true crime

New Leads in an Infamous Corpus Christi Cold Case

An open-source review unearths fresh details about a Texas oilman’s murder.

Kelly Siegler: Trading Favors

by Jordan Smith and Liliana Segura

Kelly Siegler: The Cold Case Killer

by Liliana Segura and Jordan Smith

True Crime’s Ethical Dilemma

by Sara Hutchinson

Description of events & information that accompany the Red Bedroom diorama: Reported to Nutshell Laboratories, Thursday, June 29, 1944. Marie Jones, a prostitute, was discovered dead by her landlady, Mrs. Shirley Flanagan. Mrs. Shirley Flanagan was questioned and gave the following statement: On the morning of Thursday, June 29, 1944, she passed the open door of Marie’s room and called out “hello”. When she did not receive a response, she looked in and found the conditions as shown in the model. Jim Green, a boyfriend and client of Marie’s, had come in with Marie the afternoon before. Mrs. Flanagan didn’t know when he had left. As soon as she found Marie’s body she telephoned the police who later found Mr. Green and brought him in for questioning. Mr. Green gave the following statement to police: He met Marie on the sidewalk the afternoon of June 28, and walked with her to a nearby package store where he bought two bottles of whiskey. They then went to her room where they sat smoking and drinking for some time. Marie, sitting in the big chair, got very drunk. Suddenly, without any warning, she grabbed his open jackknife which he had used to cut the string around the package containing the bottles. She ran into the closet and shut the door. When he opened the door he found her lying as represented by the model. He left the house immediately after that.

What Does Our Fascination with True Crime Say About Us?

Rachel Monroe’s Savage Appetites asks why true-crime stories are so popular, even while they risk exploitation.

by Taylor Prewitt

‘Midnight Assassin,’ A Century-Old Mystery with Modern Lessons on Race, Police, Power

The black community affected by Texas’ first serial killer is filtered through a white lens in 'The Midnight Assassin.'

by Andrea Grimes

The Observer Review: James Presley’s The Phantom Killer

by Michael Schaub

Attorney/Author David Berg on Houston, Brotherhood and Woody Harrelson

by Nick Swartsell