True Crime Stories

As I have stated before, I am trying to get into the habit of researching three or four cases and then composing them one after another.  This time I only researched two cases, and instead of composing them in order I stopped and decided to do the second one first.  Why?  Well, with all of the cases I have researched and looked into I would have guessed that I had "heard it all."  This case proved differently. On May 27, 1994 in an office building in Fort Lauderdale Florida gunshots rang out.  When it was over two victims lay dead with four gunshot wounds each. Another suffered from two gunshot wounds but had still managed to wrestle the gun from the man who had shot him while another man held him until police officers arrived on the scene. The two victims who still lay in the conference room dead were Karen Marx and Clarence Rudolph.  Rudolph was the head of the Senior Community Service Employment that was a subsidy of AARP.  The company helped se...

This case turned out to be very interesting.  For one, unlike so many I come across it seems, there was an abundance of information and articles available. For two, for me while this case started out being about a mass murder it became more about not just mental illness but the responsibility of people who have taken on the role of caregiver or in my opinion in this case enabler. I have written more than a few blogs on cases in which mental illness is, or at least is claimed, to be a factor.  I have had to deal with the mental health community relating to a family member and I rarely pass up a chance to express my distaste at how family members who are legitimately attempting to get help for someone are dismissed.  I have also stated before that while I do not allow mental illness to be an excuse for a horrific crime and the perpetrator deserves punishment, I often believe those who refused to give help when asked should also be held accountable.  This c...