzi. Driver Henri Paul (deputy head of security at the Ritz) took the wheel of a black Mercedes S280. Trevor Rees-Jones (bodyguard) was in the front passenger seat. Diana and Dodi were in the back.

No seatbelts: None of the occupants were wearing seatbelts— a critical factor that worsened the outcome.
The crash: At approximately 00:23 (12:23 a.m.), while speeding through the underpass (estimated over 60 mph / 100 km/h in a 30 mph / 50 km/h zone), Henri Paul lost control. The car slammed into the 13th pillar of the central reservation. Dodi Fayed and Henri Paul died at the scene. Diana was critically injured but initially alive; Rees-Jones survived (seriously injured, the only one with a seatbelt).
Medical response and death: Diana suffered massive internal injuries, including a ruptured pulmonary vein leading to severe internal bleeding. She was extracted from the wreckage, treated at the scene, taken by ambulance to Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (arriving around 2:06 a.m.), underwent surgery, but died at 4:00 a.m. from cardiac arrest due to the trauma and blood loss.
Cause per official reports:

Henri Paul's blood alcohol level was three times the French legal limit (plus prescription drugs that impaired him further).
Excessive speed while attempting to evade pursuing paparazzi.

No seatbelts worn by the victims.

The 2006 Operation Paget report (871 pages, led by Lord Stevens) explicitly ruled out murder, MI6 involvement, pregnancy, engagement announcement plots, or any conspiracy. It called the deaths a "tragic accident."
The 2008 British inquest jury verdict: unlawful killing due to gross negligence by Henri Paul and the pursuing paparazzi.
The French investigation (concluded 1999) pinned primary responsibility on Paul for intoxication and speed; the British one added the paparazzi's role in creating the dangerous chase conditions. Mohamed Al Fayed pushed hard for conspiracy claims (MI6, royal family, etc.), but every official probe dismissed them as baseless.

Jan 6 Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel

Feb 3 Pope John Paul I

Mar 3 Hinterkaifeck Murders

Apr 7 Princess Diana

May 5 Jimmy Hoffa

Jun 2 Natalie Wood

Jul 7 Sonny Liston

Aug 4 Alexander the Great

Sep 1 Marilyn Monroe

Oct 6 Edgar Allan Poe

Nov 3 Pharaoh Ramesses III

Dec 1 Sodder Children Disappearance

Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Free & open to the public.

Call 702.507.3427 for more information.

Upcoming events