Crime
When is true crime content inappropriate? Fans, a legal expert and a psychologist speak out

Real crime is a phenomenon. From TV shows and movies to podcasts and publications, stories revealing the small print of true crimes, especially missing individuals and murder cases, are considered one of the fastest growing genres. Some people imagine that watching or listening to true crime stories provides a possibility to learn concerning the successes and failures of our criminal justice system, increases awareness of little-known cases, and potentially helps exonerate wrongfully convicted people. Others are critical and say that true crime content can distort the best way we expect concerning the justice system, perpetuate myths about typical victims of violent crimes, or persuade viewers that their online investigations may help solve the case.

“I feel crime podcasts, at the least the great ones, provide insight into human nature. In a way, it’s unbelievable that folks can do the things which might be described,” director Norris Francois Jr. tells ESSENCE.
The self-proclaimed podcast enthusiast claims to have listened to tens of 1000’s of hours of podcasts, including crime-related ones. He understands each praise and criticism towards them.
“Some people just tell a story. Some of them end up advocating for specific cases, telling them to look into it, donate to support funds, and get lawyers for people who may be wrongly convicted. So I’m learning a lot in this respect,” says Francois. “But I agree that there are negative aspects overall. I listen to a good range and in some of them you can really hear the tone is exploitative,” he added, noting that these are sometimes the most well-liked true crime podcasts.
Critics of the content say it might desensitize viewers to violent crimes and murders to the purpose that the stories are viewed simply as “entertainment” relatively than real-life tragedies. This is especially true for missing and murdered Black people.
“We know from the data that this is the case [Black women] underrepresented, and when they are represented, sometimes it’s victim blaming, so we ask, you know, why did she come home with so-and-so? Or why they were out at that time of day,” says Dr. Apryl Alexander, associate professor at Department of Public Health Sciences at UNC Charlotte.
The death of Lauren Smith-Fields in December last 12 months received wide media coverage only weeks after her death. Smith-Fields, a 23-year-old black woman, was found dead in her Connecticut apartment after dating an older white man she met on the dating app Bumble. As her story gained national attention, concerns were raised concerning the way it was portrayed within the press, the police investigation and a number of the online reactions via true crime projects.
Some social media users expressed displeasure about her dating outside her race, while others suggested she was involved in prostitution and thus brought violence upon herself. The popularity of a true crime story can influence how comfortable people feel recounting the tragic details and attempting to piece together the story themselves.
“It’s like a lot of victim-blaming content. Instead of “Let’s focus on the terrible event” instead of “Let’s focus on finding the person who caused the harm.” So black women and girls are just not treated equally in some of these cases, generally speaking, and in real crimes as well,” explains Dr. Alexander.
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In 2003–2004, serial killer Larry Bright lured and murdered at the least eight black women in Peoria, Illinois. Some women were strangled and their bodies dumped in rural areas, others he burned and buried in his yard.
Pinnacle book from 2010 tells the story of Bright and his crimes against women – and it upset a lot of their families. The cover of the book depicts the murderer, and inside there are photographs of assorted crime scenes and artifacts of the murder, similar to bone fragments from a number of the victims.
As writer Terrion L. Williamson draws attention in a 2021 article, the murder investigation book included information that was not available to family and community members. Terrion wrote, “the book sparked a sense of betrayal and outrage in the community because very few family members of the victims had even heard of or spoken to the author before its release.”
Williamson, an associate professor of African American and African American studies on the University of Minnesota, added that Carmea Erving, the eldest daughter of Brenda Erving, the last woman killed by Bright, told her: “It’s not right. How do you understand I need you to inform my story?”
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From 2018 to 2021, the variety of documentary series on streaming services increased by 63 percent According to data from a media monitoring company, true crime was the most important segment Parrot analytics. Additionally, the common true crime consumer tunes in inside one 12 months estimated to be roughly 84 episodes of true crime shows, 44 chapters of true crime books, 34 episodes of true crime podcasts, and 20 true crime movies survey conducted by Super Summary. The interest is only growing.
As a clinical and forensic psychologist, Dr. Alexander says the rise of the true crime genre is a combination of individuals’s fascination with criminal behavior and its causes, combined with the convenience of access to those stories online through streaming services and social media. In her opinion, nevertheless, it ought to be remembered that this content can’t be viewed just for “entertainment” purposes, but in addition to discuss real events involving real victims.
“I always think about people who say, ‘Oh, I’m obsessed with studying serial killers and finding out everything about them.’ “I at all times say they’d real victims, victims who might have been your friend, member of the family, anyone,” he says.
In September, Netflix released a series about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Between 1978 and 1991, Dahmer murdered and dismembered 17 men and boys, most of whom were LGBT, black or brown. The series broke Netflix’s world record for a series debut in its opening week, nevertheless it also faced heavy backlash, primarily accusing it of cashing in on the trauma experienced by the various black and queer people Dahmer murdered and the families they left behind. .
“We are all one traumatic event away from having the worst day of our lives when you are reduced to your neighbor’s favorite drinking show,” said Eric Perry, a relative of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey. . “Most importantly, if you’re going to create something that uses real-world people and experiences, you should at least reach out to those people out of respect,” he also said.
Lindsey’s sister, Rita Isbell, whose courtroom victim impact statement was featured on the series, also criticized streaming platform for failing to contact victims’ families before creating program content based on their pain.

Civil and criminal defense lawyer Sue-Ann Robinson says true crime content and fans of those shows may help or hinder legal investigations. “I feel true crime shows, depending on how they’re made, can provide more information to society. Or they will actually desensitize the general public if it’s done simply for shock value,” said Robinson, who was a legal expert on the first and second seasons of the STARZ investigative docuseries .
As a member of the team, Robinson re-investigated cases through which incarcerated defendants insisted on their innocence. Notably, two of the accused within the series were released from prison based on latest evidence revealed within the serial investigation.
“True Crime fans could be a shield and a sword because in the event that they do the fitting thing, ask the fitting questions and bring attention to a case that does not shine a light on it, then that is great. But in the event that they do negative things, similar to spreading false information or distracting police from things they really want to analyze, then there’s a problem,” Robinson explains.

True crime fan Morgan Angelique Owens says she watches shows she likes because they deal with the stories of the victims and their families, not the perpetrator.
“What interested me was that I was studying criminology. Growing up in the inner city, I always wanted to go to law school and see how I could make a difference, especially in the criminal justice field,” she shares with . “Actually, my dad was Hamilton County Coroner when I was in college. I had the opportunity to intern in his office and it was an interesting experience that made me even more involved. He actually appeared in a few episodes here in Cincinnati,” he adds.
For Owens, now a media entrepreneur, fact-based content is a very important tool for shedding light on little-known issues, which she says is especially essential in relation to stories about missing and murdered black women who don’t at all times get the eye they deserve .
“The lives of people, especially Black women, who have gone missing or had crimes committed against them, these stories need to be told despite criticism because how will we learn about them and how will we remember them?” says Owens.
She notes that she doesn’t remember seeing the last episode of her favorite crime series that highlighted the stories of black women. Robinson says this often happens because black women are rarely seen as victims of crime. Therefore, the defense attorney and former prosecutor imagine it is vital to vary this perception.
“I think black women are like the canary in the coal mine when it comes to these issues. We are at the intersection of race and gender. So we are the most vulnerable, but we are also the ones on the front line in terms of needing visibility and that is why we need to be more aware of our issues because we are at the crossroads,” Robinson said.
“The more we can have stories that explain our vulnerability, the fact that we are canaries in the coal mine, the fact that this is not a black woman, missing or murdered case, but a missing or murdered person and that it should be a problem for everyone,” she says.
Crime
Author Essence Spotlight: Vanessa Miller “The Filling Station” – Essence

“Author Spotlight” by Essence sheds light on the very best -selling writer of Vanessa Miller and her recent book “The Filing Station”
Author of the bestsellers Vanessa Miller He understands that a well -written and studied story has the facility to rework history. She is the writer of over 55 books, in addition to recognized bestsellers and. In her latest historical novel, which can be published on March 11, Miller pushes the layers from probably the most terrifying and hidden moments within the history of America, the Tulsa Race massacre. It gives insight into the resistance of black within the face of a destructive loss, emphasizes the displacement of black people from the estated land and the best way generational wealth has been systematically stolen from many communities for generations.
It is 1921, and the sisters Margaret and Evelyn have recently avoided devastation, which has just taken place in Greenwood, a black community in Oklahomie. They find shelter on a black station filling the threat On route 66 And it’s a paradise for them as black travelers to process their experiences during treatment and preparing for the reconstruction of their community. Miller recently talked to the term of this book and the heritage of making “safe spaces” in order that Czarni could have a spot to talk and breathe life back into themselves.
In the news recentlyThere has been more evidence in regards to the Tulsa breed massacre, and Miller understands the importance of proper archiving history for future generations.
Hazard -filling station It is an actual place positioned on the historic route 66 in Luther in Oklahoma and it was an actual place where many black found shelter when their homes, corporations, churches and libraries were burned to the bottom.
“I started to study Hazard -filling stationAnd I knew that I could connect with what happened in Greenwood with the “protected marinade” of the idea at the filling station. What do you [we all] I have to understand that when I examined this, I discovered that it was the most terrifying crime ever committed against black slaves in America. But we are resistant people and we still enter. “
During the research of the book, Miller was shocked by silence, which was practiced by each black and white communities. “Over two days, the white crowd burned houses and firms, killed over 300 people and left hundreds of homeless people. And the proven fact that it was a story that was not talked about. People were silent and I imagine that they were silent due to fear. Many people in a white crowd were replaced by a sheriff in Tulsa. When there’s a system that’s against you, it’s difficult to talk. And a lot of their children didn’t know what happened in Tulsa until they grew up. Miller continued to share that each black and white families were silent because they desired to protect their families.
There are sometimes narratives about deprivation of black civil rights throughout the history, but it is rather necessary to grasp that after providing the probabilities of black communities bloom and distinguished themselves perfectly. And although Black Wall Street can confirm this, Miller discovered black cities Wilmington, North Carolina– They prospered well and were mecca. For this reason, the cities were set on fire.
“Officials in Tulsa decided that they wanted to sell the land that belonged to native Americans, and decided that they no longer need this land that was promised native Americans because they want to earn money on it.” But officials who sold this land didn’t expect that the black people have a way of pondering to those areas, meet and construct their very own cities – they usually did. And the characters within the intimate will show these living people.
“There are only a few descendants of the live massacre, but when I created characters for this book, I received access Michelle Burdex and Greenwood Cultural Center to the archived interviews from Tulsa Massacre, which survived the massacre and their first person accounts. And they have these interviews on the wall while walking around the Greenwood Culture Center. And it was such a blessing to see them. ” Miller emphasized the importance of staying by heart, which is why each chapter and submission of the book incorporates a direct epigraph from the archives of the Greenwood Culture Center or Red Cross Relinal Report. These interviews and reports informed how Miller created every character and their experiences.
“It was very open. By reading the book, you will notice that the blacks have been forced to work with every relief received. The Red Cross Tulsa help report states that they provide relief for destructive tragedies, but this was the only time in which the city and officials did not do it, and it is important to understand why. “Miller said:” I really believe it was because they were black, and this report, as well as the mayor and other officials in Tulsa, said that Black were a servant of people class and that they would have to work on any financial relief. I thought that it is so important to place these epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter, because I wanted people who read them to see what was happening during this period. Not only the story I tell, but I want you [the reader] To see this in real time, the real reality of people. “
For those that wish to enter a historical novel, based loosely on real events, is a written work that immediately surrounds the reader right into a time and place that ought to never be removed. “This happened with Greenwood, but the beauty in this story is that every time they tried to stop them, they came back and arose.” Miller calls on a gene with and millennials in order that they don’t accept America’s history as a right.
“I really believe that those who do not know their history may be doomed to repeat it because they do not make contacts between what is happening in their daily lives and what has already happened in the past. And reading historical books and non-fiction books is a great way. “But his ability to present the tragedy of this terrifying incident with a flash of hope is distinguished. There isn’t any must fear the present generation, simply or vigilant.
“People gave us a plan if you just read what happened before. We already have a plan, which is why the book also has a message of hope. We have always looked at God. We have always believed on a better day and we fight for it. And that is why it was important to show Margaret’s fight with her faith in this book. After such devastation happened to you, it is easy to question your faith. And I needed her [Margaret] To leave this journey and start understanding God’s love for us, even in the face of man’s hatred for us. “
Vanessa is currently published by Harpercollins/Thomas Nelson. He lives in North Carolina along with her husband and family. She graduated from Capital University with an organizational communication diploma.
Crime
An alleged serial killer responsible for 8.6% of Montgomery killings in 2024.


The man from Alabama was arrested on Tuesday, February 26 and accused of allegedly killing no less than 14 people and shooting 29 others in Birmingham over the past one and a half years.
On his Facebook page, the Police Department in Birmingham announced in many posts that an arrest warrant was issued for a 22-year-old Damien McDaniel Fairfield for murders Fireman Birmingham Jordan MeltonIN Mia NicksonAND Anthony Lamar Love Jr.
In the subsequent post, the Police Department revealed that McDaniel was arrested with one other suspect in one of the deaths, 41-year-old Charles Nance from Pinson.
WRBC 6 News announced that McDaniel was accused On 37 crimes it has five different shootings in three months in 2024. He is one of the few accused involved in a mass shooting at five points south and mass shooting at Trendsetters Lounge.
Before the last allegations, he was accused of killing 11 and shooting 29 people.
The police in Birmingham said that recent allegations of capital murder related To the killing of Nickson and love, there are matters of murder for rent. McDaniel is detained without bonds in the correction department in Alabama on the Kilby corrective plant.
“We were aware that further investigations were carried out, which were separate from pending matters,” said John Robbins, McDaniels in a press release, According to WVTM 13. “So we should not very surprised by additional fees.
“The defense team will not refrain from providing our client with vigorous defense, which our justice system requires. The defense team understands and appreciates the pain and suffering that the family and friends of all victims experienced and will continue to experience when these matters will act in court. We are not blind at this aspect of any case of murder. “
According to al.comIf McDaniel is found guilty of 13 killings that took place in 2024, McDaniel shall be personally responsible for 8.6% of 152 violent deaths in Birmingham last 12 months.
Last 12 months, the police in Birmingham announced that McDaniel was accused of killing Diontronet Brown on September 19, and after the death of Tahj Booker, Carlos McCain, Anitra Holloman and Roderick Patterson at five points to the south of the mass shooting on September 21. Then, the subsequent day, Jamarcus McIntyre was killed and McDaniel was accused of death.
In October 2024, McDaniel was accused of killing Markeshia Gettings, Stevie McGhee, Angela Weatherspoon and Lerandus Anderson at The Trendsetter Lounge July 13, in addition to the death of Charlie Moore in his apartment on August 13.
(Tagstotransate) crime
Crime
“Wags to Richens” was the perfect picture of the reality show, and then he became exploiting – essence

Thanks to the kindness of Netflix/Tudum
IN The latest reality Netflix series To follow the wives and girls of the best athletes and rappers, I checked all the boxes of the reality show quintessence: juicy rumors, suspicious readings, lover quarrels, beautiful but terrifying opinion of women and excellent men who support them. On the surface, this program had juice, but after I kept watched, I noticed that the story was plagued by contradictions and insensitivity to the race.
In the whole series, his bee queen, real estate broker and founder Allure Realty LLC, Sharelle RosadoIt proclaims to other women the importance of good popularity, especially when you want to succeed. We’ve all heard this idea before, but this concept becomes problematic when Rosado gets a colleague from the forged Lastonia “Stoni” Leviston’s Sexual tape against her. Leviston, the mother of rapper Rick Ross’s first child, is initially rejected by the group because of the scandal from sex tape greater than 10 years ago.
The discussion about Leviston’s sex tape was difficult to watch. While sitting with one other member of the forged Alexis Studemire, the former wife of the former NBA star and Olympian Amar’s Studemire, Leviston explains that the former partner has released a video that has sex without her consent as pornography as a pornography of revenge after they fell apart. While Rick Ross and 50 cents foughtFormer Leviston allegedly sent a video to the rapper, to which he then published a video on his website.
In one of the early scenes of the series, Rosado admits that he doesn’t see how he spends time with Leviston because of sexual tape and accuses her of escort. Leviston violently denies the claims of the escort, but Rosado keeps the revenge of pornography over the forged of the forged feels disgusting. Black women are usually not only disproportionately exposed to victims Sexual offensesBut we reveal our perpetrators less often. Leviston undertook legal proceedings and wonAcquiring justice for a criminal offense against her. Instead, the series has a sensitive and sensitive topic and uses it for entertainment. She is forced to look weak and must consistently defend herself against something that was beyond her control. It is a miracle that she finished the season after she was treated poorly.

And if the topic of popularity is such a fantastic matter, you may only wonder how the yerhnson “Ochocinco” yerb Rosado, who was engaged in athlete at the time, evaporates with him relationships, as if it was a reward or privilege. While the assumption of the series is that girls show their relationships with athletes and artists, in addition to a profession, the engagement of couple looked lower than perfect. It is tough to ignore bloody paintings that became popular after the retired footballer lost his fiancee Evelyn Lozada (also a star in VH1) in 2012-in the result he was cut off from Miami Dolfs.

The figure of Johnson was fully presented when he and Rosado sat down for dinner with their lawyers to discuss the prenup. When the lawyer Rosado presents the idea of an infidelity clause, including a penalty of $ 500,000 in the event that Johnson cheats, he becomes clearly nervous and says: “It doesn’t make sense”, after that “it basically tells me that he is not ready for a wedding.” The funniest thing was that the clause has some grounds, on condition that Johnson was accused by other partners, including Rosado. At the time of my writing, he began eight children outside of marriage with many ladies. Did Rosado not take this into consideration when assessing his popularity, or does his fame slow him?
Don’t get me incorrect, I’m for ladies living a soft life, there’s nothing that black women deserve more. However, once you spend time defending and the fight for a person who doesn’t fight for you to such an extent that he becomes toxic, it is time to pull the plug. Just then, your good girls are in search of you and encourage you to search for changes. Unfortunately, Marand “MJAE” Johnson, the youngest of the group who divides children from Disturbing rapper Kodak BlackThey were left to take care of herself. Although the rapper never appears in the series, he absorbs the story of a young mother when he struggles with their relationship because of his constant cheating. The rapper also has Active drug problem And he was accused Just a few numbers assault and even kidnapping. Recently, Emcee was seen in Florida on the street, eating chicken, probably on drugs.
In the season, Johnson has its own entries with the law after she had a quarrel with the mother of other rapper’s children. Unfortunately, during the interview of confession, Johnson admits that if she had ever gone to prison, it could be an assault. This is the moment of the program that I might expect to enter advice or forged to organize an intervention to help her leave this dangerous environment. From what we, the viewers, lacked the sister’s sense of sister, which you’d often see with women’s forged. Ultimately, Johnson leaves her to handle, despite her crying for help.
Nothing on this series shocked me greater than seeing how Julianna “Yesjulz” Goddard appeared on my screen. The history of disrespect has an impact on social media Black community and aiming Black women. However, when the first one Kanye West An worker – publicly dismissed in 2024 for violating her NDA – was caught in front of the black -attacking camera and was broadcast, I knew that this series reached a brand new level.
In the third episode, driving in a restaurant with a forged, Goddard is asked to join the table with Leviston, her best friend Gary, Johnson and a friend of the series Kene Danana. Before joining the Goddard table, Danair He conducted a discussion, rightly raising the racist popularity of Julz. When Goddard sits down, Johnson and Gary tell her that Danair calls her racist. Gary stands in Solidarity with Goddard, saying something in the melody, I’m black, and Goddard loves me, insinuating me despite the growing evidence against her, there isn’t a way that this woman who appeared on the show of swaying Cornrows. Danair stands 10 fingers and confronted with influential comments about black women. Goddard immediately becomes defensive and asks Danair, a black woman, which she does for her own culture – as if she wanted to compare and insinuate that she (Goddard) does more. Symptoms are mentioned, Goddard hits Danair, and they each go to blows.

The difficult reality is that girls like Goddard will develop, because there’ll at all times be a bunch that permits them to support them. In the entire program, in confession and conversations, the team openly appreciates the accusation against Goddard, but decides to ignore them only because they didn’t witness them first hand. This way of pondering is dangerous – it allows opportunists to proceed using the community they use. When we don’t protect our spaces collectively, we strengthen these shapes, giving them tools to proceed dividing us. Are these women so desperately in the matter of white validation that they’re ready to let someone like Goddard sit at their table and feast at their very own expense?
This program isn’t easy to convene. I appreciate complex characters and a layered story story, but there’s a small border between the nuance drama and the reckless exploitation. When deeply sensitive problems, resembling abuse and racism, are reduced to the value of shock and spectacle – especially in a month of black history – this isn’t only irresponsible; This is harmful. At one point we must ask: who does this narrative really serve? And more importantly, at whose cost? If it’s at the cost of black, then the reality TV lover, like me, has no problem with changing the channel. We went an excessive amount of and we deserve significantly better.
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