fact or fiction

Is it fact or merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores the myths and beliefs we hold about copycat killers, eyewitnesses testimony, what makes a murderer and more.

He Told No One He Was Flying to Thailand. Then His Phone Appeared in Myanmar.
On September 24, Shanghai. After the last class, Wang Qi folded the music stand, put the trumpet back into its black case, and snapped the case shut. He turned off the light in the practice room. At the end of the hallway, the security guard lifted his chin. Wang Qi nodded. In the underground garage, he parked in his usual spot. There was no suitcase in the trunk. He sat in the driver’s seat and set the navigation to Pudong International Airport. Spring Airlines flight 9C8755, to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi. He did not tell his mother. He did not tell his colleagues. He did not tell his friends.
By Jina day ago in Criminal
A broken test tube in Siberia killed one person. Then came the silence.
On September 25, 2025, at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Russia, 28-year-old laboratory assistant Darya Shipilova broke a test tube during an operation. The tube contained live plague bacteria. She inhaled aerosols.
By Jina day ago in Criminal
A Pregnant Woman Brake-Checked Him. He Kicked Her Scooter. Then the Police Got the Video.
On September 29, in Hengyang, Hunan, a dashcam video spread across Chinese social media just before National Day. A woman four months pregnant rode a two-wheeled motorcycle slowly in the middle lane. The car behind flashed its lights. She did not move over. After the car overtook her, she caught up at the next intersection, cut in front of it, slowed it down, and stopped at a green light to block it. The driver got out, walked quickly, and kicked the motorcycle. It flipped. She fell in the middle of the road.
By Jin3 days ago in Criminal
A Teacher Slapped Him. He Lost His Hearing. Police Said It Wasn’t Their Case.
At around 4 p.m. on September 6, 2023, on a primary school playground in Guangdong, a sixth grader named Xiaoyang fidgeted while lining up for PE. Teacher Yu walked over and slapped him on the left cheek.
By Jin3 days ago in Criminal
She Lost Her Daughter. Then She Spent 10 Years Fighting the Internet.
On September 30, 2026, Jiang Qiulian posted a long message on social media. Its title was six words: “Jinchang, We Shall Not Meet Again in This Life.”
By Jin3 days ago in Criminal
I Signed Up to Be a Summer Delivery Rider. Then I Saw the Contract.
Xiao Gao sent the “300 yuan daily pay” screenshot to his roommate. The roommate replied with one word: “Go.” It was July 21. Hangzhou was so hot the asphalt had gone soft. Xiao Gao had not gone home for summer break. He wanted to earn living expenses. On the recruitment app, the recruiter’s profile picture was a blue electric scooter. The name was “Delivery Service Center.” The reply came fast: no experience needed, vehicle provided, pay later, just 20 orders a day.
By Jin4 days ago in Criminal
The Third Page of the Register
Wang Qiang turned the register to page three. The ballpoint pen scratched the visitor column and left no ink. He shook it. The tip scraped a white line into the paper. On the windowsill, the pothos had two yellow leaves. The walkie-talkie crackled. He turned it down.
By Jin4 days ago in Criminal
I Was a Dodo in Europe
The sunset in Venice dyed the whole canal rust-red. Chen Mo stood on the steps of the Rialto Bridge and watched his wife crouch down to tie her shoe. Her backpack zipper was open, a clam with its mouth gaping. He had reminded her many times. She always said, “Just a moment.” In that moment, a woman in a striped shirt bumped into her, said “Sorry,” and walked away. By the time they reached the top of the bridge, the wallet was gone. Credit cards, residence permit, two hundred euros in cash, and a birthday card their daughter had drawn, folded in four, tucked into an inner pocket.
By Jin4 days ago in Criminal
She Was Executed Twice. Then She Started Snoring.
On the evening of September 30, 2026, at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee, 50-year-old Christa Pike was strapped to the execution gurney. She had been sentenced to death for the 1995 torture and murder of her classmate Colleen Slemmer, a crime committed when Pike was 18. She had spent nearly three decades on death row. If everything had gone according to plan, she would have become the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.
By Jin4 days ago in Criminal
Christa Pike Latest: What Happened at Her Execution and What Happens Next
Tennessee officials attempted to execute Christa Gail Pike on Wednesday 30 September 2026, but the execution failed. As of 1 October 2026, she is alive and receiving care at an off site medical facility following two doses of pentobarbital, according to court filings submitted by her attorneys. A death penalty expert described the event as an unprecedented failure. Readers should check for ongoing developments as the situation unfolds.
By Dadson Wanjohi 5 days ago in Criminal
87 Seconds at 34,000 Feet: The Fight to Save flydubai Flight FZ1073
The flight On September 30, 2026, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 left Dubai International Airport at 7:05 a.m. local time. Registration A6-FKD. Flight FZ1073. Destination: Tel Aviv. There were 174 people on board, including 27 children. Most passengers were Israeli.
By Jin5 days ago in Criminal
She Drew for 13 Years. A Scam Took 40,000 Yuan. Then She Fell From the 32nd Floor.
On November 12, 2025, her journal read: 5:30–7:00: Wake up, stay in bed, scroll on phone 7:00–7:30: Make breakfast 7:30–8:00: Eat 8:00–8:30: Walk after meal 8:30–11:00: Work 11:00–11:30: Make lunch 11:30–12:00: Eat 12:00–12:30: Walk after meal 12:30–14:30: Nap 14:30–17:00: Work 17:00–19:00: Walk 19:00–20:00: Soak feet, tidy up 20:00–21:30: Lie in bed, scroll on phone 21:30–5:30: Sleep
By Jin5 days ago in Criminal