I am Lizzette Martinez, one of the many survivors who suffered abuse at the hands of famed singer R. Kelly. The relationship began when I was just seventeen and continued into my early twenties, but the effects of everything that happened have followed me my entire life. I was listed in the indictment for R. Kelly’s trial in New York, and this is my story—my life outtake—of what it was like to sit and wait for justice again after all this … [Read more...]
WATCH ME DIE Photo Gallery
Exclusive photos from Bill Kimberlin's true crime book … [Read more...]
Bill Kimberlin, Psy. D.
Author Bill Kimberlin, Psy.D. has been researching and writing about death row and the execution process for well over a decade. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice, a Master of Arts degree in Counseling, and a Doctorate in Psychology. Kimberlin began a postdoctoral residency in psychology but was most interested in understanding the worst of the worst criminal minds. This led him to focus on the psychology of those on … [Read more...]
The Strange Case of Wilma Frances Minor and Cora Mickle-Hoffer
A key prosecution witness in the Fritzie Mann murder case of 1923 in San Diego was a woman named Wilma Minor, who five years later became the most famous person involved in the case due to her involvement in a bizarre hoax. Nobody in San Diego would’ve predicted this any more than they would’ve believed that Wilma had been involved in a very different but even more bizarre episode ten years before. Judging by the news coverage of the case, she … [Read more...]
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Jazz Age
1. Colleen Moore, Clara Bow, and Louise Brooks became famous for portraying flappers in silent films, but the first was Olive Thomas in the 1920 film “The Flapper.” Thomas died later that year in Paris after ingesting husband Jack Pickford’s syphilis medicine (mercury bichloride) in what was officially ruled an accident, though some believe it was suicide or murder. 2. Olive Thomas’s death was the first of five notorious Hollywood scandals … [Read more...]
How I Came To Write About The Mysterious Death Of Fritzie Mann
Like so many others, I got hooked on crime nonfiction back in the mid-70s when Helter Skelter came out. The best-selling true crime book of all time begins with a warning: “This book will scare the hell out of you”—the best introductory teaser for a book I’ve seen and absolutely true. Over the years I developed a fondness for narrative nonfiction books in the tradition of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, particularly those about vintage crimes such … [Read more...]
Reliving Emotions and Stumbling Upon My Sister’s Secret
On Writing The Book Writing the book brought back all kinds of memories and emotions. Some of those emotions were old and some were new. Things I thought I knew, I didn't. Things I didn't think I knew, I did. The passage of time, while seemingly unfortunate, brought with it maturity and another 25 years of life experience to a healing process I thought had already taken place. I cried tears I didn't even know were still possible to cry. I … [Read more...]
27 Years For Justice and Writing
From Renee Fehr, author of The Wheels of Justice: "I started thinking about writing a book.." shortly after my sister was murdered and it became apparent that her murderer was not going to be arrested and no one would be charged with the crime anytime soon. However, life got in the way. I was young, newly married, and starting a career. That would have been plenty to keep me busy but my family needed my help in the aftermath of the murder. … [Read more...]
COLD BLOODED Author Frank Stanfield: Why Are Vampires So Popular?
Why are vampires so popular in pop culture? I mean, sure, Count Dracula wore nice clothes -- black tie for dinner and all -- and he lived in a castle, but he was so creepy. Bela Lugosi launched a career scaring the heck out of moviegoers in 1931’s Dracula. I watched it as a kid on late night “Creature Feature” TV shows in the1960s. Deep psychological messages escaped me at the time. Perhaps I was too busy bonking my little brother over … [Read more...]
Should a Serial Killer Be Set Free?
I knew the stakes when I wrote KILLING WOMEN: The True Story of Serial Killer Don Miller's Reign of Terror. I also know that absent a change in the law, serial killer Don Miller is going to be released from prison in 2031. How could that be? A convicted serial killer, now having been in prison for forty-plus years, released to an unsuspecting public? It's important to understand that Michigan serial killer Don Miller is not in prison for murder. … [Read more...]
