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Black Dahlia Mug Shots Last week, a retired detective's private collection of mugshots sold on Ebay for $1,802. The reason? The collection included this original mug shot (right) of Elizabeth Short.

Doesn't Your Heart Just Ache for Him His name is Roy Whiting, and he's in jail for murdering an eight-year-old child. But the convicted murderer got a wittle fwightened in his wittle cell because it once belonged to serial killer Dr. Harold Shipman, who hanged himself there. Creepy ghost noises at night, eh, Mr. Whiting? It might be your conscience. Or maybe the ghost of young Sarah Payne.

Worst True Crime Author Corey Mitchell (Evil Eyes: Coral Eugene Watts, others) has asked his fans to name their best and worst true crime reads. They name as worst: Perfect Town Perfect Murder, Shattered Bonds, Lizzie, Rattlesnake Romeo, My Daddy Killed the Black Dahlia, American Tragedy by Lawrence Schiller, The Gainesville Ripper, and Patricia Cornwell's Jack the Ripper: Case Closed. Can't say I've read them all, but some of them do sound pretty bad. If you've come across a stinker, tell Corey about it.

Dimebag Darrell's Death A new book, A Vulgar Display Of Power: Courage and Carnage At The Alrosa Villa takes on the murder of heavy metal guitarist Darrell Abbott, gunned down in 2004, 24 years to the day after John Lennon was shot. Interestingly, the book was published by a company that usually puts out music -- MJS Music Publications.

Ron Franscell's Fall This new true crime book about an old kidnapping/murder case in Wyoming is getting amazing reviews. "Read it in broad daylight," says the Vail Trail, "because “Fall” is going to chill you like no other true crime book you’ve ever read." Similarly, from the Pahrump Valley Times: "Lock your doors, make sure your kids are safe in bed, and pick up this horrifyingly absorbing memoir."

The Other Innocent Man John Grisham's true crime book took on the story of one of two defendants wrongfully convicted of rape and murder and later exonerated by DNA evidence. The second defendant in that case just published his own account of the matter -- it's Journey Toward Justice by Dennis Fritz. The Amazon reviews give universally high marks.

Another exoneration? Dallas County, Texas is now the exoneration capital of America. Twelve (!) men have been released from prison in the last six years. The New York Times wrote a piece on it. 

Story of the Week: "Sorry, true crime buffs...." That's the lead on a piece in the National Geographic aimed at those who saw conspiracies in the death of Bonaparte. "Sorry, true crime buffs. One of history's greatest "murder" mysteries may have just been laid to rest," it says. "Accusations of foul play have swirled around Napoleon Bonaparte's death for nearly two hundred years, despite the original autopsy findings, which said the French emperor had succumbed to stomach cancer..."

Finally, sick pervert search of the week

Comments

[Robert A. Waters]

Laura, a couple of those "worst books" were very good. "The Gainesville Ripper" was well-researched and well-written. Its subject, Danny rolling, was a vile character who was justly executed recently, but that's not the fault of the author. Also, Patricia Cornwell's "Jack the Ripper: Case Closed" was an excellent book. Agree with her or not (I don't), she presented her case in a vert compelling fashion. Her description of London during the gaslight era was mind-boggling. Maybe Corey's fans just don't like "ripper" books.