Los Angeles, CA - After being convicted of killing 12-year-old Robin Samsoe in 1979, Rodney James Alcala was twice sentenced to death. Both convictions were eventually overturned. The first conviction in 1980 was overturned because the court ruled that his past crimes — a 1972 conviction of raping and beating an 8-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl, plus the molesting of another child — were improperly allowed. Then in 2001, the second conviction was overturned on grounds that Alcala’s lawyers should have been allowed to introduce a psychologist’s testimony casting doubt on a witness’ claim of amnesia and that his attorney did not present alibi witnesses. Now Alcala is back for a third shot at the needle. This time authorities have added four other murders to his repertoire. Alcala’s DNA has been identified in the murders of Jill Barcomb, 18; Georgia Wixted, 27; Charlotte Lamb, 32; and Jill Parenteau, 21. These women were murdered, sexually assaulted, beaten and strangled between 1977 and 1979. [Read more...]

This week on Dexter, America’sAmerica reviews favorite serial killer (Michael C. Hall) is scrambling to clean up the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow) fallout after the Thanksgiving dinner blunder. DexterDexter reviews also discovers a chilling fourth step in Trinity’sTrinity reviews devious killing cycle and rushes to shut Trinity down for good before an innocent child’s life is lost. Meanwhile, Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) begins to explore her suspicions surrounding reporter Christine Hill (Courtney Ford) and her involvement in the shooting that left her with a bullet wound and a lost lover. Vince Masuka (C.S. Lee) is torn up about accidentally seeing Dexter’s wife Rita (Julie Benz) kissed by the next door neighbor. He also makes a huge break in the Trinity case when it is discovered that the reporter’s DNA shows a blood relationship with the anonymous Trinity DNA. And finally, we begin to understand the nature of the relationship between Trinity and the reporter, Christine Hill. [Read more...]

The cast enjoys Thanksgiving this week on Dexter (as best they can). DexterDexter reviews (Michael C. Hall) pulls double duty on Turkey Day, eating dinner at both his home and with the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow). However, the facade of Trinity’sTrinity reviews perfect family crumbles before Dexter’s eyes, ending with an epidsode of domestic violence and a blunder by Dex himself. Meanwhile, Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) continues to make headway on the Trinity investigation, even during Thanksgiving dinner. Rita shares an awkward kiss with the creepy next-door neighbor, accidentally witnessed by Vince Masuka (C.S. Lee). Laguerta (Maria Velez) and Batista (David Zayas) risk their careers for their relationship. And finally, we learn Quinn’s (Desmond Harrington) reporter girlfriend (Christine Hill, played by Courtney Ford), has a big secret. As usual – BEWARE OF SPOILERS!! [Read more...]

Cleveland, Ohio – On Thursday, police went to the home of convicted rapist Anthony Sowell, 50, to execute an arrest and search warrant stemming from a rape and felonious assault against a woman in early OctoberOctober reviews. Police did not find Sowell at home when they got there, but they did find something else interesting; the bodies of two women decomposing on the third floor of the home. On Friday, police returned and recovered four more bodies. One was found in a grave under the basement stairs, two in the crawlspace and another in a grave outside of the home. Anthony Sowell was arrested walking down the street near the home on SundaySunday reviews after police received a tip that he was in the area. Sowell was convicted for a 1989 rape for which he was imprisoned from 1990 to 2005. Eighteen-year-old Melissa Taub saw Sowell on the street every day. “He was nice, but he gave me the creeps,” Taub said. She said Sowell once tried to lure her into his house, but she didn’t go. “He scared me, and I didn’t trust him. Some angel must have been watching over me because If I’d have gone into that house, one of those bodies could have been me, one of those graves could have been mine.” [Read more...]

Other than perhaps a bit too much of John Lithgow’s bare ass in some of the earlier episodes, what is not to love about DexterDexter reviews this season? I thought it would be impossible to ever dethrone the second season as my personal favorite. But so far, season four is electrifying. Best of all, this season seems to be really digging at the audience, trying to make each viewer decide, “what is my code.” We all know the central question the show poses – is Dexter (and his actions) right or wrong? But even if you decide Dex is wrong, this wonderful little show is infamous for getting you to cheer on the self-proclaimed “monster.” And when you begin to cheer on the monster, you are forced to perceive some of the people close to him as a threat to his survival. [Read more...]

Andrea Barto (George Hilton) has had a run of bad luck lately. One of his female tenants in an apartment building he owns was brutally stabbed to death in the elevator. This event has left some units vacant and hard to fill so to counter-attack the ill effects a murder can have on a dwelling, Andrea decides to do some vanguard advertising. He finds a model willing to live in the building rent free. The plan being that when people find out a gorgeous model resides in the building, people will scramble to get in one of the remaining units. Unfortunately for Andrea, the model he picked is murdered shortly after moving into her new apartment, drowned in her bathtub. Undeterred by now having two murders tainting his building along with a possible serial killer, he offers a room to model Jennifer (the gorgeous Edwige Fenech) and her ditzy best friend Marilyn. However, on the first night in their new pad, Jennifer is accosted by a masked, gloved intruder who tries to strangle her but is scared off before completing the deed. Commissioner Enci and Inspector  have set their sites on Andrea as the culprit because of his past relationship with one of the victims and the simple fact that he has easy access throughout the building. But is he the person responsible? Can the killer be stopped before they strike again? Will the Inspector ever get to finish his sandwich? Will Marilyn ever grow a brain? You find all of this out, and much more, in The Case of the Bloody Iris. [Read more...]

-On June 9th, 1970, two boys and one girl were delivered simultaneously at Meadowvale General Hospital. All three born to different families and during a total solar eclipse. 10 years later we see that these three kids have grown up in the same neighborhood and even attend the same school. They each also happen to be obnoxious sociopaths. The kids plan out and execute the murders of anyone, kids or adults, who they feel slight them or may be an obstacle in the way of their goals. While the community lives in fear thinking a serial killer is responsible for the recent cold-blooded murders, the three children continue their reign of terror undetected. Well, almost. Timmy Russel, a classmate and neighbor, along with his older sister, Joyce, have started to catch on. Unfortunately they do not catch on quick enough and are not aware of just how ruthless this trio can get. But they are about to find out. [Read more...]

Within the first minutes of Who Saw Her Die?, A young girl is murdered at the hands of an unidentifiable woman dressed in black with a veil covering her face. Flash forward four years and we see the young Roberta (Nicoletta Elmi of Baron Blood and Deep Red fame) arriving from LondonLondon reviews to visit her father, Franco (George Lazenby), a local sculptor. Eventually, she too is stalked by a veiled woman dressed in black and subsequently murdered, her body found floating in the canal. After learning their daughter may be the victim of an active serial killer, Franco and his estranged wife, ElizabethElizabeth reviews (Anita Strindberg), begin their own investigation. What they uncover is a conspiracy involving the upper echelon of Venice, and a killer who has a taste for young red-heads who has begun removing anyone making attempts at revealing their identity. [Read more...]

Continuing to highlight some novels based on true crimes, I am reposting a review of Douglas Preston and Mario Spez’s novel, The Monster of FlorenceThe Monster of Florence reviews. The novel details what happens when Preston and Spezi try to identify the serial killer known as The Monster of Florence. They think the have found their man, when Preston is asked to leave the country and Spezi is thrown in Italy’s Capanne prison, accused of being the MonsterMonster reviews of Florence himself. I thought this would be a good second choice for this new column, especially since United Artists will produce a film version of the novel that Tom Cruise will produce and possibly star in.

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About a year ago DreaminDemon.com, began using the name of the alleged criminal in the title of every blog post.  Since then it has become standard practice at many other true-crime blogs, a mimicry that provides no shortage of flattery.  Unfortunately for James Renner, no names of the assuredly guilty can grace the titles of his chapters.  In The Serial Killer’s Apprentice he usually has to settle for the somber and sad inclusion of  only the names of victims. [Read more...]

Ormond Beach, FL - Osteopath Dr. Jerrold Ecklind, 37, likes to pretend to be a cop. But is he a serial killer? That’s what police are investigating, as some really weird events unfold around the genial geriatric specialist. Ecklind, 37, was pulled over last SundaySunday reviews night. In his Mustang, he had a known prostitute named Gina Oslizlo, a pair of handcuffs, and three guns.  Oh, and he’d told Oslizlo that he was a police officer. [Read more...]

Roger Reece Kibbe, the I-5 Strangler

Victims, left to right: Lou Ellen Burleigh, Lora Heedick, Stephanie Brown, Charmaine Sabrah, Darcie Frankenpohl

Stockton, CA – Sometimes Lady Justice takes her time, but when she finally arrives, it’s always an entrance worth writing about. On Friday, a grand jury indicted Roger Reece Kibbe, 68, for the murders of Lou Ellen Burleigh, Lora Heedick, Barbara Ann Scott, Stephanie Brown, Charmaine Sabrah, and Katherine Kelly Quinones. Burleigh was killed in 1977, the other women were all dumped near InterstateInterstate reviews 5 in California in 1986. Kibbe was already serving a prison term for the 1987 murder of Darcie Frankenpohl, a 17-year-old runaway from Seattle. [Read more...]

Tired of posting articles on baby rapers, I felt that we should at least have an entry on the Black Horse Pike Marsh murders in Atlantic City. Four prostitutes were killed last year, all found in a drainage ditch behind a stretch of cut-rate hotels on the Black Horse Pike just outside the city. Three were blond and one had dark hair that was dyed – and all of them were laid face down with their heads pointed east, their feet were bare. The discovery of the bodies started when two women walking along the access road that is in between Black Horse Pike and the drainage system found the body of Kim Raffo. After authorities were notified, the then found three other bodies. [Read more...]