investigation
Whodunnit, and why? All about criminal investigations and the forensic methods used to search for clues and collect evidence to get to the bottom of the crime.
The Hinterkaifeck Massacre
I hate the term “murder porn,” but what do call it when you find yourself up at 2 am, googling obscure murders to get to sleep? Most nights, I’ll settle on an episode of Deadly Women or a JSC video on how serial killers fake insanity; but the Hinterkaifeck Massacre is one I try to avoid too close to bedtime, due to the sheer spooky nature of the killings. If this is you too, go ahead and check out that weird noise in the hall, pull those covers extra close, and settle in.
By Nola Browning5 years ago in Criminal
The savage death of the American Dream...
These days, you turn on the TV, open up social media or take a look at any front page in the USA and you’ll see violence front and center. It’s a sad fact. What’s more disturbing is our obsession with it. We love the drama, the details, and the gore. We pretend to be horrified yet don’t look away when they show vaguely blurred crime scene or autopsy photos. We’re fascinated by the horror of it all.
By Simply Stacey 5 years ago in Criminal
Slumped Face Down Riddled with Bullets
The Last Night The Sun had just set, the colors were vibrant, and the sky was crisp and clean. It was a perfect night for a motorcycle ride through the countryside to meet his partner. The full moon was rising in a clear blue sky, shining bright across the horizon. Spirits were high as business was flourishing. His business dealings in the nightclub scene working with a prominent establishment and his venture in the furniture business seemed promising. He was a big shot in the ----------- in------- City, at least that is what he told me, and the girls LOVED him. Judging by all the posted selfies with numerous girls, that seemed to be true. But that all ended with one special girl, sweet -------, he was in love. It was a whirlwind romance, but he proposed within a few months, and she excepted. Life was good indeed. Christmas, his favorite holiday, was right around the corner. He was riding his motorcycle through the night air, fresh cool breeze blowing in his hair, and thoughts of the fantastic vacation he just had with his new love and images of their first Christmas together were racing in his mind. So this is how I imagined his experience was that night he was supposed to meet his partner at the factory in -------- ------, his head high in the clouds, dreaming of a beautiful life, and then all of a sudden, there was a loud noise-BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG! Down he went, shot in the back, hitting his head and body six times. Slumped on the ground face down with his leg twisted up under the bike tire, Billy lies there dead. It was near a watermelon plantation on a service road. Witnesses saw two unidentified shooters onboard a black Honda TMX motorcycle who shot him from behind. It was December 16th, 2010, and there he was, left to die. There was no real investigation. The articles I found said there was, but nothing came of it. He was dead, that was that. His name was William ------, he was only 47 years old, and he was my uncle.
By Kimberly Paulus5 years ago in Criminal
The Mysterious Disappearance of Bryce Laspisa
My love affair with all things true crime started only a year ago. I began binging podcasts to pass the time driving the 40 minutes route to and from work, 5 days a week. I feel as though I can confidently refer to myself as a true crime "connoisseur" of sorts - an have no less than 8 true crime podcasts on constant rotation.
By Jill Szaroz5 years ago in Criminal
What Happened To Liza Marie Ruiz?
Along the Merrimack River, just 30 miles north of Boston is the bachata swinging, immigrant city of Lawrence, Massachusetts. One of the state’s most mischievous children, the Hispanic dominated community ranked #9 on the FBI’s most dangerous cities in Massachusetts crime statistics in 2019 and although crime has decreased in recent years, the crime rate is still 75% higher than of other U.S cities. Lawrence is so notorious it was singled out and criticized for its drug problem by former President Donald Trump in 2018.
By Rosielianny Reynoso5 years ago in Criminal
Signs of the Times
During my sophomore year of high school, in 1993, I discovered the book Zodiac by Robert Graysmith in our small public library. It was the original 1986 hardcover, encased in a library-issue clear jacket and appropriately carded. I flipped through the book and was immediately arrested by the drawings and by Graysmith’s detailed appendices at the back. These appendices, grouping every conceivable detail about this singular and unsolved case, were so extensive it was a day before I flipped back to the frontispiece and began reading the book proper. Within a week, I had reached armchair expert status on the case. I passed the book to a friend of mine and upon reading it, he put forward the idea that we should review the material and solve the case ourselves. This effort exhausted itself within a week, but years later, when I returned to revisit the case, I realized that our failed effort to solve the case and identify Zodiac (I eschew the definite article) was not out of the ordinary. Untold thousands, through the years and with the advent of the internet, had made the same attempt. What is it about this case that creates this shared impulse, across the country and over fifty years, to solve this mystery? Why did the killer do what he did? Why did this happen? I will answer these questions. For those unfamiliar with case, here are the basics.
By Andrew Dabbs5 years ago in Criminal
The Tragic True Crimes of Jamestown
Where do I even start with choosing my favorite true crime story? I have so many that have stayed with me over the years. Growing up loving to read and research serial killers and true crimes, I always wanted to know why. What could make someone turn into what we call a monster? Were they born this way? What goes through their minds when they commit their crimes? Why do they do what they do? Do they feel remorse? I have read, watched, and listened to podcast talking about so many of our most infamous true-crime stories to date. Throughout the years, the one that stayed with me is the story of Jim Jones and the Jonestown massacre back in 1978. This case, to this day, still leaves me with chills. Of course, everyone has heard about how it all went down, phrases that reference back to the Kool-Aid and the massacre are still being used today, it’s not until you dive deeper into the story, specifically deeper into who Jim Jones was and what went down in Jamestown, that makes it linger in your brain.
By Mariah Faith5 years ago in Criminal
The Devil We Invent: The "Monster of Florence" Was Merely a Man
Glutting ourselves on misery The problem with the true crime genre is that it's rife with manufactured mystery so that its merchants of misery can wring a few bucks out of a tragedy. When we rake through witness statements and freeze-frame interviews, we aren't treating the loss of life with respect. Instead, we are reducing murder to an intellectual puzzle at best and tasteless entertainment at worst. We merchants and consumers of misery ought to be ashamed.
By Angela Volkov5 years ago in Criminal
The Phantom Killer
All my life I have always wondered is there such thing as the boogeyman but, during the spring and summer of 1946 one little, small town was about t0 know the terrible truth that would haunt them forever. As a monster was on the loose sending panic into the streets of Texarkana, Texas that would soon be known as “The Town That Dreaded Sundown”!
By Joanna Blaze5 years ago in Criminal
JUST A SIX YEAR OLD GIRL
I absolutely love this challenge. It may be my favorite thus far. I am an "Unsolved Mystery, Forensic Files, True Crime, Real Crime, FBI Files, Real Stories, Monster’s," etc buff. Many of these stories are sad and horrendous. The fact that most remain unsolved can sometimes be gut wrenching. Investigations at times are long and hard, and it is a known fact if the killer isn’t found within the first 48 hours, the case may never be solved. Although you have ideas of who the culprit could be, it is still pertinent that everyone in relation to the victim (not just family members) be considered a suspect before you point fingers. If all avenues are not fully investigated and crossed out, this can lead the investigation into many problems the judicial system can’t even begin to pull the foot out of their mouth, and/behind.
By Beautiful Intelligence5 years ago in Criminal
Mary Faye Hunter and Her Mysterious Death
Mary Faye Hunter was a quiet, intelligent young woman who lived in Decatur, Alabama. Although she was an adult, she stilled lived with her parents in 1967 sharing their modest home near the small downtown area. She maintained a quiet existence in the town she had always called home. The highlights of her week included walking to the beauty salon and playing the organ at her church. Mary Faye was employed at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama where she performed secretarial type work. It was here that one might say her eventual demise began.
By Melissa Wright5 years ago in Criminal
Betty Broderick- Wife, Mother, Murderer
After being married and suffering her husband's abuse for many years, Betty Broderick and her husband Dan Broderick separate, and Dan files for divorce. He moves on with his office temp turn secretary Linda Kolkena Both of whom she kills in a fit of rage after months and years of abuse. First, she fought for no divorce, then she fought for what she thought was a fair divorce. She was convicted of 2 counts of second-degree murder and later sentenced to 32 years in prison in a California women's penitentiary where she currently resides.
By Amanda J Mollett5 years ago in Criminal
