Writers, esp those writing true-crime books, are often drawn to serial killer stories. And so are everyday people since these stories both horrify and fascinate us frequently. As a service to my fellow writers, I'm providing another tutorial. This one deals with the facts and the myths of serial killers. Hopefully, writers will find them useful for their writing. And other readers may just find them interesting. Some facts. Serial killings account for very few of all murders committed in … [Read more...]
True Crime — do these reasons explain why you love it?
Some have called my book-in-progress a true crime memoir. Its working title is Privileged Killers...and a criminologist mugged by reality. It's tagline — When friends kill and loved ones betray him, a progressive criminologist must ditch his idealism or lose his wife and even his life. True Crime rules...these days. Whether seen as a pure true crime story, or a hybrid true crime memoir, my book's alerted me to the huge appetite we have these days for true … [Read more...]
“Injustice with Nancy Grace.” “Inside Evil” with Cuomo.
I don't usually promote new TV shows, esp the many forensic-related ones. However, Injustice with Nancy Grace premieres with a case I lived through in a neighboring town. She covers the initial injustice in a "murder during a murder trial" in Lafayette, Ca. Each episode of “Injustice with Nancy Grace” exposes a riveting case involving wrongful accusations, botched investigations, suppressed evidence, unclear motives, unjust sentences, and a path forward in seeking justice. At … [Read more...]
CRIME MASS MURDER Tutorial—The 5 W’s of Multicide—Definitions, Stats, Events
Homicide is the criminal killing of a human being, and this tutorial deals with the multiple killing situation known as multicide, or sometimes mass murder. By the end of this tutorial, you should have a handle on four of the five Ws—the who, what, where, when. The whys are for another blog. Also, since it's a different kind of multicide, serial killing is treated as a special category. MASS MURDER There are a wide variety of ways that homicides with more than several victims might … [Read more...]
Lust, blue collar crime, and A DEATH IN BELMONT.
I've been reading a lot of true crime books lately as well as finishing up a series of paintings I call "The Seven Deadly Sins." Currently, I'm reading Sebastian Junger's A death in Belmont, and my painting of "Lust" in the series seems especially apropos. You see, the book is about the sex-crazed Boston Strangler who terrorized parts of Boston during the 1960's. Blue collar crime...and lust. Here's a summary of the book: A fatal collision of three lives in the most intriguing and original … [Read more...]
Has The Golden State Killer been Caught? Details not heard before.
If you're like a lot of people, you're dying (no pun intended) to learn more about The Golden State Killer. I blogged last week just after Joseph Angelo was arrested as a prime suspect. I noted some of the basic info about The Golden State Killer that law enforcers released after his arrest. The Golden State Killer. Since that time, there have been many articles and TV newscasts adding more details about The Golden State Killer case. But, one of the most interesting sources of info of late is … [Read more...]
Golden State Killer suspect arrested. Victims & timeline.
Do we finally know the identity of the Golden State Killer who likely killed 12 people and raped 50? Golden State Killer suspect arrested. DNA and other forensic tools—as well as a working group of amazing crim justice personnel—are the heroes of the hour. (In recent days, we've also been blessed with news of a hero during the Waffle House killings and a heroine pilot who safely landed a Southwest Airlines plane that lost a passenger 'cuz it lost an engine.) The Sacramento County district … [Read more...]