There were two serial killers working on their victim list at the same time, in the same place, but only one was noticed by the media. Both killed at least seven women. One would think that both of these killers would grab the attention of the media. Unfortunately only one was reported about which made the other jealous causing him to kill more. It was not until after the first serial killer, Lee, was arrested that anyone even knew Gillis was on the same killing path. Had the media not focused solely on one killer others may not have died at the hands of another. There should not only be concern for media impact on trials but also its impact on the cases before the defendants are even known, those seeking fame even when it is by murder.
Dubbed the “Baton Rouge Serial Killer” Derrick Todd Lee was only one of two serial killers working the Baton Rouge area during the time between 1992 and 2004. Lee is a black male, who lived with his wife and children St. Francisville, LA. Lee had avoided being caught for many years because an eye witness had told authorities the suspect was a white male (Mustafa, Clayton & Israel, 2006). This information was very believable because most serial killers do not cross racial lines when choosing their victims and all of Lee’s victims were white except one (Mustafa, Clayton & Israel, 2006). Lee was eventually named as the suspect in 2002 when DNA tests revealed the killer was a black male (Stewart, Boyd, M., & Nunnally, D. (2002). He was arrested in 2003 and now lives on death row in Louisiana State Penitentiary.
There was extensive media coverage of Lee’s murders, which alarmed the Baton Rouge community. There was fear and panic among women in the community when the DNA information was released and t...
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Mustafa, S. D., & Israel, S. (2011). Dismembered. New York, NY: Kensington.
Mustafa, S. D., Clayton, T., & Israel, S. (2006). I've been watching you. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.
State v. Gillis, No. 2007KA1909 (1st Cir. Mar. 26, 2008),
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/la-court-of-appeal/1013735.html.
Stewart, B., Boyd, M., & Nunnally, D. (2002). STALKING THE STALKER. People, 58(10), 74. Retrieved February 20, 2012, from EBSCOhost
Tresniowski, A., Rozsa, L., Barnes, S., Wescott, G., Pierce, E., & Cosgriff, G. (2003). The Manhunt Ends. People, 59(22), 56. Retrieved February 20, 2012, from EBSCOhost
WOIO. (2003). Developments in the case of accused serial killer Derrick Todd Lee. Retrieved February 20, 2012, from http://www.woio.com/story/1847852/developments-in-the-cases-of-accused-serial-killer-derrick-todd-lee?clienttype=printable
In my free time at work I used to listen to You-Tube documentaries on serial killers. I thought it was interesting and it passed the time. Looking back, I now notice that most of the serial killers were white males, middle class, and heterosexual. Without reading this article I probably would have never thought of the fact that most of the serial killers were in fact of that nature. This article just continues to prove that people can not judge people based on race, social status, or gender. There is more that goes on in a person’s brain then what they look like or how they might seem on the
A single shot killed 39-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. At the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, a sniper from about “50-100 yards away,” shot and struck Dr. King’s neck, while instantaneously killing him (“Martin Luther King Slain” 139). From the crime scene, F.B.I. investigators traced a “white Mustang automobile,” and an “‘unusually large’ amount of physical evidence” (Waldron 1). With fingerprints, the actual rifle, and eyewitnesses as definite pieces of evidence, F.B.I. agents concluded that a Caucasian man executed the assassination and that he would be very easily caught (Waldron 1). Eyewitness testimony even stated that the “saw a white man [ran] from the house immediately after the shooting” (“Martin Luther King Slain” 140). As a shocking and horrific event, the assassination of Dr. King proved to test the nation’s character.
Starting on the day of the murder, the media began to attack Sheppard on any occasion they could. Stories were obtained in unethical, and nearly unlawful ways. Even though they were permitted to do so by the courts, going into Sheppard's house and looking through his belongings was not the most ethical practice. Also, though the courts also allowed them to witness the testimony of Sheppard about his wife's death, they really shouldn't have agreed. Stories were written in an unscrupulous manner. The "trial before the trial" was a meeting between the coroner, Samuel Gerber, and Sheppard, in which Gerber fired questions at Sheppard in front of the entire community -- without Sheppard's lawyer present. The media was allowed to sit in on ...
Beres, D.B Killer at Larger: criminal profilers and the cases they solve!. New York: F. Watts, 2007. Print.
On September 2, 2014, after three decades of waiting for their death row, Henry Lee McCollum, 50, and his half-brother, Leon Brown, 46, were declared innocent and ordered released with $750,000 in compensation from the state (Brothers Henry McCollum). After thirty years of isolation, the brothers are both mentally and physically affected. McCollum and Brown, who are now middle-aged men, have no education, job, or family, have to reorganize their lives in which they could have done 30 years ago. The two brothers, who were only scared, mentally challenged teenagers, while under pressure, confessed to committing a capital murder. Moreover, the question, whether race played a role in the two brothers’ sentence remain unjustified.
Media coverage of trials in the digital age has become a considerable issue in the UK and traditional legal remedies to reduce the influence of the press on jurors’ bias appear to be inefficient. In recent years, the discussion of fair trial and free press has been raised due to the fact that in some criminal cases especially high profile criminal cases, the right of defendants has been infringed. High profile criminal case can be loosely described as a case of the suspect who is a well-known person such as a celebrity, an actor, and a businessman as well as a case, which receives massive attention even though the accused
McKinley, Carol. "Ramsey Case Spawns Media Feeding Frenzy and Public Obsession."Fox News. N.p., 22 May 2001. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
Stalking has been a label for a long-term pattern of persistent pursuit and intrusive behavior directed by one person toward another (Logan & Cole, 2007). It is a term that has been around since the late 1980’s coming about to describe the persistent pursuit of celebrities and today is used to describe all manner of unwanted following, approaching, and harassing behaviors directed toward any individual (Logan & Cole, 2007). Some of the most common forms of stalking are repeated phone calls, visiting home or the work place, sending unwanted gifts, emails, letters, or following the victim.
Blanco, Juan. "Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers." Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. .
Sullivan, J. (2011, August 18). Stalker for 17 years — since 8th grade — faces long prison term. The Seattle Times. Retrieved from http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2015951550_stalker19m.html
According to research conducted on over 300 murder cases by Bruschke and William E. of Oregon University, pretrial publicity does not produce bias. The research refuted previously held notion that the negative light cast by media coverage on felony murders and robbery cases could have adverse effects on the cases as compared to those that received no public ("Pretrial Publicity: Does it Impact Verdicts?," n.d.). What is certain however is that different cases such rape trials being covered by the media could potentially be damaging. Such coverage could expose victim’s private life which can cause prejudice against the victim ("Pretrial Publicity:
Gado, Mark. "Crime Library –The Slaughter of Innocence." Crime Library – Crime News and Stories. 28 Jan. 1997. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
On Nov. 1, 1987, Frederick Romano found out that his sister had been beaten, tortured, mutilated, and killed in her apartment. The killer, Steven Oken, had also killed two other women: Patricia Hirt and Lori Ward. Romano waited until 2002 to see his sister’s killer die, and stated, “It’s not about closure. There will never be closure. It’s about seeing justice served, not only for my sister, but for Lori and Patricia.” Just days before Oken was set to be executed, the attorney general of M...
Schmalleger, F. (2009), Prentice Hall, Publication. Criminal Justice Today: An introductory Text for the 21st century
Media coverage of Ted Bundy’s escape from prison and first arrest allowed for him to be caught (Murderpedia)]. However, the media should know its boundaries when it comes to where they can report and where they can not. More often times than not, the media interferes with actual police investigations and make it more difficult to either catch the perpetrator or to go through the process of arresting them. In regards to serial killers and serial killer cases, it is common for the media to directly distract law enforcement so that they are unable to do their work properly. Media coverage of serial killers may instead, be motivation for them to commit their crimes in the first place- as they wish to be recognized. In addition, the fact that so many people will be exposed to this information allows for individuals to try and do drastic things such as emulating the crime, or being influenced to commit their own. The media may be motivation for serial killers to commit their crimes, and can act to be a disturbance during serial killer cases. Reporting of such cases can also influence audience members so that they may also be “inspire” to either commit copycat crimes or create work that embodies the act. This creation of a serial killer culture stems from the media reporting of serial killers in a way that may create sympathy or pity. By giving them exposure to the rest of