True Crime Binges 12.02.21
A long fight for justice in the murder of two teenagers, the website solving cold cases through fundraising...
📚 Books 📚
In the early morning hours of Aug. 29, 1986, Clarkson University sophomore Katy Hawelka — bright, pretty and full of life — strolled back to her upstate New York campus after a night out. On the dimly lit path beside the university’s ice hockey arena, a stranger emerged from the darkness. The brutal beating, sexual assault and fatal strangulation that followed rocked the campus and the local community in Potsdam, New York. Based on more than two dozen interviews, as well as thousands of pages of court records, police files, prison records, and other documents, LaRue details the tragic events that occurred before dawn outside Walker Arena, including why two Clarkson security guards who witnessed the attack failed to intervene. Buy it here.
September 1985, teenagers Kimberly Dowell and Ethan Dixon were brutally murdered in Westside Park in Muncie, Indiana. Although police believe they know who committed the murders, their killer has never been charged. The prime suspect is allegedly already in prison for another murder. For the first time, he is named, and the victims stories told in this book. Buy it here.
🎧 Podcasts 🎧
‘Chicano Squad’ tells the true story of an all-Latino homicide squad with little training and few resources, who were challenged to solve the most vicious crimes plaguing Houston's Latino community in the late 1970s. While marginalised members of their own community were committing crimes, the Squad, comprised of five young and hungry officers set about bringing the police closer to the community and solving increasing disquiet between the two.
A podcast after our own heart, ‘True Crime P.I.’ focuses on US unsolved cases from the 70s-90s. Each bi-weekly episode is highly researched and host Dana Poll is looking to help shine a light on the clues that might help solve cases.
Late Edition: Crime Beat Chronicles
A novel and interesting concept ‘Crime Beat Chronicle’ explores true crime stories from around America through the lens of the regional journalists covering them. The first series looks at Oklahoma's most notorious cold case, the 1977 slaying of three Girl Scouts, as told through articles and interviews with Tulsa World journalists.
📺 Streaming/TV 📺
Confessions of a Serial Killer
A dark rabbit hole to dive into this documentary follows film-maker Ben Zand as he travels across America in an attempt to understand how one of — if not the — most deadly serial killers of all time was able to evade authorities for more than 40 years while continually increasing his murder numbers. On various streaming platforms worldwide.
Forensics: The Real CSI
The BBC UK’s well produced delve into real crime scenes, follows a different case each episode with real suspect interview footage, and told through the eyes of investigating forensic teams as well as officers working the case. Now in its second season the first episode of season two starts with a husband calling to confess to his wife’s murder but it turns out there’s a lot more to it. Use Just Watch to find a local stream.
👩💻 Website 👩💻
Open sourcing solving crime cases, DNASolves is a platform raising money for resources to solve cases. The platform also encourages visitors to contribute DNA to build out the available DNA database. The website explains “DNASolves is the first and only service that is laser-focused on building tools with and for the scientists and crime-fighters who are pioneering the field of forensic genomics.” A really worthy platform we hope gains a lot more traction and support. Visit now.
To make sure you receive every newsletter don’t forget to sign up for a FULL subscription. And please do share with your True Crime buddies, follow me on twitter @unsolvednewscom