Crime Fiction By Alex Finch (Graphic Content Warning) Most only know me as The Raiin Killer. Nobody knows who I am beneath the mask. Or that I’m almost always smiling. Well, I guess this journal is a tribute to my dead psychiatrist. She was a fighter until the end, I had to admire that. She always told me to keep two journals, one for good moments, one for bad. This is one of the few good moments. So, I’ll jot down everything I can recall. Good memories wash away like sand in the tides, you know. Let’s start with earlier last night. Let’s see, it was a school holiday, my target was in town, vi ..read more

Crime Fiction By Megan Thompson “The dead still get goosebumps”, I state with a sly smile to the group that has gathered in the office kitchen. They give me a chuckle, and I wink back. They are used to these odd statements from me, it’s one of my signatures moves. What they perceive as “quirky”, I see it as a “there were hints” moment. There’s an adrenaline rush when I drop these lines, they of course, don’t understand. They also don’t know that I’m eating Heather from the HR on a toasted brioche bun with a smear of aioli, fresh romaine lettuce, feta crumbles, and a juicy garden tomato. When t ..read more

True Crime by T. Anderson Why were we spared by the Dating Game Killer? With much fanfare and hype, the ads on TV promoted a new docudrama about The Dating Game Killer, Rodney Alcala, a serial killer preying on young girls in the 1970s. The promos continually interrupted my regular tv shows. Although irritating, it piqued my interest. Why is the thought of a (relatively) good looking serial rapist and killer, like a Ted Bundy and now Alcala, intriguing? True crime and the psycho-analysis of the person behind it has always been interesting to me. Even a grotesque John Wayne Gacy or Hannible-lik ..read more

True Crime By Chris Bunton I recently traveled to Cincinnati on vacation, and while there I did some research on the Serial Killer known as The Cincinnati Strangler. Normally, when I travel and research these killers, I go to the neighborhoods where the killer lived or where the victims lived, or the crimes took place. Often from visiting these areas you can get a feel for the crime. Or some sense of what might have been happening in the surrounding location or even the minds of the people involved. However in Cincinnati, the crimes were committed decades ago and the neighborhoods have changed ..read more

Flash Fiction By Katherine Yocum Wednesday, July 4, 2007 The last body was found on the parched banks of the San Pedro River. Bloated, bulging, barren. Like a circus balloon holding onto its last bit of helium, floating aimlessly between abandoned rides and forgotten stands. This was Jane Doe number eight. The community had let the panic seep into their skin by number two. By this point, the aptly named historical town of Tombstone, Arizona, was balanced, precariously, on the tip of an arrow. A move slightly forward, and they’d be thrust into a scorching spotlight, a move slightly backward, an ..read more

True Crime By Chris Bunton I recently traveled to Louisville Kentucky where I did some research on the serial killer, Beoria Simmons. Simmons was born in May of 1954. He was convicted of Kidnapping, Raping and Murdering three women in Louisville, Kentucky. His fourth victim escaped and was able to identify him, which led to his arrest, and confession. He was sentenced to death on May 13, 1985.  But, that sentence was changed to life in prison, where he currently resides. Simmons murdered 3 women, Robin Barnes, 15 on May 18, 1981, Shannon House, 29 on March 25, 1982 and Nancy Bettman, 39 ..read more

By Chris Bunton When I travel, I typically add “Crime” as a point of interest at my destination. This is what I call “Crime Travel”. So, along with museums, restaurants, and all the normal travel sites, I will also look for crimes or infamous criminals that might have been in the area. So, I was traveling to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and I decided to see if there were any serial killers or famous crimes in this river community. What I discovered were a couple of crimes committed by a serial killer named Joseph Paul Franklin.  James Clayton Vaughn was his real name. He was born into a rough ..read more

By K.A. Williams “The world has changed,” Doctor Bertram said. I looked past him toward my wife, Crystal, who didn’t look a day older. “She hasn’t,” I observed. “You must have spent most of my fortune on plastic surgery.” The doctor laughed. “Actually -” he began, but she interrupted him. “Darling, isn’t it wonderful that they found a cure for cancer.” “Yes,” Bertram said. “I administered the remedy as you were brought out of cryonic preservation. You can go home in a few days.” “Thank you, Doctor.”  *** Crystal and I left the underground hospital parking lot in the strangest car I’d ever ..read more

By Chris Bunton More appropriately labeled a “Spree Killer”, Raymond Lee Stewart kept Rockford, Illinois in fear during his shooting spree in January of 1981. Raymond Lee Stewart was born in Burlington, North Carolina. He had a rough up bringing full of poverty, physical and sexual violence. I say this, not as an excuse but as a means of trying to determine what causes or creates killers such as Stewart. The family moved to Rockford, Illinois where Raymond went to school. He was kicked out of high school for getting into a fight with other kids over politics, according to sources. He began a l ..read more

By Chris Bunton I traveled to Belleville Illinois, recently to research the serial killer Dale Anderson. My research took me to Belleville High School East, where the body of Audrey Cardenas was found in June of 1988. She was an intern for the Belleville News Democrat at the time. The area where she was found is in town. It is a mixed commercial and residential neighborhood. The exact location is a wooded creek that runs right behind the high school. The massive parking lot for the school, sits beside it and a bridge crosses the creek to meet the steps that ascend up to the school. This is on ..read more