Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Criminal.
The System is Broken
Between May 5th and May 27th, the initial case worker (with direct connection to my ex-husband) left DSS and we were assigned a new case worker. Unfortunately for us, this meant basically starting over. All of the documentation that was already provided, all of the photos, all of the notes, everything, had to be provided again because the giant case folder that the previous caseworker had was nowhere to be found.
By Jamie Bastian2 years ago in Criminal
The Abuse/Torture Death of Andrew Gardner
Andrew Gardner, described by loved ones as a “quiet, vulnerable man” who was “well-liked” by everyone who knew him, loved his daughter so much that he stuck around while his girlfriend, Clare Nicholls, savagely beat and abused him until she finally killed him with help from her on-again, off-again lover, Steven Martin, and brother, Simon Nicholls.
By True Crime Writer2 years ago in Criminal
The brazen burglar
I was babysitting a seven-year-old boy in the Hollywood Hills one day. I was about to give the kid a bath when I looked out the kitchen window and noticed a man sitting in a blue Toyota parked in the driveway. The house has a shared driveway with another property. I wondered why this guy was parked in the driveway of the couples home of whom I were babysitting. A few minutes later this man got out of his vehicle and walked over to what looked like in electrical control box for the neighbors automatic gate. He begin using tools so I figured that he was a repairman because he looked to be an older Filipino gentleman and also because it was 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
By Alexis Nichele2 years ago in Criminal
All I Saw Was Red
My breathing was heavy. My heart was pounding loud enough for the neighbors to hear. My hair was slightly in front of my eyes blurring my vision, but at the same time. I never thought I could see more clearly. The hallway was dark. I was supposed to be asleep, but I had gotten hungry and fluttered to get a snack. What I saw. I wasn’t supposed to see. No ten year old girl is supposed to see something as gruesome as this. My white fuzzy long sleeved shirt started to feel itchy. The shirt was slightly off of my right shoulder. My black tights felt suffocating. My throat felt like it was closing up. I was frozen. In the middle of the cold dark hallway that was inside my cold big house. Lying about 20 feet in front of me was my father looking down at my older sister. Looking at her like she was nothing. A lowlife. A person who had no life. He was looking down at her with such blank and empty eyes. His dark brown eyes. His light skin didn’t match his dark brown eyes. The evil in them. This scene wasn’t scary because he was just over top of her. It was the blood even more. Letting me know that she was.... gone. Oh the blood there must have been gallons of blood leaking everywhere on the floor. Even a track was running down the hallway towards me. The blood reached across the walls. The nice white walls now would be stained with my sister's blood. My Light green eyes surveyed the area. Looking at my dad's comfortable posture and his eyes once again. My eyes reached down looking at his hand. A knife. Next to his foot was a light blue towel that had now been soaked in blood. As my father didn’t notice me the blood started stretching across the hallway more. Until it finally hit my white sock. I looked down with my shaky breathing. I took a step back. Then another step back. My door wasn’t far. If I could just be quiet I could reach my room and pretend I saw nothing. Mother was at work. Her being a doctor made her never be home. This Thursday night would never be forgotten. 2011, February 19th. The day my father went to jail for murdering my sister. They gave him the death penalty which didn’t affect me. My sister was 17 at the time. Pretty brown hair, green eyes, popular at school, and student council treasurer who also was the captain of the volleyball team. My mother came home early that night. Not because she wanted to, but because she left keys at the house she needed for some medicine cabinet at work. It was diagnosed that my dad had some type of personality change or something. I never cared for him. He was just mean to us. 2021 a new year. My mom moved us to a small island where I was allowed to walk around and hang out. I wouldn’t worry about murderers or creeps. There was a school that pretty much was the only school. It was still big. When I moved it happened to be the first day of school for that time zone. Luckily there was a good hospital on the island too. My mom continued being a good doctor there. It was a nice island. Our house was near the ocean. Good food. Pretty skies. I moved here a week after the incident. Now I’m the same age as she was… Seventeen years old. First day of summer.
By KarmaKreates2 years ago in Criminal
Girl in the picture
If you are reading this, then I am inclined to believe you know your true identity. My guess is that you could tell me something about yourself, such as your birthdate and other pertinent information. The question is, how do you know you are who you say you are? Could your entire life be a lie? You always hope everything you know about your life is true, but is it? For many years, there has been a photograph of a man and a child that I have seen many times. You've probably seen it before. It wasn't until last week that I learned the backstory.
By Marc Hoover2 years ago in Criminal