Anna Sorokin, whom I blogged about last time and a while before that, proves my assertion that celebs get special "justice." Before our very eyes in recent years, fraudster Sorokin's gone from a shadowy subject of a Vanity Fair piece on her criminal behavior to a privileged celebrity. Her Netflix series served as an accessory to the crime. It gave her a national audience. So did her zany battle in court to absolve herself of criminal charges. As has her fight to avoid deportation for … [Read more...]
Another serial killer targeting the Marginalized
Kudos to San Francisco for opening cold cases involving a killer targeting the marginalized. In this situation, the prime suspect is a black man. Allegedly he killed about the same time some of my murderers in Privileged Killers did so in the same city. Targeting the marginalized. I'm slammed today, and so will print the S.F. Chronicle story here in its entirety. However, I've had much to say in the past –and will continue to speak out– about the injustice of allowing the preying upon … [Read more...]
Celeb arrest & release weakens Justice System’s credibility
When we watch TV, go to the movies, or attend concerts (admittedly before Covid), we enjoy watching our favorite stars. But despite being role models for millions, celebrities sometimes break the law. The justice system's credibility then takes a hit when it all too often looks the other way. Of course, stars weaken the justice system's credibility because of their talent, charm, good looks, or wealth which shines so bright it often dazzles judges and juries. When judges and … [Read more...]
Stanford Serial Killer murders daughter of football legend
Somebody has recently been convicted of one of the killings attributed to the Stanford Serial Killer. He's John Getreu. But before getting into the case, a few words about why the case intrigues me. (A recent blog suggests why these cases intrigue most of us.) Stanford University played a big role in my life since it strongly supported the schools and youth programs in Palo Alto, California where I grew up. I rode my bike to summer jobs at Hewlett Packard's first HQ near Sand Hill Road … [Read more...]
CRIME INVESTIGATION Tutorial II— How the FBI used fingerprints to catch MLK’s Assassin- the climax..
As noted in my prior blog, we can learn a lot from perhaps the greatest fingerprint sleuthing effort in recent American history. That would be how the FBI used fingerprints to nab MLK's assassin in 1968, two months after the history-changing event. Besides budding criminalists, criminology students, and the general public, crime writers may be interested in how a talented writer utilized his knowledge of fingerprint ID tactics. Thus, much of this blog showcases paragraphs from … [Read more...]
CRIME INVESTIGATION Tutorial – How the FBI used fingerprint ID tactics to nab MLK’s Assassin.
As I've done from time to time, I'm starting another tutorial series. This one's for everyone, but specifically for crime writers and students of criminology, crim justice, and forensics. For writers, it's intended to help them incorporate fingerprint ID tactics in their novels. And, as they - and the teachers of students like you - know, it's a good way to introduce a topic is via a story. ID tactics So I'm starting off this series with a story. It's about how the FBI … [Read more...]
Bill Cosby’s special treatment by the justice system.
As you may've read in a former blog of mine, Bill Cosby and a few other top celebs got their just deserts over the last 25 years. But wait, suddenly it looks like Bill Cosby's special treatment finally materialized. So he joins the many other celebs who get special deals. Bill Cosby's special handling. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently sprung him from prison for sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2005. The case at first ended in a mistrial but resulted in a conviction when he was … [Read more...]