True Crime Blog
Crimson was twenty-two, single, and vivacious. The daughter of perhaps the most forgiving woman I’ve ever met. She had recently broken up with Derek. He was the macho sort who boasted of his combat experience as a paratrooper during Desert Storm. Which, as it turns out, was a lie. He wasn’t a paratrooper, he hadn’t…
This Blog has Gone to the Dogs. In 1997 when I promoted to Homicide, I was introduced to a tool of investigation that was new to me: scent canines. Droopy-eared hounds, low and stable, good for cornering if they were ever to build up speed. Which they don’t. They are slow and steady, designed for…
Hell found me. It seeped into my skin and flowed through my veins as I held the hand of a killer. The Interview “You’re not a bad girl, Valerie,” I told her, staring into the hollow eyes that shifted from me to the floor. I saw no remorse, no emotion. She seemed to be thinking, plotting…
Suicide cases run the gamut: shooting, hanging, jumping, overdosing on pills, and slashing wrists. Carbon monoxide poisoning, drowning, asphyxia, suicide by train, suicide by cop, plummeting one’s car over a cliff.
As far as a homicide investigation goes, nothing is better than a callout when the suspect is already in custody. We call it a walkthrough. Homicide investigations are never simple, though some require less follow-up than others. With a suspect in custody, your case is “solved” before you’ve laced your wingtips. All that remains is the…
In Marina del Rey There were worse places to process a crime scene than two miles offshore in Marina del Rey, California. But how, exactly, would one go about such a task, and what circumstances would call for such an investigation? Perhaps a case of suicide. Or murder. Those were the questions I asked a…
A robust Hispanic man stood unapologetically shirtless beneath the morning sun in East Los Angeles. My partner and I suffered in dress shirts and ties while we questioned him about a Mustang, a set of wheels, and a relative of his who we believed to be a suspect in our murder investigation. It was August…
If you’re just dying to kill someone but find the prospect of prison tiresome, perhaps this handy little murderer’s manifesto is perfect for you! Have No Motive Do not kill out of anger, greed, or revenge, to cover another crime, or for sexual gratification. Do it just for the pure pleasure of doing so,…
Another Day at the Homicide Bureau It was July 9, 2002, and the Southern California sun had driven the mercury to three-digits by 10:00 a.m. Being outdoors was bad enough, wearing a suit made it worse. Recovering a murdered baby from the recycling center was nearly unbearable. I shed the suit coat, rolled up my…