There’s nothing like a good true crime story, andKilling Time‘s teen protagonist Natalie Temple is possibly the genre’s biggest fan. When reporters from her quiet, simple town inform her that her teacher — and fellow true-crime aficionado — Mrs. Halsey was found dead, she takes it upon herself to uncover …
Read More »The Disappearance of Kristin Smart: What Happened and What's Next
Nineteen-year-old Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing after a campus party 25 years ago, and, this summer, her case is finally getting its day in court. In April, Paul Flores, 44, was arrested on one count of murder in connection to the case, and his father, Ruben Flores, 80, …
Read More »New 'Disappearances' Podcast Covers Infamous Missing Persons Cases
Sarah Turney is best known for running a media campaign to pressure police to arrest her father for the murder of her sister, Alissa Turney, who went missing in 2001. The years-long mission, which included a blog, Facebook and Instagram accounts, and a podcast called Voices for Justice, culminated in …
Read More »Netflix's 'The Sons of Sam' Depicts the Dangers of Our True Crime Obsession
Journalist Maury Terry was already neck-deep into trying to prove that David Berkowitz, a.k.a. the Son of Sam, did not act alone in his New York City killing spree when he received a letter from the serial killer in 1981, postmarked Attica Correctional Facility. “I am guilty of these crimes,” …
Read More »How a Fake Rent-a-Hitman Site Became an Accidental Murder-for-Hire Sting Operation
A few months ago, a 51-year-old woman from Michigan named Wendy Wein sent an email to a man she believed was named Guido Fanelli, the proprietor of a website called Rent-A-Hitman.com. “Got A Problem That Needs Resolving? With Over 17,985 U.S. Based Field Operatives, We Can Find A Solution Thats …
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