~ Chapter Seven ~

With the spate of mass shootings in the United States over the past decade, the First State got a false alarm that seemed all too real to staff and students. The Delaware State University campus received a lock down notice after text messages proclaiming that a shooter or shooters would be on the premises. Multiple police agencies swept the campus in search of a gunman but found no weapons, reported no injuries or fatalities, or anything suspicious. What all this spells is that fear is still a token of lowlifes.

~ Chapter Four ~

Part One

It's taken me awhile to open up about something that most people in society shun and this will be by far one of my most honest posts yet.

Road to Perdition came out back in 2002. I'm not sure why I didn't go watch it when it first came out. I think it may have had to do with all of the quality movies that were coming out around that time. Look back at the lineup, and you'll see a lot of classics in there.

So... when I saw this dramatic re-telling of the ordeal of the Central Park 5 being advertised on Netflix, I was already pretty sure that it was going to be must-watch television. I was also extremely apprehensive about seeing the events through the eyes of these five kids (now grown men) and being able to emotionally process it all. The case (and the legal and societal issues it brings to the forefront) kind of hits close to home for me as a parent, and as an African-American man. I'd seen the Ken Burns documentary on the Central Park 5 a while back, so I was already very familiar with the case, and some of the very problematic issues it brought to the table for the American public to address. Systemic racism, classism, and lack of accountability for law enforcement and agents of the legal system were all things that were at the forefront of the documentary. Ava Duvernay did an excellent job of showing the social and personal toll this case had on these men and their families, as well as the greater impact that the institutions of the law and media played in that accrued trauma. Every episode of this mini-series was visceral and traumatic. Whether it was the very public shunning of Yusuf Salaam, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, and Raymond Santana upon their release from custody as adults, to the entire fourth episode being devoted to the ordeal of Korey Wise's experiences at Riker's Island as an adult, the entire progression of the series takes a huge emotional toll on the audience watching it.

I am a criminal, I heard that so often that I believed it. My mother told me that my father was killed in a shootout with the police, so I grew up with this idea in my head of who I was based on things I was told. Turns out that my father died almost thirty years after my mother told me that he did. I grew up dirt poor and my step father was physically abusive to me and my sister. We moved to a new city every couple of years, I always felt that I did not fit in. Kids, being who they are, would tease me about my Goodwill clothes and my parents ugly car. I started to steal candy from the local store early on and I learned that if I gave candy to the kids that they would like me or at least pretend to. As I got older I began to associate money with acceptance. I never felt like I was good enough for people to just like me, so I bought friends often by stealing and hustling.

13. Montauk Beach Home—Bernie Madoff

WARNING: This case involves shocking violence against two children, by another child. This isn't for the faint of heart.

There is nothing better than finding the perfect detective novel series to get addicted to and cozy up with whenever you have the downtime. As avid readers of the genre already know, when looking for the perfect series, it’s all about finding something gripping that will not only keep you turning page after page, but will keep you on your toes through the entire story. Solid character development is essential in these novels because everyone loves a concept full of depth, where your favorite characters can just as easily be those you admire as those you truly detest. With all that said, there are so many great mystery series out there for you to choose from that you need never be worried about running out of compelling stories to read.

Some cases sit unsolved for a year. Some stay unsolved and forgotten for 10, or 20 years. When they’re not forgotten and are constantly brought into the light, it can bring about incredible revelations and new evidence. That’s why it's so important to talk about the cases that are seemingly forgotten. Bringing new eyes to them is the least, us as consumers of true crime media can do. When we do that, we better the chances of more cases being placed on a list like this. Here are three cold cases that were solved in 2018.

They’re bestsellers for a reason

I usually review science fiction novels here. But when I came across Pushback, an adrenaline pumping mystery novel by John Stith, who wrote Red Shift Rendezvous, one of my all-time favorite science fiction novels, hey, how could I resist? Besides, the who dunnit of mystery and detective fiction is a close cousin of the what dunnit of science fiction.

How many times have you heard people say "don't drink the Kool-Aid" when you were getting a little overzealous about something? This, perhaps, somewhat insensitive phrase refers to the Jonestown Massacre when cult leader Jim Jones forced over 900 people to commit suicide by drinking a grape-flavored drink laced with cyanide.

"Lord forgive them. They don't know what they are doing," those are the last words of convicted murderer Larry Swearingen. In July of 2000, a jury found Swearingen guilty of raping and murdering 19-year-old Melissa Trott. Crimes he adamantly denied committing, despite the "mountain of evidence" against him.

Note: This story contains accounts of murder, necrophilia, and cannibalism, each as disturbing and gory as the other.

Historically, society has attempted to discourage crime by making the punishment so horrible that nobody would want to take the risk of committing a crime. In an age where people aren’t afraid of death what can be done to scare them? What can we do in America where inmates consider lumpy potatoes to be "cruel and unusual punishment?"

Fifty-five years. Fifty-five years can mean a lifetime of things. Graduations, promotions, weddings, births can all occupy this stretch of time. For rapper Tay-K, his version of 55 years will consist of one hour of physical training every day and the rest confined to a cell. It serves him right. This convicted felon will be looking down these 55 years for his role in robberies and murder. Now, there is a campaign to fill his prison commissary with books, letters, and money to help him “cope” with his time behind bars. Tay-K went on the lam before his capture by United States Marshals. He even released a song called “The Race” right before his capture. In that time, he took to Twitter to voice his “outrage” over being confined to his house.

It’s pretty bad when you get socked by a guy with one eye. Rapper Fetty Wap, the half-blind rap star found the cold steel of justice wrapped around his wrists in Las Vegas, Nevada for punching a valet at the Mirage Hotel and Casino. A staff member actually made the decision to subdue the assailant who happened to be the platinum rapper. Subsequently, the hip hop star received the charges of misdemeanor assault and battery. So, what does all of this mean? Are semi-disabled rappers really out here trying to knock out able bodied young people?

Every Twelve O’Clock Boy should be rejoicing from B-More to Philly. Meek Mill is no longer a suspected convict. A 2008 charge related to a firearm has been dismissed by a panel of three judges. On the heels of signing a brand new deal with his label Dream Chasers under billionaire JAY-Z’s Roc Nation, Meek celebrated on Instagram stating how he is clean as far as the law is concerned. This is a clarion call to any man of color in America who is currently going through the legal system while still trying to enjoy the spoils and fruits of their labors.

~ Chapter Seven ~

~ Chapter Four ~

I'm a writer. It's what I do. It's who I am. I can find a story anywhere. A passing cloud may suggest a dolphin, and suddenly, I'm in the ocean on a wild adventure. I'm lucky that I can share those stories.

“The mobster’s plan to organize the underworlds mercenaries, and gain the political power to change history definitely was at stake to Toni Cipriani and the legacy of his family tree. With super enhanced people getting into turf wars all around New York City with criminals and crime lords of all kinds, Toni knew he had to begin strategizing differently. A few vigilantes in particular were known to have some pretty spectacular and daring powers. Perhaps one day Toni Cipriani could exploit these power through specific means. The TV in Toni's small one bedroom apartment showed white and blue collared workers gathered by the masses on the New York streets were to start a strike outside the industrial research facility known as Green Tangerine Industries. The owner of the industries named Norman Osborn, had built up commotion which caused a protest at first among the citizens of Hell's Kitchen, yet now it has turned to the citizens of Yonkers, New York.”

Larry sat in his car puffing on a cigarette. Loretta hated it when he smoked in the car, but he continued to do it anyways. Glancing out the window he watched as the young kids played basketball in the school playground. And the young girls were sitting on the bench chatting among themselves. He wondered if they had any clue about real life yet. Did they even know what could happen to them. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Loretta. She was on the other side of the street at the dirty run down motel. He had followed her there and waited for her to come out again. He knew what he needed to do, and it had to be done today.

Millsoboro, Delaware is not without its bizarre cases. Levi D. Stilwell felt the metal bracelets of the law for driving under the influence. The tip came that he became tipsy through a call from a McDonald’s restaurant. Stilwell berated a patron at the fast food establishment. His “multiple signs of impairment,” the police said allowed them to determine that Stilwell could incur his seventh DUI. The idea of yelling at someone who might’ve been trying to get the buy-one-get-one for a dollar deal from Mickey D’s is horrendous. In these United States of America, you ought to be able to enter into a specific establishment and order anything that you want, regardless of what other customers might say to you.

Background Information:

The tiny First State has big problems. While Delaware Online reports that the number of shootings and victims and deaths has been down since the year 2017, it is still a major concern for law enforcement officials. One woman and three men received rounds just before the weekend in the State of Delaware. There are no suspects in any of the cases. This is why snitching is so crucial. Somebody knows something. There is no way that exactly zero individuals saw nothing. The power of snitching should lead these people to aid the police in doing a job that entails the most legitimacy. They’re not concerned with drugs. They’re not concerned with violating rights-respecting individuals. The police are trying to do their job that is completely in line with rights.

It's taken me awhile to open up about something that most people in society shun and this will be by far one of my most honest posts yet.

For many people across Arizona, it is becoming more apparent that injustices are running rampant within the state of Arizona. For many of us living here in Arizona, it has shaped our lives in one way or another. People from other states oftentimes are repulsed by the way the state of Arizona has a tendency to run things, especially when it comes to the criminal justice system here. As the state of Arizona has continued to grow, policies have begun to change and somewhere along the line the state took a seriously wrong turn.

With the spate of mass shootings in the United States over the past decade, the First State got a false alarm that seemed all too real to staff and students. The Delaware State University campus received a lock down notice after text messages proclaiming that a shooter or shooters would be on the premises. Multiple police agencies swept the campus in search of a gunman but found no weapons, reported no injuries or fatalities, or anything suspicious. What all this spells is that fear is still a token of lowlifes.

As Wilmington police investigate what looks like yet another shooting in the city sometimes called “Killmington, Hellaware,” it is easy to say that the firearm discharges are due to a spat, turf war, or drug deal gone wrong. The root of all of this madness is irrationalism. Unthinking factions roam the streets, filled with emotion and armed to the teeth. With just a minor exchange of words in a disagreement or maybe a misunderstanding, the guns are drawn. Only in a city as small as Wilmington, in a state as small as Delaware are these cases amplified due to the relatively low number of citizens who occupy the First State in the Union, and the “Place to be Somebody.”

Mystery swirls around the city of Smyrna, Delaware. The uncertainty concerns the remains of a young child discovered on Little Lass Fields, adjacent to Smyrna Middle School. The discovery has rattled the community that has a few answers, but still other questions abound. If the child came from another location and was left in the fields, or if he or she wandered to their final resting place are but a few details that the Smyrna Police department would like to make clear.

Road to Perdition came out back in 2002. I'm not sure why I didn't go watch it when it first came out. I think it may have had to do with all of the quality movies that were coming out around that time. Look back at the lineup, and you'll see a lot of classics in there.

There is no question that Henry Cavill is one of the games biggest actors today, and he shows little signs of slowing down. Ever since he first came on the scene with Showtime's The Tudors, it was pretty obvious this man was destined for bigger things. And that is precisely what has happened since the period drama.

In the second of two Instinct episodes, televised on CBS Sunday, August 11, 2019, we found Yale Psychology Professor and NYPD consultant Dr. Dylan Reinhart (Alan Cumming) and NYPD Det Lizzie Needham (Bojana Novakovic) working “to uncover why an Olympic-hopeful figure skater is killed while on the ice. Also, Det Ryan Stock’s (Travis Van Winkle) case heats up and lands him and Dylan in unusual circumstances and Julian Cousins (Naveen Andrews) comes to understand why an old acquaintance has returned to New York.”

The latest episode of Bruno Heller’s Batman prequel period drama Pennyworth picks up the story the following morning.

Gideon Raff is best known for Homeland, soon to begin its final season on Showtime. In its first few seasons—its best few seasons, by far—Homeland told the story of an American who was brainwashed in Iraq, to hate Americans and identify with terrorists, who returns to the US as a war hero and moves to within a heartbeat of the Presidency. It was all fiction, of course, but...

After a two week break, the latest episode of the Bruno Heller-created Epix original series Pennyworth landed Sunday, Sept 8th 2019. Picking up the narrative immediately after where the previous episode left off, Martha Kane (Emma Paetz) arrives home to find Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge) waiting for her. It came as a surprise to find him in her residence. Even more surprising, according to Thomas, Martha and his sister Patricia Wayne (Salóme Gunnarsdóttir) have been missing for three days.