True crime

It's really ironic, isn't it, how we spend our youth tossing caution to the wind at every turn, believing we will live forever?I know I did.I think we all do, when we are growing up. I grew up in the baby boomer generation, for example, and the only cares we had was going to school, riding our bikes around the neighborhood until dark, going home to eat dinner at the family table, then TV and bedtime.Then, on weekends, we'd be up early, eating a bowl of cereal and watching Saturday morning cartoons, then out to meet up with our friends for a long day of creating new adventures, and some more great memories, of course.We all unknowingly took it all for granted, never having any inclination that we'd grow older by the day, month, and year. Graduating from highschool, getting a job, starting a family.Growing up.The whole time, as we moved on, growing older and hopefully wiser and happier, never having any idea that someday, whether it be a few years from now or decades from now, we would eventually have to face our own mortality.In my case, it was in the form of a cancer, that invaded my lymphnodes, and moved on to my chest.It's funny - well, ironic, that is - how your own mortality tends to show you just how vulnerable you really are, and at a time when you thought that your life was going pretty well, despite your other recent disappointments - and heartaches.When the old grim reaper came to visit me - in the form of squamous cell carcinoma - I had just gone through the death my beloved cat, Toby, my best friend friend from gradeschool, Phil, and my mother, who had spent the last two years in a nursing home until she had mercifully passed away in her sleep.My mind, heart, and soul had already been torn asunder, and I was just barely getting back into the swing of things when my body began to betray me in the form of the "Big C."

Radio personality Paul Harvey once said, "If you want to get away with murder, just go to Knox County, Indiana."Between the years 1974 and 2004, for almost three decades, his words, although not very flattering to our local authorities, rang true.Then, in the late 90s and early 2000s, through more advanced DNA technology, seasoned police and detectives's determination, and, in some cases, even willful confessions to the crime, our community had begun to see more positive results, and the closing of cold cases that had laid dormant for too long.The cases profiled here are THOSE cases, some solved, some still dormant, but all of them too close to home.

An anthology of True Crime involving both unsolved murders and disappearancesThe body of Hae Min Lee was found strangled to and buried in a park. Her ex-boyfriend was convicted of the crime but has since gained a new trial. Was there another killer? Jan Roseboro was found beaten and drowned in her own pool. Was the culprit her husband or his many different paramours? Ashley Fallis was found dead in her home in what was initially thought to be a suicide. It was later ruled to be a murder and her husband was indicted only later to be found innocent. Who killed Ashley Fallis? These stories and more are included in "Unsolved Murders"

Her orange and white striped jump suit beneath long, blonde, flowing locks suggests a children's entertainer, a professional party host for a gathering of eight-year olds. In a different setting, we could expect to hear the screams of joy and laughter, the party poppers going off, the moms and dads enjoying a glass of wine in the middle class kitchen of their middle class homes, bi-fold doors open to the gardens where the children have been placed to avoid the slightest risk of custard pie foam on the couch.Thank God it isn't raining, smile the benevolent hosts, trying and failing to fix an ironic grin on their faces. Truly, in their hearts, they thank God it is not raining.That Lori Vallow does look like a children's entertainer, dressed in bright hoops that extend even to her sneakers, is of course the properly ironic matter here. Painfully ironic. Because Vallow is suspected of one of the worst crimes a mother could possibly commit, although the charges, while hardly throw-away, are of a slightly less serious nature. Clearly, unspoken words tell that the public believe that she is guilty of something far more horrific.A mother betraying her children. More than that? The words are on everybody's lips, sympathy settles in the hearts of very, very few.But what if she's innocent?

Tiffany Cole spied on an elderly couple plotting a way to kill them and take their money. Teresa Lewis used a combination of sex and money to manipulate two men into killing both her husband and stepson in order to gain gain $250,000 in a life insurance scheme. Brenda Spencer predated the killings at Columbine and Parkland as she went on a shooting spree at the school directly in front of her home. Kimberly Saenz hated her job as a nurse and proceeded to dispose of patients she didn't like. Nikki Reynolds was a troubled teen who eventually had a murderous run-in with her adoptive mother who loved her so much...

History is riddled with individuals who have done rather atrocious things. Mass murders, ritualistic deaths, and desecration of bodies - it was easier to get away with things before the connectedness of the modern world. Still, people begin to notice when large numbers of other people go missing. And even in an age before technology, the ones responsible were often found. This is the case with the following story. Even in towns as large as Barcelona, people begin to notice things. And they begin to wonder what is happening. People still talk about "la vampire" of Barcelona as though it is a myth, but there is truth behind the narrative. And here is the tale of the woman who inspired a local legend.

The mass murder by Mary Ann Holder is one such case that rocked the entire country with its appalling and gruesome violence. Mary Ann Holder shot herself after shooting and killing five people including her two sons, a niece, a nephew and the girlfriend of her son. The incident occurred on November 20, 2011 in the town of Pleasant Garden in Guilford County, North Carolina.

The scene is a peaceful suburban setting in an area where trouble rarely calls. Excitement fills the air as a big community event ensues, but in one house there is a studious babysitter quietly reading her books while the radio plays softly and the children in their charge sleeps peacefully upstairs. Nothing seems out of the ordinary until the sitter meets a terrifying and untimely end at the hands of a deranged, usually masked, villain. It's become something of a trope in horror movies over the decades, with gargantuan figures, such as Michael Myers from the infamous Halloween franchise, preying upon unsuspecting teenagers in unfamiliar locations at the dead of night. But for one teenage girl and her family, this nightmare would become a reality.

California in the 1970s. Serial Killer central. Over a hundred bodies turned up, murdered, mutilated, assaulted in less than a decade. And at least two thirds of them were the result of just one man - compulsive killer Randy Kraft.It is believed that there were at least three serial killers operating in the south western state at that time, possibly more, but Kraft was by far the most prolific. On the night of May 14th, 1983 Sgt Michael Howard was on late night patrol. He and his partner were cruising the highway when they noticed a Toyota Celica driving erratically. It was trying to stay in its lane, but failing badly.Sgt Howard put on the patrol car's red and blue flashing lights, but the Celica did not pull over. It continued on its way for several more minutes before finally easing to one side, so close to the barrier that the passenger door could not be opened. Howard got out of the patrol car and approached the stopped vehicle, and as he did so the driver's side door opened, and out stepped a moustachioed man in his thirties. The policeman immediately realised this was going to be no routine case of driving under the influence because the suspect was displaying some very strange behaviour. But had Howard known then what he came to understand later, he would not have been surprised by the oddities with which he was now confronted. Because the man lurching before him was Randy Stephen Kraft. And he was acting under that part of his personality which came to the fore when compulsion became his driving force. A compulsion to kill.

A DETECTIVE'S NIGHTMARE There he was sitting emotionless and quiet for the past six years in a Los Angeles courtroom, without ever uttering a word in his defense. Lonnie Franklin Jr. also didn't have much of a reaction when he was sentenced to death for the murders of a teenage girl and nine women. Better known by his moniker, Grim Sleeper, a name given to him by the L.A. Weekly in 2008, Lonnie Franklin Jr preyed on drug addicts and prostitutes in a crime spree dating back three decades in Los Angeles. One of the longest operating serial killers in history, the Grim Sleeper targeted poor black women from 1985 until 1988. The killings stopped abruptly and no one was apprehended by the police...Until he began again.

The murder of Jeanne Clery shocked anyone who read the story. A young and beautiful college student away from home for the first time falling prey to a random and violent stranger. The stuff of every parent's nightmare. But Clery's parents were determined to do something about her death, to not have her daughter simply be another forgotten statistic. Their daughter's death would usher in the Clery Act which would be implemented around college campuses around the nation. But even with these precautions in place, could their daughter's murder been prevented?

Immerse yourself in "More of the World's Greatest Unsolved Mysteries", the enthralling sequel that deepens the enigma of the unknown. This is a beacon for those drawn to the shadows of the unexplained, offering new mysteries to unravel and secrets that defy conventional wisdom. Crafted with precision, this book presents a collection of cases that have baffled the brightest minds. These stories are a mosaic of the human experience, blending the historical with the contemporary, the scientific with the mystical, and the factual with the speculative. Embark on a global odyssey that spans the sands of time, where each chapter unfolds a narrative that bridges the gap between the tangible and the inexplicable, challenging the boundaries of reality. Prepare to be captivated once again as you explore the latest collection of the world's most bewildering unsolved mysteries. The stories in this book include: The Circleville EnigmaThe Polybius PuzzleVanished in the FogEncounters Over the PacificThe Mysterious Demise of Edgar Allan PoeEchoes of a Lost PrincessThe Alcatraz EscapeThe Linear A Script Vanished ProdigyFast Radio Bursts (FRBs)KryptosThe Secrets of Area 51 The Enigma of the Babushka LadyThe Dighton Rock InscriptionsThe Longyou CavesThe Antikythera MechanismThe Sajama LinesGöbekli TepeThe Disappearance of Jimmy HoffaThe Sailing Stones of Death ValleyWhispers in the FieldsJazz and BloodA Silent HeistInto the Green AbyssA Conqueror's EndA Writer's EclipseA Hero's SilenceLost and Found?Vanished in New Guinea The Enigma of the Man from Taured Shadows on the Green RiverBlood on Valentine's DayWho Is Banksy? Vanished MelodyVanished in the NightEchoes of the UnknownBeneath the WavesThe Digital EnigmaA Genetic FrontierEchoes in the HallwaysVanishing ActThe Invisible ThreadLost in the SnowThe Tragic Death of Diana, Princess of Wales Abysses of the ArcticThe Mind of the MachineShadow of an Aristocrat

More than eighty years after one of the most brutal homicides in the history of the city of Detroit, the crime continues to puzzle investigators. The night of July 3, 1929, Benny Evangelist and his wife, Santina, were slain in their home, located near the corner of St. Aubin and Mack. Their four children - 18 month old Mario, seven year old Angelina, five year old Margaret, and four year old Jeanne - had been killed, as well. It appeared that the murders had been committed by someone wielding an axe - in the master bedroom, Santina's head had been severed and Mario was found with his skull crushed. In the bedroom on the other side of the narrow hallway, the other children had been murdered in their own beds.

A True Crime anthology focused on the black widows of society. At first, the marriage seemed to be fitting of a storybook fairy tale, but relationship troubles pushed both man and woman to the edge of sanity. Unfortunately for Elisabeth Anne "Betty" Broderick's former husband and new wife, it ended in murder.In the early morning hours of November 5, 1989, the calm of a seemingly typical Sunday morning was shattered by the ringing of gunfire. The shooting occurred in the home of one of Marston Hill's most prominent medical malpractice attorneys, Daniel Broderick III. By the time police respondents arrived at the scene of the crime, there appeared to be no evidence of forced entry. However, what waited for them in the bedroom would be something that would be etched in their minds forever.The 44-year-old lawyer was lying in a pool of blood on the floor with a bullet hole in his back. His new wife, 28-year-old Linda Kolkena-Broderick, was found spread on top of the couple's bed with wounds in her head and chest, the bedsheets and pillows drenched in her blood.There was only one suspect, Daniel's ex-wife Betty Broderick.

AN ANTHOLOGY OF THE MOST MURDEROUS GOLD-DIGGERS IN MODERN HISTORY LOUISE PEETE "She's an entrepreneur. A homicidal entrepreneur." Louise Peete was a convicted American murderer famous for becoming the second woman in history to be executed in the State of California. She was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a wealthy mining engineer named Jacob C. Denton in 1920. Nineteen years later, however, she would be released from prison only to kill again. In a bizarre series of crimes, she would kill one of her benefactors, a social worker named Margaret Logan and be executed for committing that murder in April of 1947. DENA THOMPSON Dena Thompson is a woman who held power over every man that had the misfortune of falling for her charms. Dubbed a psychopath, Dena succeeded in fooling everyone around her, including investigators, with her lies and charm for over twenty years. Dena would post to Lonely Hearts columns and lure a steady stream of lovers and husbands into her world, eventually leaving each one emotionally and financially bankrupt. Her first husband lost everything to her and wound up as a desperate man on the run from a mafia threat that did not exist. With one husband gone and his money spent, Thompson would go on to bigamously marry Julian Webb, a successful advertising salesman. In three short years, Mr. Webb would be found dead in his bed from an unexplainable drug overdose. Thompson's third and final husband would soon be fighting for his life when she suddenly attacked him with a bat. Still, somehow, this master manipulator would convince an entire jury that she was nothing less than the victim of abuse. No matter how many fruitless chases she sent investigators on, Thompson would not be able to keep the family members and friends of her victims from stringing the pieces together one at a time. Her crimes were finally brought into the light of day and she would be imprisoned for her killings. VIRGINIA LAZERLERE Mid-afternoon shots rang out in the middle of a suburban dental clinic almost 27 years ago. A frantic call was received by emergency dispatch. The call was made by the wife of the slain dentist yelling down the line for assistance to save her husband's life, following a fatal gunshot wound to the chest. March 8, 1991 was the day that changed Virginia Larzelere's life forever. The cold-blooded murder of her dentist husband Norman Larzelere sparked off a chain of events that culminated in her lifelong incarceration. Although it could be proven that she never pulled the trigger on her husband, the prosecution successfully argued that she was the mastermind behind the crime. Police investigating the crime scene discovered that as Norman lay dying in a pool of blood he mumbled, "Was that Jason?" Jason was his son, adopted when he had married Jason's mother. JANIE LOU GIBBS Oppressed by a strict upbringing Janie Lou Gibbs was an American serial killer from Cordele, Georgia. She would go on to kill her three sons, a grandson, and her husband, by poisoning them with rat poison in 1966 and 1967. This is her story. BETTY LOU BEETS Betty Lou Beets is a perfect historical example of how multifaceted crime can be, how a victim could become an aggressor, or an aggressor may adopt the mask of victimhood, and how all is not necessarily as it seems. Convicted for murdering two men and assaulting or attempting to kill four, Betty Lou's story is one that would send chills down the spine of any man from any era.

Catherine Rose Isenberg was an up and coming actress in the East Coast theater scene in the early 1980s. The daughter of a prominent psychologist, she graduated from the top finishing schools and a bright future was hers for the taking in whatever endeavor she choose. But on December 1st, 1984, the beautiful Caroline was viciously assaulted and murdered. Who would want to kill the mild-mannered young actress who had charmed so many theater goers with her "sweet shyness"?

A BEAUTIFUL MOTHER OF THREE...GONE MISSING Before twenty-nine-year old Bianca Carrasco went missing in San Antonio on May 1, 2016, she was overwhelmed by the strain of her unhappy marriage. While Bianca's family said she was trying hard to laugh through her tears, it was clear to see that things between the mother of three and her forty-year old husband, Joe Daniel, were becoming increasingly difficult. "Things were not normal in her life when she went missing - there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes that are troubling," said Jovanna Burney, Bianca's older sister, during an interview with Dateline May 23, 2016. "The situation is difficult, because we are trying not to be judgmental." What happened to Bianca Carrasco?

Some criminal cases truly divide the public, and the murder of a wealthy Irish businessman Jason Corbett was certainly one of them. He was viciously killed by his second wife Molly Corbett and her father Thomas. Even though the killers claimed that it was self-defense because Jason tried to strangle Molly, the evidence spoke a different story. It was clearly a planned killing that had a different goal - securing Molly with the life insurance money and gaining the custody of Jason's children. She met Jason while she worked as an au pair and got very attached to the youngsters. The police conducted a thorough investigation that shocked everyone involved. It was clear that the murder was personal and that Molly got rid of Jason in a most horrific way because he wanted to leave her and move back to Ireland. She couldn't allow that to happen and she probably asked her father, a retired FBI agent to help her get Jason out of the picture so she could continue to live a lavish life in a large mansion located inside of a gated community. It is unclear if Molly had any psychological issues at the time of the slaying, but she was diagnosed with bipolar depression in the past which could explain her erratic behavior that cost this innocent man his life.

In the tragic case of Hannah Graham, however, social media would play both a positive and negative part. It would raise awareness of her disappearance, would generate a wave of support and practical help. But also, would be largely responsible for leading the public into a frenzy of impractical suggestions and ill-informed opinions.

In April, 1973, an American civil rights activist named Perry Ray Robinson traveled from Alabama to South Dakota to participate in a resistance led by the American Indian Movement (AIM) on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. His family never saw or heard from him again, and his wife was convinced that he'd been killed during an incident at Wounded Knee - possibly by the very organization he'd been trying to help.

A True Crime anthology of missing women... When a person goes missing, the first twelve to twenty-four hours are the most crucial time. If the person is to be found alive, then it is during that first day when the best chance of a happy outcome exists. More data exists on the make-up of missing people than of ways to trace them. Forty per cent of those in the US are children, and a third of the total are African American citizens. That is a heavy over representation. Only one in under eight people in the US are from this ethnic group. Jamie Fraley is neither a member of the African American community nor a child, although at the time she went missing, the diminutive 22-year-old blond could have passed for one. Sadly, when she disappeared, she also did not turn up on the first day - nor the first year. In fact, 2018 marks a decade since the young woman was lost.

Rebecca Fincham Davis met Gary Lee Davis while he was locked up behind the bars. She knew he was a very dangerous individual and that was part of his appeal. However, she allowed him to come into her life and change it completely. Their relationship and marriage was certainly an odd one because Gary Lee Davis didn't escalate to killing someone before they started seeing each other. Something in Rebecca made him push his limits even further. Perhaps it was his own sexual frustration or Rebecca herself. While we have the evidence that proves what this killer couple did, Gary Lee Davis' changing stories never truly revealed what exactly happened in Colorado in 1986. All we know is that a young woman was viciously killed by this violent couple.

Shayna Hubers was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her boyfriend Ryan Poston. A beautiful but jealous young woman, she became enraged when her boyfriend stated that he wanted to leave her so he could date another woman. But Hubers claimed self-defense as she stated that Poston pressured her to perform sex acts and was abusive. What really happened in their relationship? Was Shayne wrongfully charged or was she a cool, calculating killer?

AN ANTHOLOGY OF WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY "Fatal Attractions" is a look back at women who killed both their husbands and in some cases the wives of their lovers. Carolyn Warmus was the Glenn Close character come to life as she killed the wife of the man she obsessed over. Samantha Scott was a former Playboy model who was married six times with her fifth and sixth husbands feeling her violent wrath. Sheila Davalloo was a time bomb in waiting, masking a dark anger underneath a sunny facade. Sharon Kinne killed at will, her lovers and their wives. Her full body count is unknown and she remains a fugitive to this day. Annie Monahan predated Kinne, but she too was able to evade the law after killing three husbands.

A collection of True Crime stories are featured in this anthology. Not every killer is a desperate man, a jealous husband or scheming 'black widow' woman. Not every murder is a robbery gone wrong, or a sexually driven crime. Sometimes, killing takes place just because it can. And the perpetrator of this most savage of crimes can sometimes be the person we least expect. Caroline Grills seemed liked the perfect aunt. But underneath the facade lurked a murderer in waiting.

History shows us that men are most likely to commit heinous crimes but women are no strangers to violence either. Yes, they do not kill frequently and female killers do not engage in killing sprees so often. Instead, their crimes are driven by passion and sometimes even obsession with another person. They are not prone to selecting a random victim but would turn on their partners, friends, or family. Women are usually not killing for the thrill but they do so for their own personal gain, even if it seems illogical to a bystander. So as you may already know, whenever a body turns up somewhere, the police would immediately question the closest family members.Crystal Mae Wagner's case is intriguing because she managed to include a third man into the whole narrative and make him do the dirty job for her. The overly brutal killing and the disposal of the body shocked the Bibb County in Georgia. Luckily, Crystal Mae Wagner's body count didn't escalate and she was caught in time

Zebb had been working at the electronics department in Walmart for quite some time, and was logging in over 40 hours a week despite being a part-time employee. He took up extra shifts whenever they were available, and in the two years he had worked there, he had never taken a sick day or skipped his shift. With the money he made, Zebb had been saving up for a new car, and he felt ready to trade in his 1990 Mazda Protégé for a Mitsubishi Eclipse. He had spoken to a few people about where he could find it, and he finally turned to Robert "Jason" Owens, who promised to help. Jason, who worked at Volvo Construction Equipment in Asheville, knew about a dealership in Leicester, North Carolina, that had the Mitsubishi Eclipse Zebb was looking for. 18-year-old Zebb and 21-year-old Jason made plans to meet up at the Walmart parking lot on Sunday 2, 2000, after Zebb's shift, and drive together to Leicester to check out the car.At around 9 p.m. on that Sunday night, Zebb's coworkers watched Zebb and Jason interact briefly in the parking lot and then drive off separately. They knew that Zebb was heading to check out the car, and was excited to finally get it. They drove down Long Shoals Road, and the two stopped at a convenience store to buy sodas, and the surveillance footage showed the two men entering the store at around 9:15 p.m. That was the last sighting of Zebb.What happened to Zebb Quinn

There is nothing more appealing than a murder that has all the right elements. There needs to be a pretty girl with sex appeal, a lot of money, and, of course, someone else to blame. There are a lot of reasons to kill someone. Some people do it out of hatred. Some people do it for personal advancement. Some people do it simply because they are evil people. No one will ever be certain if or why this particular murder occurred, but the speculation around it would affect the family and friends of the victim for years after the event. This is a case out of Phoenix, Arizona about a man who fell in love with a Vegas Showgirl.

When Kristin Smart was 19, she had lofty goals. After growing up in Stockton, California, Kristin was almost finished her freshman year at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo in May of 1996..."She was a dreamer. She had expectations," her mother, Denise Smart, said in an interview with FOX40 in May of 2018. "She was going to be a millionaire. She was going to be an architect. She was going to be Joan Lunden. She was going to travel the world - she had a very adventurous spirit."...But when Kristin called her mother on Memorial Day weekend in 1996, it was the last time her family would hear her voice. Three days later, Denise recalled, she got an SOS call from the Cal Poly Police Department, asking if they knew where their daughter was...Kristin had gone missing from campus.

Uno de los secuestros que mayor consternación ha causado en la opinión pública mexicana fue el de la escritora Ernestina Sodi y su hermana, la actriz laura Zapata, perpetrado por la banda de secuestradores "Los Tiras", quienes se encuentran tras las rejas a raíz de la denuncia que ambas presentaron después de su liberación. Las hermanas fueron privadas de su libertad la noche del 22 de septiembre del 2002 a la salida de un teatro, después de asistir a un ensayo de la actriz; golpeadas y amedrentadas, fueron trasladadas a una casa que los secuestradores adaptaron para retener a sus victimas y donde permanecieron encerradas, con los ojos vendados, mientras los secuestradores iniciaban las negociaciones para pedir su rescate. Después de transcurridos 18 días, y al no obtener respuesta de los familiares de sus victimas, los secuestradores liberaron a Laura Zapata. Sin embargo, Ernestina Sodi permaneció cautiva durante tres meses, hasta que su hermana menor, la cantante y actriz Thalía, completó la suma exigida. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION This is the kidnapping that has caused the greatest concern in Mexican public opinion. The abduction of Ernestina Sodi and her sister, the actress Laura Zapata, was perpetrated by a band of professionals, who are now incarcerated. The sisters were taken hostage in 2002, and Ernestina Sodi remained captive for three months, until her younger sister, the singer Thalía, came up with the demanded sum. Those days Ernestina Sodi endured physical and psychological abuses that left deep wounds in her life and that of her family. This book is the painful account of her confinement. Through its pages we penetrate the dark, violent, and merciless world of organized crime; we will also witness the desperation, impotence, rage, and infinite fear, but also the luminous hope of freedom.