General True Crime Shows

[auntjess]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/12/18/she-swiped-her-co-workers-coke-can-police-say-it-cracked-year-old-murder-case/?utm_term=.4ae2d12e9565

Maybe we'll see this one, Mandy Stavick murder in Washington state.
When employer refused to allow DNA swabbing, and wouldn't cooperate (wonder why), a co-worker volunteered to.
I don't why that's any different than giving any other information.
I hope the state wins on this one.

[Vivigirl10]

Death Row Stories is another riveting show to check out.

There is also a show on ID that I can never remember the name of, but it's instantly recognizable when it comes on.  I always question if not only do they use actors for the reenactment scenes, but it appears they use them to portray the involved parties in the talking heads too!  Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

 I still love to binge watch Forensic Files.  Lately I've noticed that the episodes are so old that many now come with an ending screenshot that the convicted criminal has since died behind bars!

[walnutqueen]

7 hours ago, auntjess said:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/12/18/she-swiped-her-co-workers-coke-can-police-say-it-cracked-year-old-murder-case/?utm_term=.4ae2d12e9565

Maybe we'll see this one, Mandy Stavick murder in Washington state.
When employer refused to allow DNA swabbing, and wouldn't cooperate (wonder why), a co-worker volunteered to.
I don't why that's any different than giving any other information.
I hope the state wins on this one.

Sorry/not sorry.  The authorities will never get a word out of me (other than "lawyer"), much less my DNA. 

And I have nothing to hide.

[Pebble Puppy]

1 minute ago, walnutqueen said:

Sorry/not sorry.  The authorities will never get a word out of me (other than "lawyer"), much less my DNA. 

And I have nothing to hide.

I very much agree with you. Did you know that the police now have access in some states to blood tests from newborn heel pricks? Parents have no idea that this blood has been stored and did not give consent. In most cases , for adults, the police must either have a search warrant or you must have committed a felony ( in some cases just been arrested). The law has not caught up to this dna technology and as Americans we still need to protect our privacy and that of those that cannot speak up even if it's solving cases and we have nothing to hide.

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

I still love to binge watch Forensic Files.  Lately I've noticed that the episodes are so old that many now come with an ending screenshot that the convicted criminal has since died behind bars!

The thing that freaks me out about some of those updates at the end of the episodes is that they say some of the criminals either have been released from jail within the last few years, or it's coming up on the year when they will be eligible for parole, or whatever. Then I'm sitting here going, "...greeeeeeeat...". 

[walnutqueen]

36 minutes ago, Pebble Puppy said:

I very much agree with you. Did you know that the police now have access in some states to blood tests from newborn heel pricks? Parents have no idea that this blood has been stored and did not give consent. In most cases , for adults, the police must either have a search warrant or you must have committed a felony ( in some cases just been arrested). The law has not caught up to this dna technology and as Americans we still need to protect our privacy and that of those that cannot speak up even if it's solving cases and we have nothing to hide.

I fly below the radar, but am paranoid enough to use my dead Mum's "profile" for the Google Chromebook.  This is the only site I visit, except for a jigsaw puzzle site.  Search my real name, and nothing comes up except my pension status (damn you, California sunshine state!!!).

[Jordan61]

5 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

Death Row Stories is another riveting show to check out.

There is also a show on ID that I can never remember the name of, but it's instantly recognizable when it comes on.  I always question if not only do they use actors for the reenactment scenes, but it appears they use them to portray the involved parties in the talking heads too!  Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

Is it The Perfect Murder? Because if not then they use the most godawful actors they can possibly find.

[walnutqueen]

1 hour ago, Jordan61 said:

Is it The Perfect Murder? Because if not then they use the most godawful actors they can possibly find.

Oh, shit - isn't that Perfect Murder show the same one that uses the tape rewind sound effect?

Hate.

[Vivigirl10]

Quote

Is it The Perfect Murder? Because if not then they use the most godawful actors they can possibly find.

Last night I realized that the show I was thinking of was a ghostly encounters show :-)  But I have wanted to comment on The Perfect Murder too!  Yes, they seriously must have no budget for actors because they are the worst!  There was one episode about a very young couple and the actors they had portraying them were these rough looking 40+ year olds.  It was absolutely comical.  Like you can't get some age appropriate actors on the cheap?  

[Jordan61]

13 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

Oh, shit - isn't that Perfect Murder show the same one that uses the tape rewind sound effect?

Hate.

Yes!

 

2 hours ago, Kiki620 said:

Last night I realized that the show I was thinking of was a ghostly encounters show :-)  But I have wanted to comment on The Perfect Murder too!  Yes, they seriously must have no budget for actors because they are the worst!  There was one episode about a very young couple and the actors they had portraying them were these rough looking 40+ year olds.  It was absolutely comical.  Like you can't get some age appropriate actors on the cheap?  

Seriously, I've told my husband it's like they went down to the local Starbucks and grabbed whoever was there and said, "want to be on TV?" For some reason I was thinking they used the real detectives in the reenactments, but I'm probably misremembering.

Edited December 19, 2018 by Jordan61

[walnutqueen]

3 minutes ago, Jordan61 said:

Seriously, I've told my husband it's like they went down to the local Starbucks and grabbed whoever was there and said, "want to be on TV?"

Like any of those maroons could look up from their free WiFi screens fast enough to dodge a machete wielding serial killer.

Starbucks opens at 4:30 in the a.m.  By 4:35, I am out the door with a pound or two of Veranda blend, espresso ground beans.

Serial killers sleep in.

[Jordan61]

1 hour ago, walnutqueen said:

Like any of those maroons could look up from their free WiFi screens fast enough to dodge a machete wielding serial killer.

Starbucks opens at 4:30 in the a.m.  By 4:35, I am out the door with a pound or two of Veranda blend, espresso ground beans.

Serial killers sleep in.

I meant the actors! :)

It's like they dragged in whoever was nearby, gave them lines, and stuck them in front of the camera.

Another one that sucks acting and production-wise is Ice Cold Killers. And am I the only one who can't stand that M. William Phelps, with his stupid frosted hair?

[funky-rat]

On ‎12‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 12:54 PM, auntjess said:

More perennials:
The guy with the dog, and the policewomen pose as groomers to get dog hair

That's one of the ones I mentioned - the one where the guy has a pug that chews cigarette butts.  That guy used to murder prostitutes, and told his girlfriend "it was so I didn't hurt you". **SHUDDER**

18 hours ago, Jordan61 said:

Is it The Perfect Murder? Because if not then they use the most godawful actors they can possibly find.

Is that the one where they just show random shots of the outside of houses between scenes.  That's REALLY annoying.

[smittykins]

On 12/18/2018 at 7:36 PM, Annber03 said:

The thing that freaks me out about some of those updates at the end of the episodes is that they say some of the criminals either have been released from jail within the last few years, or it's coming up on the year when they will be eligible for parole, or whatever. Then I'm sitting here going, "...greeeeeeeat...". 

The Pearl Bruns(murdered by her husband, and ironically would have died from terminal cancer in six months anyway)episode just ended, and it said that he completed his sentence and was released in 2009.

[LuvMyShows]

On 12/19/2018 at 9:29 AM, Kiki620 said:

But I have wanted to comment on The Perfect Murder too!  Yes, they seriously must have no budget for actors because they are the worst!  There was one episode about a very young couple and the actors they had portraying them were these rough looking 40+ year olds.  It was absolutely comical.  Like you can't get some age appropriate actors on the cheap?  

 

22 hours ago, Jordan61 said:

Seriously, I've told my husband it's like they went down to the local Starbucks and grabbed whoever was there and said, "want to be on TV?" For some reason I was thinking they used the real detectives in the reenactments, but I'm probably misremembering.

Yes!  When it's really bad, I'll do a freeze-frame on the actors, and ask my husband to guess how old the characters are supposed to be.

But the absolute worst, is when they make a point during the show of telling about the physical characteristics of the victim or perp, and then the actor doesn't match.  The most recent one was that a guy's jeans were 36x30, yet the actor was tall and lean muscled.  

[mystere]

I think the case I have seen covered most often by the true crime shows is Shari Smith's abduction and murder. No producer can resist the part where she was made to write out her last will and testament and then the killer started calling up her sister Dawn just to chat. It's a made-for-Hollywood story and they are ON IT...repeatedly.

[Jordan61]

1 minute ago, mystere said:

I think the case I have seen covered most often by the true crime shows is Shari Smith's abduction and murder. No producer can resist the part where she was made to write out her last will and testament and then the killer started calling up her sister Dawn just to chat. It's a made-for-Hollywood story and they are ON IT...repeatedly.

Yep, just saw that one again the other day, on Murder Calls.

I'm starting to wonder if we see the same cases a lot because those are the cases with attorneys, detectives, family, etc. willing to talk about it.

Did anyone watch Shattered last night? I can't believe I had never heard of that case! Ear in the fruit bowl, ear on the porch, testicles in the fridge, dog running through the yard with a hand. Seems like the kind of case ID would have jumped on a long time ago.

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, Jordan61 said:

Did anyone watch Shattered last night? I can't believe I had never heard of that case! Ear in the fruit bowl, ear on the porch, testicles in the fridge, dog running through the yard with a hand. Seems like the kind of case ID would have jumped on a long time ago.

That story was horrifying. You knew, once the daughter started talking about going to the neighbors' home, that it'd be that house she'd be going to....but it didn't make watching the story unfold any less disturbing. 

I felt so bad for that daughter. Her home life was hell, and the place she went for shelter was no better. 

[Jordan61]

2 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

That story was horrifying. You knew, once the daughter started talking about going to the neighbors' home, that it'd be that house she'd be going to....but it didn't make watching the story unfold any less disturbing. 

I felt so bad for that daughter. Her home life was hell, and the place she went for shelter was no better. 

It really, really bothered me when she said she talked to her mom recently about the abuse she suffered and said her mom was basically like, "I don't remember any of that."

[Annber03]

7 minutes ago, Jordan61 said:

It really, really bothered me when she said she talked to her mom recently about the abuse she suffered and said her mom was basically like, "I don't remember any of that."

Yeah. On the one hand, given what we've heard about abused women still defending and overlooking the crap they put up with, and given it's clear she was struggling with some personal issues of her own (acknowledging she wasn't a good mom), I feel for her and sympathize. But on the other hand, it was strange to hear her so angry over this abusive creep's death, too. I liked the daughter's honesty in admitting that on some level she wasn't sad that her stepfather was killed. That poor woman, though...

Also, what kind of friend decides to set somebody up with someone who's in jail? Especially somebody who they know has a child? Why bring that risk into their lives? 

[Pebble Puppy]

2 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Yeah. On the one hand, given what we've heard about abused women still defending and overlooking the crap they put up with, and given it's clear she was struggling with some personal issues of her own (acknowledging she wasn't a good mom), I feel for her and sympathize. But on the other hand, it was strange to hear her so angry over this abusive creep's death, too. I liked the daughter's honesty in admitting that on some level she wasn't sad that her stepfather was killed. That poor woman, though...

Also, what kind of friend decides to set somebody up with someone who's in jail? Especially somebody who they know has a child? Why bring that risk into their lives? 

And what kind of mom agrees to it? I have to think the mom was a mess before this guy was introduced into her life to even think this was a good idea. IMHO

[SunnyBeBe]

15 minutes ago, Jordan61 said:

Yep, just saw that one again the other day, on Murder Calls.

I'm starting to wonder if we see the same cases a lot because those are the cases with attorneys, detectives, family, etc. willing to talk about it.

Did anyone watch Shattered last night? I can't believe I had never heard of that case! Ear in the fruit bowl, ear on the porch, testicles in the fridge, dog running through the yard with a hand. Seems like the kind of case ID would have jumped on a long time ago.

Yeah, that case happened in my state and I didn't remember it either.  That former DA, went on to become a judge and recently recovered from a serious battle with cancer.  Here's an article on it.

https://www.wral.com/judge-returns-to-bench-after-cancer-fight/15843713/

When I saw that story on SHATTERED last night, I could barely believe it.  Talk about coincidences.....YESTERDAY, I had gone to that courthouse in Hillsborough, NC to conduct some business!!!!  I'm an attorney, but, haven't been to that particular courthouse but, one other time in 10 years.  So, to have gone there AND then see that last night....so odd.

I thought the mother was a little crazy.  WHY oh Why would she be that upset that a man who had abused her and her daughter and threatened to kill them, was himself killed?  I would think that she would be rather relieved. She said she didn't think that the guy deserved to die, but, he had physically abused her and her daughter.  I don't think he deserved great treatment.  

[tobeannounced]

I just watched Shattered last night. That was crazy from beginning to end. I didn't catch where these people lived, but, damn, that was a scary neighborhood. And the mom must have had some serious savior complex to think dating a guy who's still in jail is a good idea.

I totally call BS on her not knowing about the abuse of her daughter. A child doesn't get punched in the face by a grown man, bleed profusely, and not have some visible signs of it. I'm wondering what happened when she showed up to school like that.

Edited December 21, 2018 by tobeannounced

[Jordan61]

3 hours ago, tobeannounced said:

I just watched Shattered last night. That was crazy from beginning to end. I didn't catch where these people lived, but, damn, that was a scary neighborhood. And the mom must have had some serious savior complex to think dating a guy who's still in jail is a good idea.

I totally call BS on her not knowing about the abuse of her daughter. A child doesn't get punched in the face by a grown man, bleed profusely, and not have some visible signs of it. I'm wondering what happened when she showed up to school like that.

I was wondering that too. I'm not sure what the reporting requirements were in the early 90's.

[Brattinella]

3 hours ago, Jordan61 said:

I was wondering that too. I'm not sure what the reporting requirements were in the early 90's.

I'm pretty sure that teachers from time immemorial had to report beaten students.

[Jordan61]

2 hours ago, Brattinella said:

I'm pretty sure that teachers from time immemorial had to report beaten students.

Sure, but I'm wondering if they bought stories like, "I walked into the pantry door" and let it go without much follow-up.

[LuvMyShows]

On 12/20/2018 at 5:57 PM, Annber03 said:

Yeah. On the one hand, given what we've heard about abused women still defending and overlooking the crap they put up with, and given it's clear she was struggling with some personal issues of her own (acknowledging she wasn't a good mom), I feel for her and sympathize. But on the other hand, it was strange to hear her so angry over this abusive creep's death, too. I liked the daughter's honesty in admitting that on some level she wasn't sad that her stepfather was killed. That poor woman, though...

Also, what kind of friend decides to set somebody up with someone who's in jail? Especially somebody who they know has a child? Why bring that risk into their lives? 

My exact thoughts!

[LuvMyShows]

I watched the recent Murdertown, and a young mother's ex-husband says that she ran off with her new boyfriend.  Some family members doubt it, but also think that it could be possible, but still are skeptical.  As more years pass without hearing from her, they get more and more concerned.  IIRC, after thirteen years, they decide to contact the boyfriend that she supposedly ran off with.  WTAF?  Thirteen freakin' years later?!  And of course when they find him and talk to him, they learn valuable info that helps solve her disappearance.  I simply don't get it.

[Pebble Puppy]

17 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

I watched the recent Murdertown, and a young mother's ex-husband says that she ran off with her new boyfriend.  Some family members doubt it, but also think that it could be possible, but still are skeptical.  As more years pass without hearing from her, they get more and more concerned.  IIRC, after thirteen years, they decide to contact the boyfriend that she supposedly ran off with.  WTAF?  Thirteen freakin' years later?!  And of course when they find him and talk to him, they learn valuable info that helps solve her disappearance.  I simply don't get it.

And it turns out to be the creepy father-in-law. 

[Jordan61]

Did this girl on Killer Unknown really just say "yeah they lost their daughter but I lost a friend"?

Edited December 23, 2018 by Jordan61

[badhaggis]

57 minutes ago, Jordan61 said:

Did this girl on Killer Unknown really just say "yeah they lost their daughter but I lost a friend"?

Yes! I was stunned. 

[Pebble Puppy]

She was a child when she lost her friend and treated like a suspect. I can imagine it's been very traumatic. Maybe it isn't the same as losing a daughter but she was only a child and treated very badly for years by the mom and I suspect the mom only played nice for the cameras. Had they not been doing the show, I doubt there would have been any "apology".

[Brattinella]

So, a rerun of Jill Garrison and her serial killer husband, Nathaniel.  I have seen this before and I am still shocked at how delusional and blind and deaf she was to murders and abuse all around her.  I don't get it.  Red flags everywhere, was she on drugs or just plain stupid?

[badhaggis]

I have only been able to get thru one Deadly Legacy. I was absolutely gutted for Bill Bundy's family. I had to pause the show to cry for their loss. I cannot imagine the hell they have been living for decades...

[auntjess]

Can't remember which show, but it was one in which the first murder was a young girl in California, then years later, through a tip or DNA, he was found guilty of murders elsewhere.
At the end, they said he wasn't tried for the California murder, because he'd been a juvenile at the time, and could only have been held until he was 25, and as he was now older than that, they couldn't do anything to him.
That doesn't sound right.  It was moot, because he was in for life, but if he hadn't been, why not at least sentence him to the number of years between his then age, 17, and 25.

[One Tough Cookie]

On 12/11/2018 at 11:11 PM, LuvMyShows said:

I am catching up on some old ID series, and just saw a Murder Book episode on Reyna Marroquin, better known as the pregnant woman in the barrel.  It got me to wondering, what murder has been covered the most in different TV shows?  I think it's this one.  But a close runner-up is Anne Stout, who killed her husband and tried to frame the woman (Barbara Miller) he re-connected with at a class reunion and had a brief affair with, by sending emails that were supposedly from Barbara using a weird screen name (Anne used a memorable/weird email alias but I can only remember that it was 'Ark of' something). 

Freak of Ark.

Since I'm not beautiful, don't light up a room and my community isn't tight knit (hell, I don't even  know who my mayor is) I guess if I go missing I'm fucked.

Did anyone watch Escape at Dannemora or is its own category. I f 'loved it.

Edited December 25, 2018 by One Tough Cookie

[Jordan61]

Ok, I like Kenda well enough. But nothing but Kenda all day yesterday AND today? That's a little too much. I'm stuck watching Homicide for the Holidays on Oxygen.

[walnutqueen]

6 minutes ago, Jordan61 said:

Ok, I like Kenda well enough. But nothing but Kenda all day yesterday AND today? That's a little too much. I'm stuck watching Homicide for the Holidays on Oxygen.

Me too!!!

Which is ridiculous, since I got a 1 year Hulu subscription (99 cents a month) and could be watching something else, but I can't be bothered to figure out how to get it to play on my teevee right now.

[LuvMyShows]

4 hours ago, One Tough Cookie said:

Freak of Ark.

Thank you!

[LuvMyShows]

How could I forget the epic story of gay Bobby and John (the transvestite performer), which then became the story of hetero Vanessa and John when Bobby went to jail for 6 months, which then became the story of gay Bobby and John with his best friend Vanessa, which then became the tragic story of Bobby and "Diane" when John had his sex-reassignment surgery.   

[Pebble Puppy]

2 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

How could I forget the epic story of gay Bobby and John (the transvestite performer), which then became the story of hetero Vanessa and John when Bobby went to jail for 6 months, which then became the story of gay Bobby and John with his best friend Vanessa, which then became the tragic story of Bobby and "Diane" when John had his sex-reassignment surgery.   

I remember that but damn, you're good for keeping that straight er, um, you know what I mean!

[CrazyInAlabama]

After reading a lot of Ann Rule books, and other articles about serial killers, and the number one quality of being the wife of one is that she's a total, brainless idiot.     Gacy's wife believed him when he told her the funky smell in the house was from dead mice in the crawlspace, instead of many dead young men.      Ann Rules' stories about the ones near Seattle just reinforced the idea that the wives were all fools, and in total denial.         

However, the seamstress from Escape at Dannemora seems to have captured the world's dumbest husband too, so maybe it's just something all criminals value in a mate, zero brains.  

[LuvMyShows]

From watching so many murders on TV, we've seen some ridiculous explanations by the perpetrators for their version of why they did what they did.  I just saw the most absurd one ever, on Happily Never After (I'm catching up on old ID series I didn't see before).  The guy got into an argument with the girl, and he thought she might calm down if he stuck a knife into her back a little.  WTAF?  How stupid does he think the police are?  Unfortunately, after the knife was in her back, she fell, which pushed the knife into her, and that's why she died.

Also, the narration on this show is so ridiculous, because they try to spin everything as romantic.  So in one episode, the guy's mother had a wrongful death and he was slated to receive a settlement of something like $21M.  Then he met the girl, and as the narrator says in her faux-syrupy voice, even though he hadn't received the money yet, "he just couldn't wait" and begins buying all this expensive stuff for her.  And it was being spun as positive...rather than being, oh, irresponsible, lack of impulse control, shortsighted, etc.  And as you can probably guess, the actual settlement ended up being only $17K, so they were in a world of trouble.

[Brattinella]

2 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

The guy got into an argument with the girl, and he thought she might calm down if he stuck a knife into her back a little. 

I remember this, and remember wondering how his interrogators were responding to this bit of absurdity. 

[Rdh1314]

On 12/25/2018 at 10:49 AM, auntjess said:

Can't remember which show, but it was one in which the first murder was a young girl in California, then years later, through a tip or DNA, he was found guilty of murders elsewhere.
At the end, they said he wasn't tried for the California murder, because he'd been a juvenile at the time, and could only have been held until he was 25, and as he was now older than that, they couldn't do anything to him.
That doesn't sound right.  It was moot, because he was in for life, but if he hadn't been, why not at least sentence him to the number of years between his then age, 17, and 25.

That does sound crazy!  Unfortunately,  even juveniles can be evil murderers...there was that case years ago in England where 2 or 3 boys...I think they were around 8...anyway,  they abducted a 3 year old little boy,  tortured him, killed him,  and dumped his body in the water.  I'm not sure what happened to those kids (now I have something to look up), but I seriously hope they were put in some sort of prison!

[Brattinella]

8 minutes ago, Rdh1314 said:

That does sound crazy!  Unfortunately,  even juveniles can be evil murderers...there was that case years ago in England where 2 or 3 boys...I think they were around 8...anyway,  they abducted a 3 year old little boy,  tortured him, killed him,  and dumped his body in the water.  I'm not sure what happened to those kids (now I have something to look up), but I seriously hope they were put in some sort of prison!

They changed the killers' names to protect them when they released them on parole.  They have since committed more crimes, and they are STILL protecting these monsters.  The murdered boy's name was Jamie Bulger.

[Rdh1314]

2 hours ago, Brattinella said:

They changed the killers' names to protect them when they released them on parole.  They have since committed more crimes, and they are STILL protecting these monsters.  The murdered boy's name was Jamie Bulger.

OMG!  I just started reading about that!!!!  They were 10 and killed that baby!  Good grief....there really are truly evil people in this world who should not be free in society,  even if they're 10 years old!  Big mistake in releasing purely evil people from prisons.  

Edit:  For some reason I thought the baby was found in water.  I'm even more sickened and horrified to remember about the train.   So these 10 year old murderers were basically kept/protected in prison until they were around 18 or "adults."  Unbelievable. 

Edited December 27, 2018 by Rdh1314
I guess I do believe there is true evil 🙁

[Brattinella]

Here is an article with the murderers' pictures and real names.  Such a miscarriage of justice!

Kids Who Kill: Jon Venables and Robert Thompson

A shocking story of two 10-year-olds who abducted and brutally murdered a 2-year-old, leaving the toddler’s mutilated body on railway tracks for a train to run over.

Because the boys were minors, they were released after a short prison sentence. The more deranged one of the two, Venables, was returned to prison on suspected child pornography charges.

In 2011 it was reported that Venables would once again be given a new identity after an incident that revealed his whereabouts.

 

 

https://www.bizarrepedia.com/venables-and-thompson/

[Rdh1314]

Sorry way in advance if you all already talked about this (I just found forum 🙂!),  but I saw the recent documentary about Jodi Arias...Good Lord that human being is frightening.   

She reminds me of Casey Anthony in ways. 

Are true crime documentaries covered in this forum?  Or just specific shows covering true crimes?

[Brattinella]

1 hour ago, Rdh1314 said:

Sorry way in advance if you all already talked about this (I just found forum 🙂!),  but I saw the recent documentary about Jodi Arias...Good Lord that human being is frightening.   

She reminds me of Casey Anthony in ways. 

Are true crime documentaries covered in this forum?  Or just specific shows covering true crimes?

That's okay, we can always find time to snark about those two evil women.  I think documentaries are okay, too. :)