NameDrop Panic · Dr. Death · Sean Combs
It's the penultimate budget sweep of 2023!
the true crime that's worth your time
It’s time to clear out the leftovers, people. I’m referring not just to the Thanksgiving remains mouldering in your fridge (per officials consulted by NBC New York, food poisoning cases spike this time of year due to folks who push the consume-by boundaries), but to the Best Evidence budget doc.
But unlike that nearly week-old turkey that’s developed a suspicious slime, the below links are still safe to enjoy — we just couldn’t find a spot for them in our weekday coverage. But they’re all still good, and you don’t even need to heat them up. — EB
‘Dr. Death’ Trailer: Edgar Ramírez as Transplant Surgeon Paolo Macchiarini [Hollywood Reporter]
Season two of the Peacock drama will cover the events of the homonymous podcast’s third season: synthetic organ transplant guy Paolo Macchiarini, who is also the subject of Netflix’s recently released three-part docuseries Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife. If you don’t mind real-life spoilers, this Guardian piece from 2017 breaks down the case, but if you’d prefer to skip all that so you’re surprised by Mandy Moore and Edgar Ramírez, I won’t blame you. Dr. Death will drop, in full, on December 21, so I guess I know what I’ll be doing on my Christmas vacation. — EB
What I learned from watching a 24-hour police pursuit channel [LA Times]
Streaming service Pluto TV (check your smart TV, the app might have come preloaded — it did on mine!) “debuted a 24-hour car chase channel last week,” columnist Gustavo Arellano says. It’s called Car Chase, which yay for simplicity I guess? Arellano “left it on for an entire day, expecting to be endlessly entertained,” but swiftly “realized that watching people peel potatoes offers as much excitement — and there’s even more potential for blood.” That said, he terms it comforting and mesmerizing, but also says of the diversion that “we stare on, even as we look away from the fact that the central characters are people in extremely troubled moments, risking their lives and those of others.” — EB
Meet the shoplifting expert who says the middle classes have a problem [The Times]
This article might be paywalled for you, but it’s worth finding a way to read it: Emmeline Taylor is the primary subject for the piece, “a professor of criminology at City, University of London” who hosts a newish podcast I can’t wait to check out. The thrust of the piece is that the rise of self-checkouts at chain shops is linked with an uptick in theft, which feels like a big no duh for me. After all, the more you remove fellow humans from the equation, the less likely we all are to abide by the honor system, right? (See: trick or treater behavior around unattended bowls.)
Taylor also argues that these small crimes can be a gateway drug. “At some point the dial shifts and middle-class shoppers go from being opportunistic shoplifters to thinking, ‘that felt quite good’. The next stage is they start becoming alert to the opportunities and then start seeking them out. It’s a well-documented progression.” Maybe Pluto needs a shoplifting channel, too? — EB
Oscar Pistorius: what his life will be like after prison [The Week]
The convicted murderer/Olympian will be released from prison on January 5, 2024 after serving a little more than ten years for fatally shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Snip:
He hasn't been pictured since his sentencing, but unconfirmed reports suggest "he has grown a beard, gained weight and taken up smoking", said The Telegraph, which makes him "unrecognisable from the elite athlete he once was".
He will "live in luxury" in a three-storey mansion belonging to his uncle, Arnold, in the "affluent Pretoria suburb" Waterkloof, but he won't be allowed to leave the area without permission from the authorities. The Telegraph reported.
He’ll remain on parole until December 5, 2029. — EB
Piecing Together My Father’s Murder [New Yorker]
Eren Orbey’s dad was killed during a visit to his hometown of Ankara, Turkey in 1999, when Orbey was three. He says his dad’s death wasn’t ever explained to him, and his mother encouraged him to tell folks at home, in the U.S., that his dad had died of an illness. Once he started college, he began to piece the events of that fatal night together. — EB
No, You Don’t Need to Turn Off Apple’s NameDrop Feature in iOS 17 [Wired]
Local police departments are apparently taking a break from perpetuating fentanyl exposure myths to scare the populace about a contact-sharing feature in iOS 17. As with so many mean-world issues, this is being presented as a risk for children, but the allegations made by police — that baddies can steal all your kid’s info by Apple’s intentional design — is a lie. — EB
Sean 'Diddy' Combs temporarily steps aside as chairman of Revolt TV network [NPR]
The multiple sets of allegations against music mogul Sean Combs should give folks pause. While filed as the window on New York’s Adult Survivors Act closed — a situation that opened the door to claims of a cash grab — numerous Combs associates from years past seem…unsurprised. His case reminds me a lot of the claims made against WWE founder/owner Vince McMahon, who (after a brief period of laying low) returned to work with few apparent consequences. Oh, wait, I promised this issue of BE wouldn’t make you sick, didn’t I? So I guess I should stop here. — EB
Her Murder Went Viral on Instagram. Should Her Killer Be Allowed to Speak? [Rolling Stone]
Bianca Devins became a viral sensation after her death at age 17, when photos of her slaying were widely shared across social media. Now a show for the UK’s Channel 4, called Interview With a Killer, will be doing what it says on the tin: devoting an episode to “a lengthy interview with the man who had killed Bianca, Brandon Clark, who is currently serving 25 years to life in prison for her murder.” (It aired on Nov. 6, but hasn’t been available in the U.S.)
Bianca’s mom, Kim, told Channel 4, “It is my belief that by airing an interview with Brandon Clark, your lack of duty of care during production will put women in danger.” The network responded that “This case has been widely reported and the topic is extremely important and relevant as it discusses personal safety for young people who engage on social media.” There are solid arguments on both sides, here! — EB
In first comments since Matthew Perry's death, Keith Morrison looks to honor stepson's legacy [NBC]
While I wish Morrison, and everyone else, would stop using X (formerly Twitter), I appreciate the desire to reach as many folks possible with his Giving Tuesday encouragement. Like many folks, I was surprised to learn of Perry and Morrison’s connection — Morrison was married to the late actor’s mom since 1981, which I feel rarely came up in interviews with either! — and the kind and reasonable tone of this plea feels consistent with how we view the true crime icon. — EB
How George Santos infiltrated the Nassau County GOP [City & State]
This is an excerpt of The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos; Mark Chiusano’s book on the improbably still in office (at least, as I write this on Wednesday morning) politician that dropped on Monday. There’s just enough here to help you decide if you want to order the book — or to determine if it’ll make a nice holiday gift. (In my opinion, the grafs are a bit dense and overlarded, but perhaps they’re an easier read in print/Kindle?) The House will vote on his expulsion tomorrow, so I guess we’ll get an updated version with that postscript if the first print run sells out. — EB
U.S. Army overturns convictions of 110 Black soldiers in 1917 Houston riot at Camp Logan [Houston Chronicle]
This is the Buffalo Soldiers case, in which members of the all-Black 24th Infantry Regiment who were guarding the construction of Camp Logan clashed with racist, white Houston residents, including cops who assaulted a Black woman. 110 of the officers were convicted of mutiny, 19 were executed. Snip:
“This is not only the largest murder trial in American history, this is also the largest court-martial in American history, and no case this large or this serious with this many death penalties has ever been completely overturned by the Army on review,” said historian John Haymond, who along with South Texas College of Law former professor and retired military officer Dru Brenner-Beck co-authored the petition that Wormuth based her decision on. Their work on the case was pro bono.
“In legal terms, you would say this case is sui generis, meaning that it stands alone. It is truly unique,” he added. "This is the Army recognizing it's never too late to do the right thing and correcting its error of the past."
A rapper made 2 viral music videos on Rikers Island. Experts say it might make him a target. [Gothamist]
Taquan Jones was arrested a year ago on gun charges; before he was convicted and sentenced to prison, he shot two rap videos in New York’s infamous jail. (He “won’t say how he assembled enough contraband equipment inside jail to shoot the video, and how he smuggled the footage out,” Gothamist reports.) The Post wrote a predictably scolding item about this over the summer, but here we have an interview with Jones explaining his work and craft. — EB
Not One Tree: Stopping Cop City [n+1]
We’ve discussed the battle over Atlanta’s Intrenchment Creek Park before, but mainly as a daily item: Back in 2021, mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced a plan funded by a “‘private nonprofit’ whose basic function is to raise corporate funds to embellish police powers” to take over the greenspace to build a police academy. If that sounds sketchy, you’re not wrong! This longread dives into the many competing interests at play. — EB
'It's not a story—it's a life:' A look at Snapped, from the inside [Scalawag]
This longread brings together Elena Kiejliche, who was convicted of killing her husband in 2002, and reporter Molly Hagan, who admits to “issues with” longrunning true-crime series Snapped. A snip:
The words "true crime" conceal the fact that this content is heavily produced, made from a host of competing accounts that coalesce to form what historians call "the dominant narrative." Our brains, unable to process the complexity of real-life events, seek one definitive version of the truth. But dominant narratives often support dominant ideas about race, sexuality, gender, and class. In doing so, they are a lens that can profoundly limit what we see—while reinforcing stereotypes we already hold.
The tone of shows like Snapped, which feature women convicted of murder, creates a comforting buffer against the real-life tragedies at its core. It also reinforces the notion that if you are convicted of a crime, you give up your story for public consumption in whatever format is the most exhilarating.
This Librarian Lived Under a False Identity, and Did It With Class [Princeton Alumni Weekly]
Belle da Costa Greene claimed Portuguese/Dutch heritage when hired as a Princeton librarian in 1901, but in fact she was Black. Encouraged by her mother to pass, her conflation of heritage meant her hiring at the Ivy League was possible (something this publication could have explored a little harder, if you know what I mean), and later became J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian.
“She lived a good life, a bookish and beautiful life, and she got it at the price of a lie far smaller than the lie that she wouldn’t have deserved it under her real identity” is a pretty passive voice way to call out systemic racism. Here’s hoping Greene can get a more exacting take in the current era. — EB
Avocados have destroyed my country — but America can help [Washington Post gift link]
Mexican cartels control that country’s avocado trade these days, a reflection of how U.S. demand for the fruit (technically, berry) has driven the market. Uruapan, where many imported avocados are grown, is now the third-deadliest city in the world — in large part because we’re willing to pay a premium for fresh guac. Reimposing a ban on Mexican avocados that was lifted in 1997 might help, Axel Javier Sulzbacher argues. Another argument for buying CA-grown, I suppose? — EB
Secretive White House Surveillance Program Gives Cops Access to Trillions of US Phone Records [Wired]
”A surveillance program now known as Data Analytical Services (DAS) has for more than a decade allowed federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to mine the details of Americans’ calls, analyzing the phone records of countless people who are not suspected of any crime, including victims,” a letter from US senator Ron Wyden to the Department of Justice reveals. The program is “run in coordination with the telecom giant AT&T, which captures and conducts analysis of US call records for law enforcement agencies, from local police and sheriffs’ departments to US customs offices and postal inspectors across the country.” And now you know why I won’t pick up when you call. — EB
Inside the Frat-Boy Crime Ring That Swept the South [Vanity Fair]
Another book excerpt, this time from Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story, which was released earlier this month. The book’s about the criminal underbelly of the College of Charleston’s Greek system, “a true-life story of hubris, status, money, drugs, and murder—one that lifts a curtain on an ecstatic and disturbing way of life.” As someone who lived in Bloomington, IN (home of Indiana University), I didn’t find much to be shocked by here; folks who haven’t lived in the big-school bubble might feel differently. — EB
How the Malignant Faith of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell Went Mainstream [The Daily Beast]
If you’re collecting Mormon extremist stories, this one is already on your radar — the suspects in this case were convicted in May, and were the subjects of Netflix docuseries Sins of Our Mother, a book called When the Moon Turns to Blood, and Lifetime’s Doomsday Mom: The Lori Vallow Story. The latter of which starred Marc Blucas — that’s right, Riley from Buffy — as Daybell; Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl also make appearances (!?). That case’s ubiquity is likely why this link to this well-done story languished on the budget doc, but given the rising tide of allegations against fellow far-right Mormon Tim “Sound of Freedom” Ballard, revisiting this story might be a timely decision. — EB
The Death of a Relic Hunter [New Yorker]
Sarah and I both dropped this link in the doc at various points, thanks to its central figure’s likely theft of a Confederate flag. There’s a separate story here, though, about how the same illness that prompts hoarding can also prompt criminal transgressions. There’s a line in here from the titular relic hunter’s diary about the love he has for his possessions that I read and reread several times with a lump in my throat — and, y’all, this was not a likable man so you know it hit me where it hurts. — EB
Mom of 15-year-old killed at Sweet 16 party says family was sold fraud grave, may need to move body [WSB]
Police are investigating Mozley Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Lithia Springs, GA after the mother of a shooting victim says a cemetery employee fraudulently sold at least 20 graves to families. I’m looking for other, more detailed coverage of this case to figure out basics like where the bodies are and am coming up dry. Setting up a google alert now to figure out what the full story is, if you hear anything let me know! — EB
When Reality TV Creates Reality: How “Copaganda” Affects Police, Communities, and Viewers [Emma Rackstraw]
Thanks to BE contrib Dan Cassino for this link to a paper on how shows like Live PD influence the behavior of members of law enforcement. In the study, Rackstraw uses “department-level and officer-level arrest data to find that arrests for low-level, victimless crimes increase by 20 percent while departments film with reality television shows, concentrated in the officers actively followed by cameras. These arrests do not meaningfully improve public safety and come at the cost of the local public's confidence.” If you happen to see Dan Abrams and want to ask him about this, please do! — EB
Have any New Yorker article credits left? If so, here are four more longreads worth your time:
A Mother’s Grief in New Haven: Laquvia Jones lost both of her sons to shootings. Now she wonders why a city with a deep sense of community—and one of the wealthiest universities in the world—can’t figure out how to address gun violence.
The Musical Legacy of a Mississippi Prison Farm: The new album “Some Mississippi Sunday Morning” collects gospel songs recorded inside a notorious penitentiary.
Legends of Lizzie: The mag’s 1933-era coverage of a play about the Borden murders is pretty wild.
What Happens to a School Shooter’s Sister?: Twenty-five years ago, Kristin Kinkel’s brother, Kip, killed their parents and opened fire at their high school. Today, she is close with Kip—and still reckoning with his crimes.
Thursday on Best Evidence: The Docket tackles the intersection of sports and crimes. Ha ha, “tackles”!
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