Nancy Grace · Meek Mill · Lorenzen Wright
Plus: Guess who bought the LaBianca house?
the true crime that's worth your time
Nancy Grace has a lot of thoughts on Michelle Carter’s sentencing. This would be unremarkable if she hadn’t recently launched a show on Oxygen called Injustice With Nancy Grace, the aim of which is -- allegedly -- to right the wrongs inflicted by an (often emotion-based) rush to judgement. (If you’re raising a brow at this notion, so did Sarah and Lani Diane Rich, who discussed the series in a recent episode of The Blotter Presents.)
Grace recently guested on Oxygen’s Martinis & Murder podcast, presumably to cross-promote her series. And/or to kite off the buzz from I Love You, Now Die (speaking of cross-promotion, here’s Sarah and my chat on that show), what was the main topic of the episode.
When asked about Michelle Carter’s conviction and sentence in Conrad Roy’s death, Grace made several thoughtful, well-reasoned statements based in Constitutional law and well-established precedent, and followed her show’s mission of avoiding any sort of rush to judge. HAHA jk. Instead, she sad "15 months? Are you kidding me?"
A 20-year sentence would have been more appropriate, Grace said, as Conrad Roy was “extremely sensitive, very not self assured. And, he fell hard for this girl…But for Michelle Carter, Conrad Roy would be alive today. She played him like a fiddle.”
When asked if there were First Amendment or free speech issues at stake in the case, Grace answered "That's for a jury to decide, little lady…The jury in this country is the sole judge of the facts and the law.” (Note: This is not true, but Grace’s statements went unchallenged by the M&M hosts.) “I think this was completely acceptable to be prosecuted, although, I think it should have been prosecuted at a higher degree.”
This isn’t Grace’s first podcast run at Carter, as she also discussed the case on her own podcast, entitled Crime Stories, back in 2017. As the 12 minutes I just spent with her were more than enough for me, I can’t speak to how she addressed the case back then, but I’m sure it demonstrated similar reason and legal acumen. If you want to enjoy more of Grace’s wisdom, you can listen to her previous take here. -- EB
Discovery-owned networks are planning a new slate of true crime shows. At its Television Critics’ Association presentation, the cable giant announced several new shows in the genre, to be spread across its many offerings. Here’s an overview of the most prominent premieres:
Ted Bundy: Mind of a Monster will air on August 18 on Investigation Discovery. According to its press materials, “now, for the first time, we hear exclusively from individuals directly involved in the case who have finally come forward to share their story.” Archived audio of Bundy (what else could it be, he’s dead?) is also promised.
Also on ID: Truth About Murder with Sunny Hostin, which will kick off on October 22, sends the The View co-host to small towns to cast attention on “cases where people don’t have voices.” It’s unclear from this interview if it has any sort of market differentiator from the scores of other shows along this line.
OK, this one intrigues me: Taken At Birth is a three-episode show on the Hicks adoption scandal, a fascinating case in which a Georgia doctor sold hundreds of infants in the 1950s and 1960s. If you’re not familiar with the tale -- and even if you are -- I recommend this Narratively piece from Matthew Steven Bruen on the matter. The show will air on TLC at some time in October. -- EB
The filling comes just a couple of weeks before the launch of its docuseries about Meek Mills.
#FreeMeek
It looks like Amazon has big plans for the phrase “Free Meek.” The Jay-Z/Amazon docuseries on the artist’s legal troubles reportedly got its name from the hashtag #FreeMeek, which has been in use on social media platforms for years by those who believed that Meek Mill was facing unjust prosecution and judicial harassment. On July 25, however, Amazon sought to claim the phrase as its own, filing a trademark application for the rallying cry.
According to Ad Age, if Amazon’s application prevails, no other company could use the phrase “Free Meek” for any other purpose. Violators can face penalties including the loss of all profits generated by the product using the protected phrase. -- EB
A new podcast seeks to investigate the slaying of NBA star Lorenzen Wright. Wright disappeared in 2010 while visiting his children, and was found shot to death in a field several days later. It wasn’t until July of this year, however, that Wright’s ex-wife admitted to facilitating the murder. (Back in 2015, Sports Illustrated collaborated with Fox Sports for a three-part series on the then-unsolved homicide, you can see it here.)
Memphis broadcast station WREG says that it’s covered Wright since his days as a high school basketball star, making it the ideal outlet to podcast on the case. It’s unclear when the pod will make its debut, but you can subscribe and listen to a trailer here. -- EB
Oh for pete’s sake. The freakin’ Ghost Adventures guy bought the LaBianca house. It appears that pretending to feel cold spots and bad vibes is a profitable endeavor, as Zak Bagans, the polymath behind the Travel Channel show that has never, in its many years on the air, has produced actual proof that ghosts exist, has bought the pricey residence. (I guess that’s the beginning of the horror movie about me enraging the spirits of the deceased!)
As previously reported, the 3311 Waverly Drive home at which four Manson acolytes killed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca had been placed on the market for $1,988,800. Bagans tells People magazine, which is where I get all my haunted real estate news, that “I was blown away by the panoramic views in the front and backyards…I was also intrigued by the energy I felt while there … It was mysterious and palpable.” Here’s hoping the house isn’t as “infested with ghosts” as the Gary, Indiana property Bagans bought in 2014 -- that place was apparently sooooo veeeery spooky that the only option the paranormal investigator had was demolition. -- EB
Monday, on Best Evidence: WGN has a true crime podcast, and I’m going to check it out. Plus, all the ghosts that love Zak Bagans will have been haunting me for a couple days, so I’ll probably have some cool anecdotes.
What is this thing? This should help.
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