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...]
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 Photo Gallery
Pulitzer Prize Winner Katherine Ellison
Katherine Ellison is a Pulitzer-prize-winning former foreign correspondent and the author of ten non-fiction books, on topics ranging from Imelda Marcos to environmental conservation to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. From 1984-99, she reported from Asia, Africa, and Latin America for Knight Ridder Newspapers, covering attempted coups, earthquakes, samba parades, civil wars, drug-trafficking, dictators, Avon ladies in the Amazon and … [Read more...]
PLAYING DEAD: A Memoir Of Terror And Survival
Winner of multiple literary awards! Monique, the daughter of San Diego Charger's football great Earl Faison, married her high school sweetheart soon after she discovered she was pregnant with his child. Her relationship with Chris was shaky from the start, but turned tumultuous as he became verbally and physically abusive. When she could no longer put up with the abuse, she left him with their children. That was when the stalking and genuine … [Read more...]
PLAYING DEAD Photo Gallery
Monique Faison Ross
Monique Faison Ross was born in San Francisco and grew up as an only child in San Diego. She was raised primarily by her mom, Barbara, an industrial engineer. Her father, William Earl (Earle) Faison, was a four-time all-star defensive end for the San Diego Chargers. Monique has worked as a program manager for a Connecticut educational non-profit since 2004. She has also served in various volunteer roles—from being a board of trustee member … [Read more...]
RACE TO JUSTICE
The Indy-Car community cried for justice. They knew who was guilty; they just couldn’t prove it. Cynthia Albrecht, the executive chef of the Penske-Marlboro racing team and darling of the IndyCar circuit, went missing on October 25, 1992—the night before her divorce from Michael Albrecht became final. Drivers and racing crews from across the country converged on "The Brickyard," site of the Indianapolis 500, to help search for her. … [Read more...]
TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE
The Book That Won A Presidential Pardon! Updated With Breaking News! Plus Copy Of The Pardon! On the morning of July 2, 2012, in the most dangerous warzone in the world, Lieutenant Clint Lorance took command of his small band of American paratroopers at the spearhead of the American War in Afghanistan. Intelligence reports that morning warned of a Taliban ambush against Lorance’s platoon. Fifteen minutes into their patrol, three … [Read more...]
