fact or fiction

Is it fact or merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores the myths and beliefs we hold about copycat killers, eyewitnesses testimony, what makes a murderer and more.

Pablo Escobar: The Rise and Fall of a Powerful Drug Lord
Pablo Escobar: The Rise and Fall of a Powerful Drug Lord Pablo Escobar was a Colombian drug lord who rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s as the leader of the Medellín Cartel, which was responsible for smuggling vast amounts of cocaine into the United States. Born into a poor family in Rionegro, Colombia in 1949, Escobar began his criminal career as a thief and later became involved in the drug trade.
By Paul Smith3 years ago in Criminal
"El Mencho and the CJNG: The Rise of a Powerful and Violent Drug Cartel in Mexico"
"El Mencho and the CJNG: The Rise of a Powerful and Violent Drug Cartel in Mexico" José Rodolfo Villarreal Hernández, better known by his alias "El Mencho," is a Mexican drug lord and the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the most powerful and violent criminal organizations in Mexico.
By Paul Smith3 years ago in Criminal
The Story of Serial Killer Charles Sobhraj and How He Walked Out of Jail After 19 Years
Introduction: Who is Charles Sobhraj? Charles Sobhraj is an infamous serial killer who was convicted of murdering at least 12 people. He is also known as the “Bikini Killer” because he would dress up as a tourist and lure his victims to their death.
By Leasa3 years ago in Criminal
Accused kingpin "Asia's El Chapo" extradited to Australia in "one of the most high-profile arrests in the history" of the country
Accused kingpin "Asia's El Chapo" extradited to Australia in "one of the most high-profile arrests in the history" of the country
By Paul Smith3 years ago in Criminal
Mexican cartels have turned to fentanyl
Mexican cartels have turned to fentanyl A white pillared mansion in the hills of the opulent Lomas neighborhood of Mexico City, close to an embassy and UN facilities, was the scene of the largest drug cash bust in history. Federal officials from Mexico found a pile of $205 million in bills, along with pesos, Euros, and Hong Kong dollars, after they burst through the property's decorative gates in 2007. But it wasn't the property of one of the scarred and vicious drug lords from the mountains of Mexico; rather, it belonged to the well-dressed Chinese-born businessman Zhenli Ye Gon.
By Paul Smith3 years ago in Criminal
31 Pieces of a Dead body
Today in Crime Story, the story of those two murders is presented, whose fabric was woven around two dead bodies, 31 pieces, 31 bullets and 31 graves. Such a conspiracy, trying to get to the bottom of it, even the police themselves got fooled once. This is the truth and not a story of any Mumbai movie.
By Zayn 3 years ago in Criminal
Compulsion (1959)
Compulsion is a 1959 noir thriller based very faithfully on the infamous murders perpetrated by Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, two sons of vast privilege living in Chicago in 1924, who were as obsessed with Nietzsche as they were each other; both of them were prodigies and Nathan Leopold was in grad school before the age of 21. They gleaned their sense of superiority from reading Nietzsche's idea of the "Ubermensch" or "Superman," who was "beyond good and evil," and who doesn't have to play by the conventional dictates of a morally-ordered world. The Superman, being far advanced over the "brainless, vociferating herd" (as Ragnar Redbeard called them). This is the Darwinian inversion of traditional Christian ideals, so that instead of "turning the other cheek," Superman becomes unfeeling, coldly calculating exploiter of "lower beings," who can use and cast aside whoever and whatever he wishes, to cross the abyss of Nothingness, and realize, on the other side of that, his True Destiny. Even if that end is destruction in the name of the "transvaluation of all values." Amor fati, Nietzsche would say. Or, "Love your fate."
By Tom Baker3 years ago in Criminal
The Box In The Box
On February 1957, Joseph Augustus Zarelli (The Boy In The Box) was found on the side of the road wrapped in a plaid blanket in a cardboard box badly beaten and severely malnourished. On November 30, 2022, the police department stated that they had identified The Boy In The Box but didn't publically release his name until December 8th, 2022. They identified him through the DNA database. With this new discovery maybe we can finally get more closure to this case.
By Haylee Marick3 years ago in Criminal
The 34 Best True Crime Documentaries and Series of 2022 (So Far)
The 34 Best True Crime Documentaries and Series of 2022 (So Far) All fans of true crime, take note: A fresh slate of compelling new documentaries and scripted true-crime shows to watch arrives with the start of a new year. We can already see trends developing for the real crime themes that will come as new projects are launched. The Summer of Scam(opens in new tab), anyone?) and other crimes that captured our attention in the past are developed into a series in 2022 that will detail everything we now know about what happened. These 2022 true-crime documentaries and series are for those itching to learn the entire tale of their favorite con artists.
By Paul Smith3 years ago in Criminal
THE LEGEND OF “BLOODY BATHORY”
Sadistic Beginnings Countess Elizabeth Bathory was born in 1560 in Nyírbátor, a town about 170 miles east of Budapest. She was fortunate to be born into a wealthy noble family, with ties to members of royalty. By all accounts, Bathory was a well educated and beautiful young woman.
By Library of the Lost3 years ago in Criminal
10 Lesser-Known Americans Currently Detained in Non-U.S. Prisons
10 Lesser-Known Americans Currently Detained in Non-U.S. Prisons Some people applauded and others denounced Brittney Griner's recent release from a Russian jail colony on the morning of December 8, 2022. On the same day, Sarah Krivanek, an American citizen who had been ordered deported from Russia owing to a domestic dispute, also left the country. Krivanek, in contrast to Griner, did not take part in the prisoner swap that saw Griner traded for Viktor Bout, the subject of the Nicholas Cage movie Lord of War from 2005. Paul Whelan, a former Marine and corporate executive who was found guilty of espionage and is currently serving a 16-year term, is a third prisoner who is well-known. What many people don't realize is that there are many more prisoners being held in jails outside of the United States than just these three. There are many more of these people; this article only names ten.
By Paul Smith3 years ago in Criminal
Brittney Griner freed from Russian prison in exchange for Viktor Bout! Did America make the right decision?
Brittney Griner, an incarcerated American basketball player, was recently released by Russia in a high-profile prisoner swap for renowned arms dealer Viktor Bout, also known as the “Merchant of Death,” who had spent 12 years in a US prison.
By NicTaye Love-Stephens3 years ago in Criminal