This week at Crime Story we presented new developments in a high profile murder trial. We offered a report on the LA DA’s first 100 days in office and we continued our presentation of Katherine Mader’s serializiation of her memoir.
Welcome to our summary of the week’s events at CrimeStory.com and The Crime Story Podcast.
On Thursday we presented my story Robert Durst Wants To Be Heard about the hearing in the murder trial of Durst in which he broke his year long silence and sought to personally raise legal issues with Judge Windham at the end of the hearing.
We also presented the full audio, video and transcript of those proceedings.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we continued our Crime Story series excerpting Inside the Robe: A Judge’s Candid Tale of Criminal Justice in America, by Judge Katherine Mader (Ret.) which best selling author Michael Connelly called: “a perfect book: engrossing and telling at the same time.”
In Part 29 of Inside the Robe, Judge Mader examines the work of a fellow judge who presides over cases in which prisoners sentenced to life in prison under the “Three Strikes sentencing law” have their sentences re-evaluated. Judge Mader also explores who decides how cases are distributed among judges.
In Part 30, the Judge offers anecdotes that touch on issues such as rehabilitation programs, jury dysfunction and the dilemma of whether to give a defendant the benefit of the doubt.
Also on Thursday, we presented a City News Service report on Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón’s address marking his first 100 days in office which touted his fulfillment of campaign promises and defended his policies against the critics who now seek his recall.
Below we present Hannah Teich’s condensed curation of the week’s more interesting stories from Crime Story Daily. (Read Hannah’s full essay including links to the mentioned articles.)
On the criminal justice policy front: In the midst of a “volatile period in crime,” with homicide rates up across the country, a piece from the New York Times focuses on crime reporting. Pieces from Time and Truthout also center on recent increases in crime – specifically, in racially-motivated violence against Asian Americans. And a piece from NBC News highlights the tensions between increasing violence and overreliance on the police.
In muckraker/watchdog reporting: Pieces from the New York Times and Elle Magazine highlight the devastating impacts of the pandemic behind bars. A piece from Vice News centers on “compassionate releases” during COVID-19; and, in a piece from Big If True, public defenders describe struggling to overcome pandemic-related case backlogs and delays: “Right now, it’s like we’re emptying this ocean with a teaspoon.”
In complex crime storytelling: A piece from the Ringer explores the wild life of Nico Walker: war hero turned serial bank robber turned “one of the literary scene’s brightest new stars.” A piece from the Intercept also focuses on Nico Walker and, more generally, Hollywood’s obsession with a certain kind of crime. And a piece from the Atlantic centers on the murder of Sarah Everard, a case that has attracted international attention in recent weeks – to the exclusion of many others.
In culture/true crime: New York Magazine profiles Jim and Tim Clemente, the duo behind Fox’s America’s Most Wanted reboot. A piece from the Marshall Project spotlights “the ingenuity of artists behind bars.” And the New York Times highlights “Wild: Act 1,” a new dance film by the choreographer Jeremy McQueen.
Again, you can read Hannah’s full weekly essay and find links to each of the mentioned articles.
And finally, here is your opportunity to catch up on previous Crime Story Newsletters.
Thanks again for reading and listening.
Kary Antholis
Publisher/Editor, Crime Story
