True Crime

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 beco...

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 w...

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 ...

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 th...

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 bes...