When reviewing criminal incidents perpetrated against health care professionals, often at the top of the list are gynecologists, surgeons and emergency room physicians. It's not often you hear of attacks on dermatologists. However, in the case of Dr. David Cornbleet, a dermatologist from Chicago, Ill., a controversial medicine caused one scorned patient to seek revenge.
Cornbleet, 64, was a dedicated professional, father and husband. His son, Jonathan, described him as a caring person who always made sure his children had everything they needed. Outside his family life, Dr. Cornbleet had a well-established medical practice that he had operated for almost 30 years. A habit he formed many years ago was a call to his wife at 6:20 p.m. each night before leaving the office.
On Oct. 24, 2006, Aileen Cornbleet waited for her husband's call. When he didn't call by 7:45 p.m., she became worried and phoned Jonathan. He in turn contacted his sister, who went by the office to check on their father. What she found at the office was a horrific sight: David Cornbleet was sprawled on the floor with several stab wounds evident on his body. There was nothing his daughter could do but call for help.
Police immediately reviewed surveillance videos from cameras in the office building. From what they observed, the perpetrator appeared to be familiar with the layout of the building. He avoided showing his face to any of the cameras, and he knew exactly where he was going. The suspect appeared to be a Caucasian male about 6 feet tall, wearing a gray or cream-colored hooded jacket, dark-colored jeans and a baseball cap. He was carrying a dark bag. He used a glove or cloth to wipe his fingerprints when he entered and left the building.
Evidence found at the scene suggested that an altercation had taken place. This scenario was further supported when the medical examiner revealed several defensive wounds on David Cornbleet's hands. Blood at the scene, not belonging to the victim, also suggested that David had struck his attacker in the face, causing a nosebleed. Despite the massive amount of forensic evidence found at the scene, investigators had nothing concrete to link anyone to the attack. They theorized that the killer was probably one of David's patients; however, given the number of years he had been in business, narrowing down a list of suspects would be no easy task.
Police continued to investigate the case, and then in February 2007, they thought they got a break when they found surveillance footage from a Home Depot store showing someone fitting the suspect's description. It was later discovered that the person in the video had no connection to the murder.
Desperate to do their part, the Cornbleet family created a profile about the murder on MySpace.com, a popular social networking Web site. In addition to information on the crime, the Web site also included an enhanced copy of the surveillance video from David's office building in hopes that someone might shed some light on the identity of the attacker. The family offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the murderer.
In April 2007, Cornbleet's family received a tip through MySpace from someone who identified the killer as a man named Hans Peterson. The Chicago police investigated the tip and determined that Peterson was a former patient of David's. In June 2007, upon securing a search warrant for an apartment Peterson had rented in New York, investigators were able to use DNA evidence to connect him to the crime scene. Unfortunately, arresting Peterson would prove far more difficult.
Investigators soon learned that Peterson had left the U.S. for St. Martin Island shortly after the murder. Based on his mother's French heritage, he had applied for and was granted French citizenship. After the arrest warrant was issued, Chicago police filed paperwork for an international warrant. When Peterson learned of the warrant, he confessed to French authorities. The confession included a four-page document detailing the crime.
Peterson claimed that he went to Cornbleet's office that fateful day in October 2006 because of an incident that had occurred four-and-a-half years earlier, when Dr. Cornbleet had prescribed Accutane, a controversial acne medication. Peterson said he suffered massive side effects that did not go away and, as a result, he became impotent. His confession stated that he had gone to the office with the intention of cutting off the doctor's hands and feet, and then cauterizing the wounds with a blowtorch, but he had to stab the doctor to death when David fought back.
Peterson made the confession to French authorities to bypass the U.S. justice system. French law prohibits the death penalty and extradition of any criminal who might be tried under penalty of death.
The Cornbleet family, Chicago police and the U.S. government all appealed to French officials in hopes of persuading them to extradite this murderer. Unfortunately, French officials refused to be swayed and announced that they would be handling the investigation.
In January 2008, French authorities came to the U.S. on a fact-finding mission to learn what they could about the case. Currently, Peterson is being held in a Guadeloupe jail, where French authorities say he will remain until he stands trial. If convicted in France, Peterson will face a maximum sentence of life; however, he will become eligible for parole after serving only 22 years.