Catching Killers · Julius Caesar · The Stroll
Plus: A sports memorabilia scam longread
the true crime that's worth your time
Catching Killers returns to Netflix today, news that should delight fans of vintage-style true crime anthology shows. The series reminds me that there was a time when this was basically all we had when it came to true crime TV: the cop-centric talking heads interviews, the shadow-y B-roll, the boldfaced crime names.
This season’s four episodes are on the Angel Maturino Resendiz case, Heriberto Seda (aka the New York Zodiac), Atlanta’s Olympic Park bombing, and the DC sniper. This show always handles the cases fairly competently, in a 45-min Cliffs Notes sort of way. It’s perfectly acceptable background TV, some true crime to fall asleep to or — this is my use case — turn on while you’re on the treadmill, free of new evidence or revelations. If your weekend involves TV viewing in mixed company, this show will likely do the trick.
For folks who are feeling a little more ambitious this weekend, I recommend The Stroll, a HBO documentary feature about trans sex workers in New York. Director Kristen Lovell comes at the story as an insider: the NY resident was fired from her job after she came out as trans, and worked in the Meatpacking District’s sex trade. It’s been met with glowing reviews; here are just a few:
‘The Stroll’ Review: Personal, Archive-Driven Doc on NYC Trans Sex Workers Is a Wonder [Variety]
The Stroll: looking back on the lives of trans sex workers in New York City [Guardian]
This is perhaps a stretch, but I’d like to think that the release date of The Stroll is HBO’s attempt to do penance for the sins of another of its properties that’s also made headlines this week: Sex and the City. I am certainly not the only person to note how poorly Season 3, episode 18, entitled “Cock-a-Doodle-Do,” has aged — yeah, that’s the one where Samantha harasses some trans women who worked on her street, then the show further tokenizes them in an attempt to be edgy.
This weekend, that revived series also returned to HBO’s airwaves (and, yeah, I’ll probably watch that too), standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Lovell’s work. I couldn’t help but wonder what docs HBO will present in 20 years to make up for offensive tropes and misfires in today’s run of And Just Like That.
That’s my true crime plan this weekend, how about you? — EB
Hearsay
Adnan Syed asks appeals court to deny request from victim’s family [AP]
Earlier this month, the family of Hae Min Lee filed a petition to the Maryland Supreme Court that has a potential impact on all the state’s criminal cases: using a hearing prior to the release of Adnan Syed as its example, the family said that the state should make a greater effort to involve the families of victims during hearings in which prosecutors agree with an attempt to overturn a conviction.
In a Wednesday filing, Syed’s attorneys asked the court to deny the request, writing “There is nothing inherently suspicious or nefarious about an agreed upon resolution to a case, nor does the fact that the parties agree suggest a need for third party intervention.” — EB
Rome’s Hottest New Attraction: The Site Of Caesar’s Assassination [Forbes]
On this week’s episode of the Extra Hot Great podcast, Sarah mentions in passing the phenomenon of true crime tourism as part of a conversation about Black Mirror’s true crime satire episode “Loch Henry” (TL;DR: been there done that already, don’t bother). Rome has apparently taken that idea and made it history, as this week it opened Largo di Torre Argentina — the long buried site where Julius Caesar was slain — to visitors.
Discovered during urban demolition work in 1927, it took a Bulgari-funded renovation to turn the spot into a spot where tourists can see the scene of the crime. The site is also the home of — and I am not making this up — a no-kill cat sanctuary that was codified by the Italian parliament in 1991. — EB
He Said He Was Going To Save A Century Of Priceless Sports Photos. He Ended Up The Madoff Of Memorabilia [Defector]
I know we’ve talked about sports memorabilia scammer John Rogers here before, but reporter David Davis’s meaty longread on the rise and fall of the Arkansas collector — who, among other things, owned the archives of once-notable publications like the Denver Post, the Boston Herald, the Seattle Times, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the St. Petersburg Times.
But in his effort to build what he called “The Walmart of Photography,” he spent more than he had, and turned to illicit means to remain afloat. This is a great read and I’m glad to share it as we head to the weekend. — EB
Next week on Best Evidence: Fabulists, a budget dog sweep, and 1990s gay bars.
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