Life: The Most Notorious Crimes in American History PDF Download

Author: Editors of Life
Publisher: Life
ISBN: 9781933821085
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Author: Larry L. Massey
Publisher: University Press of Florida
ISBN: 0813059445
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 137

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For over a year, Railroad Bill eluded sheriffs, private detectives hired by the L&N line, and bounty hunters who traveled across the country to match guns with the legendary desperado. The African American outlaw was wanted on multiple charges of robbery and murder, and rumor had it that he stole from the rich to give to the poor. He terrorized busy train lines from east of Mobile to the Florida Panhandle, but as soon as the lawmen got close, he disappeared into the bayous and pine forests--until one day his luck ran out, and he was gunned down inside a general store in Atmore, Alabama. Little is known about Railroad Bill before his infamy--not his real name or his origins. His first recorded crime, carrying a repeating rifle without a license, led him into a gunfight with a deputy and made him a wanted man throughout Florida in 1894. His most celebrated escape--a five-day foot chase with scores of men and several bloodhounds--led to tales of Railroad's supernatural ability to transmogrify into an animal or inanimate object at will. As his crimes progressed from robbing boxcars to wounding trainmen to murdering sheriffs, more and more reward money was offered for his capture--dead or alive. Today, Railroad Bill is the subject of many folk songs popularized by singers such as Paul McCartney, Taj Mahal, Gillian Welch, and Ramblin' Jack Elliot. But who was he? Where did he come from? What events led to his murderous spree? And why did some view him as a hero? In Railroad Bill, Larry Massey separates fact from myth and teases out elusive truths from tall tales to ultimately reveal the man behind the bandit's mask.

Author: James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 0316412686
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Discover the shocking #1 New York Times bestseller: the true story of a young NFL player's first-degree murder conviction and untimely death -- and his journey from the Patriots to prison. Aaron Hernandez was a college All-American who became the youngest player in the NFL and later reached the Super Bowl. His every move as a tight end with the New England Patriots played out the headlines, yet he led a secret life -- one that ended in a maximum-security prison. What drove him to go so wrong, so fast? Between the summers of 2012 and 2013, not long after Hernandez made his first Pro Bowl, he was linked to a series of violent incidents culminating in the death of Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro football player who dated the sister of Hernandez's fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins. All-American Murder is the first book to investigate Aaron Hernandez's first-degree murder conviction and the mystery of his own shocking and untimely death.

Author: Zed Simpson
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781530071326
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 42

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*Includes pictures *Includes Bundy's own quotes about his life and crimes *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "I'm the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you'll ever meet." - Ted Bundy "I don't think anybody doubts whether I've done some bad things. The question is: what, of course, and how and, maybe even most importantly, why?" - Ted Bundy For most people, Ted Bundy is the quintessential serial killer - a good-looking, highly intelligent man who used his charm to lure an untold number of women to their deaths. In fact, as the judge announced his death sentence, he noted Bundy's intellect and mused that he would have enjoyed hearing Bundy try a case before him had he remained simply the genius law student he had once been. Bundy, of course, ended up choosing a far different path, going on a historic crime spree during the 1970s so prolific that estimates of his kill count vary by dozens, a debate Bundy was only too happy to stoke. On one occasion, when the FBI estimated he was responsible for 3 dozen murders, Bundy replied, "Add one digit to that, and you'll have it." On another occasion, he claimed the estimate of 3 dozen was close to accurate. Whatever the actual number, what is known is that the murders ranged from coldly calculated approaches of women in public places to breaking into homes at night and bludgeoning victims to death. Bundy often kept mementoes to commemorate the crimes, ranging from victims' possessions to their severed heads. As is natural in cases like this, attempts to understand Bundy's pathology have been ongoing for decades, with separate diagnoses of narcissistic personality disorder and bipolar disorder, and one prison official described Bundy's changing personalities: "He became weird on me...Almost a complete change of personality ... that was the day I was afraid of him." Unfortunately, Bundy proved resourceful in other ways aside from committing murder. After he was initially caught in Utah in 1975 and being tried for attempted assault, murder charges were brought against him in Colorado, but Bundy escaped prison twice in succession, allowing him to commit an untold number of additional crimes until he was caught again in Florida in 1978. Shortly before his death, in an interview with the popular Christian psychologist Dr. James Dobson, Bundy blamed his problems on pornography and claimed to have found God and repented, yet he had noted in a letter in 1977 that he almost never looked at porn magazines, telling future biographer Ann Rule, "Who in the world reads these publications? ... I have never purchased such a magazine, and [on only] two or three occasions have I ever picked one up." . Regardless of his motives, after nearly a decade of denials, Bundy confessed to having killed at least 30 women across 7 states in just a 5 year period the decade before. In her work on the serial killer, Ann Rule labeled him "a sadistic sociopath who took pleasure from another human's pain and the control he had over his victims, to the point of death, and even after." Even a member of his own defense team, Polly Nelson, called him "the very definition of heartless evil." Ted Bundy: The Life and Crimes of One of America's Most Notorious Serial Killers looks at the life of the serial killer and the crimes he committed.

Author: Bill James
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1476796270
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 480

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An Edgar Award finalist for Best Fact Crime, this “impressive…open-eyed investigative inquiry wrapped within a cultural history of rural America” (The Wall Street Journal) shows legendary statistician and baseball writer Bill James applying his analytical acumen to crack an unsolved century-old mystery surrounding one of the deadliest serial killers in American history. Between 1898 and 1912, families across the country were bludgeoned in their sleep with the blunt side of an axe. Jewelry and valuables were left in plain sight, bodies were piled together, faces covered with cloth. Some of these cases, like the infamous Villasca, Iowa, murders, received national attention. But few people believed the crimes were related. And fewer still would realize that all of these families lived within walking distance to a train station. When celebrated baseball statistician and true crime expert Bill James first learned about these horrors, he began to investigate others that might fit the same pattern. Applying the same know-how he brings to his legendary baseball analysis, he empirically determined which crimes were committed by the same person. Then after sifting through thousands of local newspapers, court transcripts, and public records, he and his daughter Rachel made an astonishing discovery: they learned the true identity of this monstrous criminal. In turn, they uncovered one of the deadliest serial killers in America. Riveting and immersive, with writing as sharp as the cold side of an axe, The Man from the Train paints a vivid, psychologically perceptive portrait of America at the dawn of the twentieth century, when crime was regarded as a local problem, and opportunistic private detectives exploited a dysfunctional judicial system. James shows how these cultural factors enabled such an unspeakable series of crimes to occur, and his groundbreaking approach to true crime will convince skeptics, amaze aficionados, and change the way we view criminal history.

Author: Matthew Clark
Publisher: Daniel O Brien
ISBN:
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Dive deep into the captivating world of the American Mafia with "Mafia Legends: Inside the Lives of Notorious Crime Bosses." This comprehensive exploration unveils the lives and crimes of the most notorious figures in organized crime history. From the shadowy origins of the Mafia in Italy to its rise to power in the United States, you'll witness the rise and fall of powerful families, the brutal battles for control, and the individuals who shaped the course of organized crime. Meet the legendary figures who defined the Mafia: Charles "Lucky" Luciano, the mastermind behind the syndicate's formation; Meyer Lansky, the architect of gambling empires; Bugsy Siegel, the flamboyant figure who brought glamour to Las Vegas; and Frank Costello, the cunning "Prime Minister" of the Mafia. Discover the stories behind the most infamous figures: Carlo Gambino, the "Quiet Don" who built a vast criminal network; Paul Castellano, the old-school leader whose reign ended in bloodshed; and John Gotti, the charismatic "Teflon Don" who captivated the public. Explore the world of informants and betrayals: Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, who turned on his mentor John Gotti; Henry Hill, the "wiseguy" who became a key witness; and Alphonse D'Arco, the "Rat of the Century" who exposed the Mafia's inner workings. This gripping account delves into the strategies, alliances, and betrayals that shaped the Mafia's history. It provides an insider's look into their operations, their culture, and their impact on society. Uncover the truth behind the legends and learn about the enduring legacy of the Mafia. This book is perfect for: True crime enthusiasts Readers fascinated by the Mafia Anyone seeking an in-depth understanding of organized crime Don't miss out on this captivating journey into the world of Mafia legends!

Author: Gary L. Stewart
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0007579810
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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An explosive and historic book of true crime and an emotionally powerful and revelatory memoir of a man whose ten-year search for his biological father leads to a chilling discovery: His father is one of the most notorious-and still at large-serial killers.

Author: Casey Cep
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 110194787X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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This “superbly written true-crime story” (Michael Lewis, The New York Times Book Review) masterfully brings together the tales of a serial killer in 1970s Alabama and of Harper Lee, the beloved author of To Kill a Mockingbird, who tried to write his story. Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members, but with the help of a savvy lawyer, he escaped justice for years until a relative assassinated him at the funeral of his last victim. Despite hundreds of witnesses, Maxwell’s murderer was acquitted—thanks to the same attorney who had previously defended the reverend himself. Sitting in the audience during the vigilante’s trial was Harper Lee, who spent a year in town reporting on the Maxwell case and many more trying to finish the book she called The Reverend. Cep brings this remarkable story to life, from the horrifying murders to the courtroom drama to the racial politics of the Deep South, while offering a deeply moving portrait of one of our most revered writers.

Author: Harold Schechter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 824

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"True Crime: An American Anthology" offers a comprehensive look at the many ways in which American writers have explored crime in a multitude of aspects: the dark motives that spur it, the shock of its impact on society, and the effort to make sense of the violent extremes of human behavior.

Author: Lawrence Block
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195169522
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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This collection surveys the underside of American history through fifty of its most infamous characters from colonial times up through the twentieth century.