The tale I tell in “Mothers & Murderers,” has haunted me for almost forty years -- and eluded me for nearly thirty. I was first entangled with its characters in the summer of 1981. At the time, I was a cub reporter, covering a San Jose, California, trial involving the contract murder of a wealthy bachelor named Howard Witkin. Ten years later, after the murder investigation took an unexpected turn, I wrote a book proposal that promptly sold … [Read more...]
Roman Martín Provides A Guide To The Mobster Life In UNDERWORLD
Have you ever fantasized about being able to do whatever you want, when you want, and to whom you want? Or perhaps you’ve dreamed about never having to take crap off anyone ever again? If so, then the Mafia could be the perfect new profession for you! For the first time in history, there is now an easy-to-follow self-help guide on how to join and rise in the most exclusive men’s club in the world—the Italian-American Mafia (aka La Cosa Nostra). … [Read more...]
TANTAMOUNT Dives Into Washington DC’s Oldest Unsolved Serial Killing Spree
In 1971 and 1972, a deadly predator stalked the streets of the nation’s capital. His targets, young girls who he kidnapped, raped, and left their remains along busy roadways in plain view. Some of his victims he held captive for days, others only a few minutes. Seven victims raging from the ages of ten to eighteen died in his hands. Then, as mysteriously as he started, the Freeway Phantom stopped. On one victim … [Read more...]
TANTAMOUNT Photo Gallery
Get a closer look at the photos from Blaine Pardoe and Victoria Hester's new true crime TANTAMOUNT … [Read more...]
MOTHERS AND MURDERERS: A True Story by Pulitzer Prize Winner Katherine Ellison
"A dark jewel" - Jacquelyn Mitchard, bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean Mothers & Murderers: A True Story of Love, Lies, Obsession … and Second Chances takes readers on a wild tragicomic ride from the criminal courtrooms of California’s Silicon Valley to the Himalayan mountains of Pakistan to the deserts of Ethiopia. In delightful, insightful prose, Ellison reflects on her mistakes and her triumphs as she weaves together the … [Read more...]
UNDERWORLD Author Roman Martín on Dispelling the Hollywood Myth About Mickey Cohen
Bonjourno, amici nostra! Welcome to UNDERWORLD, my spanking new blog about organized crime (“OC”) and the Italian-American Mafia, coupled with helpful hints about how to improve your own budding criminal career. Rather than waste time about my motivations for doing so, or about my bonafides as a self-proclaimed expert, let’s just get right to it. Today’s topic is all about debunking the Tinsel Town-perpetuated myth that Mickey Cohen … [Read more...]
Author Caitlin Rother; Taking a Look at the Death Penalty, Nationally and in California
When Governor Gavin Newsom issued an order to extend the moratorium on executions in California in March, the lead detective and the victims’ families in the Hawks case were all very upset. After sitting through three trials in this case, two of which resulted in death sentences for defendants who killed their family members, they have been waiting a decade to see these murderers receive the ultimate punishment. But they are likely going to … [Read more...]
Roman Martín
Roman Martín was born the youngest of five quintuplets in Scottsdale, Arizona to a wealthy used-furniture manufacturer and his homemaker wife. Roman’s fascination with crime began shortly after his birth when an ex-con climbed a ladder to the second-story of his home, crawled into the nursery, and snatched him from his crib. As the kidnapper later told the local press after his arrest, “He was the best one of the litter. You could tell he … [Read more...]
Rother Looks Back on the Career-long Coverage of a Murder Case
As a professional journalist for the past 32 years, I’ve published thousands of news and feature articles for newspapers and magazines. I’ve also written and coauthored 13 books since 2005, penned countless blog posts, and I’m working on two new books as we speak. But now that I’m looking back over my career, I realize that I’ve been researching and writing about the case of the transgender killer, Skylar Deleon, and the murder of Tom and … [Read more...]
DEAD RECKONING by New York Times Bestselling Author Caitlin Rother
Tom and Jackie Hawks loved their life in retirement, sailing on their yacht, the Well Deserved. But when the birth of a new grandson called them back to Arizona, they put the boat up for sale. Skylar Deleon and his pregnant wife Jennifer showed up as prospective buyers, with their baby in a stroller, and the Hawkses thought they had a deal. Soon after a sea trial and an alleged purchase, however, the older couple disappeared and the Deleons … [Read more...]
