The True Crime Reader Daily

Missing People

2019-09-25T04:22:00.001-04:00

Missing People Cases That Are Terrifying And Heartbreaking

The Violence Before the Violence

2019-09-24T03:54:00.001-04:00

“Pain, like violence, resists neat contextualization or categorization.”

I Am Telling You What Happened To Me: Statistically speaking, we know many men who commit acts of mass violence have histories of domestic assault. We know that we culturally support, protect, and embolden these men, more so when they are white. We also know that those with mental illness are more likely to be the victims than the perpetrators of violent crimes. Violence is instinctual, and in this way, ordinary. Without a fight-or-flight response, none of us would ever survive. Violence both connects us to the world around us, and protects us against it.

Burmah White Why did she go along with it?

2019-09-23T18:50:00.001-04:00

No one asked why Tom White perpetrated the crimes, or asked his sister any questions about his past. But for months after the shootings and Burmah’s arrest, newspapers and radio stations tried to make sense of a young woman from a “good home” who would go along with such a villain.

The Blonde Rattlesnake Burmah White a teenage hairdresser married alleged gangster, Tom White. On their honeymoon they committed armed robbery against 20 people and that wasn't the beginning or ending of their crime spree together.

In the Summer of 1933, L.A. Had Its Own Bonnie Parker: The Blonde Rattlesnake However, she had suffered a traumatic head injury as a teenager, which may or may not account for her behavior during her courtship with Tom.

“I didn’t even know he was a bandit until he was killed” Burmah claimed she was a victim. “He made me do it — threatened me.” She said she didn’t knew he was an ex-convict.

Couples Who Murdered Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow weren't the first criminal couple, and Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Harper certainly won't be the last – from bank robbery and kidnapping to rape, murder and even cannibalism, some of the most shocking crime sprees have been pulled off by outlaw lovers. Whether motivated by a mundane need to pay the household bills, a twisted desire to prove their devotion, or nightmarish sexual perversions, these 10 notorious partners in crime give love a very bad name.

A Bitter Foe to the Rogues

2019-09-23T14:26:00.001-04:00

Allan Pinkerton

Pinkerton dedicated his life to fighting criminals like Jesse James, and at one point was called the "greatest detective of the age" by the Chicago Tribune. For almost four decades, he and his agents captured bank robbers and foiled embezzlers. But Pinkerton had not set out to become America's original private eye; the humbly-born Scottish immigrant stumbled into crime-fighting.

Allan Pinkerton vowed to get Jesse James, "When we meet it must be the death of one or both of us."

The Pinkerton Detective Agency was a great success. On the facade of his three-story Chicago headquarters was the company slogan, "We Never Sleep". Above this was a huge, black and white eye. The Pinkerton logo was the origin of the term private eye.

Library of Congress Pinkerton is credited with disrupting an assassination plot against President Lincoln and was even hired to “investigate” and gather military information in the South in the early days of the Civil War. His Union Intelligence Service was a precursor to the United States Secret Service.

The Secret Story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

2019-09-23T03:04:00.001-04:00

The Secret Story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s Last Tango

Sundance and “Etta” Library of Congress

For six years they managed to elude the most powerful detectives on the planet and outrun their past across the wilds of South America. Hidden, for years, in the tranquil frontiers of Patagonia and the deep forests of the Andes, they started new lives as law-abiding citizens. They roped cattle, built ranches, and spent their ill-gotten gains on glorious living, including tango parties and cabin concerts where a governor—and even lawmen charged with arresting them—were honored guests.

Maryann Measles Connecticut Sex Murder Victim: Update

2019-09-22T20:44:00.001-04:00

“a group of eight friends took the seventh-grader to a secluded house where she was bound, beaten, and gang-raped before she was drowned. At least one of the men also had sex with her after she died.”

Maryann Measles, 13, was abducted, raped and drowned by older friends. Three women allegedly participated because Maryann reportedly slept with their boyfriends. Maggie Mae Bennett agreed to testify against her friends in exchange for a 19-year prison sentence.

Sickening’: Family Rails at Early Release of Woman in Connecticut Sex Murder

Court documents describe a terrified girl who pleaded for her life before her killing.
Timeline of events

Lilly Dancyger is haunted by images of murdered women

2019-09-22T00:06:00.001-04:00

A journalist, the death of her cousin Sabina, and missing Kim Wall...

It Comes in Waves Lilly Dancyger

“When Sabina’s killer was brought to trial, I went to a therapist to help me decide if I should go or not. ‘Do you feel like you should?’. The therapist asked. ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I should, but I can’t.’ I felt as though I should be there, like the jury should see as many of Sabina’s family members as possible. Like it would be a way of showing up for her, even if it was too late to keep her safe. But the idea of sitting in the same room as her killer, of giving a face to the monster, of hearing detectives and a coroner explain in excruciating detail every single thing that happened to her…”

Sabina Rose O’Donnell, a waitress heading home was dragged from her bike, raped, and murdered.

Kim Wall was a freelance journalist from Sweden who went missing after accepting an invitation to join Danish inventor Peter Madsen on his UC3 Nautilus midget submarine, near Copenhagen on August 10, 2017.

The Final, Terrible Voyage of the Nautilus Kim Wall went for a ride on a submarine, hoping to write a story about a maker of "extreme machines." She never did.
Peter Madsen was a regular at sexual fetish parties and at the website
Travelgirls.com, that boasts of “thousands of adventurous girls who want to travel.”

Update: Michelle Carter Is Denied Parole

2019-09-20T22:46:00.002-04:00

Updates on Michelle Carter Case

Michelle Carter Is Denied Parole for Urging Boyfriend's Suicide: She 'Lacked Sincerity'
“The [board] is troubled that Ms. Carter not only encouraged [Conrad Roy III] to take his own life, she actively prevented others from intervening in his suicide. Ms. Carter’s self-serving statements and behavior, leading up to and after his suicide, appear to be irrational and lacked sincerity.”Massachusetts parole board

Carter has earned enough good time to move her release up from March 13 to May 5. Inmates can earn as many as 10 days monthly for working at the jail and attending educational and other programs.

The text messages presented at the Michelle Carter trial.

The Michelle Carter case will not be the last of its kind. If justice requires a conviction it is imperative to recognize “encouraging suicide” as a distinct area of law. This discusses causation in manslaughter proceedings, the difficulties in suicide-related cases using the Carter case specifically, and a new standard “overwhelming the will” to apply to these cases.

Background: A Massachusetts judge ruled that a teenage girl caused the suicide death of her boyfriend by encouraging him to end his life via text. What does this mean for the future of electronic communication and the law?

The Peggy Show

2019-09-20T19:42:00.001-04:00

Peggy had a sweet deal it’s too bad she blew it with greed.

“Peggy is the owner and CEO of King Management Group. She is the business manager to 31 professional athletes who look to her to help controlling [sic] their financial lives. Money is usually the least of the partnership. Peggy has been known to furnish homes, buy engagement rings and deal with endless baby mama drama. Known as "mama" to her clients, she works with some of the biggest names in sports.”

Peggy offered to manage a victim's finances for no fee using two bank accounts. With power of attorney she secured investments for clients. She padded costs, used credit card fraud, and ATM tampering. Bentleys, Maserati, Benzes, Range Rovers, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, jewelry, clothing, Trump Towers Miami condo, numerous homes, international flights and $2 million in American Express bills were paid with stolen money. Using 85-plus bank accounts and 20 shell corporations, she laundered money.

“The same people who years ago entrusted her with millions—from Ricky Williams to Dennis Rodman to Travis Best—wince today at the mention of her name. They'll tell you how she left them broke...How she's a forgery of the American Dream. And every athlete's worst nightmare.”

The Peggy Show Peggy Ann Barard, aka “black widow of banking," "the charlatan of all charlatans" and "a f------ chameleon ghost witch” is a shrewd, self-empowered minority woman who played to win at any cost in a male-dominated field.

Retired NBA star, Dennis Rodman, is trying to recoup the losses stolen by his financial manager, Peggy Ann Fulford, who presented herself as a Harvard-educated investment expert. She claimed that she made a fortune on Wall Street and was so well-off that she would manage his money without charging a fee.

Grand Jury Charges

Patriots cut Antonio Brown Over Sexual Offense Allegations

2019-09-20T19:15:00.000-04:00

Patriots cut Antonio Brown Over Sexual Offense Allegations

In June 2017 Brown hosted a softball game in Pittsburgh to benefit a youth charity that promoted gender equality. During the associated art auction Brown saw a portrait of himself with the artist, a woman. Brown trumped the high bid of $450 with a $700 offer. Brown invited the artist to his home to paint a wall mural. He had a van drive her from New York City, with his friends and associates to Pennsylvania. While painting Brown stood behind her, naked, holding a small cloth over his genitals. She ignored him.

Two days after Sports Illustrated’s story about Antonio Brow he sent an "intimidating" text to his accuser who says he made an "unwanted sexual advance" in 2017. The texts allegedly feature shows a photo of the accuser's children with instructions to associates to look up her background.

Brown was also accused of sexual assault and rape by former trainer Britney Taylor, a gymnast he met in college and later hired as his trainer. Brown sexually assaulted her during training by exposing himself, ejaculating on her back and forcibly raping her.

Did a frail man in his 91 yr old man murder his stepdaughter?

2019-09-20T02:41:00.001-04:00

Anthony Aiello, 91

The Fitbit Witness

This case is bizarre and fascinating.

Karen Navarra was a a 67 year old who lived alone with her cats. When she didn't show up for work, a coworker stopped by her home to discover Karen had been beaten to death.

Anthony Aiello, 91, accused of killing his 67-year-old stepdaughter, the case will not go to trial.

Bundyville: The Remnant

2019-09-20T00:28:00.000-04:00

Bundyville: The Remnant

From Nevada to Utah, Arizona to Oregon and Washington... An armed confrontation between Cliven Bundy supporters and law enforcement in a 21-year legal dispute with the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over $1 million in withheld grazing fees for Bundy's use of federally-owned land near his ranch in southeastern Nevada.

The Kingdom of Heaven, borne out of blood

Season two of the National Magazine Award-nominated podcast from Longreads, in partnership with Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Jacob Forman Sentenced for Murder of his Family

2019-09-19T23:59:00.000-04:00

Jacob Forman sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife Clara Forman, 33, and his daughters Karina, 7 and Yesenia, 9, in British Columbia. Jacob hit Clara in the head with a sledgehammer then took his daughters out to shovel snow before church. After church he choked them to death in their bedroom.