Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Criminal.
Terrifying Serial Killer Couples . Top Story - April 2018.
Everyone knows about Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy, but there are also serial killers who acted together as a couple. Some of these couples have served as inspiration to several films such as Natural Born Killers.
By Claudia Jerro8 years ago in Criminal
Arson
All violent crime is about power, and arson is no exception. When you imagine the devastating fury of uncontrolled flames, you are imagining an exercise of power that boggles the mind. Whether the arsonist is professional or an amateur, he follows the pattern of obtaining power; demonstrating it, maintaining it, and acquiring lost power. Statistics for arson fires are alarming. From 2010 until 2014, the latest years for which this information is available, there were 261,330 arson fires in the United States. Fatalities number 440, 1,300 injured, and one billion dollars in property damage. There are 20 offenders per 100,000 people. Most of these fires, a full 50 percent, occur at night. Motives include; thrill-seeking, vandalism, concealment of another crime, profit, revenge, attention seeking, hero complex, politics, terrorism, and mental illness.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
Why Are We So Fascinated With Serial Killers?
Serial killers have become an enduring part of contemporary popular culture thanks to a certain je ne sais quoi, and that has more to do with us than with them. We want to be able to understand serial killers so that we can simultaneously gawk at them, be afraid of them, and feel like we can control them, but we're always left unsatisfied thanks to the cognitive dissonance we experience when we're aware of both how similar and different they are from the rest of us. It's this visceral reaction will ensure that we're always fascinated with serial killers.
By Ben Kharakh8 years ago in Criminal
Thirty Minutes
Thirty minutes. Half an hour. One thousand, eight hundred seconds. It can fly by, or it can be the longest amount of time. My wife and I were visiting relatives for the holidays. It was a cold, snowy December morning. My wife had gone shopping with my grandmother, and my grandfather had asked me to pick up his briefcase from his office. I put the address in my GPS and made the trip across town.
By Linda Belcher8 years ago in Criminal
Sofia: Part 5
Sofia woke up with a massive headache pounding through her skull. She wondered where it had originated because she hadn't been drinking last night with Daviel. In fact, the last thing she remembered was him passing out on top of her before her mind went dark.
By Sharlene Alba8 years ago in Criminal
Autopsy
There is so much misinformation about autopsies in fictional TV, movies, and books, that it is time to set the record right. The parts of an autopsy are an external examination, Y-incision, removal of organs, stomach content analysis, collection of tissue samples, head and brain assessment, and the conclusions of the examiner. During all of this, the medical examiner is responsible for identifying the victim and estimating the time of death.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
Ronaldo Venuti: An American Mob Story (Part 1)
New York, New York; the city that never sleeps. A place that has welcomed millions of people from all over the world. People that have left their homes and their families behind in hopes of creating a new life in a new place. The idea of America is the idea of prosperity and freedom. For all these people, their ideas and dreams fuel their hard work and determination that one day they achieve their American dream. Unfortunately, for some, a new life means a low paying job, and run-down apartments with little hope of a better life, as is the case for the Venuti family; that is, until they have a run in with the mob.
By Sean Powers8 years ago in Criminal
Old School Fingerprints Just Don't Cut It Anymore
Fingerprints may seem old school to people today. After all, we've been using them in this country to catch the bad guys for over 100 years. Now there is an all-you-can-read smorgasbord of new and exciting discoveries in fingerprinting that will amaze you! It is no longer a world of loops, whirls, and arches, but one of chemistry, nanoparticles, and physics.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
'Wentworth' Over 'Orange Is the New Black'
As an easily entertained American female, I will binge anything on Netflix that catches my interest, and I'm not immune to the allure of a good drama. I loved OITNB the second it started and the cast was phenomenal. I waited a year in between each season and binged the newest season in a day just because I loved it. I have no issues with the first few seasons, but then I saw a few episodes of Wentworth; it was just too nice and easy to digest compared to Wentworth. Each bit of drama and plot leading on felt just too typical and unreal in the typical Hollywood fashion in Orange Is the New Black. Even most of the appearances in the show are too pretty for prison. I would bet that 90 percent of women in prisons in the US do not care about their appearances as much as this show would make you believe.
By Kira Lydia G.8 years ago in Criminal
The McStay Family
On February 4, 2010, a family of four vanished from their home. Joseph Mcstay was 40 at the time he went missing and his wife Summer was 43. They had two kids; Gianni was 4 and Joseph Jr. was 3. The family's home was searched after they disappeared and there was a carton of eggs left on the counter and two bowls of popcorn left on the sofa. It was obvious that the family left in a hurry. Were they running from something, someone?
By Faith McCune8 years ago in Criminal
