How did Charles Manson, an illiterate ex-con, become such an influential cult leader and turn a group of peaceful hippies into cold-blooded killers? Journalist Tom O'Neill set out to answer this and more in his book, 'Chaos.' Read about Manson's early years—starting with his neglectful mother, then moving on to his stints in institutions for 'delinquent' children and ultimately, in federal prison.
During the 1970s, David Berkowitz, also known as 'The Son of Sam,' prowled New York City, fatally shooting couples in cars. By the time he was arrested in August 1977, he had killed six people and wounded seven others. Although the murders stopped after his arrest, several people who worked on the Son of Sam case are convinced Berkowitz didn't act alone.
Forehead mutilation, an LSD hamburger and a missing lawyer all made the Tate-LaBianca murder trial highly unusual.
In three decades as an undercover operative for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Vincent A. Cefalu risked his life investigating groups from outlaw motorcycle gangs to the Ku Klux Klan. Cefalu spoke with us about the undercover moments that frightened him most.
Aiyana Gauvin, Adrian Jones and Roman Barreras are some of the high-profile cases from the past few years of children who were abused and ultimately killed by their parents. We speak with experts about why some parents unleash such extreme violence on their children.
It's hard to imagine there was once a time when women trusted serial killer Ted Bundy to take care of their children—but that's exactly what happened in the summer of 1975. Bundy would sometimes take two young boys to a local pool or the drive-in. Years later, one of those boys reflects on incidents that may have hinted at Bundy's dark and secretive world.
On June 4, 2008, a 30-year-old legal-insurance salesman named Travis Alexander was brutally slain in the bathroom of his Mesa, Arizona home. We examine the details of the crime, the conviction of Alexander's girlfriend Jodi Arias and what Arias's life is like in prison now.
Known for her empathetic approach with the public, officer Jill Marshall was first drawn to law enforcement in high school, and has never second guessed that path. She spoke with us about how she got started, lessons she's learned on the job with the Warwick Police Department and the real story behind her dog's name.
In 1989 amid a media frenzy, five Black boys were arrested for raping and beating a Central Park jogger. After years in prison, their charges were vacated—but their lives were changed forever.
Helen Potts, a young woman of wealth and privilege overdosed on morphine and died in 1890 while attending a prestigious finishing school. Her husband, Carlyle Harris, a med student whom she had married in secret, had prescribed her some pills containing the drug. But the pills contained enough morphine to kill a person—and Harris knew it.
