HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — News broke Thursday that a trial for a 1984 murder would be avoided when Donald Santini admitted to the crime in a plea deal. The trial was going to be a test for the prosecution and for the memories of all of those involved.
For reference, 1984 was the year the first MacBook was sold, Purple Rain from Prince was released, and Ronald Reagan was campaigning for a second term in the White House.
With the Santini case, the memory of witnesses would have been put to the test after nearly four decades. ABC Action News spoke to experts about the phenomenon facing prosecutors and defense attorneys for cold cases like this.
We first spoke to Dr. Elizabeth Loftus, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, who has been studying memory and consulting on criminal cases for decades.
"In general, the passage of time is not good for memory. Memories fade over time. But even more problematically, in their weakened state, they become more vulnerable to tampering," she said.
Due to that phenomenon, Dr. Loftus added that any memories shared as part of this trial will have to be scrutinized.
"I'd want to know, how did the statements change over the course of time? And what kind of, either big or small, change happened in someone's recollection, and why did it happen?" she said.
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Dr. David Diamond is a professor at the University of South Florida who has also studied memory for decades—and specifically how emotion can impact it.
"Just in a moment, you can have a strong emotional experience, very good, very bad, and that will make a memory that can last for a lifetime. It can be a traumatic experience, or it can be a pleasurable experience. You have what's called a flashbulb memory," he said.
He added that even strong emotional memories can change with time, which means having additional evidence will be key in this case to support anything that is shared.
"If it's a flashbulb memory, if someone has that emotional experience, what the person is focusing on, it's actually called weapon focus, that can be remembered extremely well. It's called weapon focus because if I point a gun at you, you'll remember that moment for the rest of your life," he said, "You'll remember seeing the gun. But other things going on that day, even at that moment, may not be remembered that well at all."
According to "Project Cold Case," there are more than 19,000 unsolved murders in Florida. Detectives say the key to cracking these cases comes down to tips.
