Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Criminal.
Final Gift
The fog lay heavy and thick across the courtyard as a sole figure emerged from the dark shadows along the tree line. She stood alone, glancing about her surroundings. Pulling the hood down further to cover her face she silently made her way alone the cobbled stone path. In the distance a tight grouping of buildings provided a dim solitary light in the fog.
By G MacDonald5 years ago in Criminal
The Terrible Escape Of Chester McGuinnel
The Wells Fargo carriage rocked on its axles as it picked up speed on its way out of Fort Monroe. The springs squeaked and the wood clunked, and before long things settled into that easy rhythm that you can tune out as you travel. Jared Gossler looked about. He was in for a full night of travel atop a miserable rickety stool that was already gnawing at the bones of his considerable rear. Three months now he’d been moonlighting on this security detail, and within two weeks he’d requested a cushion or a more comfortable chair. “Discomfort’s good for this job,” the boss had said. “Comfortable guards fall asleep.” With that, he would hear no more. Jared was getting close to bringing a cushion in from home. Marybeth would throw a fit if he did and forgot to bring it back, but the hell he’d catch would be worth it. This stool could grind an ass to powder.
By Tom Martin5 years ago in Criminal
Waiting
There’s a derelict building I know of. I’m headed there right now. The subway car is jostling and I keep looking at people to see if they’re sneaking glances at me. I’m pretty sure the pregnant woman isn’t following me but the man in the brown coat is starting to return my stares. I look away.
By Tom Martin5 years ago in Criminal
The Crimes of Velma Barfield
Margie Velma Bullard was born on October 29, 1932, in rural South Carolina. She was the second child born to a farmer, Murphy, and his wife, Lillian. When she was a child, her family moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where all accounts suggest that Velma had a difficult life. She was allegedly abused by her father, and her mother apparently did not intervene when he inflicted his abuse.
By Sian Toyne5 years ago in Criminal
Bettie page
Bettie Page's life was filled with cult myth, mystery and sadness. Her image captured the imagination of a generation with her free spirit and unabashed sensuality, during an era of strong sexual repression. She was the quintessential pin-up, tacked up on walls in military barracks and garages; five decades later, some feminists still hail her as a pioneer of women's liberation. It has been estimated that over 20,000 photographs of Bettie were taken, and new generations of fans still buy copies by the thousands. Born in Nashville, Tennessee to a part-Cherokee mother, she grew up in a family so poor "we were lucky to get an orange in our Christmas stockings." The family included three boys and three girls, and Page later said her father molested most of the girls. He eventually stole a police car for a cross-country trip, was caught and sent to prison, and for a time Bettie resided in an orphanage. Her parents divorced when she was 10 years old.
By Sian Toyne5 years ago in Criminal
Arthur John Shawcross
The amount of cannibals in American history is probably a lot higher than you’d expect. People with a desire to murder have a pretty big Venn diagram circle with people who have a craving for human flesh. People like Arthur Shawcross, the Rochester, NY based killer who killed 12 women and ate the genitals of several of them.
By Sian Toyne5 years ago in Criminal
Richardson Family Murders
In April 2006, in Medicine Hat, Canada, everyone in Jasmine Richardson’s family was killed except her. But her life wasn’t miraculously spared nor was she heartbroken. That’s because the deaths of the Richardson family were the result of a murder at the hands of 12-year-old Jasmine and her 23-year-old boyfriend, Jeremey Steinke.
By Sian Toyne5 years ago in Criminal
What To Expect When You Have Jury Duty
While it is not your ideal scenario to spend your day sitting in jury duty, it is smart to understand the concept to be prepared for when you are called to serve. It can be nerve-wracking to walk into your local courthouse and try to piece together how things work. To settle your nerves, here is a guide that will cover the expectations and explain the details of jury duty.
By Damien Justus5 years ago in Criminal
Consent vs. Coercion
Some things are universal. The world is made up of 195 different countries and approximately 6,900 distinct languages, but people are people anywhere you go and everyone has to function within this society and its various subcultures-- including what "rape culture" entails ("Linguistic Society of America”). The numbers vary from nation to nation, but worldwide an estimated one-in-three women endure physical or sexual assault at least once in their lifetime, with certain regions or groups being more at risk than others (“Facts and Figures”). Given the statistics, at some point in their lives everyone will almost certainly have to deal with the aftermath of sexual assault, whether it be their own or that of someone they know. Therefore, this is a topic with which everyone ought to be familiar. To that end, this essay will cover the culture surrounding rape, including the stigma; how blame is assigned; and the role of gender in this subject, the murkier matters of statutory rape and sexual coercion, some of the current laws relating to rape in the United States, and how the evolution of these laws reflects the existence of rape culture.
By Clara Reinke5 years ago in Criminal
