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

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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.

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

“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.

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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.

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“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.

**

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.

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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?”

***

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.

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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.

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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.

When is true crime content inappropriate?  Fans, a legal expert and a psychologist speak out
A still of actress DaShawn Barnes playing Rita Isbell in a courtroom scene from “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” Isbell’s brother, Errol Lindsey, was considered one of the boys Dahmer murdered.

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.

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When is true crime content inappropriate?  Fans, a legal expert and a psychologist speak out
A still of legal expert Sue-Ann Robinson from the STARZ docuseries “Wrong Man.”

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.

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“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.

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This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Crime

A retired police officer doomed to live in prison for sexual abuse of children in his wife’s kindergarten

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A retired police officer in Baltimore, whose wife sexually shot children in her diary, was sentenced to life imprisonment.

. Baltimore Banner reported that James Stanley Weems Jr., 59, from Towson, was convicted in the District Court of Baltimore by judge Michael J. Finifter on Monday, April 14.

In November 2024, Weems was found guilty of three cases of sexual abuse of minors, two cases of second -degree rape and one number of indecent materials to minors, resulting from the arrest of 2022.

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The allegations concern one child who was 10 on the time of abuse; Apparently, nonetheless, there have been other victims. Victims of Weems attended Lil Kidz Kastle, kindergarten in Owings Mills belonging to his ex -wife, Shantary Young. An officer who withdrew from the police in Baltimore in 2005, according to two years, led a van in kindergartens People magazine.

While Weems denies many accusations, including all the time affecting, he confessed to pornography dependence and watching pornography while running children to the MA to the preschool center. He claims that he never intentionally showed them obscene material.

The uncle of the 10-year-old victim testified that the family found pornography on her tablet, and when she asked about it, “Mr. James” told her. This interrogation led them to discover more between them.

According to WarThe girl said that Weems was the one one who was nice to her and gave her a snack. Weems told her not to tell anyone what happened.

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Rapper Tay-K sentenced 80 years behind bars for the murder of a photographer in 2017

During his stay in the court, Young testified that the girl was “delayed at her age and mainly kept for herself and her sister,” but he remembered that Weems allegedly called her a “little friend” and “My Little Helper”. On sale she announced that Weems only remembered the girl as “a nice little girl”.

“I would love Mr. James not to do these bad things.

WJZ reports that the initial indictment in 2022 was accused of abusing no less than three children in kindergarten. After the judgment, the prosecutors waited to learn the VEEMS sentence before they decided or bring more charges.

The case caught the national attention in 2022, because after checking out what he was accused of, the ex -wife of Weems, Young, went from Baltimore to Washington to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where he ensured the protection of the event, and shot him, in accordance with the reports with NBC Washington.

According to the sales, Young pleaded guilty for assaulting and wearing a firearm and not using a license and was sentenced to 4 years in prison and two years of supervised dismissal after the incident.

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During a conversation Wusa9 From prison, Young said that she “broke” this fatal evening on the Mandarin Oriental hotel.

“I felt that the blood was just running out of my body because … it was my husband,” said Young. “He was supposed to help me protect these children. He always told me that he was my defender. So when I heard it, I just felt – I just felt my world was over.”

VEEMS still faces over 20 additional numbers resulting from other alleged victims.

Syracuse Police will hit one man, throw the other to the ground after stopping the movement - the income condemns the arrest

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Crime

The mother of Carmelo Anthony talks about the threats of death and harassment that the family received

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Mother Carmelo Anthony, a 17-year-old suspect in a deadly stab on the track at the starting of this month in Frisco, Texas, speaks amongst the harassment with which the family stands.

On Thursday afternoon, April 17, During a press conferenceThe boy’s mother, Kala Hayes, begged public opinion through tears to depart her family alone once they still move on this difficult time.

“Three years ago my family moved to North Texas, looking for a better life,” she began. “Like many other families, we wanted to offer our kids a future that we didn’t have. My husband works hard on daily basis to make sure us to be sure that that (we’re) in the very best financial situation. As a mother, I remained at home, I forced our kids to live, that our kids are loved, cared for and supported at every step.

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On April 2, it’s claimed that Anthony stabbed Austin Metcalf, also 17, during an intensive meeting between them, when their competing teams were waiting for a delay in the rain during a celebration at the Kuykendall stadium in Frisco. Anthony, who confessed to stab and maintained that he was energetic in self -defense, was accused of murder.

As a result of this “rainy and terrible day” Hayes said that her family experiences universal harassment, including rumors, threats of death, leakage each home address and the address of her husband’s former employer and discrimination.

“Whatever you think … it happened between Carmelo and Metcalf boys, my three younger children, my husband and I did nothing to deserve a threat, harassment and lie,” she said.

17-year-old accused in Texas

Some of the conversations result from disinformation around funds from the online fundraiser, which was launched for the legal family and Anthony. While some online claimed that the family was using funds to purchase a brand new home, the mother cleared the air, stating that the claims are “completely false” because they’ve not yet received money from the fundraiser. The family expressed in court that they were only considering traffic to avoid harassment.

“The lies and false accusations that have been said about us, especially over the past week, were overwhelming,” she explained. “Lies and strengthen their family expose my family to danger, as well as everyone in our community, everyone involved in the investigation, from the police, lawyers and court staff.”

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Hayes said that her 13-year-old daughter is afraid to sleep in her own bedroom because she is afraid of what may occur to her. Her husband, whose mental health worsens “day after day”, for the same reason for the same reason there is no such thing as a vacation from work.

“I do not know why we are attacked and discriminated against before our honest trial, our son deserves the same rights in accordance with the law that everyone has,” said Hayes during a press conference when tears flowed into her face.

She explained that Anthony was brought up in a double house with structure, stability and love.

“We put God first in everything we do,” she continued. “We believe in the constitution. We believe in the rights of this country, but these rights must apply to all of us, not only some of us.”

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She also turned to the Metcalf family, saying: “My heart really comes out to you.”

“To those that supported my family, thanks

The statement appears after the release of Anthony from a bond of USD 250,000 after a successful bond hearing to scale back it from the original $ 1 million. The case will soon be brought in front of the great bench to think about whether to accuse him and whether it’ll be a trial.

Family of Texas Teen, accused of a deadly stab of another teenager on the track, collected over $ 150,000 via the online fundraiser

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Crime

Florida State University

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Suspected during yesterday’s shooting at Florida State University opened fire on the university campus at 11:50 local time, but in accordance with his classmates, he crossed the road earlier.

After officials identified the shooter because the son of a sheriff, Phoenix Ikner, 20, who killed two and left six wounded in battleHis classmates say to fill a photograph of who he was.

Ikner, who modified his name from the Christian scorer Eriksen to Phoenix Ikner in 2020, was known by some as “a normal college guy”, in accordance with NBC News. However, others, including the older FSI, Reid Seybold, claim that Ikner “supported” white supremacistic ideals.

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Seybold knew Ikner from the Political Debate Club in Tallahasee State College, where he participated two years before moving to FSI. He said the sale that Ikner “supported so much white rhetoric of supremacy and far -right rhetoric” that he was finally asked to return back.

Another group member and current president, Riley Pusins, confirmed the NBC that Ikner supported the political program of President Donald Trump and sometimes advertised white supremacy ideals, though the club was not partisan.

Pusins ​​added what number of a suspect was a fascist on the club. He said that after the meetings, the suspect often publishes more “inappropriate” comments. According to the present president of the club, Ikner “approached the line” at meetings, after which crossed the road in discussions later.

Ikner was known for his controversial views within the classroom.

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“I began to argue with him in the class about how disgusting the things he said,” said Lucas Luzietti, a student of a politics who shared the category with Ikner USA Today.

According to Luzietti, Ikner praised right -wing conspiracy theories and “hateful ideas.” Apparently, he pushed theories, comparable to former president Joe Biden illegally gained the office: “Rosa Parks was wrong” and black people ruined his neighborhood.

“I remember that I thought that this man should not have access to firearms,” ​​said Luzietti, adding, “What should you do? His mother was clay, and Florida has no strong rights of the red flag.”

The authorities say that Florida State's bandit used the former service weapon of the replacement mother to kill 2 and wounds 6

Red Flag rights, currently in books in 21 states and a district of Colombia, can enable someone who worries concerning the owner of a weapon, who poses a threat to others, in order that the authorities take over the weapons.

In January, per week before the inauguration, Ikner was quoted within the Student Gazeta FSU within the story of anti-trumpeous protests within the campus. January was also the last time he participated in the talk club.

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The rally, organized by Tallahassee students for a democratic society, called for the tip of the war within the Gaza Strip and “racist attacks on immigrants”, in accordance with article.

“These people are usually quite funny, usually not for good reasons,” said Ikner, who was mentioned as a direction of political sciences, in accordance with Archived online report with fsunews.com. “I think it’s a little late, he (Trump) will be inaugurated on January 20 and there is not much to do, unless you rebel, and I don’t think anyone wants it.”

After the shooting on Thursday, Gazeta Studentcka removed the Ikner quote from the article “Under the decision of our editors to maintain ethical journalistic standards and avoid strengthening the voice of the person responsible for violence.”

During the conversation with NBC News, despite what Seybold knew concerning the Ikner, he was still attempting to wrap his head, why his classmate opened fire yesterday afternoon.

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“I don’t know why he would do something like that,” said Seybold. “I don’t know where it would come from, but I would definitely like to find out.”

Republican legislators of Tennessee condemned by the Black Club for posing with whipping

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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