True Crime

For my final project, I chose to write biographies about infamous killers that I did extensive research on. I have been passionate about true crime for as long as I can remember and have spent endless hours reading about killers, so I thought it would be interesting to write about them in my own words.   Dean Corll Dean Corll was an American serial killer born on December 24th, 1939 in Wayne, Indiana. His killings started when he turned 31, and in the course of 3 years at least 28ᐩ victims had been killed at his hands. Seemingly a normal child with adequate grades, no one would have expected Dean to have turned out the way he did. His mother had custody of him through a series of divorces causing him to end up in Houston, Texas where the rape and killings occurred. Unfortunately, Corll was never caugh for his crimes until after his death. In an attempt to rape and murder two of his accomplices, Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks, Henley talked his way out of the restraints and

Freedom: My Book of Firsts by Jaycee Dugard   "It's moments like these that make all the bad moments seem unimportant. One day we will sit around in our old age and laugh about all the silly, sad, fun, humbling, hilarious, embarrassing times we had with each other, and I am truly looking forward to that day" (Dugard 223).     This quote made me happy because it is inspiring. It shows that true moments happiness will outweigh your dark past memories. It shows that happiness is the most powerful feeling, and if you enjoy your life and make happy memories, you can reminisce about them positively.   

Freedom: My Book of Firsts by Jaycee Dugard   I love the quote I chose because it I relate to it very much. Animals always make me feel better, and when I see them it reminds me that this world is not all bad. While people may be hard to bond with sometimes, you can always find a friend in an animal.   "I am so lucky to have so many animal friends in my life. They come in so many shapes and sizes and each has their own personality. What they have in common though, is their ability make me feel wanted and loved each in their own way" (Dugard 245). I have personal experience with therapy animals and have grown up with surrounded by them. I had a golden retriever as a child that I would dress up in tutus, snuggle with and play with everyday. Her name was Daisy, and she was my first real best friend. Now I have a cocker spaniel and a German shepherd, and my family is getting another German shepherd puppy soon. My cocker spaniel, Patch, is ten and follows me everywher

Serial Killers and Mass Murderers by Niguel Cawthorne I chose this quote because it came directly from a survivor of the Columbine shooting twenty years ago. I also feel its prevalent in today's society with the many school shootings that have occurred recently. "They shot at everybody... including the preps, jocks and people who wore Abercrombie and fitch clothes" (Cawthorne 322).   I found this quote to be powerful because it seems that often times school shooters may target their bullies or people they envy the most. The columbine shooters decided they were going to end the lives of thirteen people, most were "popular" kids. It has been said that the shooters, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris were not bullied and were regarded as decently popular. So they just targeted these kids out of rage and hate, even though they were not victims of bullying. A lot of people may feel victimized by the "popular" crowd in high school or envious, but most d

Freedom: My Book of Firsts by Jaycee Dugard   Being a girl who was kidnapped and victimized for eighteen years, shackled in a shed and raped everyday, Dugard was manipulated by her captor, Phillip Garrido. She was a niave eleven year old when she was taken. Children are very suseptiable to manipulation and believe what their elders tell them. He got in her head and convinced of her many horrible things.   "And I learned that there are really good strangers out there, and not all of them are bad like Philip told me" (Dugard 96).   Philip Garrido, convinced Dugard that nobody would like her or accept her if she was released into the world again, and warped her mind in many ways. He told her all other people were bad, and she believed it after hearing that for years and years. He truly made her believe he was "saving" her and that he was a good person. In reality, he is the worst of the worst. He abused her when she was a prepubescent child until she was i

Freedom: My Book of Firsts by Jaycee Dugard   Jaycee Dugard is a very important person because of her ability to be positive and happy, but also not suppressing her past trauma. She was held captive for eighteen years where she was raped everyday. She was found in 2011 and brought to safety. Now she has moved on and is living her best life. The quote I chose is from her second book, Freedom: My Book of Firsts that she wrote herself.     "A grungy-looking old man inn dirty clothes stands on theside of the road. He's holding up a bright yellow sign with bold, black letters that read "SMIILE." A reminder to smile? How odd, I thought to myself. Do I really need a reminder to smile? I guess I do sometimes. I feel like the queen of smiling most days, and yet I needed to be reminded at times, too" (Dugard 25).     I can relate to Dugard's statement because I think everyone needs a reminder to smile at times. It is okay to be in a bad mood, or upset

Serial Killers and Mass Murderers by Niguel Cawthorne   What is something that fills you with joy and happiness? For me it is playing with dogs, or relaxing with a cup of tea on a rainy day. Or the feeling I get when I help someone else or give them a gift. I am sure any normal person would agree with me. But unfortunately there are some twisted people in this world who feel happier than they have ever been when they are killing another human being.   "The killing filled him with a feeling of serenity he had not felt since childhood" (Cawthorne 12).   Cawthorne is talking about Charles Starkweather. Starkweather is called a "natural born killer" meaning he had a sick mind ever since a young age. He went on a killing spree and murdered eleven people with his girlfriend and accomplice, Caril Ann Fugate. The killing brought him so much pleasure that he was happiest when doing that. It gave him a sense of power, control and bliss. Thankfully after his spree

Serial Killers and Mass Murderers by Niguel Cawthorne    I liked this quote because I think it is a very valid statement but it does not make sense in every killer's profile. Some killers blend into society, and when they get caught, their neighbors, friends and spouses even children in some cases, are shocked. Seemingly "normal" people can sometimes have the deepest, darkest secrets.   "Emanuel Tanay, a professor of psychiatry at Wayne State University, pointed out that murder is not the crime of criminals, but that of ordinary citizens" (Cawthorne 4).    In my years of research into the topic of true crime and serial killers, I have found many convicted killers grew up committed petty crimes and then escalated to more severe crimes, then to murder. A lot of them start as troubled children who may assault peers, steal things and just behave delinquently. Some may have sexual misconduct or stalking charges as well. Then they become more bold with ag

Essential Question: What are the steps in a missing persons investigation? Jaycee Dugard's story has always been something I was aware of and really effected me. I have read both of her books, A Stolen Life and Freedom: My Book of Firsts . Dugard was held captive for eighteen years where she was sexually assualted everyday. In a previous blog, I discussed the gross negligence of the police who investigated her abduction when she was only eleven years old. This made me wonder what it takes to find an abductee and bring them home safely. I did some research to find out more.   The police will begin by searching the abductee's home or their last known whereabouts, then calling/ tracking their cell phone. Then they will check their texts and social media to see their last known location or any details that may lead them to there whereabouts. They will check the local hospitals to see if there is any admission of the missing person. They will then review CCTV footage and sear

Essential Question: What does it take to be a criminal investigator? When reading about the investigation and capture of Whitey Bulger in my book Whitey Bulger by Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy, I was so intrigued by how intense the actual investigation was. Personally I believe catching a killer is one of the most stressful, difficult jobs out there and I have always been fascinated by how amazing the process is to make an arrest. For my entire life I always wondered what it truly took to become a detective and now I have a better understanding. I learned that one have to be a very special type of person to be able to be a homicide investigator. It is a job of incredibly high stress that weights heavily on one's well being. One must be detached emotionally and be prepared to see the worst of the worst. They need to be able to look at a corpse and remain composure, which I can imagine is an incredibly difficult thing to do. Being level headed is key, and determination is the

Essential Question: How do the police profile a killer?   As someone who grew up a lover of crime shows, one of my favorites was Criminal Minds. In the shows that FBI profiling killers and it leads them to an arrest. In order to profile a killer the police have to analyze every tiny detail, nothing is insignificant. If they are not spot on it can throw off the whole case and lead them the wrong way. When I was reading Serial Killers and Mass Murderers by Niguel Cawthorne, I found it interesting to read profiles of the infamous serial killers and how it works. Within reading, I learned how profiling truly works. When the police or FBI goes to investigate a crime scene, that is where they begin their profile, they carefully analyze it in a very complex way. They pick up on small clues the killer leaves that may seem to have no significance to an average person, but in actuality it helps them create a profile. For example, the investigators will analyze the way a victim's body

Essential Question: What role do drugs play in violence?       Unsurprisingly, a lot of serial killers were/ are avid drug users. Drugs make a lot of people violent, but for people with murderous desires it seems to send them over the edge and increase delusions. There is a huge drug problem that seems to be taking over the world at this point. It is a huge problem and is getting worse daily. In reading Serial Killers and Mass Murderers by Niguel Cawthorne, I learned that one of the most infamous killers named Charles Manson used LSD that enhanced his already demented mind, and Jeffrey Dahmer drank heavily and may have used other drugs. I began to wonder if drugs and alcohol had  a link to serial killers and their behaviors. I did some research and found that drug and alcohol abuse does in fact make people more violent. It increases violent behavior by 72 percent among men and 50 percent among women. The violent behavior was only increased in those who suppressed angry and sad

How effective is our criminal justice system?     I have answered this in a previous blog but I wanted to show another side of the topic, out of respect for Dugard. I have been aware of Jaycee Dugard's story for many years, as I have always been into the topic of true crime and missing persons cases. I have read both of her books, A Stolen Life and Freedom: My Book of Firsts and I want to bring light to her struggle. She was kidnapped at age eleven and was held captive for eighteen years by a sex offender who raped her everyday. Finally she was located and brought home with her two children fathered by Garrido. She was handcuffed to a bed in a shed and tortured as a young child into adulthood. When one hears this story they are horrified and some wonder, how did nobody find Jaycee within these eighteen years? Although she was in a hidden backyard in a soundproof shed, there were many missed opportunities to find her and bring her to safety.   I believe that the police w

Essential Question: How does a person survive after suffering extreme abuse?     Jaycee Dugard is now a thirty-eight year old woman who was held captive for eighteen years. In captivity she suffered unimaginable sexual abuse by a man named Philip Garrido. He kidnapped her when she was eleven and raped her daily. She was finally found after giving birth to two daughters. In the book Freedom (a sequel to A Stolen Life ) by Dugard, she talks about her life and how she lives after her horrific abuse. While reading Dugard's memoir,   I learned that the only way to move on from trauma was by having a positive attitude and letting the past go. After she was found by police, she had lost eighteen years of her life to being held in a shed where she was sexually abused. Pregnant at thirteen years old then again when she was seventeen, giving birth to children fathered by her abuser. Dugard writes this book in such a positive light, showing that she is living her best life. She sho

Essential Question: How effective is our criminal justice system? While reading Whitey Bulger by Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy, I learned that Whitey Bulger was a huge mobster with gang affiliation dating back to his early teenage years. He lead a life of crime until he was finally apprehended in 2011, when he was already an elderly man. He was charged with extensive counts of murder, money laundering, racketeering, extortion, distribution of narcotics and more. These crimes spanned throughout his whole life, so why was he just recently convicted? What took our criminal justice system so long? Whitey was second on the FBI's most wanted list (below Osama Bin Laden) for twelve years while he was hiding out. Even before those twelve years, he lead a life of crime. While he was charged and incarcerated for small crimes before he proceeded to more serious crimes such as murder and extortion. Whitey basically disappeared into thin air after the authorities were finally able to bu

Essential Question: What psychological problems lead someone to committing heinous acts? I have briefly answered this question in a previous blog, but I find it very facsinating so I wanted to dig deeper. When a normal human being learns about a serial killer, we are deeply disturbed by their actions. We wonder how someone could even have murderous thoughts and what truly could drive someone to hurt another person for personal satisfaction. I've always been interested in researching more on this topic. My favorite book I have read this summer, Serial Killers and Mass Murderers, by Niguel Cawthorne has seventeen chapters, each a short biography of different killers. Cawthorne briefly discusses the mental states of the killers, but never goes in depth with it. The lack of information on the real psyche of a murderer has inspired me to do some research myself. What makes a killer kill?  Around two-thirds of serial killers are diagnosed with Cluster Type B Personality Disorders, wh

Freedom: My Book Of Firsts by Jaycee Dugard  Jaycee Dugard was only eleven years old when she was abducted by Philip and Nancy Garrido. She was held in a shed in their backyard where she was raped almost daily at the hands of Philip Garrido. She gave birth to two daughters fathered by Garrido, the first when she was only thirteen years old. Jaycee lived in captivity for eighteen years with her daughters. She was taken on June 10, 1991 and found by the authorities on August 26, 2009.  "These events happened so many years ago. Even though I am well into my thirties now, I can still close my eyes and relive these events as if they just happened yesterday. These are moments ingrained into my psyche and cannot be erased. I chose not to let them take over my life now. And I choose to create new, better memories. Memories that will eventually outweigh these bad memories until they are nothing but dust in the air" (Dugard 17).  Dugard is showing a very positive outlook for

I found this article that focuses on five different real life cases (which have true crime shows about them) and how they have effected the cases. It is very fascinating and I urge you to check it out!     http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/making-a-murderer/feature/a862462/true-crime-tv-cases-staircase-jinx/

If you are into true crime and snapchat, you're in luck! There is something called "Solve" on the discover page. They hire actors to play suspects of a crime, and you have to analyze the clues and guess who did it. It's cool because they are based off of real events!

20 year old Mollie Tibbetts went missing on the evening of July 18 while taking a jog. She was dog-sitting at her boyfriend's Brooklyn home while he was out of town. There is a massive search party going on to locate Tibbetts. Hopefully she is found unharmed. Spread the word!

Jose Gilberto Rodriguez, 46, was arrested for three fatal shootings. He is suspected of killing Pamela Johnson, 62, Allie Barrow, 28, and another unidentified man. He is also being investigated for the robbery and non-fatal shooting of a bus driver and a home invasion. He is a ruthless killer and does not think twice about breaking the law. 

New Developments in the shooting of XXXTentaction were made when the grand jury indicted three new men for the crime. Dedrick Devonshay Williams has already been charged and remains in custody. Michael Boatwright, 22, was apprehended on July 5th and is also in custody. Robert Allen, 22, and Trayvon Newsome, 20, are also suspects who have not been found yet. 

Essential Question: What can our government change to avoid gun violence? While reading Serial Killers and Mass Murderers by Niguel Cawthorne, I learned that on August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman Jr. a deranged ex-marine, climbed to the top of a tower at the University of Texas, shot and killed 16 and injured 30 more. His crimes sparked national debate about gun control and the need to prevent mentally ill people from getting them. Connecticut state senator at the time, Thomas Dodd proposed a bill that made laws to obtain a firearm more difficult, but also to prohibit sales to criminals and mentally ill people.  Despite the bill, Charles Whitman Jr. would have still been able to purchase guns, because provisions on it did not apply to him. Before the incident, Whitman sought very brief counseling with a psychiatrist, but stopped going after a couple appointments. The psychiatrist that Whitman met with did not suspect he was a danger to himself or others at the time.  Since Whitm

  I found this map that has the name of a prolific criminal on each state (where they were/ are from or where they committed their crimes) and the color represents the crimes they are responsible for. The key in the bottom right tells you what each color means.