fact or fiction
Is it fact or merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores the myths and beliefs we hold about copycat killers, eyewitnesses testimony, what makes a murderer and more.
How Does Prejudice Affect Justice?
Throughout history, prejudice has come in many different forms and styles. The most widespread misconception among our population was that the idea that black people were inferior to white people and women were inferior to men. Also, the pride of the black people—as many white people hated them, they feared and hated whites. We see that throughout history a white man's word over a black man's word must have been the truth, or at least accepted as the truth.
By Tyler Black8 years ago in Criminal
Facts About Serial Killers and Psychopaths
Even amongst the worst of criminals, serial killers have a particular mystique—their crimes are often the most shocking, and their psyches the hardest to understand. But there's a lot more to these criminals than a desire to kill—some of these facts about serial killers and psychopaths may surprise you.
By Nicola P. Young8 years ago in Criminal
Did the Titanic Ever Sink?
Almost everyone knows the story of the RMS Titanic, "the unsinkable ship" that sank on its maiden voyage in 1912. The boat is infamous for its mass death toll of 1,517 and its lack of life boats. What if I were to throw out the idea that maybe those 1,517 people lost their lives, not on the Titanic, but on a sister ship of the giant ocean liner?
By Sage Sandoval8 years ago in Criminal
Gunshot Wounds
Everyone knows guns are dangerous. The fact that guns haven't changed much over the last 100 years will attest to that. But there is a lot more going on than just a hole in your body when you get shot. A 9mm handgun is a typical self-defense weapon and is often used by police departments. Bullets from these guns travel at 900 mph and all of that energy is absorbed by the target hit. The shock wave of the bullet greatly expands the area hit and then as the bullet passes through, the area hit collapses on itself. This effect causes major damage to the body, even where the bullet doesn't come into contact. This video demonstrates the shattering properties of a bullet, and the fluid-filled containers clearly show what happens to fluid-filled organs, like the bladder or heart. Most bullets do not go straight through a body. They ricochet around the body causing damage until they stop. Even bullets that do exit the body will ricochet, putting the exit wound in a completely different area than the entrance wound. The entrance wound will usually be smaller than the exit wound because the bullet has to punch its way out. The exit wound may be star-shaped.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
10 of the Creepiest Murder Cases You've Never Heard Of
Jack the Ripper. Elizabeth Bathory. Charles Manson. These are all names of some of the most famous serial killers to ever live. Truth be told, the names of high profile murderers always raise a little chill down our collective spines. To a point, people like to talk about murders simply because they're like real, modern-day ghost stories.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart8 years ago in Criminal
What Really Happened at 215 Colony Drive? Part One
When you live in a place long enough, you tend to form a bond with it. You know the entire place inside and out like the back of your hand, and it knows you just as well, if not better. It quietly witnesses you eat your meals, dream your dreams, cry your tears, celebrate your achievements, and live out your life, unaware that everything you do is documented within the cracks and crevices of the structure, just as a human brain documents memory. It has seen the real you. The person that only comes out when you can take solace in the confines of your safe haven, raw and unedited, beyond the façade that is shown to the rest of the world. It knows your habits, the good and the bad. It keeps your secrets hidden from prying eyes without ever passing a judgment. If the walls of our homes could speak, they could tell the true stories of our lives.
By Stephanie Engel8 years ago in Criminal
Can We Actually 'Sense' Danger?
Have you ever met someone, in passing, and felt this overwhelming wave of discomfort? You look at them, they have normal haircut, a nice smile, maybe they smell nice and seem, for the most part, like an upstanding human being; however, you sense something in demeanor. You simply cannot shake the feeling that there is something unimaginably wrong with them. Almost like they are simply not operating on the same brain wave as you. You sit and overanalyze yourself over the prospect of being, perhaps, a little too judgmental. "Maybe I'm just being rude... they haven't done a damn thing to me." You force yourself to speak to the person who runs this chill up and down your spine, you push down the overwhelming feeling of nausea. This person speaks, perhaps making small talk, talking about their dog, asking if you have a dog, maybe offering some assistance in carrying something or standing just a bit too close. Now, almost without much of an offer, you've become friends with this person. You have no idea how, you just know, you are trying to be a nice person. People do say you often looked rude upon seeing you in a social setting.
By Nadia Rivera8 years ago in Criminal
Lessons I've Learned From True Crime Shows
You could say I got my love of true crime shows from my mother, an avid fan of cozy English murder mysteries. Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, and Hercule Poirot were names I recognized before I even started kindergarten. By the time I discovered Forensic Files in the fifth grade, it seemed no different than all of the stories and television shows that I loved for years. I was completely mesmerized by the chase and all of the methods that detectives used to solve crimes. Years later, when I saw that a forensic science class was being offered at my high school, I immediately registered for it.
By Jessica Pilla8 years ago in Criminal
