Criminology: The Study of Crime
By: Addison Doub
Most people have no idea what criminology is even about. Well, let me tell you it is nothing
short of serious and gruesome at times because of the harsh subjects being studied. Criminology
studies criminal behaviors and their effects on society as well as the aspects of crime including
the death penalty, social control, crime analysis, etc. The subjects that criminology is based on
mainly include biology and psychology with a dash of some social factors. Crime occurs in
different places, therefore criminology explores crime throughout the world where some mystery
and gruesome details are expected.
When working in criminology, you will have had to accumulate various research skills in
sociology and data analysis that is correlated with scientific data. Meaning, you would have to
take many classes related to criminal justice due to the subjects being closing related.
The physical portion of Criminology has to do with forensics, examining crime scenes, closely
exploring evidence, and analyzing evidence in labs. In order to individually and society examine
crime, criminologists must view crime and criminals philosophically. When speaking of the
justice system and how justice is dispersed, criminology delves deep into the accusations, law
enforcement involved, the court system, and the defendant. Philosophically speaking,
criminology searches more for what leads people to criminal behavior, what prevents crime, and
what methods to effectively deal with crime. Criminology tends to focus on the social impact of
crime and philosophical causes of crime rather than the physical examination portions of crime.
Criminology helps to innovate justice and incorporate healthy, modern ways and ideas of
preventing crime in our society today. Without it, solving crimes and the study of criminals
wouldn’t be as progressive as it is today and we as a society wouldn’t be making cumulative
efforts to better ourselves morally.
Most people have no idea what criminology is even about. Well, let me tell you it is nothing
short of serious and gruesome at times because of the harsh subjects being studied. Criminology
studies criminal behaviors and their effects on society as well as the aspects of crime including
the death penalty, social control, crime analysis, etc. The subjects that criminology is based on
mainly include biology and psychology with a dash of some social factors. Crime occurs in
different places, therefore criminology explores crime throughout the world where some mystery
and gruesome details are expected.
When working in criminology, you will have had to accumulate various research skills in
sociology and data analysis that is correlated with scientific data. Meaning, you would have to
take many classes related to criminal justice due to the subjects being closing related.
The physical portion of Criminology has to do with forensics, examining crime scenes, closely
exploring evidence, and analyzing evidence in labs. In order to individually and society examine
crime, criminologists must view crime and criminals philosophically. When speaking of the
justice system and how justice is dispersed, criminology delves deep into the accusations, law
enforcement involved, the court system, and the defendant. Philosophically speaking,
criminology searches more for what leads people to criminal behavior, what prevents crime, and
what methods to effectively deal with crime. Criminology tends to focus on the social impact of
crime and philosophical causes of crime rather than the physical examination portions of crime.
Criminology helps to innovate justice and incorporate healthy, modern ways and ideas of
preventing crime in our society today. Without it, solving crimes and the study of criminals
wouldn’t be as progressive as it is today and we as a society wouldn’t be making cumulative
efforts to better ourselves morally.
The Disappearance of Megan Nichols
By: Cassadi Baker
Megan Nichols, a teen from Fairfield, IL, 15 minutes from my hometown went missing on July 3, 2014. Nichols was declared a “runaway”. Her mother went to the grocery store, but Megan decided to stay home because she wasn’t feeling well. Whenever her mother got home, she found a letter on Megan’s bed reading “I love you, but I will never be happy here. Don’t look for me.”, along with her cell phone which had been wiped clean of any information. Weeks before, her mother had caught her seeing an older man; her phone was then taken away. When her mother thought she was no longer in contact with him, she gave the phone back. Signs were posted all over town stating, “Megan please come home.” Years passed and there was no sign of Megan.
Many searches around Wayne County occurred, but no turn up of Nichols. Her status changed to “endangered missing child” after finding no trace of Megan.
On Dec. 26, 2017, human remains were found on property on the outskirts of Fairfield. Everyone had a feeling they would be determined to belong to this missing person, Megan Nichols, but it wasn’t until a month later it was confirmed to indeed be Nichols.
Another three years pass with no luck of finding Megan’s murderer. The family of Nichols had a strong feeling the murder involved the older boyfriend she had been sneaking around with while many others thought the mother had something to do with it. However, neither theory could be proven, and the investigation was ongoing.
On Oct. 6, 2020, an arrest involving the murder of Megan Nichols was made. Evansville, IN man, Brodey Murbarger (24) was taken into custody on three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of home invasion, and one count of concealment of homicidal death. Brodey was the older boyfriend Megan had been seeing before her disappearance. He is accused of strangling and suffocating her before burying her body.
Megan Nichols, a teen from Fairfield, IL, 15 minutes from my hometown went missing on July 3, 2014. Nichols was declared a “runaway”. Her mother went to the grocery store, but Megan decided to stay home because she wasn’t feeling well. Whenever her mother got home, she found a letter on Megan’s bed reading “I love you, but I will never be happy here. Don’t look for me.”, along with her cell phone which had been wiped clean of any information. Weeks before, her mother had caught her seeing an older man; her phone was then taken away. When her mother thought she was no longer in contact with him, she gave the phone back. Signs were posted all over town stating, “Megan please come home.” Years passed and there was no sign of Megan.
Many searches around Wayne County occurred, but no turn up of Nichols. Her status changed to “endangered missing child” after finding no trace of Megan.
On Dec. 26, 2017, human remains were found on property on the outskirts of Fairfield. Everyone had a feeling they would be determined to belong to this missing person, Megan Nichols, but it wasn’t until a month later it was confirmed to indeed be Nichols.
Another three years pass with no luck of finding Megan’s murderer. The family of Nichols had a strong feeling the murder involved the older boyfriend she had been sneaking around with while many others thought the mother had something to do with it. However, neither theory could be proven, and the investigation was ongoing.
On Oct. 6, 2020, an arrest involving the murder of Megan Nichols was made. Evansville, IN man, Brodey Murbarger (24) was taken into custody on three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of home invasion, and one count of concealment of homicidal death. Brodey was the older boyfriend Megan had been seeing before her disappearance. He is accused of strangling and suffocating her before burying her body.
The Zodiac Killer
By Julianna Nuzzo
“I like killing people because it is so much fun. [from segmented cipher, or coded message, sent to three local newspapers following the 1969 murders of Mike Mageau and Darlene Ferrin.]” —Zodiac Killer
The Zodiac Killer has never been identified. It was self-named. Zodiac Killer stalked and killed at least five people across California's San Francisco Bay Area in 1968 and 1969. His first confirmed victims, David Faraday, 17, and his 16-year-old girlfriend, Betty Lou Jensen, were shot and killed near their car on Dec. 20, 1968, on Lake Herman Road near Vallejo.
Who was the Zodiac Killer? The self-proclaimed Zodiac Killer was directly linked to at least five murders in Northern California in 1968 and 1969 and may have been responsible for more. He taunted police and made threats through letters sent to area newspapers from 1969 to 1974, before abruptly ceasing communication. Despite intensive investigations, no one was ever arrested for the crimes and the case remains open. The mystery surrounding the murders has been the subject of numerous books and movies, including director David Fincher's acclaimed 2007 feature Zodiac. On August 1, 1969, the San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, and Vallejo Times-Herald each received an identical handwritten letter in an envelope without a return address. Beginning, “Dear Editor: I am the killer of the 2 teenagers last Christmas at Lake Herman,” the letters contained details from the Zodiac Killer’s murders that only the killer could have known. The killer went on to threaten further attacks if the letters weren’t printed on the front page of the papers. At present, four separate attacks have been definitively attributed to the Zodiac Killer. The first confirmed incident took place on the night of December 20, 1968, when 17-year-old David Faraday and his 16-year-old girlfriend, Betty Lou Jensen, were shot to death near their car at a remote spot on Lake Herman Road, on the outskirts of Vallejo, California. Police were baffled, unable to determine the motive for the crime or a suspect.
The Zodiac Killer has not been identified. But there was a cracked code, after 51 years. “The solution to what’s known as the 340 Cipher, one of the most vexing mysteries of the Zodiac Killer’s murderous saga, has been found by a code-breaking team from the United States, Australia, and Belgium.
The cipher, sent in a letter to The Chronicle in November 1969, has been puzzling authorities and amateur sleuths since it arrived 51 years ago. Investigators hoped the Zodiac, who killed five people in the Bay Area in 1968 and 1969, would reveal his name in one of his many ciphers, but there is no such name in the 340. According to code-breaking expert David Oranchak, the cipher’s text includes: “I hope you are having lots of fun in trying to catch me. ... I am not afraid of the gas chamber because it will send me to paradise all the sooner because I now have enough slaves to work for me.” Oranchak, a 46-year-old web designer who lives in Virginia, has been working on the Zodiac’s codes since 2006.
“This is exciting,” Oranchak said in an interview Friday. “We’ve been sitting on the solution since last Saturday. When I first started looking at the Zodiac ciphers all those years ago, I thought, ‘Oh, I can just write a computer program and solve it,’ but it’s been kicking my ass all this time. Until now.”
The Zodiac Killer himself never plead guilty. He was never identified and I personally think, he will never be found due to his crazy sneaky moves.
The Zodiac Killer himself may be Arthur Leigh Allen. Allen had been interviewed by police from the early days of the Zodiac investigations and was the subject of several search warrants over a 20-year period. In 2007 Graysmith noted that several police detectives described Allen as the most likely suspect.
“I like killing people because it is so much fun. [from segmented cipher, or coded message, sent to three local newspapers following the 1969 murders of Mike Mageau and Darlene Ferrin.]” —Zodiac Killer
The Zodiac Killer has never been identified. It was self-named. Zodiac Killer stalked and killed at least five people across California's San Francisco Bay Area in 1968 and 1969. His first confirmed victims, David Faraday, 17, and his 16-year-old girlfriend, Betty Lou Jensen, were shot and killed near their car on Dec. 20, 1968, on Lake Herman Road near Vallejo.
Who was the Zodiac Killer? The self-proclaimed Zodiac Killer was directly linked to at least five murders in Northern California in 1968 and 1969 and may have been responsible for more. He taunted police and made threats through letters sent to area newspapers from 1969 to 1974, before abruptly ceasing communication. Despite intensive investigations, no one was ever arrested for the crimes and the case remains open. The mystery surrounding the murders has been the subject of numerous books and movies, including director David Fincher's acclaimed 2007 feature Zodiac. On August 1, 1969, the San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, and Vallejo Times-Herald each received an identical handwritten letter in an envelope without a return address. Beginning, “Dear Editor: I am the killer of the 2 teenagers last Christmas at Lake Herman,” the letters contained details from the Zodiac Killer’s murders that only the killer could have known. The killer went on to threaten further attacks if the letters weren’t printed on the front page of the papers. At present, four separate attacks have been definitively attributed to the Zodiac Killer. The first confirmed incident took place on the night of December 20, 1968, when 17-year-old David Faraday and his 16-year-old girlfriend, Betty Lou Jensen, were shot to death near their car at a remote spot on Lake Herman Road, on the outskirts of Vallejo, California. Police were baffled, unable to determine the motive for the crime or a suspect.
The Zodiac Killer has not been identified. But there was a cracked code, after 51 years. “The solution to what’s known as the 340 Cipher, one of the most vexing mysteries of the Zodiac Killer’s murderous saga, has been found by a code-breaking team from the United States, Australia, and Belgium.
The cipher, sent in a letter to The Chronicle in November 1969, has been puzzling authorities and amateur sleuths since it arrived 51 years ago. Investigators hoped the Zodiac, who killed five people in the Bay Area in 1968 and 1969, would reveal his name in one of his many ciphers, but there is no such name in the 340. According to code-breaking expert David Oranchak, the cipher’s text includes: “I hope you are having lots of fun in trying to catch me. ... I am not afraid of the gas chamber because it will send me to paradise all the sooner because I now have enough slaves to work for me.” Oranchak, a 46-year-old web designer who lives in Virginia, has been working on the Zodiac’s codes since 2006.
“This is exciting,” Oranchak said in an interview Friday. “We’ve been sitting on the solution since last Saturday. When I first started looking at the Zodiac ciphers all those years ago, I thought, ‘Oh, I can just write a computer program and solve it,’ but it’s been kicking my ass all this time. Until now.”
The Zodiac Killer himself never plead guilty. He was never identified and I personally think, he will never be found due to his crazy sneaky moves.
The Zodiac Killer himself may be Arthur Leigh Allen. Allen had been interviewed by police from the early days of the Zodiac investigations and was the subject of several search warrants over a 20-year period. In 2007 Graysmith noted that several police detectives described Allen as the most likely suspect.
Jeffrey Dahmer the Serial Killer
By: Olivia Foster
Milwaukee Cannibal aka Jeffery Dahmer. Dahmer is a serial killer and sex offender. He raped and dismembered 17 boys and men from the ages 14-36. He did this from the years 1978 to 1991. While investigating his later murders the police found evidence of necrophilia and cannibalism. Necrophilia is intercourse or attraction towards dead bodies and cannibalism is eating parts of another human’s body.
Dahmer was born on May 21, 1960. He was described as an energetic happy kid until he turned four and had a double hernia surgery, then he started to act different. He also started to become very withdrawn because of all his family’s moves, and the birth of his brother. Dahmer claimed that his compulsions to necrophilia and murder began around the age of 14. Taking a closer look, it appears that the problems with his parent’s marriage turned his thoughts into his actions.
During Dahmer’s first killing his alcohol consumption had spun out of control. He had dropped out of Ohio State University and his father, now remarried, insisted that Dahmer join the military. Dahmer enlisted in late Decmber 1978 and was later discharged in 1981. German authorities later investigated some possible connections between Dahmer and some murders that took place in that area during that time.
After Dahmer’s discharge from the military, he went to live with his father in Ohio. However, his father had been arrested for disorderly conduct, so he had him go live with his grandma in Wisconsin. Dahmer still had a problem with alcohol, and he was arrested that following summer for indecent exposure. Several year later, in 1986, Dahmer was arrested when two boys said he masturbated in front of them. He received a one-year probationary sentence, and everything went downhill from there.
Dahmer had some mental issues. He was diagnosed with borderline personality, schizotypal personality, and a psychotic disorder. Borderline personality disorder is an illness marked by an ongoing pattern of varying moods, self-image, and behavior. The symptoms can often result in impulsive actions and problems in relationships. People with BPD (borderline personality disorder) tend to experience episodes of anger, depression, and anxiety that can last for hours to days.
People with schizotypal personality disorder are people who prefer to keep distance from others and are typically uncomfortable in relationships. They can sometimes exhibit unusual speech or behavior and typically have flat range or limited emotions.
Lastly, psychotic disorder is an illness that makes it hard for someone to think clearly, make good judgments, respond emotionally, communicate effectively, understand reality and have appropriate behavior.
Steven Hick was Dahmer’s first victim. Hicks was a 19-year-old hitchhiker. Dahmer had stopped to talk to Hicks and ended up convincing him to go to his house to drink. After a while, Hicks wanted to go but Dahmer insisted that he should stay. Hicks started to leave Dahmer’s house and that is when Dahmer got a 10-pound dumbbell and hit him upside the head before strangling him to death. The next day he cut apart Hick’s body and buried him in a shallow grave in his back yard.
Dahmer’s second victim was Steven Tuomi. Tuomi was killed in September 1987. Tuomi and Dahmer checked into a hotel room and drank. Later that night, Dahmer woke up to find Tuomi dead. He wasn’t aware of what he had done during that night. He put Tuomi into a suitcase and took him to his grandmother’s and dismembered him in the basement. After he dismembered him, he masturbated on Tuomi’s body and then disposed of the remains.
Dahmer would go on to claim 15 more victims. He was caught in 1991 when one of his victims escaped. The man’s name was Tracy Edward. He told police as soon as possible that Dahmer had tried to murder him. Dahmer was arrested very soon after Edward’s statement. This arrest led to Dahmer’s conviction and prison sentence. Dahmer was sentenced to life in prison (16 life terms). On Nov. 28, 1994, Dahmer was killed by another inmate in prison.
Milwaukee Cannibal aka Jeffery Dahmer. Dahmer is a serial killer and sex offender. He raped and dismembered 17 boys and men from the ages 14-36. He did this from the years 1978 to 1991. While investigating his later murders the police found evidence of necrophilia and cannibalism. Necrophilia is intercourse or attraction towards dead bodies and cannibalism is eating parts of another human’s body.
Dahmer was born on May 21, 1960. He was described as an energetic happy kid until he turned four and had a double hernia surgery, then he started to act different. He also started to become very withdrawn because of all his family’s moves, and the birth of his brother. Dahmer claimed that his compulsions to necrophilia and murder began around the age of 14. Taking a closer look, it appears that the problems with his parent’s marriage turned his thoughts into his actions.
During Dahmer’s first killing his alcohol consumption had spun out of control. He had dropped out of Ohio State University and his father, now remarried, insisted that Dahmer join the military. Dahmer enlisted in late Decmber 1978 and was later discharged in 1981. German authorities later investigated some possible connections between Dahmer and some murders that took place in that area during that time.
After Dahmer’s discharge from the military, he went to live with his father in Ohio. However, his father had been arrested for disorderly conduct, so he had him go live with his grandma in Wisconsin. Dahmer still had a problem with alcohol, and he was arrested that following summer for indecent exposure. Several year later, in 1986, Dahmer was arrested when two boys said he masturbated in front of them. He received a one-year probationary sentence, and everything went downhill from there.
Dahmer had some mental issues. He was diagnosed with borderline personality, schizotypal personality, and a psychotic disorder. Borderline personality disorder is an illness marked by an ongoing pattern of varying moods, self-image, and behavior. The symptoms can often result in impulsive actions and problems in relationships. People with BPD (borderline personality disorder) tend to experience episodes of anger, depression, and anxiety that can last for hours to days.
People with schizotypal personality disorder are people who prefer to keep distance from others and are typically uncomfortable in relationships. They can sometimes exhibit unusual speech or behavior and typically have flat range or limited emotions.
Lastly, psychotic disorder is an illness that makes it hard for someone to think clearly, make good judgments, respond emotionally, communicate effectively, understand reality and have appropriate behavior.
Steven Hick was Dahmer’s first victim. Hicks was a 19-year-old hitchhiker. Dahmer had stopped to talk to Hicks and ended up convincing him to go to his house to drink. After a while, Hicks wanted to go but Dahmer insisted that he should stay. Hicks started to leave Dahmer’s house and that is when Dahmer got a 10-pound dumbbell and hit him upside the head before strangling him to death. The next day he cut apart Hick’s body and buried him in a shallow grave in his back yard.
Dahmer’s second victim was Steven Tuomi. Tuomi was killed in September 1987. Tuomi and Dahmer checked into a hotel room and drank. Later that night, Dahmer woke up to find Tuomi dead. He wasn’t aware of what he had done during that night. He put Tuomi into a suitcase and took him to his grandmother’s and dismembered him in the basement. After he dismembered him, he masturbated on Tuomi’s body and then disposed of the remains.
Dahmer would go on to claim 15 more victims. He was caught in 1991 when one of his victims escaped. The man’s name was Tracy Edward. He told police as soon as possible that Dahmer had tried to murder him. Dahmer was arrested very soon after Edward’s statement. This arrest led to Dahmer’s conviction and prison sentence. Dahmer was sentenced to life in prison (16 life terms). On Nov. 28, 1994, Dahmer was killed by another inmate in prison.
Kelsie Schelling Murder Trial
By: Jada Jones
On Feb. 4, 2013, Kelsie Schelling, 21 and 8 weeks pregnant, went missing. Kelsie came to Pueblo, to meet with her boyfriend at the time, Donthe Lucas. Lucas was also the father of Kelsie’s unborn child.
On Feb. 7, Lucas was seen moving Schelling’s car to the Northern Walmart. An unknown male later came and picked up the car. The car was later found at St. Mary Corwin Hospital.
Donthe Lucas currently undergoes trial and stands accused of first-degree murder charges. Lucas pleads not guilty. The witness list has 175 names on it. 140 being for prosecution, leaving the remaining 35 listed for defense.
Roxanne Martinez was shot and killed in Denver before having the opportunity to take the stand. This case is believed to be a domestic case however many people take suspicions that it is involved with the Schelling case.
In 2017, CBI reprocessed Kelsie’s car and found presumptive positive tests for the presence of blood. Hairs belonging to Donthe were also found in the car, but Schelling visited Pueblo with the intentions of meeting with Lucas. Before Kelsie’s disappearance, Donthe and Kelsie had already met and used Kelsie’s car as transportation.
Eight years later, Lucas is facing a jury. For nearly a decade, Schelling’s family has had nearly no closure as to where there beloved family member is. Kelsie’s body has not yet been found but many civilians hope that the court case will bring closure to the family.
During the trail, the focus is intended to be on a broken lock at an entrance to a landfill off of Highway 78 overnight between Feb. 5 and Feb. 6 back in 2013. The landfill is just a few miles from where Lucas was then living with his grandmother. Investigators confirmed that Lucas’s phone pinged off a cell tower near the landfill the night the lock was broken.
A camera at the landfill caught a vehicle idling nearby but was a distance away and was not able to identify it. According to The Pueblo Chieftain, the court heard from Kim Pearce, the lead office administrator for the Southside landfill. Pearce said that the damage to the lock happened when the landfill was closed for the evening. She said whoever damaged the lock did not break it completely, however, they could've gotten into the landfill through that gate or a second gate further onto the property.
Using the evidence of the tampered landfill lock, the jury finally declared Donthe Lucas guilty of first-degree murder in the trail of the disappearance of Kelsie Schelling.
On Feb. 4, 2013, Kelsie Schelling, 21 and 8 weeks pregnant, went missing. Kelsie came to Pueblo, to meet with her boyfriend at the time, Donthe Lucas. Lucas was also the father of Kelsie’s unborn child.
On Feb. 7, Lucas was seen moving Schelling’s car to the Northern Walmart. An unknown male later came and picked up the car. The car was later found at St. Mary Corwin Hospital.
Donthe Lucas currently undergoes trial and stands accused of first-degree murder charges. Lucas pleads not guilty. The witness list has 175 names on it. 140 being for prosecution, leaving the remaining 35 listed for defense.
Roxanne Martinez was shot and killed in Denver before having the opportunity to take the stand. This case is believed to be a domestic case however many people take suspicions that it is involved with the Schelling case.
In 2017, CBI reprocessed Kelsie’s car and found presumptive positive tests for the presence of blood. Hairs belonging to Donthe were also found in the car, but Schelling visited Pueblo with the intentions of meeting with Lucas. Before Kelsie’s disappearance, Donthe and Kelsie had already met and used Kelsie’s car as transportation.
Eight years later, Lucas is facing a jury. For nearly a decade, Schelling’s family has had nearly no closure as to where there beloved family member is. Kelsie’s body has not yet been found but many civilians hope that the court case will bring closure to the family.
During the trail, the focus is intended to be on a broken lock at an entrance to a landfill off of Highway 78 overnight between Feb. 5 and Feb. 6 back in 2013. The landfill is just a few miles from where Lucas was then living with his grandmother. Investigators confirmed that Lucas’s phone pinged off a cell tower near the landfill the night the lock was broken.
A camera at the landfill caught a vehicle idling nearby but was a distance away and was not able to identify it. According to The Pueblo Chieftain, the court heard from Kim Pearce, the lead office administrator for the Southside landfill. Pearce said that the damage to the lock happened when the landfill was closed for the evening. She said whoever damaged the lock did not break it completely, however, they could've gotten into the landfill through that gate or a second gate further onto the property.
Using the evidence of the tampered landfill lock, the jury finally declared Donthe Lucas guilty of first-degree murder in the trail of the disappearance of Kelsie Schelling.
Technology and Crime: Do They Evolve Together?
By: Vanessa Sturtevant
Rain splashes on the wet stones softly as you walk through the streets. It’s getting dark and you have to get home to your family. It’s late in the year of 1888 and you’ve had a little too much to drink. Your name is Annie Chapman and you have no idea that you’ll be the second victim to a series of brutal murders. Murders that would be left unsolved for almost a hundred and fifty years, without your killer being brought to justice.
Anni Chapman wasn’t the only girl who had a home to go to when she was brutally murdered. Four other girls were killed within those short months. But due to the lack of technology in 1888, their deaths went unsolved. Today, our technology is advanced enough to narrow down suspects and apprehend criminals much quicker.
In the 1880’s, your best chance to catch a murderer was to catch them in the act. This was obviously less than ideal. You’d either have to plant an officer as bait, or just get lucky on patrols. This was the case in the Whitechapel Murders, where Jack the Ripper killed five women. The cameras that are in use are barely used for purposes that further investigations. Walt Drew, a detective on the Ripper case had access to a camera, but they didn’t take photos unless it was of the victim’s eyes, hoping that the image of their killer was burned in their eyes. With modern science, we can confirm that it doesn’t work.
Back in 1888, autopsies were performed, though the forensics were limited by the technology they had. Fingerprinting wasn’t common and the little database they had accumulated was limited to usually just the police on the force. Not to mention that koala fingerprints look like humans’ and bear skeletons without their hands and head look eerily similar. Dental records were non-existent. The cause of death could be somewhat determined, but there were always victims that were unidentifiable. To add on to an increasingly limited science field, blood from humans and animals was indistinguishable. With all of this working against the police, it’s no wonder that murders went unsolved.
Modern forensic sciences can allow us to gather more information from victims, dead or alive. Fingerprints are taken from everyone in the United States by the time they are approximately 18 months old. Dental records are meticulously kept. With our technology now, we can extract DNA from blood, semen, sweat, and other bodily fluids. Knowing the elements on the periodic table, we can extract information from evidence that pinpoints an approximate location. A couple of centuries ago all you could do was say “Their clothing is muddy, so look on banks for footprints.” That could put the scene anywhere where there was water, so it wasn’t super helpful.
Back in the 1800s, as long as you weren’t caught and you had an alibi, you could be untouchable by the police. The lack of physical evidence against the case would usually let murderers get off scot-free. Jack the Ripper sent letters to the police with blood stains on them, but without the technology to extract the DNA from the stains, the killer was still a mystery.
As the technology evolved through the centuries, killers had to be more careful or they’d be caught. Not only do they hide their faces, but they now will wear gloves, try to conceal any defining characteristics they have, and burn evidence. We didn’t see those adaptations until later.
Old cold cases have been brought to light using new technology. Murderers who killed 30 years ago are now being brought to justice. With the increasingly in depth clues and answers scientists and detectives are gathering from seemingly insignificant pieces of evidence, older cases and unsolved crimes are being solved.
Crimes and murderers are adapting with newer technology. The perpetrators are finding ways to prevent evidence from being gathered and identified. But there’s one question left: “Are they doing this consciously, or is this just another unconscious step in the evolution of crime?”
Rain splashes on the wet stones softly as you walk through the streets. It’s getting dark and you have to get home to your family. It’s late in the year of 1888 and you’ve had a little too much to drink. Your name is Annie Chapman and you have no idea that you’ll be the second victim to a series of brutal murders. Murders that would be left unsolved for almost a hundred and fifty years, without your killer being brought to justice.
Anni Chapman wasn’t the only girl who had a home to go to when she was brutally murdered. Four other girls were killed within those short months. But due to the lack of technology in 1888, their deaths went unsolved. Today, our technology is advanced enough to narrow down suspects and apprehend criminals much quicker.
In the 1880’s, your best chance to catch a murderer was to catch them in the act. This was obviously less than ideal. You’d either have to plant an officer as bait, or just get lucky on patrols. This was the case in the Whitechapel Murders, where Jack the Ripper killed five women. The cameras that are in use are barely used for purposes that further investigations. Walt Drew, a detective on the Ripper case had access to a camera, but they didn’t take photos unless it was of the victim’s eyes, hoping that the image of their killer was burned in their eyes. With modern science, we can confirm that it doesn’t work.
Back in 1888, autopsies were performed, though the forensics were limited by the technology they had. Fingerprinting wasn’t common and the little database they had accumulated was limited to usually just the police on the force. Not to mention that koala fingerprints look like humans’ and bear skeletons without their hands and head look eerily similar. Dental records were non-existent. The cause of death could be somewhat determined, but there were always victims that were unidentifiable. To add on to an increasingly limited science field, blood from humans and animals was indistinguishable. With all of this working against the police, it’s no wonder that murders went unsolved.
Modern forensic sciences can allow us to gather more information from victims, dead or alive. Fingerprints are taken from everyone in the United States by the time they are approximately 18 months old. Dental records are meticulously kept. With our technology now, we can extract DNA from blood, semen, sweat, and other bodily fluids. Knowing the elements on the periodic table, we can extract information from evidence that pinpoints an approximate location. A couple of centuries ago all you could do was say “Their clothing is muddy, so look on banks for footprints.” That could put the scene anywhere where there was water, so it wasn’t super helpful.
Back in the 1800s, as long as you weren’t caught and you had an alibi, you could be untouchable by the police. The lack of physical evidence against the case would usually let murderers get off scot-free. Jack the Ripper sent letters to the police with blood stains on them, but without the technology to extract the DNA from the stains, the killer was still a mystery.
As the technology evolved through the centuries, killers had to be more careful or they’d be caught. Not only do they hide their faces, but they now will wear gloves, try to conceal any defining characteristics they have, and burn evidence. We didn’t see those adaptations until later.
Old cold cases have been brought to light using new technology. Murderers who killed 30 years ago are now being brought to justice. With the increasingly in depth clues and answers scientists and detectives are gathering from seemingly insignificant pieces of evidence, older cases and unsolved crimes are being solved.
Crimes and murderers are adapting with newer technology. The perpetrators are finding ways to prevent evidence from being gathered and identified. But there’s one question left: “Are they doing this consciously, or is this just another unconscious step in the evolution of crime?”
Case Half Closed: The Manson Family Murders
By: Uriel E. Villalobos
Hollywood in America’s 1960s’ was flowing with vibrancy and vigor. With films such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Night of the Living Dead, there was no better time to marvel at the silver screen. Yet no actress other than Sharon Tate could have struck the industry harder than with her 1967 blockbuster hit Valley of the Dolls.
Living on famous Cielo Drive, residence to numerous actors and actresses of the time, life had began to paint a perfect picture in her place. Though this would all prove to be a mirage as a beast had been uncaged. This beast being Charles Manson and his unyielding “family.”
Coming from failed musical beginnings, Charles Manson spawned one of the most influential and powerful cults of the Twentieth Century. Spawning enough power to put the likes of Sharon Tate in his crosshairs.
The gruesome assault ensued on the brisk night of Aug. 8, 1969 when three loyalists of the Manson Family (Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, and Linda Kasabian) arrived at the Tate residence. Their first victim was eighteen year old Steve Parent, an acquaintance of the house’s caretaker, who was shot dead whilst barely leaving the residence.
After breaking into the household, the abhorrent assault continued as Tate alongside four others visiting with her (one of which being the heiress to the Folger’s coffee company, Abigail Folger) were stabbed to death at the hands of the three Manson loyalists.
The three were able to escape after the act and the sight at which was beheld to police was truly appalling. With the bodies of the victims strewn about the lawn and within the house; as well as the unwelcoming sight of “PIG” written in blood on the front door (according to the Los Angeles Times).
Yet this event was not steadfast to be solved. Law enforcement was left without a clue and in some cases, unbothered. According to The Smithsonian, this was due to the fact that none of the victims, including Sharon Tate, had any connection to the Manson family or even Charles Manson himself.
It wouldn’t be until months later that the Manson’s participation in the act would be revealed. The group was pulled over for suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle. It was then that Susan Atkins confessed to the murders, landing all four in incarceration. Although the murderers in-question had been revealed, this still left many stones unturned.
One of these being the motive behind the killing. Time magazine suggests that the murders were ordered due to the fact that the household’s previous owner belonged to a musical producer who had rejected Manson’s offer to a record deal. While others suggest this was caused by the race war hysteria ensued within Manson during his early occult years.
Though TV producer and interviewer of Manson, Buddy Day, has a different take on the events that unfolded. He stated that everyone’s take on the story differed from the other and because of this: “There are so many people involved in the Manson story, not one of them can say what really happened. No one was making decisions for the whole group.”
Manson’s denial in the involvement would not help in the closure of this case either. Leaving this to be materially solved yet philosophically undetermined to this day. Even so, the murders that took place on that quiet August night would forever cement themselves in Twentieth Century America and seeping its root even deeper into the Twentieth.
Hollywood in America’s 1960s’ was flowing with vibrancy and vigor. With films such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Night of the Living Dead, there was no better time to marvel at the silver screen. Yet no actress other than Sharon Tate could have struck the industry harder than with her 1967 blockbuster hit Valley of the Dolls.
Living on famous Cielo Drive, residence to numerous actors and actresses of the time, life had began to paint a perfect picture in her place. Though this would all prove to be a mirage as a beast had been uncaged. This beast being Charles Manson and his unyielding “family.”
Coming from failed musical beginnings, Charles Manson spawned one of the most influential and powerful cults of the Twentieth Century. Spawning enough power to put the likes of Sharon Tate in his crosshairs.
The gruesome assault ensued on the brisk night of Aug. 8, 1969 when three loyalists of the Manson Family (Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, and Linda Kasabian) arrived at the Tate residence. Their first victim was eighteen year old Steve Parent, an acquaintance of the house’s caretaker, who was shot dead whilst barely leaving the residence.
After breaking into the household, the abhorrent assault continued as Tate alongside four others visiting with her (one of which being the heiress to the Folger’s coffee company, Abigail Folger) were stabbed to death at the hands of the three Manson loyalists.
The three were able to escape after the act and the sight at which was beheld to police was truly appalling. With the bodies of the victims strewn about the lawn and within the house; as well as the unwelcoming sight of “PIG” written in blood on the front door (according to the Los Angeles Times).
Yet this event was not steadfast to be solved. Law enforcement was left without a clue and in some cases, unbothered. According to The Smithsonian, this was due to the fact that none of the victims, including Sharon Tate, had any connection to the Manson family or even Charles Manson himself.
It wouldn’t be until months later that the Manson’s participation in the act would be revealed. The group was pulled over for suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle. It was then that Susan Atkins confessed to the murders, landing all four in incarceration. Although the murderers in-question had been revealed, this still left many stones unturned.
One of these being the motive behind the killing. Time magazine suggests that the murders were ordered due to the fact that the household’s previous owner belonged to a musical producer who had rejected Manson’s offer to a record deal. While others suggest this was caused by the race war hysteria ensued within Manson during his early occult years.
Though TV producer and interviewer of Manson, Buddy Day, has a different take on the events that unfolded. He stated that everyone’s take on the story differed from the other and because of this: “There are so many people involved in the Manson story, not one of them can say what really happened. No one was making decisions for the whole group.”
Manson’s denial in the involvement would not help in the closure of this case either. Leaving this to be materially solved yet philosophically undetermined to this day. Even so, the murders that took place on that quiet August night would forever cement themselves in Twentieth Century America and seeping its root even deeper into the Twentieth.
The Tragic & Unsolved Murder of Pageant Girl: JonBenét Ramsey
By: Madison Lira
The year is 1996, it’s a snowy Christmas Day in Boulder, CO, which should be joyous day full of family, laughs and kids gleaming with happiness because Santa might’ve delivered their presents the night before. Except for the Ramsey’s, that Christmas Day was filled with horror and agony as they found their six-year-old daughter, JonBenét Ramsey, missing from her room and a ransom note demanding $118,000 in order for their daughter to return home safe. However, as Boulder police arrived at the Ramsey residence, they would soon discover the ransom note was discovered too late, as the six-year-old pageant girl was found strangled to death in the family’s basement. Looking further into the investigation, mistakes were made by the Boulder police including only cornering JonBenét’s room off which meant the family could roam around the rest of the house potentially destroying evidence; the police shared evidence with the Ramsey’s and delayed conducting their interview; and when JonBenét’s body was found, her father picked up and carried her body upstairs which destroyed any potential evidence as the crime scene was disturbed, as according to CrimeMusuem.org.
As the investigation went along, two main theories came to fruition to how JonBenét was murdered, which are the family theory and the intruder theory. The family theory is as it says, Boulder police initially focused the investigation on the Ramsey’s. As according to CrimeMuseum.org, police initially honed their investigation on the Ramsey family for a few suspicious reasons, first being that the ransom note found at the crime scene was written with paper and pen that was inside the Ramsey residence and had even demanded a specific amount of money which correlated to a bonus Mr. Ramsey had received earlier that year. The Ramsey’s were also reluctant to cooperate with detectives at first due to the fact that they would obviously be targeted first by investigators, however, each family member of the house was interviewed and had submitted handwriting analysis to see if any of their handwriting matched the ransom note but John and Burke Ramsey were cleared, and Patsy’s handwriting was deemed inconclusive. In 1999 a Colorado grand jury had voted to indict the Ramsey family on child endangerment which resulted in death, however, the Boulder DA at the time felt there wasn’t enough evidence to go through with a trial to create reasonable doubt and had declined to prosecute.
Now there is the second theory, which is that JonBenét may have been murdered by an intruder, and there seems to be a significant amount of evidence to back this theory. According to CrimeMuseum.org, evidence found that supports this theory included a boot print found next to JonBenet’s body which didn’t match anyone in the family, there was a broken window in the basement which could have been the intruder’s entry point and there were droplets of blood found in JonBenét’s underwear which belonged to a single unidentifiable man. Out of the main suspect pool of the intruder theory, the most infamous one would have to be John Mark Karr. Karr had initially confessed to her murder in 2006 after being arrested on child pornography charges, he confessed that he accidently killed JonBenét after drugging and sexually assaulting her. However, he was dismissed because testing had found no drugs in JonBenét’s system, Boulder Police couldn’t confirm he was in Boulder at the time and his DNA didn’t match up with the DNA found in JonBenét’s underwear.
Now, when looking further into the DNA found in JonBenét’s underwear, according to the Buzzfeed Unsolved episode discussing her murder, they mention a recent CBS program where a DNA expert by the name of Dr. Henry Lee (best known as the DNA expert in the case of O.J. Simpson) studied the DNA found at the scene and pointed out that JonBenét’s underwear could have held transferred DNA from the manufacturer of the product, which means that even though DNA testing had cleared the many suspects of the murder, anyone of them could still be responsible because Dr. Lee had proved this by opening an unopened pack of underwear and finding minuet traces of transferred DNA on the brand-new underwear. Based on all the clouded evidence and scattered theories of who could’ve done it, the tragic murder of JonBenét Ramsey to this day remains unsolved.
The year is 1996, it’s a snowy Christmas Day in Boulder, CO, which should be joyous day full of family, laughs and kids gleaming with happiness because Santa might’ve delivered their presents the night before. Except for the Ramsey’s, that Christmas Day was filled with horror and agony as they found their six-year-old daughter, JonBenét Ramsey, missing from her room and a ransom note demanding $118,000 in order for their daughter to return home safe. However, as Boulder police arrived at the Ramsey residence, they would soon discover the ransom note was discovered too late, as the six-year-old pageant girl was found strangled to death in the family’s basement. Looking further into the investigation, mistakes were made by the Boulder police including only cornering JonBenét’s room off which meant the family could roam around the rest of the house potentially destroying evidence; the police shared evidence with the Ramsey’s and delayed conducting their interview; and when JonBenét’s body was found, her father picked up and carried her body upstairs which destroyed any potential evidence as the crime scene was disturbed, as according to CrimeMusuem.org.
As the investigation went along, two main theories came to fruition to how JonBenét was murdered, which are the family theory and the intruder theory. The family theory is as it says, Boulder police initially focused the investigation on the Ramsey’s. As according to CrimeMuseum.org, police initially honed their investigation on the Ramsey family for a few suspicious reasons, first being that the ransom note found at the crime scene was written with paper and pen that was inside the Ramsey residence and had even demanded a specific amount of money which correlated to a bonus Mr. Ramsey had received earlier that year. The Ramsey’s were also reluctant to cooperate with detectives at first due to the fact that they would obviously be targeted first by investigators, however, each family member of the house was interviewed and had submitted handwriting analysis to see if any of their handwriting matched the ransom note but John and Burke Ramsey were cleared, and Patsy’s handwriting was deemed inconclusive. In 1999 a Colorado grand jury had voted to indict the Ramsey family on child endangerment which resulted in death, however, the Boulder DA at the time felt there wasn’t enough evidence to go through with a trial to create reasonable doubt and had declined to prosecute.
Now there is the second theory, which is that JonBenét may have been murdered by an intruder, and there seems to be a significant amount of evidence to back this theory. According to CrimeMuseum.org, evidence found that supports this theory included a boot print found next to JonBenet’s body which didn’t match anyone in the family, there was a broken window in the basement which could have been the intruder’s entry point and there were droplets of blood found in JonBenét’s underwear which belonged to a single unidentifiable man. Out of the main suspect pool of the intruder theory, the most infamous one would have to be John Mark Karr. Karr had initially confessed to her murder in 2006 after being arrested on child pornography charges, he confessed that he accidently killed JonBenét after drugging and sexually assaulting her. However, he was dismissed because testing had found no drugs in JonBenét’s system, Boulder Police couldn’t confirm he was in Boulder at the time and his DNA didn’t match up with the DNA found in JonBenét’s underwear.
Now, when looking further into the DNA found in JonBenét’s underwear, according to the Buzzfeed Unsolved episode discussing her murder, they mention a recent CBS program where a DNA expert by the name of Dr. Henry Lee (best known as the DNA expert in the case of O.J. Simpson) studied the DNA found at the scene and pointed out that JonBenét’s underwear could have held transferred DNA from the manufacturer of the product, which means that even though DNA testing had cleared the many suspects of the murder, anyone of them could still be responsible because Dr. Lee had proved this by opening an unopened pack of underwear and finding minuet traces of transferred DNA on the brand-new underwear. Based on all the clouded evidence and scattered theories of who could’ve done it, the tragic murder of JonBenét Ramsey to this day remains unsolved.
Dennis Rader the BTK Killer
By Javin Martinez
Dennis Rader was a married man who had served in the air force and came home to work as a ADT security serviceman. Neighbors thought of him as friendly and outgoing, but underneath the act Rader actually had a killer hobby.
Detectives arrived at a home in Wichita that had a family of four living inside, all four family members were strangled to death and investigators were left with practically no clues pointing to the identity of a suspect. Although a watch and radio were noticed to be missing from the family possessions.
Months later police would respond to another homicide with similar elements of the family homicide in Wichita. Kathryn Bright was found dead in her apartment, she found with multiple stab wounds but the cause of death was strangulation. Kathryn’s brother arrived right as the killer but didn’t get the chance to clearly describe the suspect due to the fact that he was shot two times, Kathryn’s brother described her killer as average in height, psychotic looking and had a bushy mustache. Unfortunately the police didn’t have enough evidence including the description to find a suspect.
Rader would put a letter claiming responsibility for the killings in a library book. He would warn that soon he would strike again and also taunted police by saying his urges were uncontrollable and the only thing that would control his urges would be binding, torturing and killing people. He signed the letter BTK.
Rader would go on to kill five more people and proceeded to taunt the police by sending poems and letters to local news stations. Although it wouldn’t be until thirty years later that Rader would be caught because of his attempt of trying to send a news station a floppy disk. When the police announced that Rader was the BTK killer, neighbors and his wife were shocked by the news. Rader was sentenced to ten life sentences and is currently in El Dorado Correctional facility. Rader is another sadistic serial killer who’ll always be remembered for his inhumane and psychotic actions, forever leaving a mark on the victims' families.
Dennis Rader was a married man who had served in the air force and came home to work as a ADT security serviceman. Neighbors thought of him as friendly and outgoing, but underneath the act Rader actually had a killer hobby.
Detectives arrived at a home in Wichita that had a family of four living inside, all four family members were strangled to death and investigators were left with practically no clues pointing to the identity of a suspect. Although a watch and radio were noticed to be missing from the family possessions.
Months later police would respond to another homicide with similar elements of the family homicide in Wichita. Kathryn Bright was found dead in her apartment, she found with multiple stab wounds but the cause of death was strangulation. Kathryn’s brother arrived right as the killer but didn’t get the chance to clearly describe the suspect due to the fact that he was shot two times, Kathryn’s brother described her killer as average in height, psychotic looking and had a bushy mustache. Unfortunately the police didn’t have enough evidence including the description to find a suspect.
Rader would put a letter claiming responsibility for the killings in a library book. He would warn that soon he would strike again and also taunted police by saying his urges were uncontrollable and the only thing that would control his urges would be binding, torturing and killing people. He signed the letter BTK.
Rader would go on to kill five more people and proceeded to taunt the police by sending poems and letters to local news stations. Although it wouldn’t be until thirty years later that Rader would be caught because of his attempt of trying to send a news station a floppy disk. When the police announced that Rader was the BTK killer, neighbors and his wife were shocked by the news. Rader was sentenced to ten life sentences and is currently in El Dorado Correctional facility. Rader is another sadistic serial killer who’ll always be remembered for his inhumane and psychotic actions, forever leaving a mark on the victims' families.