Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Criminal.
Murder Mystery
The detective kicked his shoe against the desk. He was tired of being one step behind the killer. Enough was enough. He sat back down in his chair and began to read through the files once more. "There must be something I had missed," he thought to himself as he reached for the cold cup of coffee. Taking a big swig of the stale drink, he looked at the crime scene photos once more. It wasn’t enough. Something was missing. He sat back up and grabbed his jacket. The crime scene was only a few blocks away. He burst out of the office and saluted his receptionist as he left the building.
By Kiana White8 years ago in Criminal
El Freebird
I can still feel the warm summer breeze, the heat of the sun on my skin... As I break from my mother's grip of holding my hand, I take a look around with my innocent eyes remembering the reason for the barbed wire fences, suddenly my heart jolts at the sound of a metal door buzzing... Here I am, once again, spending my Saturday morning at Central Correctional Facility. I take a deep breath and step in with the weight of my mother's hand nudging me to move forward. My mother's voice faint, almost non-existent as I look into the double plexiglass window at the familiar face of officer Ramirez as he flashes me a smile, kind of like, "Hey kid, I'm sorry."
By Melissa Gonzales-Nestor8 years ago in Criminal
Pickpockets
We all know what the oldest profession is, but pickpocketing is probably the second oldest. For as long as there have been pockets and crowds there have been people around who can relieve you of your money and valuables without your even noticing. Literature, like Dicken's Oliver Twist, movies like Ocean's 11, and TV shows like Sneaky Pete all show our fascination with pickpockets. Being the victim of a pick is not in the least bit romantic.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
The Strike
It was a late night and I had just gotten off work. I had to do the late shift again. "Ughh I'm so tired." That's what I always tell myself, and yet nothing ever changes in my life. I'm tired of everything I do, and my routine still never changes. I have all I want and everything I need in life. I'm still not satisfied. I feel empty and lost. So I decide to leave my cute and tidy little apartment and go on a vacation. I really need it. So I pack my bags and take my car out when my phone rings. It's my mom who I never talk to because of so many issues and I just don't even like her. She's so annoying and I just...ugh, I can't. So I decline her call and she texts me saying she wants to see me one last time because she has like cancer or something. But I don't want to see her. I can't. She ruined my life and I don't want to relive those moments. I text her saying that I don't want to see her end of story and that she needs to just leave me alone. My younger sister loves her and just adores my mom because she doesn't think she abandoned us. She thinks she left because my dad and her didn't get along. Truth be told, my dad is amazing and super sweet, but my mom didn't love him anymore even after 20 years of marriage. One day she just left, and now she tries coming back into my life with her 20-year-old boyfriend who is 24 years younger than she is. Absolutely gross. It's not my job to judge. I just try to keep my younger sister in check and she tries to keep me in check. So I text my sister that "I'm leaving town and going to Lake Tahoe and won't be back till Monday." She texts me back, "Alright love you" because she was probably dead asleep and I woke her up. I decide to leave at night because I want to get there in the morning and sleep in. It is already 11 and I still have two and a half hours of driving until I get there. Lucky me.
By Nicole Partridge8 years ago in Criminal
Womb Raiders
Every month, Darci Pierce added to her girth by stuffing clothing under her clothes. She had told everyone she was pregnant. Now, she was running out of time. This "baby" was already past term, and Darci was having a hard time finding excuses for an overdue birth. She believed the only reason her husband had married her was that she was pregnant. In a calculated and well thought out plan, she read about the techniques of doing a Caesarian delivery, bought the tools and supplies necessary, and then she selected her victim. Cindy Ray was kidnapped at gunpoint from the parking lot of her obstetrician. The gun was a fake. Cindy was 8 months pregnant, and Darci's best chance at success. The operation was to be performed at Darci's home, but as they pulled up, Darci realized her husband was home. She drove Cindy up into the wooded mountains. Darci strangled Cindy, dragged her behind some bushes and tore open Cindy's abdomen with her car keys. Cindy was still alive as Darci chewed through the umbilical cord with her teeth. When Pierce was taken to the hospital, she refused to allow doctors to examine her and started to change her story about giving birth, saying it was a surrogate who gave birth to the baby. The authorities were called and eventually, the 19-year-old womb raider was arrested. Cindy was dead by the time police found her. The baby survived. Pierce received a 30-year sentence.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
Top 10 Must-Read Detective Crime Novels. Top Story - May 2018.
"Just one more chapter, then I'll go to sleep, I promise..." Anybody who loves reading will be familiar with this phrase. Then you find yourself up into the latest hours of the night because you said "one more chapter" one too many times. While this phenomenon can happen with any genre, it seems to be the most common, at least for me, with detective crime novels. There's something about that sense of mystery that makes the idea of that next chapter oh so appealing.
By Kioko Leonia8 years ago in Criminal
Most Anticipated Mystery Novels of 2018
Speaking as a writer, there's something both respectable and awe-striking about the kind of author who can write a book that people look forward to reading. It's doubly true when it comes to crime, thriller, and mystery novels because of how easy it is to fall into a Scooby Doo type of writing trap.
By Cato Conroy8 years ago in Criminal
Parents Who Kill Their Children
Elise and Harry Donnison were murdered by their mother, Fiona Donnison, in 2010. She smothered them while they were sleeping with their own pillows. The reason? To get back at her husband for leaving her and starting a new relationship. Forensic Science International published a study based on three decades of filicide (child killing) events between 1976 and 2007. In the United States, these crimes occur at the rate of 500 a year. Victims of parental murder were usually under six years of age (72 percent). One-third of those cases were babies under a year old. In fact, a baby is in the greatest danger of being killed on the very day it is born. There are five recognized motives behind filicide:
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
The Known and the Unknown
It was a humid day in June when Luna Smithers decided she wanted to have ice cream with her boyfriend of one year, Luis Martinez, at his house. She pulled up to his house in her powder blue Corvette. She noticed that his car was the only one in the driveway, so his family must have recently left because they were there when she called. She took a breath and stepped out of the car, taking the tubs of ice cream out with her. As her black strappy sandals hit the ground, she got a feeling in her stomach. It felt like flutters, but not of butterflies, more like the rugged wings of moths who are searching for the light of day after years of darkness. She doesn't know why she had this bad feeling about being here since she is actually here often. She shakes it off, her long chocolate brown curls swinging right along with her head. She goes up to the red wooden door, with the seemingly menacing bull door knocker looking her directly into her eyes, and she texts Luis to come to the door.
By Tiana Covington8 years ago in Criminal
Best True Crime Books of 2018
Are the best Criminal Minds episodes on repeat just not cutting it anymore? Have you already finished Mindhunter and all TV shows similar to Mindhunter? I know the feeling. I don't know what it is, but anything related to serial killers or true crime is a must-watch in my book. Maybe that says something about me... Oh well, best to ignore it.
By Jesse Kinney8 years ago in Criminal
