What is true crime?
True crime is nonfiction and can be in the form of writing, podcasts, and film. Where the author
examines the details of the crime itself, crime scene, actions of people involved, of course, the criminal.
One perspective of true crime is expressed by Rachel Monroe in the newspaper the New Yorker.
She said, “These days, the patchwork group of Facebook detectives, crime commentators, self-trained
DNA analysts, and curious onlookers has come to be known as the true-crime community.”
Why are people fascinated with true crime?
While there is not one answer for this question, there are theories. One theory is that true crime
gives insight into our culture and norms in addition to anxieties and values. Morbid curiosity plays a big
role in the interest of true crime. Morbid curiosity is defined as a fascination for unpleasant things,
especially death. Similarly, people are naturally drawn to find an answer to every problem and situation.
As people dive into true crime questions surface like the following. Why do they do what they do? What
is the motive? How did they manage to do it? And most importantly, how can we use this knowledge to
prevent further crimes?
Jeffrey Dahmer
True crime is nonfiction and can be in the form of writing, podcasts, and film. Where the author
examines the details of the crime itself, crime scene, actions of people involved, of course, the criminal.
One perspective of true crime is expressed by Rachel Monroe in the newspaper the New Yorker.
She said, “These days, the patchwork group of Facebook detectives, crime commentators, self-trained
DNA analysts, and curious onlookers has come to be known as the true-crime community.”
Why are people fascinated with true crime?
While there is not one answer for this question, there are theories. One theory is that true crime
gives insight into our culture and norms in addition to anxieties and values. Morbid curiosity plays a big
role in the interest of true crime. Morbid curiosity is defined as a fascination for unpleasant things,
especially death. Similarly, people are naturally drawn to find an answer to every problem and situation.
As people dive into true crime questions surface like the following. Why do they do what they do? What
is the motive? How did they manage to do it? And most importantly, how can we use this knowledge to
prevent further crimes?
Jeffrey Dahmer
Likely the most well-known serial killer who took the lives of 17 boys between 1978 and 1991.
His victims were mainly black men that were found at gay bars, they were also people on the edge of
society. This made their disappearances less noticeable, that was simultaneously reducing the chance of
his arrest. He lured the men in and would give them alcohol laced with drugs to keep them subdued
before strangling them to death. Colin McEvoy stated, “He frequently took photos of his victims at
various stages of the murder process, so he could recollect each act afterward and relive the
experience.” Dahmer’s killing spree ended at his arrest on July 22nd,1991. Body parts in the refrigerator
and photos of his victims were found, giving an irrefutable mountain of evidence. He was imprisoned
and eventually killed by a fellow inmate.
Alcatraz Escape
In its time Alcatraz was the top security prison located in the middle of San Francisco Bay. It held
captives since the Civil War but was refortified and earned its place as the world’s most secure prison.
Throughout its years it held famous inmates such as Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.
Surrounding the prison was the cold, rough waters of the Pacific. When it was refortified, tougher
materials were used. They also added guard towers, stricter rules, and a dozen checks a day per
prisoner. Although there seemed to be no hope of escape, 36 men attempted 14 separate escapes.
Those who were lucky were caught, the rest died trying. Though there are three inmates, that fate
remains a mystery to this day.
The three were brothers John and Clarence Anglin with Frank Morris. All three knew each other
from previous time in prison. They were assigned to adjoining cells and began making a plan to escape.
Morris was the mastermind behind the planning. The three were also aided by another inmate, Allen
West.
On June 12th, 1962, during the early morning bed check John Anglin, Clarence Angelin, and Frank
Morris were nowhere to be found. They fooled the night guards by building dummy heads of plaster and
real human hair. The prison went into lockdown and the search began. The FBI was notified
immediately. The FBI states “Within two days a packet of letters sealed in rubber and related to the men
was recovered. Later, some paddle-like pieces of wood and bits of rubber inner tube were found in the
water. A homemade life-vest was also discovered washed up on Cronkite Beach, but extensive searches
did not turn up any other items in the area.”
The Coast Guard, Bureau of Prison authorities, and FBI began to piece together the plan. Inmate,
Allen West, who didn’t make it out of his cell in time, aided them. The four loosened their air vents and
drilled around to be able to get out of their cells. Once out, they found an unguarded utility corridor.
They climbed into the roof of the building above their cell block, this is where they set up their secret
workshop. They took turns keeping watch for the guards. They used pipes to climb their way to the roof
and pry open the ventilator at the top. When they were set to escape, Allen West did not have his
ventilator grill completely removed and was left behind. The rest of the escape is a mystery. We don’t
know if they lived through the escape or if they perished from the cold waters of the Bay.
society. This made their disappearances less noticeable, that was simultaneously reducing the chance of
his arrest. He lured the men in and would give them alcohol laced with drugs to keep them subdued
before strangling them to death. Colin McEvoy stated, “He frequently took photos of his victims at
various stages of the murder process, so he could recollect each act afterward and relive the
experience.” Dahmer’s killing spree ended at his arrest on July 22nd,1991. Body parts in the refrigerator
and photos of his victims were found, giving an irrefutable mountain of evidence. He was imprisoned
and eventually killed by a fellow inmate.
Alcatraz Escape
In its time Alcatraz was the top security prison located in the middle of San Francisco Bay. It held
captives since the Civil War but was refortified and earned its place as the world’s most secure prison.
Throughout its years it held famous inmates such as Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.
Surrounding the prison was the cold, rough waters of the Pacific. When it was refortified, tougher
materials were used. They also added guard towers, stricter rules, and a dozen checks a day per
prisoner. Although there seemed to be no hope of escape, 36 men attempted 14 separate escapes.
Those who were lucky were caught, the rest died trying. Though there are three inmates, that fate
remains a mystery to this day.
The three were brothers John and Clarence Anglin with Frank Morris. All three knew each other
from previous time in prison. They were assigned to adjoining cells and began making a plan to escape.
Morris was the mastermind behind the planning. The three were also aided by another inmate, Allen
West.
On June 12th, 1962, during the early morning bed check John Anglin, Clarence Angelin, and Frank
Morris were nowhere to be found. They fooled the night guards by building dummy heads of plaster and
real human hair. The prison went into lockdown and the search began. The FBI was notified
immediately. The FBI states “Within two days a packet of letters sealed in rubber and related to the men
was recovered. Later, some paddle-like pieces of wood and bits of rubber inner tube were found in the
water. A homemade life-vest was also discovered washed up on Cronkite Beach, but extensive searches
did not turn up any other items in the area.”
The Coast Guard, Bureau of Prison authorities, and FBI began to piece together the plan. Inmate,
Allen West, who didn’t make it out of his cell in time, aided them. The four loosened their air vents and
drilled around to be able to get out of their cells. Once out, they found an unguarded utility corridor.
They climbed into the roof of the building above their cell block, this is where they set up their secret
workshop. They took turns keeping watch for the guards. They used pipes to climb their way to the roof
and pry open the ventilator at the top. When they were set to escape, Allen West did not have his
ventilator grill completely removed and was left behind. The rest of the escape is a mystery. We don’t
know if they lived through the escape or if they perished from the cold waters of the Bay.
Al Capone
Son of Italian immigrants, Al Capone is from Brooklyn New York. As a boy he quit school after 6th grade
and joined a gang. At the time Johnny Torrio was the leader. As Al Capone grew, he gained the position
of the right-hand man. This allowed him to step in the leadership position when Johnny Torrio was
seriously injured from an assassination attempt and retired to Brooklyn. Al Capones reputation grew as
he invalidated and eliminated mobs in the Windy City of Chicago. Over the years he has been found
guilty of gambling, prostitution, bribery, bootlegging, narcotics trafficking, robbery, murder, and
‘protection rackets’. He was arrested and eventually moved to the famous Alcatraz. He served his time
and paid all fines and money owed. He suffered from paresis that came from syphilis and the time in jail
did him no good. Upon release, he was admitted to the Baltimore hospital for brain treatment. After
that he went to his home in Florida, near Miami. The FBI states, “In 1946, his physician and a Baltimore
psychiatrist, after examination, both concluded Capone then had the mentality of a 12-year-old child.”
This explains his ability to go from a mob leader, to getting released from prison early for good behavior.
Citations:
https://www.law.ac.uk/resources/blog/why-we-love-true-
crime/#:~:text=True%20crime%20gives%20an%20insight,is%20a%20common%20psychological%20trait
%E2%80%9D.
Jeffrey Dahmer:
https://www.biography.com/crime/jeffrey-dahmer
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/09/29/jeffrey-dahmer-victims-photos-
killed/10458814002/
Alcatraz:
https://www.alcatrazhistory.com/famous.htm
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/alcatraz-escape
Al Capone:
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/al-capone
https://themobmuseum.org/notable_names/al-capone/
and joined a gang. At the time Johnny Torrio was the leader. As Al Capone grew, he gained the position
of the right-hand man. This allowed him to step in the leadership position when Johnny Torrio was
seriously injured from an assassination attempt and retired to Brooklyn. Al Capones reputation grew as
he invalidated and eliminated mobs in the Windy City of Chicago. Over the years he has been found
guilty of gambling, prostitution, bribery, bootlegging, narcotics trafficking, robbery, murder, and
‘protection rackets’. He was arrested and eventually moved to the famous Alcatraz. He served his time
and paid all fines and money owed. He suffered from paresis that came from syphilis and the time in jail
did him no good. Upon release, he was admitted to the Baltimore hospital for brain treatment. After
that he went to his home in Florida, near Miami. The FBI states, “In 1946, his physician and a Baltimore
psychiatrist, after examination, both concluded Capone then had the mentality of a 12-year-old child.”
This explains his ability to go from a mob leader, to getting released from prison early for good behavior.
Citations:
https://www.law.ac.uk/resources/blog/why-we-love-true-
crime/#:~:text=True%20crime%20gives%20an%20insight,is%20a%20common%20psychological%20trait
%E2%80%9D.
Jeffrey Dahmer:
https://www.biography.com/crime/jeffrey-dahmer
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/09/29/jeffrey-dahmer-victims-photos-
killed/10458814002/
Alcatraz:
https://www.alcatrazhistory.com/famous.htm
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/alcatraz-escape
Al Capone:
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/al-capone
https://themobmuseum.org/notable_names/al-capone/
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