True Crime Stories

If you are a regular reader of my blog then you know I have particular feelings when it comes to the truly mentally ill as well as the way they are dealt with in society long before there is ever a crime committed. In the same respect I am definitely not a fan of those who imply someone is mentally ill to get them out of a crime. But, how do we determine mentally ill and what can be defined as such is more of a touchy line that is often jumped over. What I mean by this is someone with bi-polar disorder is generally classified as mentally ill, but what about someone who has psychopath or sociopathic behaviors? Do they also classify as mentally ill? Both of the latter diagnosis' are basically the same with the psychopath being of more severe quality. And, like many mental illnesses it is technically not wise to diagnose anyone under the age of eighteen with any one of these diseases despite the fact that the signs are there. Much of that has to do with not wanting to diag...

It often amazes me when I stumble upon cases that there seems to be a multitude of people involved in the crime, especially when they are all related. I have always disagreed with the rule that a spouse does not have to testify against another spouse and yet a parent does not get that same privileged when one of their children have been accused of a crime. So many gave Cindy Anthony a hard time when she testified in her daughters trial believing that she lied. I too believe that she did and while I do think she went further in her lies than she should have, I also believe she should have never been given the burden of testifying against her daughter. So when it comes to parents I get it, we're here to help, not harm our children but a line has to be drawn somewhere. As a mother I love my children and while I would not want to be put in the position of testifying against them, I also would not go as far as to help them commit a crime in any way. Such is not the case for a...

We all know that when someone is murdered authorities first look at those closest to the victim. This is never more true than when someone is murdered in their home and there does not appear to be any forced entry. This was the case in the murders of Gary Tyrrell and his wife Jan in Springfield Missouri. Not only were they murdered in their home that showed no sign of forced entry but their home was full of very high priced valuables and at first appearance nothing seemed to be missing. A walk in safe in the basement had pry marks on it indicating someone tried to get inside but again, at first look the home still seemed to have many valuables inside. Sixty year old Gary had been shot twice and his sixty-one year old wife looked to have been beaten by what was described as a “rare engraved walrus tusk.” The couple were found on May 1, 2014 by their only child, daughter Jessica. She told authorities that she became concerned when she could not reach her parents. Invest...

When a couple divorces the claws come out. So often it is only then that allegations of abuse arise and while this is sometimes the case, the courts have become leery of these allegations over the years because so many times it has been found to be false. Judges and courts are left to decide who to believe in cases. I had a personal experience in my own previous divorce that left me wondering if false allegations would land me in legal trouble and left my family fearing for my life. I was less concerned with the latter but looking back I have often wondered if I was not just too naive to believe things could have been worse after learning more things. The case involving Allen Blackthorne and his ex-wife Sheila Bellush was just as muddied. The couple had married in 1982 and had two daughters, Stevie and Daryl. While throughout my research I found instances where it stated they were divorced in either 1986, 1987, 1988 or 1989 (yes it was crazy how many different years I...

Two things are often said when a couple divorces...... You are not divorcing the same person you married and there are generally three sides to every story. Obviously not every marriage ends in divorce but I would gander to guess there are plenty of us here who can attest to these statements pertaining to their own divorce, no matter how vicious or not-so vicious it was. Of course when you marry someone the majority of us think it will be for life and we at least at the time believe we love the other person. By the time a divorce comes around those feelings have faded for at least one of the people and by the time it is over the majority of all of the parties are left asking themselves what they were thinking in the first place. When you add children and finances in the mix it makes things even worse. As far as the statement about three sides to a story, it is often said there is “his side, her side, and the truth.” That does not mean that one of the other sides does not h...