The 8 Most Notorious Criminals in Hollywood History

8 worst hollywood villains

Hollywood may be the land of big dreams and promises, but this place definitely sees its fair share of tragedies as well. From crimes of passion to money-motivated crimes, Hollywood criminals have been known to attack for any and all reasons. And we all know that one of the quickest ways to be a show stealer in Hollywood is to do something bad. Here are the eight most notorious criminals in Hollywood history.

  1. Paul Snider

    Paul Snider is the man responsible for killing his actress and Playboy model wife, Dorothy Stratten, before turning the gun on himself. The high-profile murder-suicide was a complete shock to Hollywood. The young Stratten had just been named Playboy’s Miss August 1979 and 1980 Playmate of the Year and landed a spot in Bob Fosse’s film Star 80. This increased level of fame caused her husband-manager, Paul Snider, to become increasingly jealous and bitter. On Aug. 14, 1980, Snider brutally shot and killed 20-year-old Stratten in their Los Angeles apartment and then committed suicide.

  2. Amy Fisher

    Amy Fisher, also known as the “Long Island Lolita,” was the infamous teenager responsible for nearly killing her then-boyfriend Joey Buttafuoco’s wife, Mary Jo, in 1992. Fisher was 16 years old when she began a relationship with the New York auto body shop owner and it didn’t take long before she wanted to get his wife out of the picture. On the afternoon of the shooting, Fisher had an accomplice drive her to the Buttafuoco’s home so that she could kill Mary Jo. When his wife answered the door, Amy lied and told her that Joey was having an affair with her younger sister. Mary Jo turned away in disbelief and Fisher shot her in the head and fled the scene. Mary Jo miraculously lived through the shooting, but suffered partial paralysis on one side of her face and a loss of hearing in one ear. Fisher was eventually arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison for attempted murder, and Joey served six months for statutory rape.

  3. Paul and Tom Ferguson

    Paul and Tom Ferguson were the murderous brothers responsible for killing the famous silent movie star, Ramon Novarro, in 1968. On the night of his murder, Novarro invited the Ferguson brothers over to his house in hopes of having sex with one of the two men. The Fergusons believed that the actor had a large sum of money hidden inside the house, and planned to find it. After the rendezvous between Paul and Ramon was over, the brothers demanded that he give them the money. When Novarro said he didn’t have any money on him, Paul brutally beat him and left him to die. Police were able to trace a call that Tom made on the house phone to his girlfriend in Chicago on the day of the murder. She ratted them out and the brothers were arrested and sentenced to life in prison, but were paroled within seven years of the trial.

  4. OJ Simpson

    OJ Simpson is one of the most notorious criminals in Hollywood. Although he was famously acquitted in the high-profile murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, in 1995, the former professional football player and actor did get arrested and imprisoned for another set of crimes. In 2007, Simpson was arrested after he and a group of armed men robbed a room in a Las Vegas hotel-casino and stole sports memorabilia from a dealer. Simpson was convicted on 12 charges, including armed robbery, conspiracy to commit a crime, assault, and kidnapping and was sentenced to a maximum of 33 years in prison with a possibility of parole in nine years.

  5. Robert Bardo

    The tragic murder of 21-year-old My Sister Sam star Rebecca Schaeffer became one of the biggest crime stories in Hollywood history. Robert Bardo, 19, was the crazed fan who took the actress’ life. Bardo was obsessed with Schaeffer and began writing her love letters to get her attention. She wrote him back and the two corresponded through mail for months. On July 18, 1989, Bardo went to Schaeffer’s home after tracking it down from an Arizona detective agency and shot her in the chest and fled the scene. Bardo was ratted out by a family member who informed police that he told her he was going to visit the actress that day. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and is serving a life sentence.

  6. Brynn Hartman

    The murder of comedian Phil Hartman shook Hollywood to the core. Hartman was shot and killed by his wife, Brynn, who turned the gun on herself hours after the shooting. The tragic murder-suicide was the result of the couple’s marital problems and Brynn’s excessive drug use. Brynn was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol when she returned home the night of the murder and got into an argument with Phil about her addiction. Phil threatened to leave her if she continued to do drugs. Brynn waited for her husband to fall asleep before she shot him three times with a handgun. She immediately confessed to a friend that she killed Phil, but he did not believe her. While police were escorting the couple’s two children out of the house, Brynn locked herself in the bedroom and killed herself.

  7. The Menendez brothers

    The Menendez brothers made national headlines for the gruesome murder of their parents, entertainment executive Jose Menendez and his wife Mary “Kitty” Menendez in 1989. Lyle and Erik Menendez carefully plotted the brutal attack on their parents in their Beverly Hills home and even bought movie tickets to use as their alibi if they were suspected of the killing. The brothers’ motive was to kill their strict father and end the agony their mother had endured for years. After the boys viciously gunned down their parents, they dumped their shotguns and called police to report the crime. The Menendez brothers raised a great deal of suspicions when they spent their inheritance on luxury items and started phony businesses. During the investigation, Erik confessed to his psychologists that he and his brother killed their parents and the two were later taken into custody. The brothers were convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and are currently serving a life sentence without parole.

  8. Marvin Gay Sr.

    The tragic death of famous singer Marvin Gaye in 1984 was a shocking surprise, specifically because it was his Pentecostal preacher father who killed him. On the day of his death, Marvin Jr. was at his parents’ Los Angeles home and got into a heated argument with his father. The fight turned physical and was temporarily broken up by Marvin Jr.’s mother, but when his father returned to the room they were in, he gunned down his son with the .38 pistol Marvin had given him. Marvin Sr. killed his son and was arrested and convicted of the heinous crime. He was originally charged with murder, but was given a plea bargain for a six-year suspended sentence.

*Today’s article brought to you by www.criminaljusticedegreesguide.com

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Castle: Headhunters – A Review and Recap

Castle: Headhunters

 

Finally, the show that used to be so much fun was…BACK!

Yes, thanks to the partnering of Fillion and guest star and former Firefly bud Adam Baldwin, we were actually entertained for an entire episode. No angst. No pressure. No stupid goo-goo eyes. And no voodoo forensics! Just a fun, fun hour (42 minutes) of good TV-watching. Oh, did I mention this episode was fun? In fact, this episode was so good I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the case, even though I sort of guessed the killer (Michael McGrady, who also played Detective Sallinger on Southland) when I first saw him on screen.

Anyway, this is how it’s supposed to be, making fiction seem real instead of ridiculous. Good job.

What’s you think, Melanie?

Melanie Atkins

What a great episode! Finally, the writers returned to that fun mix of drama and comedy that got us hooked on this show in the first place. I’ve missed that lately. Rick continued to be borderline obnoxious with his search for new inspiration, however, and he’s also hiding college acceptance letters from Alexis. I wanted to pinch him for that alone.

He’s not getting any inspiration from Kate right now because he’s still too busy being an ass — in my opinion, anyway — so he decides to believe the old adage that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and bargains with a detective he sees on the news, a rogue cop dealing with a high profile case involving severed heads, until the man agrees to let him follow him.

The only problem? He’s never met Detective Ethan Slaughter. So he approaches Kate to get more info about the man. She’s startled and so very happy to see him when he appears beside her desk and greets her like he used to, with two coffees and a disarming smile. Then she learns the real reason for his charming presence, and her face falls. Not only is he giving her the cold shoulder, but now he wants to follow another detective. Stana Katic does a great job portraying Kate’s pain.

Detective Slaughter is played by Nathan Fillion’s old Firefly pal Adam Baldwyn, and although I’ve only seen a couple of episodes of that show, I got the symbolism of Rick giving Slaughter his brown leather coat. As in, the Browncoats… from Firefly. They probably wove in a few other references, but I didn’t catch those. I’m sure others did, however.

Slaughter is a rough hewn detective known as the Widowmaker because his last three partners were killed in the line of duty. His brusque, irreverent style, blatant disregard for any rules except his own, and fast car impress Rick. Then the detective asks him about Kate and wants to know if he’s tapping her, and Rick tells him no. He and Kate are just friends. Slaughter scoffs at him and says, “A man who needs a friend gets a dog. A woman like that… you storm the beaches or die trying.” Hmmm.

Slaughter gives Rick a gun and sends him in the front door of a club all by himself. I laughed out loud when Rick yells, “NPDY!” and gets in a crazy fight that ends with him getting with a bloody nose and then knocking the guy out with a beer bottle. So funny!

After the fight, Rick walks into the Twelfth with a swagger in his step and a gleam in his eye — and runs headlong into an angry Kate Beckett. Slaughter wastes no time checking out the way her jeans fit her backside, and I don’t think Rick even notices. Grrrr! She gives Rick hell for teaming up with Slaughter, and he’s a bit taken aback because… didn’t they get the guys they were after? He turns to Ryan and Esposito for help with the case when Kate turns away, and they milk it for all it’s worth.

Kate apparently still hasn’t figured out Rick overheard her in the interrogation room, and that bothers me. But at least she goes to see her therapist after her confrontation with Rick. The psychiatrist doesn’t give her any answers, but he does make her think about what she wants to do about her partner’s defection. Does she want to confront him about leaving her? To try to move on? To forget he ever existed? She has a lot to think about.

As they wait for a suspect to show up at another location, Slaughter tells Rick he’d “go all caveman on that partner of yours. Show her what time it is in real man land.” Then he says something about Alexis, who’s still interning in the morgue, and Rick punches him. I love that scene. He’s such a good dad, and he defends his daughter’s honor with clumsy grace. I believe that’s when he finally begins to realize Slaughter isn’t such a nice guy.

The boys end up saving Rick and Slaughter’s bacon when they go into yet another situation without backup — and once they return to the precinct, Rick learns Kate was in on it, too. That she was following the case and had looked up important information. “You did this for me?” he says, obviously shocked. “All this time, you had my back.” Yes, dummy… she does have your back. Open your eyes!

Kate jumps into the case with both feet, and Rick soon comes to the conclusion that Slaughter isn’t the kind of detective he wants to write about after all, that maybe the grass isn’t greener on his side of the fence. And Rick finds himself partnered again with Kate, where he should’ve been after all, and they find the real killer.

The last scene brings Rick yet another revelation, when Alexis opens all of her college letters and learns that Stanford — her first choice and the school that denied her early admission — has also accepted her. She has trouble getting over that rejection, and Rick says, “Do you want it badly enough… to get over being hurt?”

That question seems to open his eyes and make him think of Kate. So maybe, just maybe, he’s going to stop acting like such an ass and apologize to Kate. I hope so! Unfortunately, we won’t know for two weeks, because the next new Castle episode doesn’t air until April 30. Only two more episodes to go in season four. I have my shipper hat on and am ready and waiting for a little Caskett happiness.

Lee Lofland

As I said earlier, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the police stuff because I was too busy enjoying the show. But I absolutely must mention the appearance of the new pathologist, who played her part quite well. She delivered brief, but believable lines, with authority, not as if she were reading a fairytale to the audience. And, she was actually doing stuff a real M.E. would do, complete with evidence (bullets) in a sealed evidence bag. Nope, not a pin-stuck doll or Ouija Board in the place. How refreshing!

The severed head/murder case took a back seat to the antics of Detective Slaughter and Castle, who, by the way, delivered some great one-liners throughout the show. Such as:

Slaughter on the victim’s cause of death – “Let me guess…lead poisoning.” (an old cop’s joke about being shot)

Castle naming his fists “Jake and the Fatman.”

Slaughter to Castle – “Do not use the word ‘awesome.’ You’re a grown man.”

Castle tells Slaughter that he and Beckett are just friends. Slaughter replies, “Man needs a friend he gets a dog.”

Slaughter to Castle – “I need a writer hanging around like I need a case of the crabs.” (a sentiment felt by many real-life cops).

Slaughter referring to guy in rear compartment of garbage truck – “Better stand back, this guy’s gonna pop like a grape.”

And that’s pretty much how the entire episode went, until Beckett and crew showed up. Then the show gradually oozed back into the darkness we’ve been watching for what seems like an eternity. For some reason, when those guys showed up they seemed to suck the life out of what had, up to that point, been a great deal of fun.

However, the good far outweighed the very little bad. What a great episode of Castle…the Castle we once knew. Even Nathan Fillion was back to his old self this week. There was a spring in his step and an edge on his dialog that we haven’t seen in quite a while. I wish we’d see that lightness continue, but I fear not because the characters have to somehow deal with the dark cloud of unrealistic, pre-teen romance the writers have hanging over their heads.

Actually, I’d rather see Castle and Beckett discover that they’re totally incompatible as romantic partners. Then they could go back to being friends and get this show back on track.

For now, though, I certainly hope to see more episodes like we saw last night. After all, Castle even briefly talked about writing a book, and isn’t that what the show is supposed to be about, a mystery writer tagging along with a detective as part of his research? That, not saving the world, is what made the show so much fun.

Overall, I gladly give this one a hearty thumbs-up.

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Policing Via Video: The New Neighborhood Watch

Policing via video

Suppose for a moment that George Zimmerman had relied totally on his cellphone instead of a 9mm? Suppose Trayvon Martin had called 911 to report a suspicious man following him? And suppose each of the two had called a 911 center that was capable of receiving video calls? Surely, had video 911 had been available, well, that tragic outcome most certainly would have been different.

Unfortunately, it’s too late for the Martin/Zimmerman case and the thousands of others like it, but video 911 is on the way. Actually, people will also be able to text their emergency calls too, which is a good thing since many crime victims, such as the frightened students at Virginia Tech, have attempted to text 911 with no response. I’m guessing that people today are so accustomed to texting as their main means of communicating that punching in 911 on the dial pad never occurs to them.

In fact, police departments and sheriff’s offices all across the country are already utilizing video technology in many ways. For example, the Chatham County Georgia Sheriff’s office recently cut the ribbon on their new Video Visitation Center. Sheriff Al St. Lawrence told WTOC news reporters that his jail, on average, receives over 1,000 visitors each day, which translates into 1,000 people and their belongings being searched, as well as strip searches for each inmate who enters and leaves the visiting room. More searches means more deputies. More deputies means more pay. More pay means straining an already-strained budget. And straining anything in law enforcement means reduced safety.

So, Sheriff St. Lawrence had an idea, and that idea was video visitation. After all, police and courts all over the country are conducting video arraignments and bond hearings, so why not visit by video?

Here’s how it works. Visitors arrive and enter the lobby of the 2.5 million dollar Video Visitation Center. They tell the deputy which inmate they’d like to “visit,” and then the visitors asked to have a seat in front of one of the 66 video monitors in the large room. The inmate, who remains in his housing unit, is also seated in front a similar video terminal. Once the deputy makes the connection, the loved ones “video visit” for a specified amount of time. No searches, no inmate transports from housing units to visiting rooms, no contraband flow into the facility, etc. Next up for Sheriff St. Lawrence…video home visits, a way to cut the cost of transportation for family members.

Now, back to video 911 calls. Imagine what a huge help it would be for firemen to see what sort of inferno they’re heading to. How about the case of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman? Had Martin been able to call 911 via video the police would have been able to see the entire event as it unfolded. Same for Zimmerman had he been able to call via video. His defense claims would have been instantly validated or refuted.

In the case of domestic calls, the victim often calls but changes the story once police arrive. If those first calls were video calls, well, police would have already seen “the heat of the moment,” so changing a story out of fear wouldn’t be an option, which could perhaps save a life.

 

Let’s step away from the video topic for a moment and quickly address Neighborhood Watch programs, which is a wonderful tool—extended eyes and ears for law enforcement. The program works well when it’s working well. I know, that’s an odd statement, but true. Neighborhood Watch is self-explanatory…neighbors watch their neighborhood, looking out for suspicious activity. When/if they see something that appears to be out of the norm they call police. Pretty simple concept and it can work nicely to prevent crime.

Now, thanks to the National Sheriff’s Association, there’s a tool available to assist neighborhood watchers, and that’s a specially designed Neighborhood Watch app for Smartphones. Using the app, “watchers” not only have the capability of reporting activities to the police, they can also send photos, videos, texts, etc. The app also features instructional videos, mini-training classes, and details about starting your own Watch. The program even features an Ask The Expert section.

The best part about the Neighborhood Watch app is that it is available to everyone, not just already established NW members. There is no monthly fee, like many services, just the one-time $1.99 fee to install the app on your phone.

To get the app, simply search your phone’s app store for “Official Neighborhood Watch App.” or go to nwapp.org.

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Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

 

The Graveyard Shift extends our condolences to the families of these brave officers.

Officer Jaime Padron, 40

Austin Texas Police Department

April 6, 2012 – Officer Jaime Padron was shot and killed after responding to a Walmart store to investigate an intoxicated shoplifter. The suspect attempted to flee but was tackled by the officer. During the struggle the supsect pulled a gun and shot Officer Padron in the neck, killing him. Two Walmart employees used the officer’s radio to call for assistance and then held the suspect on the floor until backup arrived.

Officer Padron is survived by his two young daughters and his parents.

Deputy Sheriff Ryan Tvelia, 42

Norfolk County Massachusetts Sheriff’s Office

April 10, 2012 – Deputy Sheriff Ryan Tvelia was killed in a motorcycle accident while on the way to assist with a funeral detail. He is survived by his wife, daughter, and two sons.

Deputy Sheriff Robert Paris, 53

Stanislaus County California Sheriff’s Department

April 12, 2012 – Deputy Sheriff Robert Paris was shot and killed while he and another deputy were serving an eviction notice. A civilian on the scene was also killed.

Deputy Paris is survived by his parents, a brother and two adult children.

Police Chief Michael P. Maloney, 48

Greenland New Hampshire Police Department

April 12, 2012 – Police Chief Michael Maloney was shot and killed while serving a search warrant with officers from the Attorney General’s Drug Task Force. He was eight days from retirement.

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Cops: They Did…What?

Cops: They did...What?

Good or bad, sometimes the stories are almost unbelievable. Such as…

Dorset police save words of blind author who wrote 26 pages after pen ran out. Police officers used forensic techniques to recover the words. The process took a whopping five months to complete, and all during their lunch hours.

Richlands, N.C. – The chief of the Richlands police department has lost his police certification because he failed the required annual firearms qualification. Now, the police chief can no longer carry a gun, nor is he allowed to wear a badge. And what’s a cop without a badge and gun? Normally, we call them…unemployed. City officials have urged the bad shooter to try again.

Suffolk, Va. – Thanks to a certain firefighter, motorists in and around Suffolk better start asking for ID when they’re stopped for traffic violations. Yep, one of the local fire marshal inspectors decided a woman wasn’t driving well enough to suit him, so he conducted a traffic stop using the emergency lights on his fire-department-issued Chevy Impala. He was, however, kind enough to let the woman go after giving her a stern warning for the erratic driving and for not wearing her seat belt. After all, what else could he do, he had no traffic tickets to issue, no badge, no gun, no…anything. Well, that’s not quite correct. He did have his young son riding with him at the time. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that it was also the firefighter’s day off.

Philadelphia – Police arrested a man for possession of marijuana. No big news there, right? Well…not so fast. The arresting officer, who, like all cops, was quite observant and noticed an unusually large bulge in the front of the suspect’s pants. Although flattered, I’m sure, the officer was a bit suspicious and had the man remove his pants at the police station. Seems the flattery was misplaced. The bulge turned out to be 89 bags of drugs that had been tied to the man’s_____ (you fill in the blank). An inventory of the drugs tallied 26 bags of suspected cocaine, 41 bags of suspected heroin, and 22 other assorted baggies in various colors. Now that’s a hefty package.

Portage, Wi. – Local police received a thumbs up from a 62-year-old woman. Normally, a hearty thumbs up would have been greatly appreciated, especially during these trying times for officers. However, this woman was driving drunk, heading the wrong way on a one-way highway, and each time she passed an approaching police car she offered a very energetic “thumbs up.” The intoxicated woman later told officers that she was tired of living. It was her 5th arrest for drunk diving.

Delaware, Ohio – Remember the kissing cop, the female officer whose image was captured on the police in-car during a few intimate acts with her married boss, the police chief? Well, she’s back in the headlines again, this time with her new boss, the county sheriff. The two were “coincidentally” attending training at the FBI headquarters in Quantico, Va. Reports suggest the also-married sheriff may have been spending a bit of county money to entertain Deputy Janine Senanayake (formerly Janine England). At least Deputy Senanayake is ambitious. She starts at the top. What she does after that is…well, heck, some of it is on camera (click the link to see the in-car video).

Los Angeles – Actress Amanda Bynes is a big hit with local sheriff’s deputies, especially the deputy whose car she sideswiped while driving under the influence at 3 a.m. Bynes was promptly arrested and held on a $5,000 bond.

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8 Real Cases That Made It Onto “CSI”

Cops use what? To do what?

CSI and its spin-offs are often panned for not being realistic procedural shows. “The CSI Effect” is a term used to describe the problems that arise in public perception of the procedures and capabilities of real police work inasmuch as it’s affected by fictitious, television police work. And with investigative professionals and detectives performing raids on the show, the criticisms are not off the mark. But that’s only one side of the argument. Using real-life scenarios to fictionalize and dramatize has long been a mainstay of the cop show, and CSI is no exception. Ripped from the headlines, check out these eight real cases that made it onto CSI. Purists beware: spoilers within.

  1. Felonius Monk

    In this episode from season two of the globally popular show, a group of Thai Buddhist monks are shot in their Vegas monastery, ostensibly by a local gang.

    The Real Case:

    At a West Valley, Ariz., Buddhist temple, six monks (and three others) were massacred execution-style, after being forced to lie on the floor. The 1991 case proved to be a doozy, and a new trial was re-ordered in 2008 due to a probable false confession.

  2. Justice Served

    This season one episode’s case was about a runner who was killed by a dog in a park, and whose liver was surgically removed postmortem. The killer was a nutritionist, harvesting organs to treat a blood disorder.

    The Real Case:

    Richard Chase, (awesomely) nicknamed “The Vampire of Sacramento,” killed six people in the capital of California. He also killed animals and drank his victims’ (human or otherwise) blood in order to treat a blood disorder. The blood disorder, by the way, was one that he had completely fabricated. Before becoming a serial killer, he was institutionalized for injecting rabbit’s blood into his veins, and was stopped by police, who found a bucket of cow’s blood in the trunk of his car.

    A Thought:

    Why didn’t the CSI people just do this exact case? Why the need to change anything? The guy may have been a sadistic necrophiliac cannibal, but he had a super-cool nickname. It’s ripe for TV! Why the fictionalizing, CSI? Also, is anyone else jealous that they didn’t do enough acid in the ’70s to become a serial killer with the words “vampire” and “Sacramento” in their nickname? No? OK, well. Just checking.

  3. Burked

    A Vegas casino owner’s young adult son is found dead on the floor of a hotel, and it looks like he’s been the victim of a sad drug overdose. The CSI pros reveal in this season two shocker that he did not overdose, but was murdered by a weird strangling procedure called burking.

    The Real Case:

    In 1998, a wealthy Las Vegas gambling executive (…they have those?) named Ted Binion was apparently murdered by burking. His girlfriend Sandra Murphy and her (other) boyfriend were convicted of the murders, but both were later acquitted upon appeal.

  4. Overload

    Season two’s “Overload” is the first time that CSI creators ordered the ol’ “fibers from the blanket fabric gave you away” trick. A young boy is undergoing a “rebirthing” treatment, and an unlicensed therapist smothers him to death. She claims that he had a seizure and hit his head, but in the end, the truth comes out. Thanks, hour-long crime dramas. Thanks a mint.

    The Real Case:

    Adopted 10-year-old Candace Newmaker of Colorado was smothered to death during one of these unconventional therapies in 2000. It’s an awfully sad story that received international media attention, and hopefully discouraged future “rebirthing” strategies for dealing with attachment issues. The young girl was wrapped in a flannel sheet, designed to emulate a womb. She was supposed to fight her way out of it, which was supposed to attach her to her (adoptive) mother. The story of the account is absolutely disgusting, tear-inducing, and grisly, but feel free to read it here.

  5. 35k O.B.O.

    A couple goes out to eat for their anniversary in this season one CSI episode, but they never make it past that. Someone steals their car, slits the woman’s throat, stabs the man, leaving them murdered in the street. Later in the episode, the SUV shows up with a body inside. A bloody handprint is the lynchpin in catching the killer.

    The Real Case:

    On Mother’s Day in 1995, the Universal CityWalk Murders occurred. Two women were stabbed to death and left at the top of a parking garage in Hollywood, Calif.. The twisted tale revealed the handprint as the key evidential factor.

  6. Double Cross

    This one’s fairly dark, and not just because Catholic clergy wear black. This season seven shockfest reveals a nun, murdered and crucified on a cross in a Catholic church. Two of her sister nuns found her, and the priest is the primary suspect. The CSI team reveals bruises that prove she was strangled with rosary beads.

    The Real Case:

    Father Gerald Robinson of Toledo, Ohio was accused and convicted (twice, and he’s appealing to Ohio’s Supreme Court) of the murder of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl in Toledo Mercy Hospital in 1980. Pahl was strangled and stabbed to death, and one can’t help but wonder if she was read her last rites…

  7. Shooting Stars

    UFO cults and mass suicides — what more could a CBS viewer ask for? In this episode of CSI, 11 members of a creepy UFO cult dump a body in a garden, and then off themselves in an abandoned military facility. The CSI team goes on the prowl, looking for the remaining two members of the group.

    The Real Case:

    In 1997, the Heaven’s Gate cult (also a UFO one) staged a mass suicide. Thirty-nine people were found dead because they believed that an alien space craft was coming to get them on the tail of the comet Hale-Bopp. The story was huge news, but for those of you that missed it, this was not the stuff of legend. Thirty-nine people killed themselves in San Diego because they believed that a UFO was following a comet, and they wanted to make contact. And this is the one that didn’t get made up in a room full of bored Hollywood writers with too much pot to smoke and an American public to impress. Makes it a little easier to understand how people get so swept up with Scientology. And not in a good way.

  8. I Like To Watch

    Why is every TV show about rape these days? In this garishly titled episode from 2006, a man pretends to be a fireman in order to gain access to a real estate agent’s apartment. He rapes her, and is later discovered and arrested by the CSI team.

    The Real Case:

    It’s virtually the same story, just without four well-planned commercial breaks. On Halloween in 2005, a New York City woman was viciously sexually assaulted by journalist and playwright Peter Braunstein, who posed as a fireman to get into her residence. Braunstein was dubbed the “Halloween rapist” and the “fake firefighter.” Not as hardcore of a nickname as “The Vampire of Sacramento,” but good enough to ridicule a criminal monster. His May 2007 trial lasted a staggering four weeks, and — believe us — it got really weird.

* Today’s article brought to you by www.criminaljusticedegreesguide.com

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What Our Phones Can Reveal About Us: Lost, Stolen, And Found Phones

Today’s infographic brought to you by www.backgroundcheck.org

* Having trouble reading the text in the infographic? Here’s a handy tip, one that’ll also work on other web pages, Word docs, Excell, etc. Simply hold down the Ctrl key while scrolling up to zoom in (make the image larger), or scroll down to zoom out (make the image smaller).

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Paul Beecroft’s Journey To Wai-O-Tapu, New Zealand’s Thermal Wonderland

Journey to Wai-O-Tapu

 

Paul Beecroft has spent a good deal of his life in law enforcement, in England. He’s worked Foot Patrol, Area Car, Instant Response Car and also as a Police Motorcyclist. He currently serves as a coroner’s investigator and has traveled all over England, Wales, Scotland and even Germany to investigate crimes.

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Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

 

The Graveyard Shift extends our condolences to the family of this brave officer.

Deputy Sheriff Michael C. Walizer, 36

Charles City County Virginia Sheriff’s Office

March 31, 2012 – Deputy Michael Walizer was killed in an automobile crash while responding to back up another deputy. He is survived by his wife and four children.

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2012 Golden Donut Short Story Contest is OPEN!

2012 Golden Donut

 

The Writers’ Police Academy is pleased to announce the opening of the Golden Donut short story contest. The rules are simple—write a story about the photograph above using exactly 200 words, including the title (each story must include an original title). The image in the photograph MUST be the main subject of the story. All stories are to be polished and complete, meaning they must have a beginning, middle, and a twisted surprise ending. Again, all stories must be exactly 200 words. Not 201 or 199! So read the word count rules carefully.

The contest winner will receive the prestigious Golden Donut Award.

All entries will be screened by a panel of authors who will select their ten favorite stories and then forward their picks to the contest judge, editor Kristen Weber. Ms. Weber’s decisions are final and may not be contested or appealed. After reviewing each of the entries, she will present the winning story title to the appropriate Writers’ Police Academy staff member and the winner’s name will be announced and award presented at the WPA banquet. The contest is open to everyone, not just attendees of the academy, and the winner need not be present to win.

Submission Guidelines:

Submissions are a two part process. Please read carefully!

1. All submissions MUST be submitted electronically via email to >lofland32@msn.com< (You’ll need to copy and paste the address, omitting the >< symbols). Each entry will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation with two business days, please feel free to contact me.

2. Write: Golden Donut Entry in the subject line of the email.

3. Please include your story within the body of the email. Attachments will not be opened.

4. Additionally, a twenty dollar ($20) entry fee and a hard copy of the story/entry must be mailed to:

Writers’ Police Academy

P.O. Box 60091

Savannah, Ga. 31420

– Contest opens at 12 noon on April 1, 2012 (Please do not send any entries before this date).

Submission Deadline: Midnight August 19, 2012

– Any entry not meeting the exact 200 word requirement will be disqualified.

– Hyphenated words, for the purpose of this contest, will be counted as two words.

– Every single word will be counted as a word – this includes: “a,” “and,” and “the.” To be very clear…if it’s a word, count it. If it’s part of dialog and you think it may be a word, count it. If it’s a stand-alone letter or group of letters, count it as a word. If it’s a smudge on the page, count it as a word.

– Be sure to include your name, address, email address, telephone number(s), and title of your story in an opening paragraph above your story (in both the email and snail mail entries). Then, please include your story, headed by the title.

– There is a $20 entry fee. You may submit the fee by money order or check. There is no Paypal option for the contest. Entries received without the appropriate entry fee will be excluded from the contest.

Please submit the entry fee and your story(s) in the same envelope. It is far too confusing to receive an entry one day and the entry fee weeks later. Entries received without the proper entry fee will not be considered. Also, you must submit the electronic submission to be considered.

– There is no limit on the number of entries by any author. But each individual entry must be accompanied by its own $20 entry fee. ( One entry = $20. Four entries = $80, etc.)

– Any entry not meeting the exact 200 word requirement will be disqualified.

– By submitting an entry to this contest authors agree to allow The Graveyard Shift/Lee Lofland/the Writers’ Police Academy, Sisters in Crime, and affiliates to publish/reprint the story as a part of The Graveyard Shift blog and/or as advertisement for the Writers’ Police Academy or Sisters in Crime, or in other publications and media, including, but not limited to, books, magazines, newspaper, blogs, ebooks, online outlets, etc. *Sisters in Crime is not a part of the Writers’ Police Academy.

*All rights to all work/short story shall remain the property of the author. The Writers’ Police Academy reserves the right to exclude or delete any entry without cause, reason, or explanation.

– No refunds. Proceeds go to the Writers’ Police Academy fund to benefit the GTCC criminal justice foundation.

So there you have it. Now get busy and take us on a journey that’d scare the pants off Poe himself. Did I just hear a scream coming from inside? Has someone been murdered? Or, was it the howl of a troubled spirit? Perhaps, the ghosts of former mobsters are using the old house as a hideout. Maybe desperate bank robbers drove to their hideout and…well, who knows?

Good luck!

* Image courtesy of photographer Sunday Kaminski

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