Powers and McGinnis: Love Leads to Death In 1900, the homicide rate in the United States of America was 3.4% and it increased to 10.1% in 1923 (Mortality Statistics). The United States was undergoing a change in lifestyle and culture during the 1920s with the idea of “flappers”, prohibition, and female empowerment. Chicago was no exception to this change in culture and increase in homicides. Chicago had its fair share of homicides in the city and two homicide victims that stood out the most were Alice Powers and Michael McGinnis. Powers and McGinnis were both murdered by someone that they knew personally. The murderers in these crimes were family members that were trusted by the victims. Powers and McGinnis were both murdered by their …show more content…
Alice Powers was murdered by her fiancé and Michael McGinnis was murdered by his sister in law and wife. As the Homicide in Chicago website states, “Men kill their age cohorts, rivals, spouses, domestic partners or objects of sexual interest or hatred. Women kill children and sometimes their sexual partners or husbands, and very occasionally sexual rivals”. This statement ties into the murders of both of the victims because it gives a generalization of why Powers and McGinnis were murdered in their homes by someone they trusted (Northwestern University School of Law). Both of these homicides have some major differences, but they are also linked in many different ways. The murders of Alice Powers and Michael McGinnis both have some major similarities even though the same person did not commit the murders. These similarities include race, motive, and the murderer and the victim having a relationship before the murder took …show more content…
Women were beginning to break the social norms and stereotypes that were attached to them. Maybe a motive for Bostic’s crime was that he knew he was dying and he wanted his fiancé to join him in the afterlife, but after discussing the matter she refused. It is possible that Powers thought she could live the rest of her life without Bostic because she was feeling empowered during this time period and this angered Bostic into murdering her. Powers’ may have also been having doubts about her relationship with Bostic and wanted to live her life without him. While Bostic was on trial, one of the final newspaper articles states that Powers refused to marry Bostic before she was murdered (Veterans of 3 Wars to Parade Next
Max Powers trusted people he thought were his “best friends”, but not all friends are best friends, as Max would soon find out. Max was blinded by the fact that he recently received a will of $12.4 million, due to a skydiving accident that resulted in his parent 's death. He didn’t even realize that his previous “best friends” (Dez Tenney,Chloe Goode,Beverly Hills, Ray Leetuff) were plotting to kill him and become millionaires themselves. Max hosted a housewarming party, at his new place in a very expensive neighborhood due to the fact that he recently received $12.4 million. Max invited Dez, Chloe, Beverly, and Ray because he considered these people to be his best friends, but what he didn 't know was his so called ¨best friends¨ only accepted
The book Murder in the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8?, written by independent journalist and private investigator Ethan Brown, tells the horrific true story of the bayou town of Jennings, Louisiana located in the heart of the Jefferson Davis parish. During the four year duration between 2005 and 2009, the town of Jennings was on edge after the discovery of the bodies of eight murdered women were found in the filthy canals and swamps. The victims became known as the “Jeff Davis 8.” For years, local law enforcement suspected a serial killer, and solely investigated the murders based on that theory alone. The victims were murdered in varying manors, but when alive they all shared many commonalities and were connected to
When one thinks of serial killers, the first thoughts that come to that person are usually of cold blooded adults. Two young, carefree teenagers almost never come to mind, and most would never even consider the idea. Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate may just change the way people think of serial killers. The young couple rampaged across the state of Nebraska in early 1958, murdering ten people along the way. Most wonder what could cause such young people to turn into murderers with what seemed to be no conscience at all. Did Starkweather have a bad childhood? Bullying could have played a part in causing Charles to turn out the way he was. Caril Fugate became involved with Starkweather at the age of 13 and many questioned if it was possible for someone so young to have played a part in something as awful as murder. As the duo traveled, fear was struck into the public. No one knew why the victims were chosen. Did Starkweather or Fugate have a grudge against them? Were they trying to stop the two, or was it just sheer bad luck? Like most criminals, the pair was caught. They each had very different verdicts. Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate changed the history of Nebraska drastically in just a short amount of time.
The Atlanta missing and murdered children case is a series of murder cases which took place in Atlanta, Georgia between the periods of 1979-1981 during which 29 African- American children were murdered as well as young adults. The victims, mostly black Americans were found asphyxiated; some were believed to have been sexually abused. This terrifying string of murders left the city of Atlanta astonished and on high alert. Newspapers and TV reports about the case rattled the nation and reminded parents to keep a close eye over their children. Green ribbons, “symbolizing life” and green-lettered buttons reading, “SAVE THE CHILDREN,” appeared everywhere. Celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin, and Burt Reynolds came from all over the country to show support and donate money. President Ronald Reagan enabled a $1.5 million grants to help fund the investigation. Over the three years when victims started disappearing and later found murdered, the police questioned suspects without success. With leads in the case dwindling and no arrest in sight, Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson enforced a 7pm curfew on the city of Atlanta’s children. The murderer at that time was referred to as “the child killer”. Most people believed the killings were conducted by racial hate groups such as the KKK. It was not until 21 June 1981 when a 23 year old, black man was charged for the first degree murder of two adults, 27 year old Nathaniel Cater and 22 year old Jimmy Ray Payne. Wayne B Williams was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment as he was also linked to the murder of the other victims (Nickell and Fischer 1999). The evidence against him was strong and it was used to link him to be the suspected perpetrator of the other At...
In a study conducted by Hickey, he discovered that out of thirty-four female serial killers, almost one in two had a male accomplice committing murders with them (Holmes et al., 1991). He also revealed that 97% were white and the average age the women started committing murders was thirty-three (Holmes et al., 1991). Women serial killers differ from men in that most women kill for material gain, such as money or insurance benefits, and they usually commit murder with pills or poison. Stephen Holmes, Ronald Holmes, and Eric Hickey developed a typology for female serial killers similar to the one developed by Holmes and Holmes, discussed earlier. They begin with visionary serial killers, who are compelled by some force, such as God, or spirits, to commit murders. The second type is the comfort killer, who usually kills acquaintances and does so for a material gain, money or real estate (Holmes et al., 1991). The third category is hedonistic female serial killers, which is similar to the earlier typology in that the offender connects murder with sexual gratification. This is the least represented category for female offenders, but evidence for this type of killer can be seen in the case of Carol Bundy (Holmes et al., 1991). Bundy allegedly helped her husband kidnap, murder, and decapitate the
In 2012, there were an estimated 14,827 murders and non-negligent manslaughter crimes reported by all agencies in the United States according to the Uniform Crime Report at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Murder and non-negligent manslaughter are defined “as the willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another.” A 1.1 percent increase occurred from 2011 to 2012. But it should be noted, this is a 9.9 percent drop from the figure for 2008 and a 10.3 percent decrease from the number of murders recorded in 2003. Of the murders that occurred in 2012, it is estimated that 43.6 percent were reported in the south, 21.0 percent were from the Midwest, 21.0 percent were accounted from the west, and 14.2 percent were from the northeast of the United States. There were 4.7 murders for every 100,000 people in 2012. The murder rate went up 0.4 percent from 2011 to 2012. It went down in 2008 by 12.8 percent and dropped 16.9 percent from 2003. The majority of offenders were over the age of eighteen and they accounted for 9,096 of offenders in 2012. According to the Uniform Crime Report, the number of offenders who murdered in 2012 totaled 14,581. The majority of these offenders were male, totaling 9,425. Female offenders totaled 1,098, and 4,058 were unknown offenders. Black males topped the list as far as race was concerned with 5,531 committing murder. White males followed with 4,582 offenders. There were 4,228 classified as race unknown regarding offenders who murdered in 2012. The victim data reported was 9,917 male victims and 2,834 female victims. Of those victims, 11,549 were over the age of eighteen.
Asbridge, Mark & Weerasinghe. "Homicide in Chicago from 1890 to 1930: prohibition and its impact on alcohol- and non-alcohol-related homicides." Addiction 104, no. 3 (2009): p355-364.
..., & Levin J. (1998). Multiple Homicide: Patterns of Serial and Mass Murder. Crime and Justice, Vol. 23. Published by: The University of Chicago Press. Retrieved March 1, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1147545
The increase in population due to the Great Migration led Chicago to be the nation’s fastest growing city. In the city, homicide rates increased dramatically. The nature of homicide among African Americans in Chicago changed when the traditional impulsive violence between young boys became family violence or fights with acquaintances. Essentially, the Southern African Americans who moved to northern cities for freedom still experienced discrimination in jobs and housing from whites living in the neighborhoods prior. Many of them became frustrated about this and proceeded to demonstrate that through violence. In result of the increased violence, juvenile courts were developed. To address the concerns of juvenile delinquency, Chicago initially advocated courts to punish them for the acts of violence. The courts were filled with cases of violence between races due to the increasing racial tensions in neighborhoods throughout Chicago. Often, racist comments would be made, or an African American would fight against segregation or speak out and there would be a fight. Acts of violence became more and more common throughout the city and the juvenile courts were only one way to attempt to solve it. In Standing at Armageddon: A Grassroots History of the Progressive Era, it is said that the violence in Chicago was “the
67. Politicians, responding to the nations fear of crime, have attempted to outdo each other in being “tougher of crime”. This attention toward our nations fear of crime has resulted in the addition of police officers, the building of more prisons, extending the death penalty to cover sixty federal offenses, and mandating longer sentences. The homicide rate in the United States was more than twice the homicide rate in Canada and many times that in other countries. However, the victimization rates for assault and robbery were lower for Americans than for Canadians, Australians, and Spaniards. Outbreaks of violence have occurred throughout history starting with the post-Civil War era. This was eventually followed by organized crime and an increase in the murder rate throughout the 1930’s. During the 1950’s crime rates decreased only to increase once again in the 1980’s. Today crime rates are down whether Americans choose to accept this or not. Murder rates are well below the record setting 1930’s and violent crime has decreased 33 % since 1993.
Looking back at the number of homicides in the city of San Jose, CA for the year 2000 it was 20, then there was an average increase of 8 murders per year for the next 8 years. Then in 2010, despite a population increase of over one hundred thousand people, there were only 20 murders in the city of San Jose. Now in 2011, up to the month of July, there have been 26 homicides, which means based upon the current rate San Jose is on track to have more than 50 homicides in 2011, which would theoretically be over a two decade maximum. Now despite having lived in a small town, I consider San Jose as a home away from home because I go there often. I have had a job there and my dad has worked in San Jose for 28 years. In 2009 the San Jose area was rated as the seventh safest area in the country and when that happened it made me feel thankful that my family and I have lived in such a safe area. Yet nowadays it seems like I have been reading about a different murder every week, which has caused me to ask many questions about the possible causes of this rise in murders. From the research I have done, the cause seems to be a rise in gang violence and rival gang murders. In San Jose, the two rival gangs, Norteños and Sureños, have begun to be bolder with their killings as shown with the already high and rising murder rate of 2011. Solutions must be determined in conjunction with the San Jose Police Department and governmental gang task forces to establish the best course of action to stop the continuing rise in violence (Associated Press).
Serial killing is rampant in the U.S. According to estimates in a recent study conducted by the FBI, there have been about 400 serial killers in the U.S. in the last century, with the total number of murder victims ranging from 2,525 to 3,860 . Various experts in the field have suggested that there may be anywhere from 50 to as many as 300 serial killers active at the same time, although there is no clear evidence supporting this . Certainly, an estimate of 300 active serial killers seems at odds with the FBI’s estimate of 400 over the entire previous century. But an estimated 80% of the serial killers in the past century have emerged since 1950. For whatever reason, serial killing is clearly on the rise, with the term itself coined only since the mid-1970’s, so perhaps 300 active serial killers at one time could be unfortunately possible. The number of serial killing in the U.S. is staggering.
Many communities have been the victim of many gangs moving into their once safe neighborhood, causing major downfalls and preventing the citizens from living their daily lives in peace. Guarino elaborates how Chicago still outpaces other big American cities in crime rates due to gang violence (Guarino1). There’s a lot of given reasons to why there is much gang violence in the city but the solutions are not as prominent. In the article, “Chicago Tactics Put Major Dent in Killing Trend” written by Monica Davey, she goes on to explain, “that more than 500 people were killed in Chicago in one year, many of them young men shot to death amid the hundreds of gangs that flourish in Chicago neighborhoods” (Davey). Davey continues on to say that in recent months, police officers have been working overtime and dispatched to 20 small zones that are considered the most dangerous in Chicago (Davey). Due to the high activity of police activity, Chicago homicides and gang violence have declined.
“Following Footsteps of a Killer.” New York Post (Nov. 2002): 124: Proquest. Web. The Web.
Serial killers are everywhere! Well, perhaps not in our neighborhood, but on our television screens, at the movie theaters, and in rows and rows of books at our local Borders or Barnes and Nobles Booksellers” (Brown). When people think of serial killers, names such as Dahmer, Gacy, Bundy, and Gein are cited. During the time Jack the Ripper was executing his victims in London, Holmes began his gruesome career in Chicago (America’s Serial Killers). “Despite being America’s first serial killer, Holmes is hardly a familiar name and until now we haven’t had any popular visual record of his crimes: (Spikol). Why is it that people only think of the more popular killers with higher known profiles? They are all very similar to one another because they share characteristics. H.H. Holmes was a successful serial killer because he was well educated, cunning and charming. Those are just a few traits Holmes ...