It was Jan. 18, 2011, in Phoenix, Ariz., and Peter Forcelli, a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), picked up a 911 call about a robbery in progress. When he arrived at the scene, it was obvious something horrible had happened. “As we stepped through the doorway, the tang … Read more
The neo-Nazi who inspired Edward Norton’s skinhead character in “American History X” has revealed he is now an observant Jew after turning his life around — and discovering his heritage through DNA testing. Frank Meeink, 48, became a leader of a violent ultra-right group in the early 1990s, torturing enemies who stood in the way … Read more
An elderly widow from Arizona feels “devastated” after losing her entire life savings of $25,000 to telephone scammers last month. Susan Guthrie, 76, was conned by fraudsters who posed as Microsoft employees and talked her into depositing the money into their account, SWNS reports. They convinced her that her computer had been hacked and unless … Read more
These days, it’s common for a true crime story to go viral, but that interest often gathers momentum only after an investigation, documentary, podcast or online conversation brings to light a previously unfamiliar saga. For this streaming list, I wanted to look instead at stories that were, to some degree, viral already, and where that … Read more
Her mineral man wasn’t rock solid. A grieving British widow says she was conned out of $63,000 in life savings by a “romance scammer” who preyed on her via Facebook. The sexagenarian, known only as Lyn, was tricked into sending a fraudster called “Derek” cash for hospital and hotel bills — until she cashed in … Read more
Brad Wagner has had enough. After decades as a cop, the Washington DC officer feels ground down by the city’s carnage. “The violence and death never stop,” he says in ‘Walk The Blue Line – True Stories from Officers Who Protect and Serve’ (Little, Brown), by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann. “It just goes on … Read more
It’s good to be king? A new report has found New Orleans to be the top spring break destination of 2024 — and the most dangerous. The Saints-loving Who Dat Louisiana city — known for raucous Mardi Gras parties and frisky Bourbon Street — saw 931,680 spring break-related searches from February to May 2023, according … Read more
True-crime doc watchers who are in committed relationships may see “Lover, Stalker, Killer,” a bracing account of a lurid series of misdeeds directed by Sam Hobkinson, and breathe a sigh of relief over being out of the dating pool. It begins in 2012, when Dave Kroupa, an auto mechanic in Omaha, was rebounding from a … Read more
All sins point to Nevada. The Silver State won the gold in WalletHub’s new report on the most sinful US states. Following Nevada are Louisiana, California, Florida and Tennessee, according to an analysis of 55 key indicators of immoral or illicit behavior. “Nevada ranks as the most sinful state in America, which probably doesn’t come … Read more
A homeless woman wanted for armed robbery allegedly shot and killed a Hollywood music producer while he sat in his car, police announced. Kayla Delise Mackie, 27, was charged with murder Tuesday, five days after William James Edwards III was found in “grave condition” while parked on a Santa Monica street. The 46-year-old producer — … Read more
Think twice about a tropical getaway to the Caribbean this winter. The U.S. embassy in the Bahamas has released a security warning and travel advisory that the island nation is currently unsafe for tourists amidst 18 murders — “primarily” motivated by gang violence — in January alone. Safety concerns have reached a point of severity … Read more
It’s no big deal, until it happens to Taylor Swift. Now that we have your attention: Houston, we have an AI-generated porn problem. An oozing societal sore many folks were seemingly happy to ignore until it ran afoul of America’s Sweetheart. This week, deepfake images of the wholesome singer — digitally-altered “photos” portraying her in a … Read more
There’s a moment near the end of the 2017 documentary “Mommy Dead and Dearest” where Gypsy Rose Blanchard is filming her boyfriend at the time, Nicholas Godejohn, as he lies nude in a hotel room bed. A day earlier, Godejohn had stabbed to death Gypsy’s mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. The killing was part of a … Read more
Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi shine in “Criminal Record,” an artful jigsaw-puzzle crime thriller. The eight-episode series, premiering Jan. 10 on Apple TV+, posits Jumbo and Capaldi as June Lenker and Dan Hegarty, London detectives linked by a murder committed 10 years earlier — with the wrong man imprisoned for a crime he did not … Read more
She’s free — to tell all. Convict-turned-influencer Gypsy Rose Blanchard reveals her abusive past and time in prison via letters, phone transcripts and photos in her new e-book, “Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom,” out Tuesday. The 32-year-old — who was released from a Missouri prison on Dec. 28 after serving seven years of a 10-year sentence … Read more
Broadway is attracting fewer theatergoers from New York City suburbs — and a major reason is “safety concerns” about Manhattan, according to a survey. The Great White Way sold 12.3 million tickets for the 2022-2023 season — a 17% drop versus 2018-2019, the last complete season before Broadway shut down because of the pandemic, according … Read more
A Grinch stole her Christmas, too. Cathleen Turner was aboard an Amtrak train traveling back to the Big Apple from Roanoke, Virginia when her post-Christmas spirits were soured: Her luggage was stolen. The New Yorker claims that an estimated $3,000 worth of personal belongings — including her high-end athletic apparel, beauty products and Christmas presents — were … Read more
The following cities ranked among the top 10 most “unsafe” places in the U.S. during the holidays, according to new research from Vivint, a smart-home security company. Researchers combined “property crime data, Google search trends and other security factors” to rank the 50 largest cities in the country in order by crime risk. Those factors … Read more
Filmmakers know that the courtroom is a hell of a place to put on a show — and this year, French movies like “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Saint Omer” have put women on trial to dramatize, not so much their crimes, but the gendered biases that make them look criminal. “The Crime is Mine,” … Read more
A jewelry company’s CEO divided the internet for her annual gift exchange where some employees walked away with designer purses and high-end necklaces while others got small skincare bottles. Alexis Nido-Russo, the founder of Local Eclectic, came up with the idea of the “bougie white elephant” where the budget was seemingly limitless. In the TikTok … Read more