Many authors write about noteworthy crimes from a distance, but not Keith Roysdon. A longtime journalist in Muncie, Indiana, Roysdon and his colleague Douglas Walker have covered one of Muncie’s most infamous murders firsthand for nearly twenty-five...
Continuing our occasional series of author interviews, this month we’re delighted to welcome Cathy Pickens to Crime Capsule. A true Renaissance lady—among other hats, Pickens is a law professor, historian, teacher, and mystery novelist—she is also the...
Every American knows Harriet Tubman. Immortalized in history, in film, and potentially even on the $20 bill, the story of her role in founding the Underground Railroad is part of the American story, and rightly so.
The 1974 murder of Anita Fagiani Andrews shook Napa. After thirty-seven years DNA evidence brought her killer, Roy Melanson to justice. Most crime junkies know the Texas Defense, made famous by country singer...
We’ve been here before. In a previous look at the dangerous, often violent early years of American metal industries, Crime Capsule explored the turbulent development of the steel industry in western Pennsylvania. Today, we’re moving just across the state line, to the famous Mahoning Valley of Ohio, where many of the mines that produced raw material for those steel mills were housed.
U.S. Capitol building under construction. National Archives. This past election season, one of the major issues up for debate was the filibuster. Were one party able to gain a super-majority in the Senate,...
An ad for Luetgert Sausage, Chicago’s finest. Unfortunately, the news spoiled people’s appetites. Bizzarepedia. You had to, didn’t you. Against every piece of advice, you had to ask. Well, there’s no easy way...
It’s almost over. After what feels like an endless campaign season, no matter who wins, thank heavens above, it’s almost over. Actually, there’s something else to be grateful for: that none of the candidates in this election...
In previous weeks on Crime Capsule, we’ve profiled police officers, detectives, investigators, and judges. Today, however, continuing our occasional series on noted men and women in law enforcement, we’re turning to a department we’ve never covered: the...
Call it what you want—brothel, cathouse, or parlor of the night—but any way you slice it, such establishments are the dictionary definition of wide-open secrets. Folks know where it is, they know what it is, and they...