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...]
Lizzette Martinez and Keelin MacGregor
Lizzette Martinez is the survivor and silence-breaker featured in the Emmy-nominated documentary Surviving R. Kelly, Parts 1 & 2. She was one of the first women to come out about the singer publicly to Buzzfeed in 2018. Puerto Rican and from a music family, Lizzette, an aspiring vocalist, was seventeen when she met R. Kelly at a Miami mall. She began a working association with the star that quickly turned into an abusive relationship. Her … [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...]
THE REAL MR. BIG: How A Refugee Became The UK’s Most Notorious Cocaine Kingpin
Born in 1960, Jesus Ruiz Henao grew up poor, but wanted to be rich like the drug dealers he saw growing up in the cocaine-producing region of Colombia’s Valle of the Cauca. To realize his ambition, Ruiz Henao moved to London, United Kingdom, in 1985. There he and his wife settled in the quiet suburb of Hendon, where he held down mundane but respectable cleaning and bus driving jobs. At least to outward appearances ... Actually, Ruiz Henao … [Read more...]
Jesus Ruiz Henao: What I Learned From My Days In The Drug Trade
I was in charge of a multinational cocaine business, a Colombian national who managed to become the first billion pounds cocaine cartel in the United Kingdom. That was a massive life experience where I learned many things. For one thing, it’s astonishing to see how the power of money can corrupt government officials, no matter the country. Many bureaucrats are willing to help or even participate in the drug business without a second … [Read more...]
Benjamin Risha
I am Benjamin Risha, a graduate student in Intelligence Studies and recipient of a bachelor’s degree in History. I was born a child of Arab and Jewish ancestry in the Tony and Susan Alamo religious cult. My purpose in the cult was to bring peace to Arabs and Jews, but fate had different plans for me. I escaped the cult when I was 17. I joined the US ARMY Reserves when I was 18, went to university, learned several languages, received several … [Read more...]
Steve Kosareff
Steve Kosareff wears multiple creative hats due to many interests. He is an author, graphic designer, historian, screenwriter, film director, editor and producer. His first book, WINDOW TO THE FUTURE: THE GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISION MARKETING AND ADVERTISING, was published by Chronicle Books in 2005. The book fondly looks back at the culture of marketing and advertising television sets during the golden age of American manufacturing in the … [Read more...]
How The True Crime Memoir SATIN PUMPS Came To Be
“Satin Pumps” had a long gestation. Over the years when I became involved in projects and my mind began to wander, I would think about writing a book about the time I was young boy and our family doctor murdered his wife. Then just as quickly as the thought crossed my mind I’d file it away in my mental piano bench as music to be played at some other time in the future. About two years ago I discovered I had access to a well-known … [Read more...]
Stranger Than Fiction: 10 Unbelievable True Crime Stories
Big Bird finding a dead woman in his house; a cannibal police officer; a horse suspected of murder; a mysterious crate with horrifying contents; a teenager who murdered his baby sister; one criminal's shocking motive for killing three people; a lady feeding dead men to hogs; an international assassination suspect is murdered in North Carolina for a completely unrelated reason; a family search that ended in harrassment, stalking, and death … [Read more...]
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