true crime

17 Stories

The Butterfly Was a Rare One. Then Someone Noticed Paint

A decades-old butterfly heist at the hands of Colin Wyatt still puzzles scientists and curators

(Newser) - The tale of Australia's most audacious butterfly theft begins in 1922 in the peaks of Barrington Tops, where naturalist Johnny Hopson found a dead, yet unnamed butterfly—a find that would later become a prized specimen, as detailed in Walter Marsh's report in the Guardian . Hopson, aka...

How a Florida Mom Became the Author of a Hit-Man Manual

Gayle McCool's how-to book on murder, penned as 'Rex Feral,' changed lives, according to Vanity Fair

(Newser) - Gayle McCool spent decades haunted by a recurring dream, and even longer by the fallout from Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors, a book she wrote as "Rex Feral." It was a how-to guide on contract killing, written in the early 1980s after her boyfriend,...

His Vanishing Is Merely a 'Game of Clue' to the Masses

Texas Monthly looks into the disappearance of Jason Landry and the rise of true-crime sleuths

(Newser) - It's been nearly five years since 21-year-old Jason Landry vanished on a dark rural road in Luling, Texas. His car turned up—he'd apparently crashed the Nissan into a tree—and, inexplicably, his clothes were found scattered in neat piles in the middle of the road. But as...

Goodbye Ghost Tour, Hello True Crime

The popularity in true crime has created a niche industry for touring crime scenes

(Newser) - The ever-growing true crime genre has now tipped into another industry: tourism. As the Washington Post reports, walking and bus tours that visit crime scenes are a growing trend in cities, giving aficionados a glimpse into the history of famous cases. A sampling of these include a mob boss walking...

The Elusive Bandit Had a Secret: a Twin Brother
The Elusive Bandit Had
a Secret: a Twin Brother
longform
Jan 18, 2025 2:20 PM CST

The Elusive Bandit Had a Secret: a Twin Brother

The Atavist unpacks the incredible story of a pair of famed Australian criminals

(Newser) - Australian police tracking the "After Dark Bandit" couldn't puzzle out how he managed to rob banks and betting parlors around the same time in different locations. As the Atavist explains, it was only when they arrested Peter Morgan and searched his home that they discovered the answer in...

Anna Kendrick Felt 'Gross' Getting Paid for New Film

Actor says she donated money she made from Woman of the Hour to anti-violence charities

(Newser) - Anna Kendrick's directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, began streaming this month on Netflix, and it's garnering decent reviews . But while the 39-year-old Pitch Perfect actor is accepting praise for the film—which the AP describes as a "chilling, based-on-a-true-story drama about when a 1970s serial killer...

James Patterson Drops a New True-Crime Series

Author is launching 'very special' 3-part series on Fox Nation streaming service

(Newser) - James Patterson is launching a true-crime series on the streaming service Fox Nation. Unsolved With James Patterson, hosted by the bestselling author, premieres Monday and will air in three segments. According to Fox Nation, Patterson's series will include a trio of unsolved homicide cases: the death of a Louisiana...

True-Crime Podcasters Insist They 'Honor' Victims. It's a Lie

Annie Nichol, sister of the murdered Polly Klaas, slams the genre

(Newser) - If you're into true crime, you're not alone, as evidenced by the plethora of podcasts, books, and programs dedicated to the topic. One person who doesn't love this "obsession" with the genre: Annie Nichol, the sister of murder victim Polly Klaas, a 12-year-old Californian who was...

She Turned to Podcasters Over Sister's Killing. It Ended Badly
She Turned to Podcasters Over
Sister's Killing. It Ended Badly
in case you missed it
Dec 10, 2023 3:15 PM CST

She Turned to Podcasters Over Sister's Killing. It Ended Badly

The 'New York Times' looks at how families can be retraumatized by online sleuthing

(Newser) - Liz Flatt was 8 when her sister, Debbie Sue Williamson, was murdered in 1975. The cold case continued to haunt her into adulthood, so in 2016, she decided to make a new push to get the crime solved. The years that followed brought her to CrimeCon, where she met George...

True Crime Fan Who Killed 'Out of Curiosity' Learns Fate
True Crime Fan Who Killed
'Out of Curiosity' Learns Fate
in case you missed it
Nov 26, 2023 3:05 PM CST

True Crime Fan Who Killed 'Out of Curiosity' Learns Fate

Jung Yoo-jung of South Korea sentenced to life in prison for murder of tutor

(Newser) - A young fan of the true crime genre who admitted to brutally murdering a stranger "out of curiosity" was sentenced to life in prison in South Korea on Friday. Jung Yoo-jung, 23, was arrested in June after the taxi driver she hired reported seeing her dump a blood-soaked suitcase...

2 Podcast Fans Help Right a Decades-Old Wrong

They brought 'Crime Junkie' case to husband's dad, who was chief of police in Odessa, Texas

(Newser) - In some ways, the exoneration of James Reyos in Odessa, Texas, has a familiar ring to it. A reexamination of evidence from a decades-old murder convinced the state's highest court to clear him earlier this month, as the Texas Monthly recounts. But the story has a unique twist: Reyos,...

The Long Journey Into Who Killed Ocean City's Fudge King
Writer May Have Cracked
Ocean City Cold Case
LONGFORM
Oct 15, 2023 1:10 PM CDT

Writer May Have Cracked Ocean City Cold Case

Ocean City's 'Fudge King,' Harry Anglemyer, was murdered in 1964

(Newser) - Who killed New Jersey's Fudge King? That's the question writer Tom Donaghy grappled with for several years, detailing the twisty true-crime account in Atavist Magazine . As a kid visiting the Jersey Shore, Donaghy was a frequent visitor of the Copper Kettle, a fudge shop that wiped out all...

Her Name Was Unique. The Dangers She Faced Were 'Common'

'Washington Post' looks back on coverage of murdered mom, what everyone got wrong

(Newser) - When Monica Hesse was a young reporter, she covered the story of Unique Harris, a 24-year-old single mom of two young boys who vanished from her DC apartment in October 2010, while she was hosting a sleepover for her kids and their 9-year-old cousin. It was a case that went...

He Found Secrets Under the Water. Then Came an Accusation

The 'New Yorker' profiles salvage diver Jared Leisek and his viral YouTube channel

(Newser) - Some tales of mysterious disappearances have taken an unexpected turn after family and friends seeking answers discovered "Adventures with Purpose" (AWP). Oregon-based salvage diver Jared Leisek initially filmed himself finding things like iPhones in lakes and rivers but stumbled into his mission in late 2019 thanks to a viral...

Suit: Netflix Insinuated I Was a 'Stone-Cold Killer'
Netflix Used a Man's Photo in
Movie. He's Not Happy About It
in case you missed it
Apr 23, 2023 12:00 PM CDT

Netflix Used a Man's Photo in Movie. He's Not Happy About It

Taylor Hazlewood says streaming platform stole his photo from Instagram, insinuated he was a killer

(Newser) - The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker , a documentary on Netflix, debuted earlier this year, detailing the rise and fall of Caleb McGillvary, a Canadian who once went viral after helping an assault victim, then was later convicted of murder in an unrelated case. But it was the photo of a completely...

Relatives of Killers, Victims Connect in Odd Forum

Decades later, they find each other in comments section of defunct podcast: 'New Yorker'

(Newser) - In one sense, it's a true-crime story, and a morbidly fascinating one at that. And, yes, a podcast factors into the tale. But the story told by Ryan Katz in the New Yorker offers a remarkable twist—he lays out how people tied to a series of grisly murders...

True-Crime Genre Is Out of Control
True-Crime
Genre Is
Out of Control
OPINION
Oct 14, 2021 12:20 PM CDT

True-Crime Genre Is Out of Control

Emma Berquist, a crime victim herself, writes that podcasts are making women paranoid

(Newser) - The murder rate is way down over the last 20 years or so, and most people who do get killed are men. You wouldn't know from the voluminous true-crime podcast genre. Show after show, often hosted by women, offer grisly recaps of cases with female victims. All of which...

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