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By Nancy K. Darbey. 2016
In the state of Ohio, before 1884, most first-time offenders between the ages of 16 and 30 were housed in…
the Ohio Penitentiary, where they were likely to be influenced by hardened criminals. That changed when the Ohio Legislature approved the building of a reformatory, a new type of institution that would educate and train young, first-time offenders. Construction was halted three times due to lack of funding, but on September 17, 1896, the first 150 inmates were transferred to the new facility. Over the years, the reformatory expanded its training programs and became a self-sustaining institution--the largest of its kind in the United States. By 1970, the reformatory had become a maximum-security prison with a death row but no death chamber. It closed on December 31, 1990, but preservation and restoration efforts are ongoing. The reformatory has appeared in numerous television shows and feature films, including The Shawshank Redemption.By Tony Thompson. 2011
An outlaw motorcycle club is a band of brothers like no other. Hidden away from mainstream society behind multiple layers…
of secrecy, mythology and a sophisticated campaign of misinformation that portrays them as nothing more than loveable rogues, the brutal truth about the biker world has long escaped public scrutiny. In reality, today's outlaw bikers are at the epicentre of a violent underworld subculture, enforced by a ruthless code of silence, and control a global criminal empire worth millions. Spanning the UK, Europe, America, Canada and Australia, OUTLAWS is a compelling, shocking and chilling story of how bikers are born and made, and how and why they die.By Mark Geragos. 2013
A searing and entertaining manifesto on the ills of the criminal justice system from two of America’s most prominent defense…
attorneys. From the rise of the Internet and the 24-hour news cycle to the television ratings bonanza of the O. J. Simpson trial, a perfect storm of media coverage has given the public an unprecedented look inside the courtroom, kicking off popular courtroom shows and TV legal commentary that further illuminate how the criminal justice system operates. Or has it? In Mistrial, Mark Geragos and Pat Harris debunk the myths of judges as Solomon-like figures, jurors as impartial arbiters of the truth, and prosecutors as super-ethical heroes. Mistrial draws the curtain on the court’s ugly realitiesfrom stealth jurors who secretly swing for a conviction, to cops who regularly lie on the witness stand, to defense attorneys terrified of going to trial. Ultimately, the authors question whether a justice system model drawn up two centuries ago before blogs and television is still viable today. In the aftermath of recent high-profile cases, the flaws in America’s justice system are more glaring than ever. Geragos and Harris are legal experts and prominent criminal defense attorneys who have worked on everything from celebrity media-circuseshaving represented clients like Michael Jackson, Winona Ryder, Scott Peterson, Chris Brown, Susan MacDougal, and Gary Conditto equally compelling cases defending individuals desperate to avoid the spotlight. Shining unprecedented light on what really goes on in the courtroom, Mistrial is an enjoyable, fun look at a system that rarely lets you see behind the scenes. .By Peter Davidson. 2009
IT BEGAN WITH A DISAPPEARANCE On a balmy May night in Miami, Frank Griga and his girlfriend, Krisztina Furton, vanished…
from the face of the earth. Frank had made a fortune in the adult hotline business and had met Krisztina, an exotic dancer, while searching for models for his advertisements. Three weeks later, their torsos were found inside metal drums sunk in a murky canal. IT ENDED IN MURDER So began the unraveling of the most diabolical death-for-dollars plot in history. All evidence led investigators to Miami's Sun Gym--a Mecca for serious bodybuilders. The gym's owner, two muscle-bound managers, and a steroid-crazed personal trainer were the ringleaders of a gang that targeted wealthy Floridians for kidnapping, extortion, and death. This is the story of how a band of brutal thugs planned to make a fortune from fear and blood--and how the quick actions of the authorities stopped the gang before any more innocents were killed.By Katherine Ramsland. 2005
When we think of serial killing, we tend to think of it as a perversion of contemporary society. The Human…
Predator makes an eye-opening case for the existence of serial killers throughout time--the motives and methods, the societies that spawned them, and the historical periods in which they lived . . . and killed. From Ancient Rome and the Dark Ages to the open roads of America, from the exploits of French religious zealot Gilles de Rais to such high-profile monsters as Jeffrey Dahmer and Aileen Wuornos, Katherine Ramsland offers a complete chronological record of the serial-killer phenomenon--and the parallel development of psychology, forensic science, and FBI profiling in the serial killer's evolving manifestation throughout human history. INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHSBy Christopher Baughman. 2014
Sometimes justice takes a different path.For a hard-charging detective in the Pandering Investigative Team (PIT), deliverance comes in the manner…
of long prison sentences, humiliation, and bankruptcy for the animals who subjugate, beat, and torture women into selling their bodies, while reaping all the financial rewards. With that single-minded goal, Las Vegas detective Chris Baughman finds frustration and dead ends as he and his team work countless hours hunting down someone from his past - Mario Davis, a promising athlete whose bright future takes a sadistic U-turn. Helping Chris are two young women from Davis' stable of ten, who reach out to Chris for rescue after Mario severely beats them. Chris picks up the chase to find and finish Mario off for good, gratis of the Las Vegas penal system.But justice is complicated, and Chris fears the case is slipping through his fingers when the two women fear testifying against Mario. After being brutalized numerous times, there is still a shred of loyalty. No matter how frustrated Chris is, he knows he can't ask them to put their lives at further risk. Through countless hours and too many sleepless nights, he fears Mario will go free and there will be no justice for the victims. The tough lesson Chris must face is that his job offers a different kind of deliverance and rescue that is far more powerful and encouraging.As head of the Pandering Investigation Team and Human Trafficking Task Force, Christopher Baughman has changed the culture and scope of the crimes they investigate. He has arrested several of the wealthiest and most violent criminals in Las Vegas. This success caught the attention of investigative reporter Chris Hansen of Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator. Chris teaches the anatomy of pandering investigations to other departments across the nation, including members of the FBI and IRS, as well as federal parole and probation officers.By Jeffery Wells. 2011
As Atlanta finished rebuilding after the Civil War, a new horror arose from the ashes to roam the night streets.…
Beginning in 1911, a killer whose methods mimicked the famed Jack the Ripper murdered at least twenty black women, from prostitutes to working-class women and mothers. Each murder attributed to the killer occurred on a Saturday night, and for one terrifying spring in 1911, a fresh body turned up every Sunday morning. Amid a stifling investigation, slayings continued until 1915. As many as six men were arrested for the crimes, but investigators never discovered the identity of the killer, or killers, despite having several suspects in custody. Join local historian Jeffery Wells as he reveals the case of the Atlanta Ripper, unsolved to this day.By Doug Crandell. 2009
It?s a town where the streets are named Candy Cane Road and December Drive. The Christmas holiday spirit lives all…
year around. It?s also where Jerry Scott Heidler was raised. And where?in December 1997?he brutally slaughtered his former foster family in an act that devastated the town forever.By Glenn Puit. 2005
Drawing on extensive interviews with the accused herself, here is the sordid, twisted, and surprising story of Brookey Lee West--a…
successful technical writer from Silicon Valley who went on a twenty year crime and killing spree.By Bruce Dowbiggin, Grant Fuhr. 2014
The Hall of Fame story of Grant Fuhr, the first black superstar in the National Hockey League and the last…
line of defense for the Edmonton Oilers dynasty, told through Fuhr's 10 most important games.Grant Fuhr was the best goalie in the league at a time when hockey was at its most exciting. Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers were arguably the greatest team in league history, and during the 1980s arguably the most popular team across the United States, even if many had little idea where Edmonton was. They were that good. And so was Fuhr: Gretzky called him the best goaltender in the world.Fuhr broke the colour barrier for NHL goaltenders when he played his first game for the Oilers in 1981, and was an inspiration for later players including future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla. But in addition to their dynastic run of Stanley Cup championships, the Oilers were also synonymous with the excesses of the decade: Fuhr himself was suspended for substance use, a discredit he had to fight back from--and did, going on to set career records and earning election to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.By Chicago Tribune Staff. 2013
The Chicago Blackhawks played an abbreviated but unforgettable 2013 season. It began with a 5-2 victory over the defending Stanley…
Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, continued with a record-setting 24-game run to start the season without a regulation loss and ended with a mighty march toward a second National Hockey League championship in four seasons.Hawkeytown: The Chicago Blackhawks' Unforgettable 2013 Season captures all of those thrilling moments through news reports, columns and photos that originally appeared in the Chicago Tribune. From a long labor dispute that finally ended in January to the gritty and inspired performances of forward Patrick Sharp, goaltender Corey Crawford and team captain Jonathan Toews, among others, Hawkeytown is a special keepsake for any true Hawks fan.By Chicago Tribune Staff. 2013
Comprising articles from the Chicago Tribune's in-depth coverage of the Rita Crundwell scandal, Draining Dixon is the true-life account of…
the Dixon, Illinois, comptroller who embezzled over $50 million from municipal coffers during a twenty-year career in local government. From 1983 to April 2012, Crundwell kept an eye over virtually every dollar that passed through the small town of Dixon's accounts, while also running one of the most successful horse farms in America. When the story broke that this municipal employee was the subject of an investigation, almost no one was aware of the entire shocking truth.This book follows the chronological history of Rita Crundwell's career as the Dixon, Illinois, comptroller, while also exploring her personal life as one of the best-known Quarter Horse breeders in the country. Crundwell's horses won 52 world championships and she was named the leading owner by the American Quarter Horse Association for eight consecutive years prior to her arrest. This story is one of the most bizarre and surprising tales of white-collar crime and governmental corruption in United States history, and now readers can read the entire story exactly as it unfolded.The story of an infamous crime, a revered map dealer with an unsavory secret, and the ruthless subculture that consumed…
him Maps have long exerted a special fascination on viewers—both as beautiful works of art and as practical tools to navigate the world. But to those who collect them, the map trade can be a cutthroat business, inhabited by quirky and sometimes disreputable characters in search of a finite number of extremely rare objects. Once considered a respectable antiquarian map dealer, E. Forbes Smiley spent years doubling as a map thief —until he was finally arrested slipping maps out of books in the Yale University library. The Map Thief delves into the untold history of this fascinating high-stakes criminal and the inside story of the industry that consumed him. Acclaimed reporter Michael Blanding has interviewed all the key players in this stranger-than-fiction story, and shares the fascinating histories of maps that charted the New World, and how they went from being practical instruments to quirky heirlooms to highly coveted objects. Though pieces of the map theft story have been written before, Blanding is the first reporter to explore the story in full—and had the rare privilege of having access to Smiley himself after he’d gone silent in the wake of his crimes. Moreover, although Smiley swears he has admitted to all of the maps he stole, libraries claim he stole hundreds more—and offer intriguing clues to prove it. Now, through a series of exclusive interviews with Smiley and other key individuals, Blanding teases out an astonishing tale of destruction and redemption. The Map Thief interweaves Smiley’s escapades with the stories of the explorers and mapmakers he knew better than anyone. Tracking a series of thefts as brazen as the art heists in Provenance and a subculture as obsessive as the oenophiles in The Billionaire’s Vinegar, Blanding has pieced together an unforgettable story of high-stakes crime.By Robert Beattie. 2009
Brilliant linguist, charming professor, and renowned writer Tom Murray had a way with words. He used them to seduce. And…
he used them to get away with murder. Erudite Kansas City professor Tom Murray seduced, then married his starry-eyed student Carmin Ross. But when Carmin attempted to leave their violent marriage, Tom stabbed her in the throat thirteen times, but left behind no evidence. Convinced he'd committed a perfect crime, Tom didn't even solicit a lawyer. But he hadn't counted on relentless small town deputy sheriff Doug Wood, who refused to be underestimated. What happened next would result in one of the most unforgettable, shocking, and unexpected trials in Kansas state history.By Steve Miller, Andrea Billups. 2009
The true story of the Tara Grant murder. To their suburban Detroit neighbors, Stephen and Tara Grant were happy as…
could be. But their marriage, plagued by resentment and extramarital affairs, was held together only by their children. Until the night Stephen snapped, strangled and dismembered his wife, then disposed of her body piece by piece in the very park his children played in.By Antal Szerb, Len Rix. 1942
In August 1785, Paris buzzed with a scandal that had everything--an eminent churchman, a female fraudster, a part-time prostitute and…
the hated Queen herself. Its centrepiece was the most expensive diamond necklace ever assembled, and the tangle of fraud, folly, blindness and self-delusion it provoked. The humiliation the affair brought on the royal family contributed to their appalling deaths in the Revolution just four years later.In this unusual, witty and often surprising version of the story, the great Hungarian novelist Antal Szerb takes the narrative as a standpoint from which to survey the entire age--including aspects of it seldom considered by more orthodox historians. The author's vast knowledge is worn very lightly and the book teems with amusing anecdotes, but it is, at heart, a deeply personal work, a remarkable gesture of defiance against the brutal world in which it was written.By Roland Lazenby. 2007
A gripping, emotional account of the worst school shooting in United States history, told by those who lived through it…
Monday, April 16, 2007 started like any other Monday at Virginia Tech, with professors and students preparing for another busy week of classes. However, word quickly circulated of a shooting in the dorms - and the gunman was still loose. The campus went into lockdown, and as the gruesome events unfolded in Norris Hall, a group of journalism students trapped in a nearby building transmitted stories and updates to the student-run website, PlanetBlacksburg.com. Now, these students, together with their journalism instructor and members of the Virginia Tech community, have documented the events of that day. April 16th: Virginia Tech Remembers gives a voice to the students, faculty, and staff who lived through the shooting, and serves as a memorial for the 32 victims. The book also describes the onslaught of media coverage that immediately followed, and reveals the remarkable resilience of the students of Virginia Tech throughout the entire ordeal.By Paul Martin. 2014
Everyone loves a good villain! From the back pages of history, vivid, entertaining portraits of little-known scoundrels whose misdeeds range…
from the simply inept to the truly horrifying.Even if you're an avid history buff, you've probably never heard of this disreputable cast of characters: A drunken, ne'er-do-well cop who abandoned his post at Ford's Theatre, giving assassin John Wilkes Booth unchallenged access to President Lincoln; a notorious Kansas quack who made millions by implanting billy goat testicles in gullible male patients; and America's worst female serial killer ever. These are three of the memorable but little-known rogues profiled in this eye-opening and entertaining book.Dividing his profiles into three categories--villains, scoundrels, and rogues--author and former National Geographic editor Paul Martin serves up concise, colorful biographies of thirty of America's most outrageous characters. Whether readers choose to be horrified by the story of Ed Gein, Alfred Hitchcock's hideous inspiration for Psycho, or marvel at the clever duplicity of the con artist who originated the phony bookie operation portrayed in The Sting, there's something here for everyone.Brimming with audacious, unforgettable characters often overlooked by standard history books, this page-turner is a must for anyone with an interest in the varieties of human misbehavior.From the Trade Paperback edition.By Camille Kimball. 2009
Arizona never experienced a summer like this, as snipers Dale Hausner and Sam Dieteman took aim at anything?and everything?in their…
path. Phoenix was a city in terror as the deadly spree ultimately claimed 37 vicitims, people and pets? until one detective began to put the pieces together to nail the murderous duo.By Diane Dimond. 2005
The explosive definitive account of the Michael Jackson saga, chronicling the King of Pop's battles against child molestation charges from…
1993 to 2005, from award-winning journalist Diane Dimond, who broke the story first, over twelve years ago. Michael Jackson has long captured the world's attention, first as the dynamic lead singer of the Jackson Five, then during his highly successful breakout solo career. But somewhere along the line Jackson transformed himself into something hardly recognizable and was investigated -- not once, but twice -- for crimes we could hardly imagine. Even now, after his unexpected acquittal on multiple charges of child molestation, there is a sense that the real truth behind the allegations is not known. The character of Michael Jackson -- from his humble beginnings to his rich career and the birth of Neverland Ranch -- is destined for great debate among fans, journalists, historians, and psychiatrists for years to come. In the meantime, there is Diane Dimond, the journalist of record on the Jackson case. In November 2003, when the Santa Barbara county sheriff's department conducted another raid on Neverland Ranch, Diane Dimond and her camera crews were the only ones there to capture the moment and report the news to the world. Now, for the first time, Dimond recounts the multifaceted details of the Jackson case, utilizing her extensive notes and sources. What she tells us is a shocking story. Be Careful Who You Love will take you behind the scenes and into the courtroom of one of the most controversial cases of the decade, while giving readers a dramatic glimpse of one reporter's vigilance and unending quest to uncover the truth.