All in Fresh from MMN
Marvin Gaye was a soul and R&B singer-songwriter and producer. In the 1960’s, he helped reshape the sound of Motown Records, leading him to be known as the "Prince of Motown" and the “Prince of Soul.” On April 1, 1984, Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his father, Marvin Gaye Sr.
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, known to music fans around the world as Selena, was shot at a Days Inn Motel by Yolanda Saldívar on March 31, 1995. The outpouring of grief from around the world would cement Selena’s legacy as an icon.
Netflix has just put out a stellar new true-crime documentary: Girl in the Picture. The feature follows a twisting, turning, and 20+ yearlong investigation into Tonya Hughes, a young woman who had to be killed for her secrets, abused past, and true identity to come to light.
Alton Coleman and Debra Brown were a young couple from Illinois who together went on a murderous rampage across the midwest in 1984. The duo's 53 day reign of terror spanned 6 states, and resulted in a trail of murders, rapes, and robberies.
Along with Vlad the Impaler, Countess Elizabeth Bathory may be one of history’s most infamous inspirations for the vampire legend. Her reputation for brutality emerged from the torture of her victims — an habit she allegedly enjoyed for years until even her royal background could not save her.
What else has happened on July 4th in history? Most people know that the Fourth of July is known as Independence Day in the USA, but what other notable events have taken place on July 4th?
Carlina White was just days old when she was kidnapped from a Harlem hospital in 1987 and raised under a new name by her kidnapper; 23 years later she solved her own kidnapping.
On May 27, the first volume of Stranger Things 4 was released, and viewers were introduced to a new character, Eddie Munson. Soon after the release of the season, the Netflix Geek Twitter account released a post confirming that the character Eddie Munson was inspired by Damien Echols, one of the West Memphis Three.
As we approach a year since Gabby Petito’s disappearance, looking back to reexamine the aspects of her case and the role that social media played in its infamy is crucial to understand where real-world investigation crosses and connects with online fanatics in the modern age.
Joel Rifkin murdered up to 17 women over the course of a four-year killing spree that came to an end during this week in true crime history. The most prolific serial killer in New York State preyed on sex workers, knowing their disappearances were less likely to be investigated. On June 28th 1993, Rifkin was caught red-handed with the body of his last victim in the back of his truck.
For over 65 years, the identity of a murdered boy has remained unknown. The Ivy Hill Cemetery in Cedarbrook, Philadelphia, has the body of the boy with a headstone engraved “America’s Unknown Child.” To this day, people continue to cover the child’s headstone with flowers and stuffed animals.
The murder of 13-year-old Olly Stephens has raised questions in the minds of parents and social media tycoons on the responsibility such companies have in protecting their young users from viewing violent content that can lead them to commit violent acts.
Four years after the Stonewall Inn Uprising, and 49 years ago this week, there was an arson attack at Upstairs Lounge, a gay bar in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event was the worst fire in New Orleans' history, and the deadliest attack on the LGBTQIA+ community in American history until the mass shooting at Pulse Orlando in 2016.
From a nobleman’s child in Transylvania to the commander and impaler of tens of thousands, Vlad III made his mark on Wallachian history in blood.
On this day in 1931, Peter Kurten was convicted for 9 murders and received 9 death sentences.
On May 5, 1977, Mexican-American and Vietnam War veteran Jose Campos Torres, 23, was arrested for disorderly conduct. The police took Torres to “the hole,” an area behind a warehouse near Buffalo Bayou, instead of taking him to the city jail. Torres' body was found a few days later, prompting the Houston Police Department to form an all-Latino homicide unit, the Chicano Squad.
In the state of New York, serving alcohol to anyone in the LGBTQ+ community was illegal. This meant bars across the state, especially across New York City, were raised by police. With a blatant disregard for government rules, the Mafia held a near-monopoly on gay bars in New York City.
In 1980s Florida, terror wracked Broward County. For years, a rapist infiltrated women’s homes, raping them at knifepoint. Forty years later, his identity and connections to crimes across other communities have come to light.
In 1660, Mary Dyer was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts for her protests against Puritan anti-Quaker laws. Her civil disobedience laid a path for the religious tolerance that the American government was founded on a century later.
