With A Pinch Of True Crime

12/12/2021

Anyone else 🙋🏼‍♀️

09/12/2021

Sally Anne Bowman was an English singer, hairdresser and model who was murdered in the early hours of 25 September 2005 in Croydon, South London. Bowman, aged eighteen years at the time of her death, had been robbed, r***d and repeatedly stabbed. Mark Dixie, who had a history of robbery and s*xual offences, was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum of 34 years.

08/12/2021

I’ll be highlighting TV Docuseries that are currently streaming on Netflix UK, this week I’m highlighting “Killer Inside - The Mind of Aaron Hernandez”

Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez is a three-part series that delves into the life of American footballer and father of one, Aaron Hernandez. The young NFL player was about to sign a $40M contract before he was arrested on suspicion of murdering his fiancee's sister's boyfriend.

What are your favourite TV Docuseries? Let me know in the comments 👇🏼

07/12/2021

Convicted ra**st and kidnapper John Cannan is believed to be launching a bid for parole. Canaan was jailed for the murder of Shirley Banks in Brisol in 1987, as well as the attempted kidnap of a businesswoman and the r**e of a Reading woman a year earlier. He is also thought by many to be behind the 1986 disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh.

He was never charged in relation to the presumed murder of Suzy, but investigators believe there is credible evidence linking him to the crime.

06/12/2021

Crime Documentary Recommendation 📺

American Murder: The Family Next Door tells the story of the 2018 Watts family murders, which took place in Frederick, Colorado. It uses archival footage including social media posts, law enforcement recordings, text messages and home video footage to depict the events that occurred.

05/12/2021

Pure joy 💪🏽

02/12/2021

Stephen Lawrence was a black British teenager from southeast London, who was murdered in a racially motivated attack while waiting for a bus in Eltham on the evening of 22 April 1993. The case aroused widespread controversy: its fallout included cultural changes of attitudes on racism and the police, and to the law and police practice. It also led to the partial revocation of the rule against double jeopardy. Two of the perpetrators were convicted of murder on 21 June 2012.

After the initial investigation, two suspects were arrested but not charged. It was suggested during the investigation that Lawrence was killed because he was black, and that the handling of the case by the police and Crown Prosecution Service was affected by issues of race. A 1998 public inquiry,headed by Sir William Macpherson, examined the original Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) investigation and concluded that the investigation was incompetent and that the force was institutionally racist. It also recommended that the double jeopardy rule should be repealed in murder cases to allow a retrial upon new and compelling evidence: this was effected in 2005 upon enactment of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. The publication in 1999 of the resulting Macpherson Report has been called "one of the most important moments in the modern history of criminal justice in Britain".

On 18 May 2011, after a further review, it was announced that two of the original suspects, Gary Dobson and David Norris, were to stand trial for the murder in the light of new evidence. At the same time it was disclosed that Dobson's original acquittal had been quashed by the Court of Appeal, allowing a retrial to take place. Such an appeal had only become possible following the 2005 change in the law, although Dobson was not the first person to be retried for murder as a result. On 3 January 2012, Dobson and Norris were found guilty of Lawrence's murder; the pair were juveniles at the time of the crime and were sentenced to detention at Her Majesty's pleasure, equivalent to a life sentence for an adult, with minimum terms of 15 years 2 months and 14 years 3 months respectively for what the judge described as a "terrible and evil crime".

In the years after Dobson and Norris were sentenced, the case regained prominence when concerns of corrupt police conduct during the original case handling surfaced in the media. Such claims had surfaced before, and been investigated in 2006, but were reignited in 2013 when a former undercover police officer stated in an interview that, at the time, he had been pressured to find ways to "smear" and discredit the victim's family, in order to mute and deter public campaigning for better police responses to the case. Although further inquiries in 2012 by both Scotland Yard and the Independent Police Complaints Commission had ruled that there was no basis for further investigation, Home Secretary Theresa May ordered an independent inquiry by a prominent QC into undercover policing and corruption, which was described as "devastating" when published in 2014. An inquiry into whether members of the police force shielded the alleged killers was set up in October 2015.

01/12/2021

I’ll be highlighting TV Docuseries that are currently streaming on Netflix UK, this week I’m highlighting “The Keepers”

The Keepers tells the story of Sister Catherine Cesnik, a 26-year-old nun living in Baltimore who was abducted and murdered back in the 1960s. The case was never solved, but was linked to a horrific history of s*xual abuse by a chaplain called Father Joseph Maskell.

What are your favourite TV Docuseries? Let me know in the comments 👇🏼

30/11/2021

Nikolas Cruz has pleaded guilty to murdering 17 people in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Cruz was 19 when he opened fire at the school with a legally bought semiautomatic weapon on 14 February. During the rampage he was filmed telling terrified teenagers “You’re all going to die”. It’s thought he admitted to guilt to avoid the death penalty, but will need to wait for sentencing to find out his fate.

Cruz was the subject of a video by YouTuber JCS - Criminal Psychology titled “What pretending to be crazy looks like”, which has since been viewed over 53 million times. The premise of which is the analysis of Cruz’s behaviour during his initial Police interrogation shortly after being apprehended. Cruz makes multiple claims attempting to divert the blame away from himself and seemingly to set the foundations for an insanity plea, claiming that a demon made him buy the gun and shoot his peers at the school. The interrogating officer however saw these transparent claims for what they were and didn’t entertain the attempts at manipulation by Cruz.

29/11/2021

I’ll be highlighting TV Docuseries that are currently streaming on Netflix UK, this week I’m highlighting “Don't F**K with Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer”

The series chronicles events following a crowd-sourced amateur investigation into a series of animal cruelty acts committed by Canadian pornographic actor Luka Magnotta, culminating in his murder of Chinese international student Jun Lin.

What are your favourite TV Docuseries? Let me know in the comments 👇🏼

28/11/2021

Don’t waste your time recommending non true crime related podcasts 💁🏼‍♀️

27/11/2021

Steven Gerald James Wright, also known as the Suffolk Strangler and the Ipswich Ripper. He is serving life imprisonment for the murder of five women who worked as s*x workers in Ipswich, Suffolk. The killings took place during the final months of 2006, and Wright was found guilty in February 2008.

26/11/2021

Crime Documentary Recommendation 📺

Long Shot is a 2017 short documentary film about how Juan Catalan was arrested for a murder he did not commit. A TV show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, contains raw footage that was instrumental in proving his innocence.

25/11/2021

The prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann, Christian Bruecker, could soon be charged with her disappearance by this Christmas - German prosecutors hint. “We have strong new evidence against the suspect. The investigation is proceeding well and we hope to have an update soon… We are working very hard to solve this case and others where he is a suspect”

Bruecker is currently serving seven years for the r**e of an elderly woman in 2005, and is suspected of at least five other s*x crimes.

[Source: Crime Monthly]

24/11/2021

After nearly 12 hours of deliberation, the jury found Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael and William ‘Roddie’ Bryan guilty of murder in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery on Wednesday afternoon.

What happened?
Ahmaud Arbery was out for an afternoon jog in Brunswick on 23 February 2020.
The elder McMichael, a neighbourhood resident, told police he believed Mr Arbery resembled the suspect in a series of local break-ins. Police have said no reports were filed regarding these alleged break-ins.
The McMichaels armed themselves with a pistol and a shotgun and pursued Mr Arbery in a pickup truck through the neighbourhood. Mr Bryan later joined the pursuit.
Mr Arbery was unarmed.
The younger McMichael testified during the trial that he tried to talk to Mr Arbery while the two were still in their truck and that Mr Arbery never threatened the trio, brandished a weapon, reached into his pockets or yelled after being confronted.
After getting out of his truck, Mr McMichael fired his shotgun at Mr Arbery during a struggle. He claimed self-defence, saying that Mr Arbery grabbed at his gun.
Three shots were fired.
A post-mortem examination showed Mr Arbery had two gunshot wounds in his chest, and a gunshot graze wound on the inside of one of his wrists.

[ Sources: https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/glynn-county/watch-live-jury-finds-3-men-guilty-murder-ahmaud-arbery/LJ6NXNET6ZAWJHAJVDTKUD72JU/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52623151 ]

24/11/2021

Brian Laundrie, the person of interest in Gabby Petitos murder, cause of death has been revealed as “a gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was suicide” his family‘s attorney Steve Bertolino said in a statement to BuzzFeed News on Tuesday 23rd November.

21/11/2021

👀 👀 yes… serial killer fascinations are “unhealthy”...

19/11/2021

Take a look at part 2 of my favourite crime TV series.
Part 3 coming soon 📺

What are your favourites?

18/11/2021

Keith Henry Blakelock, a London Metropolitan Police constable, was murdered on 6 October 1985 during rioting at the Broadwater Farm housing estate in Tottenham, North London.

On 5 October 1985 four policemen burst into the home of Broadwater Farm resident Cynthia Jarrett looking for stolen property. They failed to find any, but Ms Jarrett had a heart attack and died. Her death was only weeks after riots in Brixton, south London, which happened following the accidental shooting of Cherry Groce by police officers.

On 6 October, following Ms Jarrett's death, her family met with police and demanded an inquiry. They made it clear though that they did not want any kind of public disorder. At 18:45 GMT that day, however, police were called to Mount Pleasant, Willan Road and The Avenue. Once there, they were pelted with bricks, bottles and petrol bombs. Cars were overturned and set alight, as were shops and other buildings. In the hours that followed, up to 500 officers were drafted in, battling with rioters throwing bottles and cans from the walkways within the estate. At about 22:15 BST, PC Keith Blakelock was repeatedly stabbed and, a court later heard, attempts were made to decapitate him. PC Blakelock, who was from Sunderland, was trying to protect firefighters tackling a blaze. He died later in hospital. By midnight, 58 policemen and 24 other people had been taken to hospital.

In 1987, Winston Silcott, Engin Raghip and Mark Braithwaite were convicted of PC Blakelock's murder. However, their convictions were quashed by the Court of Appeal in 1991, after questions were raised about the way police interviews were carried out. A second investigation between 1992 and 1994, which offered immunity from prosecution for those in the mob who had kicked rather than used weapons on PC Blakelock, did not result in prosecutions.

Nineteen years later, Nicholas Jacobs, 44, of Hackney, was charged with PC Blakelock's murder. In April 2014, an Old Bailey jury cleared Mr Jacobs by a majority verdict.

Following the case, the Met defended its decision to pursue a conviction against Mr Jacobs, and said it would not be deterred from future investigations. A force spokesman said the investigation into the murder of PC Blakelock remains open.

17/11/2021

I’ll be highlighting TV Docuseries that are currently streaming on Netflix UK - one of my favourites and one of the most diabolical bank heists ever ‘Evil Genius’.

Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist is a 2018 true crime documentary series about the death of Brian Wells, a high-profile 2003 incident often referred to as the "collar bomb" or "pizza bomber" case. It was released on Netflix as a four-part series on May 11, 2018.

What are your favourite TV Docuseries? Let me know in the comments 👇🏼

15/11/2021

My favourite crime films, part 2 🎬
These are all currently streaming on Netflix UK.

1. Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve & Thirteen, 2001-2007, Dir. Gary Ross, Steven Soderbergh
The Ocean's series is a collection of American heist films anchored by a trilogy edited, directed or produced by Steven Soderbergh. The original three films were written by Ted Griffin and George Nolfi, along with Brian Koppelman and David Levien, for each respective film.

2. Sn**ch, 2000, Dir. Guy Ritchie
Illegal boxing promoter Turkish (Jason Statham) convinces gangster Brick Top (Alan Ford) to offer bets on bare-knuckle boxer Mickey (Brad Pitt) at his bookie business. When Mickey does not throw his first fight as agreed, an infuriated Brick Top demands another match. Meanwhile, gangster Frankie Four Fingers (Benicio Del Toro) comes to place a bet for a friend with Brick Top's bookies, as multiple criminals converge on a stolen diamond that Frankie has come to London to sell.

3. The Town, 2010, Dir. Ben Affleck
Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) leads a band of ruthless bank robbers and has no real attachments except for James (Jeremy Renner), who -- despite his dangerous temper -- is like a brother. Everything changes for Doug when James briefly takes a hostage, bank employee Claire Keesey. Learning that she lives in the gang's neighborhood, Doug seeks her out to discover what she knows, and he falls in love. As the romance deepens, he wants out of his criminal life, but that could threaten Claire.

4. The Accountant, 2016, Dir. Gavin O'Connor
Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is a mathematics savant with more affinity for numbers than people. Using a small-town CPA office as a cover, he makes his living as a freelance accountant for dangerous criminal organizations. With a Treasury agent (J.K. Simmons) hot on his heels, Christian takes on a state-of-the-art robotics company as a legitimate client. As Wolff gets closer to the truth about a discrepancy that involves millions of dollars, the body count starts to rise.

Does my list match yours? Let me know your favourite crime films in the comments👇🏼

14/11/2021

Truly sad news when your friends don’t share your obsession 🤣

12/11/2021

Take a look at part 1 of my favourite crime TV series.
Part 2 coming soon 📺

What are your favourites?

11/11/2021

Tracie Andrews, a former model and barmaid, stabbed her fiance, Lee Harvey over 42 times with a pen knife after they had stopped in his car following an argument on the way to their flat in The Becks, Alvechurch, Worcester. At a press conference on 3 December 1996, she claimed that Mr Harvey was killed in a road rage attack, saying that a "fat man with staring eyes" had stabbed him over 30 times.

Andrews was convicted in the Birmingham Crown Court on 29 July 1997, and was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a recommendation that she serve at least 14 years. Andrews appealed the sentence, claiming that she was the victim of a miscarriage of justice because of damaging publicity surrounding her case. In October 1998, the appeal was denied. In April 1999 Andrews admitted that she did stab Harvey to death, whilst still maintaining she acted in self-defence.
Andrews was released in July 2011.

10/11/2021

I’ll be highlighting TV Docuseries that are currently streaming on Netflix UK - first up ‘The Staircase’

In 2001 novelist Michael Peterson's wife died, and he claimed she perished after falling down stairs at their home. The medical examiner, however, determined that she had been beaten with a weapon, which led to Peterson becoming a suspect in what would become a murder investigation. This series, which began with eight episodes in 2005 before being updated in 2013 and 2018, follows the investigation as it proceeds from Peterson's arrest to a verdict being reached in the ensuing trial. The real-life courtroom thriller offers a rare and revealing inside look at a high-profile murder trial and an examination of contemporary American justice.

What are your favourite TV Docuseries? Let me know in the comments 👇🏼

09/11/2021

The Gabby Petito Murder

Gabby Petito and boyfriend Brian Laundrie embarked on a road trip around the United States in July 2021. On the surface, their relationship appeared to be a happy one, however, friends of both Gabby and Brian had described their relationship as “rocky”, with one of Gabby’s friends having misgivings about their road trip stating that she was “concerned with them spending that much time together”.

On August 12, Gabby and Brian are pulled over by police, in Moab, Utah, when a concerned citizen called to say that they saw a fight ensue between them. When the police spotted their van the officer is quoted saying Laundrie was “driving erratically” and above the speed limit. Once pulled over, police bodycam footage shows Gabby appearing distressed and tearful - this was later described as a “mental/emotional incident” rather than a domestic assault.

August 30 was the last time Gabby’s family believe they heard from her, after they received a text from her phone saying “No service in Yosemite” - it is now believed this text was sent by Laundrie.

On September 1st, Brian returned home without Gabby and refused to tell Gabby’s family where she was. 10 days later Gabby’s mother reported her daughter missing. On September 13th Brian leaves his home reportedly telling his parents he is going on a hike - without informing law enforcement.

On September 15th Brian is named as a person of interest in Gabby’s disappearance.
Brian and his family did not cooperate with the police and hindered the investigation.

Searches were launched for both Gabby and Brian. However, tragically on September 19th, a body was discovered in Teton County, Wyoming. The remains were confirmed to be Gabby. An autopsy revealed that Gabby likely died 3-4 weeks earlier and the cause of death was strangulation.
An arrest warrant was issued for Brian, the basis of which was that Brian was unlawfully using Gabby’s credit cards.

On October 20th human remains were found in the Carlton Reserve, along with Brian’s backpack and notebook. On October 21st the FBI confirmed via dental records that the body was that of Brian Laundrie.

An incredibly sad and tragic case, leaving little closure for the families involved.

08/11/2021

My favourite crime films, part 1 🎬
These are all currently streaming on Netflix UK.

1. Zodiac, 2007, Dir. David Fincher
The film tells the story of the manhunt for the Zodiac Killer, a serial murderer who terrorised the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s, taunting police with letters, bloodstained clothing, and ciphers mailed to newspapers.

2. Seven, 1995, Dir. David Fincher
When retiring police Detective William Somerset tackles a final case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills, they discover a number of elaborate and grizzly murders. They soon realize they are dealing with a serial killer who is targeting people he thinks represent one of the seven deadly sins.

3. Gone Girl, 2014, Dir. David Fincher
A former New York-based writer Nick Dunne and his glamorous wife Amy present a portrait of a blissful marriage to the public. However, when Amy goes missing on the couple's fifth wedding anniversary, Nick becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance.

4. Spotlight, 2015, Dir. Tom McCarthy
In 2001, editor Marty Baron of The Boston Globe assigns a team of journalists to investigate allegations against John Geoghan, an unfrocked priest accused of molesting more than 80 boys. Led by editor Walter "Robby" Robinson, reporters Michael Rezendes, Matt Carroll and Sacha Pfeiffer interview victims and try to unseal sensitive documents. The reporters make it their mission to provide proof of a cover-up of s*xual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church.

Does my list match yours? Let me know your favourite crime films in the comments👇🏼

07/11/2021

Why are American true crime documentaries so dramatic 😅

06/11/2021

23/09/2021

Sabina Nessa, a 28-year-old teacher from south London, is believed to have been murdered on the five-minute walk from her house to a pub, police say, sparking renewed outcry about the UK's epidemic of violence against women and girls.

London's Metropolitan Police said in a Thursday statement that Nessa had left her home in the borough of Greenwich just before 8:30 p.m. on Friday September 17. Detectives believe that she was walking through Cator Park towards a bar in Pegler Square, where she had planned to meet a friend.

She is thought to have been murdered on her journey through the park, the Met statement said, with her body found the following afternoon, close to a nearby community center.

"Sabina's journey should have taken just over five minutes but she never made it to her destination," Detective Chief Inspector Joe Garrity said, adding: "We know the community are rightly shocked by this murder -- as are we -- and we are using every resource available to us to find the individual responsible."

Garrity has appealed for anyone in the area of the park around the time of the attack to come forward.

[Source: CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/23/uk/sabina-nessa-murder-london-gbr-intl/index.html]