Kansas City Police Believe Murders Of Tamara Sparks and Nicoleone Reed Are Linked
February 11, 2013 at 1:44 pm by Morbid
KANSAS CITY, MO - Police in Missouri believe that the murders of two area prostitutes are linked to the same suspect and that it’s likely there are living victims out there.
During a Friday news conference, a detective with the Kansas City Police Department said that the deaths of of 40-year-old Tamara Sparks and 24-year-old Nicoleone Reed are related.
Sparks’ body was discovered by two cyclists in Oct 2011 near Northeast 120th Street and North Eastern Road in Kansas City. Reed was last seen about Aug. 18 2012 near her home in the area of Independence Avenue and Denver Avenue in Kansas City. Her body was found Aug. 21 in a remote area of southeastern Kearney.
Connecting these two crime scenes is 92 Highway, a fact that police feel is a key to the investigation, as is investigators’ belief that the women’s bodies were meant to be found. They are asking that that the women’s line of work not be the focus point of the investigation.
“These two women were mothers, they’re daughters. They’re family members to someone,” Sgt.…
Continue ReadingIsrael Keyes, Accused Killer Of Samantha Koenig, Found Dead In His Cell
December 3, 2012 at 8:23 am by Morbid
Anchorage, Alaska – Israel Keyes, the man who confessed to abducting and murdering 18-year-old Samantha Koenig, was found dead in his cell Sunday morning from an apparent suicide.
Karen Loeffler, the U.S. Attorney for Alaska, held a news conference Sunday afternoon informing the press that Keyes had been found dead in his cell at the Anchorage Jail that morning. They dd not reveal how he killed himself, only that foul play was not suspected and that he was alone in his cell at the time of his death.
Koenig disappeared while working as a barista at a coffee stand in Anchorage. Even with surveillance video capturing Koenig being abducted by an armed man wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and baseball cap, it took months before police in Texas would announce they had arrested 34-year-old Israel “Izzy” Keyes after he used Koenig’s stolen debit card.
Shortly after the self-employed contractor’s arrest, he would confess to murdering Koening and told investigators where her body could be found. Dive teams would find Koenig’s body trapped under the ice of Matanuska Lake.…
Continue ReadingPolice Search For “Backpage Killer” After Four Women Found Dead
December 28, 2011 at 9:46 am by Morbid
DETROIT, MI — Police have found the dead bodies of four women this month, and police say three of them had advertised escort services on Backpage.com, a Craigslist-type site that includes ads for escort, massage and stripper services.
On December 19, the bodies of 23-year-old Renisha Landers (pictured), and her cousin, 24-year-old Demesha Hunt, were found in the trunk of Lander’s new Chrysler 300 parked in the driveway of a vacant home. Their bodies showed no outward sings of trauma and investigators are awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death.
Then, on Christmas Day, two black females between the ages of 28 and 29 were found in the trunk of a car that had been set on fire. They were both burned beyond recognition. Police would later identify them and reveal both had advertised escort services on Backpage.com, as did either Landers or Hunt.
Investigators are now seeking warrants to search IP addresses and cell phone numbers in connection with the deaths. Backpage.com, which has come under fire for how it polices ads for adult services, released a statement saying they are helping police with their investigation and providing them with whatever info they need from them.…
Continue Reading
GILGO BEACH, NY — It’s been a year since we first reported on four bodies being found in the bushes along a quarter-mile strip of beachfront property in Long Island. Since then that number rose to a total of 10 bodies.
The first four bodies have been identified and all advertised prostitution services on Craigslist and police feel all of the deceased had some connections to the sex trade. Initially, police felt that the bodies were not the work of one person, but rather multiple people using the desolate stretch of beach as some kind of dumping ground. But now they say they’re dealing with one serial killer who has been littering the beach with dead women as far back as 1996.
“Looking at the common denominators involved with the dumping ground, the type of victims, the dismemberments, all on Long Island. Our theory is that it’s probably one serial killer,” Richard Dormer said. This contradicts his earlier statements of there being multiple killers derived from the fact that the person responsible took the Henry route and did not “necessarily do the same thing all the time.”
The hunt for a serial killer started after 23-year-old Shannan Gilbert went missing in May.…
Continue Reading
With every horrendous story we post at D’D, the usual exclamations of disgust permeate the attached comments section, as well as several descriptive ways revenge should be doled out upon the accused. Such fantasies have been explored in movies forever, with most told in a DEATH WISH fashion: the audience rooting for the hero as he or she puts one bullet after another into a never-ending stream of deserving baddies. But there have been a few revenge films over the last few years that touch on the actual morality of revenge, pondering the notion that maybe revenge isn’t a dish best prepared at any temperature, and even if it’s deemed justified, what price is paid by the person who serves it?
I SAW THE DEVIL is the latest film by Jee-woon Kim, a Korean director renowned for tackling standard genres and delivering films that don’t necessarily adhere to the rules of that genre, which he’s done with varying degrees of success. In 2005, he took on Asian horror even though audiences were burning out on creepy, pale-faced Asian girls with straight black hair.…
Continue Reading
Before directing the 2008 horror film QUARINTINE, the decent, shot-for-shot remake of the Spanish film REC (our review), the Dowdle brothers directed another “found footage” movie titled THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES. The film had an interesting premise regarding police finding boxes of VHS tapes left behind by a serial killer. These tapes contained hundreds of hours of footage recorded by a killer who’d been operating undetected for years, filming the abductions, torture and disposal of his victims.
I saw the trailer to this film when I watched THE MIST in the theaters, and even remember the movie poster hanging up in the lobby. It definitely got my hopes up for another film done in the spirit of cinéma vérité, but then, nothing. No more trailers, the movie posters disappeared and the film seemed to have been shelved.
While I am not sure what happened, there is a story about the 2007 Butt-Numb-A-Thon film festival put on by AICN.com. THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES was shown there with the Dowdle brothers in attendance and scheduled to take part in a Q&A after the movie.…
Continue ReadingBrother Of Notorious Serial Killer Fred West Setting Record Straight With New Book
February 23, 2011 at 10:48 am by Morleysaurus
Brother of notorious English serial killer Fred West is planning to release a book on his infamous brother and lovely wife Rose and their House of Horrors. Fed up with people always getting it wrong, he wants to set the record straight on what really went on behind the doors of 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, England.
Doug West, 64, claims “Nobody knew Fred and Rose like I did. Nobody spent as much time with them over the years outside of their family.”
“Hardly any of the stuff you read about them in other books is right, which really annoys me. They are full of inaccuracies and get so much wrong. A book of my own would be a good opportunity to put the record straight.”
This charming couple tortured, raped, and killed at least 12 women and young girls over a 20-year period between 1967 and 1987, including their daughter Heather whose remains were found under their patio. Rose is also responsible for killing Fred’s stepdaughter Charmaine whilst he was incarcerated for theft.…
Continue ReadingPhiladelphia Authorities Announce They Are Looking For A Serial Killer
December 22, 2010 at 8:41 am by Morbid
PHILADELPHIA – It’s not a big surprise and I think most had already figured the Kensington murders were the work of a serial killer, but authorities in Philadelphia confirmed this last night in a news conference. “We now know that this predator is responsible for three murders in this area,” task force Capt. James Clark said. DNA testing has confirmed that Casey Mahoney, 27; Elaine Goldberg, 21; and Nicole Piacentini, 35, were all murdered by the same person. Police have not linked these strangulation deaths with the reported assaults on prostitutes in the same area because too much time had passed between the time of the alleged attacks and the victims reporting the attacks. “The assault victims did not come forward until police began combing the Kensington (neighborhood) for suspects and potential victims following the November homicides,” police spokesman Ray Evers said. The assault victims described the attacker as an African-American male in his early 20s, weighing between 160 and 170 pounds. All of the victims have been white females involved in prostitution and drugs.…
Continue Reading
PHILADELPHIA, PA - As some of you are already aware, a serial rapist is lurking Kensington Avenue, and has been connected to the murders of two women and the attacks on six others. The press has even given him a name: The Kensington Strangler. Today it’s being reported that agents from an FBI behavioral analysis unit in Quantico, Va., will assist Philadelphia detectives in their investigation, starting with creating a profile of the attacker in the cases that are believed linked, said FBI spokesman J.J. Klaver. Some victims were able to give police details on what their attacker looked like, described as a slender, light-skinned black or Latino man in his 20s who stands between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-10. An early sketch released by police last month showed a man with a mark on his cheek and a goatee. A modified sketch was released by police yesterday that included no goatee and the addition of sideburns. Anyone with information is being asked to call the Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3251, or to dial 911. I’ve included a timeline (based off this one) of the attacks investigators feel are the possible work of the Kensington Strangler.…
Continue Reading
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.…
Continue Reading
This week on Dexter, America’s favorite serial killer (Michael C. Hall) is scrambling to clean up the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow) fallout after the Thanksgiving dinner blunder. Dexter also discovers a chilling fourth step in Trinity’s 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.…
Continue Reading
The cast enjoys Thanksgiving this week on Dexter (as best they can). Dexter (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’s 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!!…
Continue Reading
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 October. 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 Sunday 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.…
Continue Reading
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 Dexter 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.…
Continue Reading
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.…
Continue Reading
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.…
Continue Reading
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 London 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, Elizabeth (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.…
Continue Reading
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 Florence. 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 Monster 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.…
Continue Reading
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.…
Continue Reading
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 Sunday 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. …
Continue Reading
