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Most recently published stories in Criminal.
Womb Raiders
Every month, Darci Pierce added to her girth by stuffing clothing under her clothes. She had told everyone she was pregnant. Now, she was running out of time. This "baby" was already past term, and Darci was having a hard time finding excuses for an overdue birth. She believed the only reason her husband had married her was that she was pregnant. In a calculated and well thought out plan, she read about the techniques of doing a Caesarian delivery, bought the tools and supplies necessary, and then she selected her victim. Cindy Ray was kidnapped at gunpoint from the parking lot of her obstetrician. The gun was a fake. Cindy was 8 months pregnant, and Darci's best chance at success. The operation was to be performed at Darci's home, but as they pulled up, Darci realized her husband was home. She drove Cindy up into the wooded mountains. Darci strangled Cindy, dragged her behind some bushes and tore open Cindy's abdomen with her car keys. Cindy was still alive as Darci chewed through the umbilical cord with her teeth. When Pierce was taken to the hospital, she refused to allow doctors to examine her and started to change her story about giving birth, saying it was a surrogate who gave birth to the baby. The authorities were called and eventually, the 19-year-old womb raider was arrested. Cindy was dead by the time police found her. The baby survived. Pierce received a 30-year sentence.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
Top 10 Must-Read Detective Crime Novels. Top Story - May 2018.
"Just one more chapter, then I'll go to sleep, I promise..." Anybody who loves reading will be familiar with this phrase. Then you find yourself up into the latest hours of the night because you said "one more chapter" one too many times. While this phenomenon can happen with any genre, it seems to be the most common, at least for me, with detective crime novels. There's something about that sense of mystery that makes the idea of that next chapter oh so appealing.
By Kioko Leonia8 years ago in Criminal
Most Anticipated Mystery Novels of 2018
Speaking as a writer, there's something both respectable and awe-striking about the kind of author who can write a book that people look forward to reading. It's doubly true when it comes to crime, thriller, and mystery novels because of how easy it is to fall into a Scooby Doo type of writing trap.
By Cato Conroy8 years ago in Criminal
Parents Who Kill Their Children
Elise and Harry Donnison were murdered by their mother, Fiona Donnison, in 2010. She smothered them while they were sleeping with their own pillows. The reason? To get back at her husband for leaving her and starting a new relationship. Forensic Science International published a study based on three decades of filicide (child killing) events between 1976 and 2007. In the United States, these crimes occur at the rate of 500 a year. Victims of parental murder were usually under six years of age (72 percent). One-third of those cases were babies under a year old. In fact, a baby is in the greatest danger of being killed on the very day it is born. There are five recognized motives behind filicide:
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
The Known and the Unknown
It was a humid day in June when Luna Smithers decided she wanted to have ice cream with her boyfriend of one year, Luis Martinez, at his house. She pulled up to his house in her powder blue Corvette. She noticed that his car was the only one in the driveway, so his family must have recently left because they were there when she called. She took a breath and stepped out of the car, taking the tubs of ice cream out with her. As her black strappy sandals hit the ground, she got a feeling in her stomach. It felt like flutters, but not of butterflies, more like the rugged wings of moths who are searching for the light of day after years of darkness. She doesn't know why she had this bad feeling about being here since she is actually here often. She shakes it off, her long chocolate brown curls swinging right along with her head. She goes up to the red wooden door, with the seemingly menacing bull door knocker looking her directly into her eyes, and she texts Luis to come to the door.
By Tiana Covington8 years ago in Criminal
Best True Crime Books of 2018
Are the best Criminal Minds episodes on repeat just not cutting it anymore? Have you already finished Mindhunter and all TV shows similar to Mindhunter? I know the feeling. I don't know what it is, but anything related to serial killers or true crime is a must-watch in my book. Maybe that says something about me... Oh well, best to ignore it.
By Jesse Kinney8 years ago in Criminal
Must Read Murder Mystery Novels
If there's one genre of thriller that is as old as time, it's the classic murder mystery "whodunit" novels. It's easy to see why. There's just something absolutely gripping about trying to figure who did the deed, and how that odd morbid curiosity tends to make things even more appealing.
By Buddy Brown8 years ago in Criminal
Criminals: Where Are They Now?
They achieved notoriety through their crimes. We were privy to every moment of their lives when they were arrested, became media sensations, and were tried and convicted. These criminals paid their debt to society and then got out of jail. What happened after prison?
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
Are Prisons Effective?. Top Story - April 2018.
To diminish crime, what should we do? Should we throw the criminal in prison so that when they get out, they will think twice before committing another crime? Having criminals in prison keeps them off our streets, which makes society feel safe. But is prison the only solution for preventing crime? Or is there an alternative to it? Research has shown that prison is not effective, as it does not reduce crime, despite placing criminals in prison. It may be that offenders are encouraged to reoffend after finishing their sentence. However, do they reoffend because of what they are surrounded by, more crime? What causes criminals to step forward and end their lives in prison? A tragic trend which has increased in recent years.
By Krishna Bhandari8 years ago in Criminal
Top Classic True Crime Books You Must Read
True crime will always be one of the most popular genres to involve real history. It's dramatic, morbid, extreme, and always manages to show sides of humanity that we don't always see. This genre also tends to be one of the scariest out there, simply because it's 100 percent real and actually has happened.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart8 years ago in Criminal
The First One
The Last One I sat at the table, waiting patiently for the cop to walk in. For the questions to start. Why did I do it? How many? When, where, what time? I wasn’t afraid. I knew what I’d done. I knew it was wrong. I knew none of them deserved it. That it should have been him, and only him. But when it came to him, I couldn’t. The interrogator walked in then. He was tall, handsome, clean shaven, had unmistakable green eyes, a confident stride, as if he knew exactly what he was doing. His hair was long for a man but not too long and he never looked at the ground, always straight at me. Straight into my piercing grey eyes. Making sure I knew he was in charge, not me. I had no control. I turned myself in, making it clear I was putting my life in their hands.
By Alyssa Martin8 years ago in Criminal
