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.
July 6, 2019 By Leave a Comment
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
January 13, 2019 By 4 Comments
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...]
Murdered while in prayer, while in school: The bullying connection.
October 27, 2018 By 2 Comments
Schools and houses of worship are two of the most revered places in our society. They are also among the most vulnerable since—unlike many places of business, transportation centers and the like—they've generally lacked guards and security. That's changing for schools, and sadly now, for places of worship. Yes, there've been other shootings and bombings at sacred places (to show the range, Charleston, SC in 2015; Birmingham, AL in 1963). But there've rarely been calls for armed protection for … [Read more...]
Announcing the Criminology Research Tutorials series.
September 27, 2018 By 2 Comments
I’ve expanded the original scope of this site from bullying and discrimination to include criminal justice, starting with this Criminology Research Tutorials series. I am a criminology professor, so I have a lot of great info to share. Today I’m excited to announce a new series of tutorials on criminology research. Expect genuinely useful tips for writers, journalists and criminal justice students...mixed in with gallows humor from time to time. Not sold? Here are seven reasons you should … [Read more...]
Golden State Killer suspect arrested. Victims & timeline.
April 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment
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...]
Scariest Horror Villains of all time? Halloween edition.
October 28, 2017 By 1 Comment
It's Halloween season, and so why not have some scary villain fun? It's appropriate here, too. My site is dedicated to heroes, villains, and fools... as well as to the more abstract notions of discrimination and preferential treatment in the justice system. Scariest horror villains of all time. Thrillist.com has put together a list of the 33 scariest horror villains of all time. Scott Weinberg at Thrillist has left politicians and Hollywood producers off the list. Wonder … [Read more...]
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