MetaFilter posts tagged with murder

12 Dead at Fort Hood

Snyder — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:41:37 -0800

Soldier Kills 12, wounds 31 at Fort Hood Two descriptions of the alleged killer. One from the New York Times describes the suspect as unwilling to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan, and some of his background, the second talks about some different aspects of his past.

The Mind of Kalebu

KokuRyu — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:28:15 -0800

Why are people like Isaiah Kalebu—people diagnosed with serious psychological problems and accused of violent crimes—allowed to remain free until trial? In the 16 months before he allegedly killed Teresa Butz, Isaiah Kalebu was accused of threatening to kill his mother, investigated for a suspicious fire that killed his aunt, and warned that he needed to stay on his meds. Sealed and unsealed court documents obtained by The Stranger paint a terrifying portrait of the psyche of the suspected murderer—and reveal major loopholes in the way mentally unstable criminal suspects move through the legal system. By the Stranger's talented senior staff writer Eli Sanders.

Long Form Journalism on Secret London, Murder Ballads, and other topics of interest

filthy light thief — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:17:36 -0800

What do Cliff Edwards (1928), Lloyd Price (circa 1959), The Rulers (1967), R.L. Burnside (late 1980s/ early 1990s), Grateful Dead (live in 1993), and Nick Cave (live in 1996) have in common? If nothing else, they all sang some variation of the crime of Lee Shelton, also known as Stack O'Lee, Stagolee, Stack-a-Lee , Stackerlee, Stagger Lee and other names, with as many variations in the details of that fateful night. Join MeFite Paul Slade with his journalistic narrations of murder ballads, tales of Secret London (previously), and other works of long-form journalism (which may or may not be ideal for the web, previously). [via mefi projects; more clips and bits inside] Of the three murder ballads currently covered on PlanetSlade, Stagger Lee is the most commonly covered, with some counts tallying tributes by more than 400 different artists. The version of Stagger Lee by Lloyd Price (then and now) is apparently the most common version to start from, with covers by Ike and Tina, Isley Brothers, Wilson Picket, Bob Lumen, Tommy Quickly (wiki), and Huey Lewis And The News, P.J. Proby (wiki), amongst others. Burnside's version, from the 2001 compilation of of tunes and interviews, recorded between 1986 and 1993, called Well...Well...Well (perhaps named for his filler phrase), was covered by Samuel L. Jackson in Black Snake Moan. More fun with Stack-o-Lee: how to play a version by Mississippi John Hurt. Yet another version was performed by The Rulers, entitled Wrong Emboyo, from 1967 on a Jamaican single on the Sir JJ label, UK single (Rio R 132) with Why Don't You Change on the b-side, 1967, produced by JJ Johnson. This song was covered by The Clash on their 1979 album London Calling, with the song re-titled as "Wrong 'em Boyo." Versions of this song have also been titled "Wrong Embryo." For further deconstruction of the song, check The Stagger Lee Files (moving from geocities, which was covered previously). Frankie and Johnny may be behind Stack-o-Lee/ Stagger Lee in the count of covers (wikipedia states "at least 265 versions") but the tale that started before Allen Britt was dead lives on, from the movie of the same name featuring Elvis and Donna Douglas to Lindsay Lohan as Lola Johnson from A Prairie Home Companion (the movie), as well as Johnny Cash (once or twice), Chet Atkins, Dr. John, and more, with 10 versions of the lyrics at Bluegrass Messengers. Going way back, here is Frank Crumit's version from 1927. Knoxville Girl is the story that goes beyond the shores of the United States, and before there were states to unite, though it has found a home in relatively modern country music. Hear "a confession sung in the first person" from Arthur Tanner and His Corn Shuckers, recorded in 1927; The Louvin Brothers in years past, and recently performed by Charlie Louvin and friends (along with further write-up on the ballad and the performers). Also: Wilburn Brothers, Jim and Jesse in 1976, and Nick Cave.

Iraq's New Surge: Gay Killings

Acromion — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:31:13 -0800

The lynching of gays in Iraq is on the rise, according to ambassador Christopher Hill's testimony before the house today."Hamizi, a computer science graduate, is at the cutting edge of a new wave of violence against gay men in Iraq. Made up of hardline extremists, Hamizi's group and others like it are believed to be responsible for the deaths of more than 130 gay Iraqi men since the beginning of the year alone." WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE, POSSIBLY NSFW

Remember that there is only one level.

Item — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:21:19 -0800

This is the only level in the game and you will die a lot.

An unreliable narrator tells his story

prefpara — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:13:44 -0800

A murderer attempts to explain, justify, and understand his crime (before the fact).

Why we need Law & Order, SVU, Criminal Intent and CSI: New York

crossoverman — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:40:19 -0800

Murder: New York City. A map pinpointing murders in the five boroughs of NYC from 2003-09. Broken down by time of day, weapon used, age, sex and ethnicity of both victim and perpetrator. Not surprisingly, in the heat of summer the body count rises. Investigating homicides - a Q&A series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Thomas Ley, Hanging Minister

Fiasco da Gama — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:32:41 -0800

In 1947, Thomas Ley, a virulently sectarian, pro-hanging Australian politician, died in Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, where he had been sent after being sentenced to death for murder. It was probably not his first.

Murdered by skinheads for being gay. When will the igorance and hate stop?

hooptycritter — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:05:58 -0800

A family tries to cope after their son is killed for being gay Remarkable family. Interesting, layered documentary but bad translation.

Why do we rape, kill, and sleep around?

hippybear — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:28:49 -0800

Back in the late Pleistocene epoch 100,000 years ago, the 2000 book contended, men who carried rape genes had a reproductive and evolutionary edge over men who did not: they sired children not only with willing mates, but also with unwilling ones, allowing them to leave more offspring (also carrying rape genes) who were similarly more likely to survive and reproduce, unto the nth generation. That would be us. And that is why we carry rape genes today. The family trees of prehistoric men lacking rape genes petered out. Newsweek's Sharon Begley examines evolutionary psychology and some of its most controversial theories (and how they are being rethought) in Don't Blame The Caveman.

Killing her parents, Erin told Charlie, was their best option.

desjardins — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:24:33 -0800

Why did a small-town girl have her family brutally murdered?

"Pro Life" does not mean what you think it does

mkultra — Sun, 31 May 2009 10:40:45 -0800

George Tiller, whose Wichita, KS clinic specializes in late-term abortions, was shot to death this morning on his way to church. Tiller was previously shot and wounded in 1995. (previously on MeFi)

Don't shoot a man when he's down?

shivohum — Sat, 30 May 2009 00:29:42 -0800

In a case reminiscent of Bernard Goetz, pharmacist Jerome Ersland was held up by two gun-wielding men, shot one of them in the head, and then, when the other had left, shot the prone man several more times, killing him (store security video). Now he's being charged with first-degree murder, and is the center of intense controversy about whether he engaged in legitimate self-defense by making absolutely sure his attacker was incapacitated or in an unjustifiable vigilante-style execution. Complicating matters is the fact that Jerome is white and the robbers black.

Varg is free!

geos — Mon, 25 May 2009 08:36:20 -0800

Varg is free! But, will all the glitter girls go for black metal? (note: this post does not endorse nazism, murder, church burning, or bad music)

Mambo #5

Smedleyman — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:02:59 -0800

Ok, stop me if you’ve heard this one: an ex-cop accused of killing his fourth wife gets engaged a fifth time and tries to get a job in a brothel on a reality t.v. show (video), but before he can, he's arrested today for killing his third wife. Of course, his fifth engagement was just a stunt. Or was it? Whatever. The world's greatest dad has plenty of ladies lining up to take his wife's place(s).

To Know Him is To Love Him

orville sash — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:26:58 -0800

Six Years after the murder of Lana Clarkson, Phil Spector has been found guilty. (previously) Known as much for his violent behavior as his incredible productions, Spector was notorious for previously pulling guns on both The Ramones and Leonard Cohen. The first time he was tried it ended in a mistrial when jurors couldn't come to a consensus on his guilt. He will be sentenced on May 29th

An American band

Joe Beese — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:18:07 -0800

They sold out Shea Stadium faster than The Beatles. They played benefit concerts for Bosnia. And they're about to embark upon their 40th anniversary tour. To prepare, here's everything you always wanted to know about Grand Funk Railroad. Absent from the tour will be guitarist/singer Mark Farner - who found Christ and continues a solo career as the Rock Patriot - and manager/producer Terry Knight - who was stabbed to death by his daughter's boyfriend in 2004. (previously)

An Early Hollywood Murder Mystery

amyms — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 01:58:45 -0800

The bumping off of a famous person is the sort of oyster that any detective delights to open, so you can just bet the family jewels that I was pretty much elated when my Chief, the late Thomas Lee Woolwine, District Attorney of Los Angeles County, called me into his private office on the morning of February 3rd, 1922, and assigned me to represent his office in the investigation of this greatest of all murder mysteries. -- Excerpted from an article archived at Taylorology, a site exploring the life and death of William Desmond Taylor, a silent movie actor and director whose unsolved murder was among the earliest Hollywood true crime scandals. Researcher Bruce Long first published his accumulated information about the case as a small fanzine which evolved into a monthly electronic newsletter and is now a vast archive of articles and interviews, official documents, photos, and more. Although the Taylor case is the main focus, there's also a wealth of supplemental information about the silent film industry and its stars. The Taylorology electronic newsletter is also archived at Silent-Movies.Com

Adkisson pleads guilty, has nothing to say.

Optimus Chyme — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:07:00 -0800

"This was a symbolic killing," Adkisson wrote. "Who I wanted to kill was every Democrat in the Senate and House, the 100 people in Bernard Goldberg's book. I'd like to kill everyone in the mainstream media. But I knew these people were inaccessible to me. Today, Jim D. Adkisson pled guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and six of attempted murder. Mr. Goldberg's forums return no results for "Adkisson" or "Tenneesee Valley Church."

My father's murder: Taking his life in my hands

marmaduke_yaverland — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 04:40:31 -0800

"Then I started stripping and cleaning. I told myself it would help sell the flat. How could anyone think of buying it? But I also imagined that if I cleaned long enough and hard enough, the dull patina of dried blood that seemed to cling to every surface would finally go. I hoped that if I emptied the flat of its objects, and pared back its contents to nothing, I would uncover the place that I grew up in, before Ivor was the old man, before he was a legend. I couldn’t find that place, and I didn’t think I would find it in the boxes and among the papers either." David Goldblatt traces his murdered father's life through unpaid bills and unopened letters.

Murder in Prague

CheeseDigestsAll — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:31:55 -0800

Astronomer Tycho Brahe was one of the more colorful characters of the scientific Renaissance. He lost his nose in a duel; flouted the rules of Danish nobility and married a commoner; built, on the island of Hven, Uraniborg, the best astronomical observatory of his day; kept a beer-drinking pet moose; and amassed the data that would ultimately allow Johannes Kepler to derive the three laws of planetary motion. His chief sponsor had been Danish king Frederick II, but Frederick's heir, Christian IV, quarreled with Tycho and kicked him out of Hven. Insulted, Brahe left Denmark for Prague and the sponsorship of Rudolph II. New evidence has emerged suggesting that the offended king may have had Tycho assassinated. For a long time, the circumstances of Brahe's death were considered merely unfortunate, if not laughable. It was thought that he'd held his urine for too long during an official dinner and burst his bladder. When chemical analysis showed a high concentration of mercury, it was suggested that he had poisoned himself during alchemical experiments. Others have speculated that Kepler was responsible. The latest evidence, however, is a diary from a cousin named Erik Brahe, known to have a sort of secret agent for the Danes. Because of this new evidence, Brahe's body is scheduled to be exhumed for additional tests.

Brought Men to Their Knees

netbros — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:04:21 -0800

"Well behaved women rarely make history," said Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Scandalous Women brings you the lives, loves, and sexual adventures of some of the most fascinating women who rocked the world. Like Olimpia Maidalchini who managed to achieve something that no woman ever has, for the 11 years of her brother-in-law Innocent X's reign as pope, Olimpia was the real power at the Vatican; or Elizabeth Armistead, wife of a cabinet minister, courtesan to many. Read the bios and follow the tales of nearly a hundred women of scandalous pursuit from Mata Hari to Typhoid Mary.

And Then They Came For Him

jaduncan — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:10:06 -0800

Lasantha Wickrematunge's last editorial [via bb] as part of the Sri Lankan Sunday Leader. Lasantha was shot on the way to work, but seems to have had a piece ready for just this situation. In a country where the state boasts about bombing radio stations, two journalists were executed in 2008 and five in 2007 the fact that this killing took place in broad daylight after state media called the paper unpatriotic has led to accusations of governmental involvement.

Don't murder me bro.

Mr_Zero — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:23:37 -0800

Early on New Year's Day, Oscar Grant was involved in a scuffle with an older man he hadn't previously met. The fighting continued and when the train reached Fruitvale, BART police stopped the fight and took Grant and several others into custody. The officers were armed with stun guns as well as sidearms. Three BART officers then proceed to place Grant face down to handcuff him, then one of them stands up, draws his weapon and shoots him in the back. Graphic video of the incident.

no '.'s required for this obit

wendell — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:30:48 -0800

Ellie Nesler, "Vigilante Mom", dead at 56. From her arrest in April 1993 to her conviction on manslaughter charges six months later, Nesler's image morphed from avenger and victim to talk-show trophy and movie-of-the-week heroine, and finally to meth-head and motorcycle mama. The movie-of-the-week earned bad reviews. Her long, strange story is over, but the son she declared she was protecting grew up to commit murder himself. In prison for 25-to-life, he has a myspace page.