True Crime Blog
“What the #@%# did you say?” There was a brief standoff at the top of the escalator following the challenge I issued, which in print would appear an innocuous question if not for the colorful expletive. But the tone—oh, man, the tone. And the posture, the body language, the daggers my tired eyes can still…
Over the holiday weekend, I caught a bug and spent nearly a week inside, avoiding the cold snap of weather and partaking in an epic book binge. The days passed quickly as I blazed through five books in as many days. And with the holidays upon us and winter bearing down, I thought it would…
What has happened to the rule of law in our society? I watch the world news, and although I’m disgusted by the atrocities committed by some of our fellow human beings, I’m not surprised by it. Evil exists, and certain cultures on this planet embrace violence the way you and I seek comfort and peace…
On the morning of April 11, 2023, Rachel King, a 35-year-old Philadelphia resident and elementary school teacher, was gunned down while waiting in her car at a Dunkin Donuts drive-thru. Her 11-year-old son was in the back seat.
I HAVE A DEVIL INSIDE ME is the true story of a satanic murder that took place in Miami-Dade, Florida, in the year 2000.
After the Badge by Danny R. Smith was first published in Mystery Readers Journal: The Journal of Mystery Readers International (Volume 37, Number 4 – Winter 2021). Unsolved murders can haunt those who’ve been tasked with solving them. Though I retired from L.A. Sheriff’s Homicide seventeen years ago, many of my unsolved cases trouble…
The radicals want to defund or abolish the police, or, as their forked-tongued talking heads in D.C. and the media like to say, “reimagine” policing. At the same time, they want to release convicted felons from prison while taking away your guns and rights to self-defense.
Very few people are killed by strangers while at home with their families or even enjoying an evening out with friends. But when you stay out all night—or into the wee hours—you increase the odds of becoming a victim of violence. The older I get, the more I have come to appreciate that.
As my memoir, Nothing Left to Prove grew beyond 108,000 words, there were parts that had to be cut. For a writer, this is akin to choosing which child to give away at birth. But a general rule to writing is that if it doesn’t move the story forward, slay it.
Bad Dreams go with the territory of being a cop. Over the years, my dreaming of pursuits, foot chases, and shootouts with malfunctioning weapons and bulletproof bad guys have subsided, but it doesn’t take much to reawaken the demons. A good cop movie can do it, and so can a session of telling war stories…