On a December night in Austin, Texas, teenagers Jennifer Harbison and Eliza Thomas closed up the yogurt store where they worked. The girls were joined by Jennifer's younger sister, Sarah, and her friend Amy Ayers. Less than an hour later, all four girls were dead-tragic victims of an apparent fire. Until it was discovered that the girls had been bound and gagged, sexually assaulted, and shot execution-style. With no physical evidence or eyewitnesses, Austin police faced one of their toughest cases ever. Nearly eight years passed before four young men were charged with the crime, and authorities learned how a planned robbery exploded into a drug- and sex-fueled spree of brutality. But the road to justice was packed with shocking twists . . .
When Vonlee "Nicole" Titlow and her aunt, Billie Jean Rogers, came home from a night of gambling in a casino near Detroit, they told police they found Billie's husband unconscious on the floor of the Rogers' mansion. Just another of his alcoholic benders, they assumed. But this time, Donald Rogers didn't wake up. The investigation would reveal the sordid story behind the death of a self-made millionaire-including transgender adventures in Chicago and Denver, a tangled web of dueling addictions, a mind-boggling history of out-of-control spending, and how a sex change operation may have fueled a motive for murder. Renowned investigative journalist M. William Phelps exposes the riveting details behind one of the most astonishing real-life thrillers to date.
Laurie Show was as compassionate as she was hardworking. The outgoing high-school junior worked part-time to pay for the home she and her divorced mother shared. Yet she always had time to tutor friends struggling in school. And she befriended a dejected classmate after his traumatic breakup with his pregnant long-time girlfriend Michelle Lambert. But soon things spiraled into jealous obsession, stalking, and a brutal attack that left Laurie murdered in her own bedroom. And once Michelle started telling one lie too many, the ensuing investigation shattered a peaceful community. Noted crime writer Lyn Riddle also brings you the latest updates on Michelle Lambert, her accomplices, and those involved in this unforgettable case.
When young women begin mysteriously disappearing in Oregon, Police Lieutenant James Stovall leads a relentless search for a killer. With little evidence available, and the public screaming for answers, he must find a remorseless, brutal killer whose identity will shock them all . . .
Society is conditioned to think of murderers and predators as men, but in this fascinating book, Peter Vronsky exposes and investigates the phenomenon of women who kill-and the political, economic, social, and sexual implications. From history's earliest recorded cases of homicidal females to Irma Grese, the Nazi Beast of Belsen, from Britain's notorious child-slayer Myra Hindley to "Honeymoon Killer" Martha Beck, from the sensational murder-spree of Aileen Wournos, to cult killers, homicidal missionaries, and the sexy femme fatale, Vronsky challenges the ordinary standards of good and evil and defies the accepted perceptions of gender role and identity.
In The Innocent Killer, Michael Griesbach tells the story of one of the nation's most notorious wrongful convictions, that of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man who spent eighteen years in prison for a crime he did not commit. But two years after he was exonerated of that crime and poised to reap millions in his wrongful conviction lawsuit, Steven Avery was arrested for the exceptionally brutal murder of Teresa Halbach, a freelance photographer who had gone missing several days earlier. The "innocent man" had turned into a cold-blooded killer. Or had he?
Neighbors were unaware of what went on behind the tightly closed doors of a house in Fresno, California-the home of an imposing, 300-pound Marcus Wesson, his wife, children, nieces, and grandchildren. But on March 12, 2004, gunshots were heard inside the Wesson home, and police officers responding to what they believed was a routine domestic disturbance were horrified by the senseless carnage they discovered when they entered. By Their Father's Hand is a chilling true story of incest, abuse, madness, and murder, and one family's terrible and ultimately fatal ordeal at the hands of a powerful, manipulative man-a cultist who envisioned vengeful gods and vampires, and totally controlled those closest to him before their world came to a brutal and bloody halt.
In partnership with Texas Monthly, Pamela Colloff's "A Kiss Before Dying" is now available as an audio download, where the length and timeliness of a podcast meets the high-quality production of a full-length audio program.
Few stories feel as classic as a well-told ghost story, the kind that makes your hair stand on end or sends chills down your spine even years after its alleged happening. Almost as classic are those stories that take place in high school, starring the jocks, the cheerleaders, and the outsiders; nostalgic for a time that almost certainly never was and yet remains a stalwart of American storytelling. Pamela Colloff's "A Kiss Before Dying" is both kinds of story and what's more, it's all true.
Betty Williams was an outsider at a time when conformity was king: Texas in the 1960s. Mack Herring was the quintessential football player, handsome and well-liked by the sweater set-wearing girls Betty scoffed at. When their unlikely relationship came to an end and Betty's life began to spiral, she asked for death and Mack was more than happy to oblige. The resulting trial of Betty Williams's murder would shock no one familiar with the resolutions of today's rape cases.
In "A Kiss Before Dying," Pamela Colloff weaves together a story that's part true crime, part high school classic, that feels at once contemporary as it does of another time.
When salesman Travis Victor Alexander hooked up with his girlfriend Jodi Ann Arias, little did he know that she was going to brutally murder him in his own apartment. Jodi killed Travis on the 4th of June, 2008 and she was sentenced to a natural life in state prison on the 13th of April, 2015. Jodi claimed in court that Travis would often beat her up and she killed him in self-defense. However, not many people believe that to be the reason, since Travis sustained multiple knife wounds and even a gunshot wound to the head. The Jodi Arias trial received widespread attention throughout the United States and here, where we will see who Travis and Jodi were, how Jodi killed him, how she was caught, and what happened during the court trial.
In partnership with Texas Monthly, Pamela Colloff's "The Innocent Man, Part One" is now available as an audio download, where the length and timeliness of a podcast meets the high-quality production of a full-length audio program.
In 1986, in northwest Austin, Texas, Michael Morton came home from work to discover that his wife had been brutally murdered in their bed, with their son in the next room. In less than six months, he would be convicted of murdering her and sentenced to life in prison. In this detailed investigative piece of true crime journalism, Pamela Coloff picks apart how an innocent man was charged on insubstantial physical evidence and immature scientific evidence.
In exploring Morton's story, Colloff examines the full cast of characters that made up the case. A portrait of a misunderstood marriage, a sheriff who played by his own rules, a district attorney eager to make a name for himself, and a close-knit community quick with judgement come together to create a nightmare that wouldn't end.
In partnership with Texas Monthly, Pamela Colloff's "The Innocent Man, Part Two" is now available as an audio download, where the length and timeliness of a podcast meets the high-quality production of a full-length audio program.
Picking up where Part One of "The Innocent Man" left off, Pamela Colloff dives into what Michael Morton went through in the 25 years he was wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of his wife. Lawyers convinced of Michael's innocence sought appeal after appeal and were blocked repeatedly by a court system reluctant to admit their errors. Michael meanwhile dealt with the torments of prison, matched only by the torment of slowly losing hope of ever reconciling with his son.
What began with the tragedy of losing his wife and what could have led to bitter vindication became the story of man seeking nothing more than the truth and a chance to start over.
They crashed the heist. They killed his sister. They'll pay in blood.
Harvey Stone knows the murder business like the back of his hand. As the adopted son of an East London gang boss, he's had plenty of opportunities to perfect his bloody craft. Now, he's one hit away from avenging his little sister's brutal murder. All he's missing is the name of his sister's killer-a secret his closest allies are finally ready to reveal. To claim his reward, Harvey must eliminate the rival gang and assassinate their ruthless leader. If he pulls off the mission and exacts his revenge, he'll lay down his bloody weapons for good, but one botched shot could lead to torture, death, and an all-out gang war.
Stone Cold is the first book in the gripping Stone Cold Thriller series. If you like savage criminal underworlds, fast-paced action, and intense characters, then you'll love J.D. Weston's shocking quest for revenge. Buy Stone Cold to lose yourself in East London's gritty underground today.
