Forensic Colleges

Everyone knows crime does not pay- someone should have told these criminals this- as they clearly did not get the message. The following criminals should have researched their crime books a little closer:

Jeff Rarey- Rarey, a 54 year old man made his way through an Indianapolis Airport and when he reached the security check point he told security that he had “a big bomb in his belly.” Of course, Rarey was referring to the Cinnabon and pizza he had rumbling around in his stomach, but security didn’t think it was too funny and he was arrested on a charge of false reporting.

Henry Lee Bobo- When police showed up to investigate a robbery, they didn’t have to look very far- Henry Lee Bobo had left his id behind. Not surprisingly, when cops caught up with him a couple blocks from the store, he was wearing the stolen items with the price tags still attached and was arrested.

Kevin Crockett- 25 year old Crockett robbed a bank in downtown Cincinnati, giving the tellers notes that demanded cash and then fled the bank. Only problem was, Crockett was so fast to get away he dropped his wallet on the sidewalk outside, which was stained with ink from an exploding dye pack in the bag of cash. Crockett’s wallet contained identification and he was found and arrested a couple of days later.

Andrea Elliot- Police were attempting to arrest 44 year old Andrea Elliot when she called 911- on herself. Elliot, who was being arrested for aggravated disorderly conduct called 911 and said she needed help because she was being arrested. Elliot was also slapped with an additional charge of making a false 911 call.

Ricky Hefflin- While attempting to enter a Fulton County Courthouse, Hefflin was stopped after looking nervous before going through the metal detectors. Noticing a bulge in Hefflin’s pocket, an officer asked him to empty out his pockets to which he refused and claimed he didn’t have anything on him. After being searched, police found a bag with 19 smaller bags inside containing marijuana and he was arrested.

Nathan Pugh- Attempting to rob a bank that he was a customer of, Nathan Pugh handed the teller a Whataburger bag with a note inside that read, “this is not food” claiming that the bag was a “bom.” The teller asked Pugh to see identification after he demanded $2000 and he complied as she hit the silent alarm and was arrested before he could even leave the bank.

Crystal Whittaker- Along with an accomplice, Whittaker stuffed $300 worth of clothing in a shopping bag inside of the JcPenney’s dressing room and ran off. Only problem was Whittaker left something behind- her 10 month old baby. While making her dash through the parking lot, she also threw her purse which had her identification in it.

Charlie Horn- 22 year old Charlie Horn was arrested for burglarizing a home in Ohio. After initially trying to deny the incident and claim his innocence police were convinced they had their man- Horn had been wearing a court-ordered GPS tracking unit. The police were able to put him at the scene of the crime and track his every move.

Yancy Cochran- Cochran showed up at an Iowa Courthouse to bail out one of his friends who had been arrested for unpaid parking tickets. After Cochran paid the 300 hundred dollar fine in fake 50 dollar bills he was arrested and later confessed to making the bills at his home. Cochran was charged with a felony, forgery that is punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

Dwayne Davis- Police in Florida had been showing a store’s surveillance video and asking for help from the public in apprehending an unidentified man seen pistol whipping another man. A news station had been showing a segment of local unsolved crimes and Davis phoned the police department to ask why his picture was on the news.

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Leaving your family and home for the first time and moving into the dorms can be a fun and exciting experience. This is a great time to meet people, make new friends, and experience the college life. While almost all dorms on campus take security measures to ensure the safety of its residents, crimes do occur on campus dorm halls and university housing. Here are 10 tips to help make your experience a safer one:

Don’t let strangers into the dorm- It is very important to not let people you do not know into the dorms. Be careful when coming in that a stranger doesn’t follow you, same goes for holding the door or elevator open for someone you don’t know. You might feel rude or unfriendly, but again, safety in the dorm area is very important.

Be careful with your key- Take good care of your dorm key and do not lend it out. Also, you should not hide it outside the dorm room for someone, or leave your door unlocked- even for a minute, safety is more important that convenience. Lock and secure all doors and windows at all times- even when napping, showering or studying.

Protect your valuables- Never leaves valuables, jewelry, credit cards, or cash in plain view or around your window or door. Be sure to place anything of value and importance to you in a secure place. It is a good idea to mark all your important belongings with property tags or to place locks on them.

Don’t invite unwanted attention- Never dress or change in front of a window or open door. Be mindful of where and when you are getting out of the shower or changing and be sure not to do either in front of a window with the blinds or curtains open. This is sure to cause unwanted and potentially dangerous attention.

Take caution with repairmen- If someone knocks on your door and asks to be let in to repair something in your room, do not be afraid to question them and ask for proper identification. You should also call the office or a resident assistant or manager and verify that someone is supposed to be coming in to repair something. Only allow someone in your room once they have properly identified themselves.

Don’t start a fire- Most campuses have a list of items that are not allowed inside the dorms and they are banned for a reason. Limit the amount of halogen and floor lamps in your room and never drape anything over them. Remember to avoid having too many appliances in one outlet or power cord, monitor cooking and cooking appliances, avoid using candles and smoking in or around the dorm area.

Use your peephole- Most dorm halls have peepholes in the door. If someone knocks on your door and you do not know them or cannot see anything, do not, for any reason open the door. Call a resident assistant or manager to help you assess the situation.

Always monitor your stuff- It is important to keep an eye out for your belongings in public. Whether you stop for a quick bathroom break, go to another room for just a second or grab a quick bite to eat it is important to not leave your things unattended. Always keep your backpack, purse, and keys with you.

Report suspicious people- It is important to report any person or group of people that appear suspicious to a resident assistant, manager, or the campus police. Do not approach the person or group or attempt to take the situation into your own hands.

Drink wisely- If you have a couple of drinks, be careful to take extra precaution while under the influence of alcohol and don’t overdo it. Alcohol can impairment your judgment and leave you in a vulnerable situation that can be unsafe. Do not, under any circumstances allow alcohol to prevent you from taking the necessary tips to stay alert and out of harm’s way.

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Human smuggling is the attempted transportation, facilitation, or illegal entry of a person or several people across an international border or borders through deception and often with the use of fraudulent documents. Human smuggling has become a lot more complex and expensive in recent years, due to more compound law enforcement stings and the influx of agents that have been assigned to states were immigration has become an increasing problem. Here are some of the biggest human smuggling busts:

Arizona bust- In April of 2010, Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents, cooperating with several other agencies busted a human smuggling ring that carried thousands of illegal immigrants from Mexico, Central America, and China across the border to cities all over the United States, including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. With over 800 agents, possibly the biggest coordination ever by ICE agents, the sting had been a work in progress for over 2 years. After bringing the immigrants into the US, the human smugglers worked with local shuttle companies that would transport them to places all over the US. 47 people were arrested and 10 million dollars in assets, including real estate and property, were seized in the bust.

Victoria, Texas bust- A human smuggling bust in Texas in May of 2003 stands to be the deadliest human smuggling attempt on record in the US. More than 100 male and female immigrants from Mexico, Honduras and the Dominican Republic were stuffed into a tractor-trailer in South Texas headed for Houston, Texas. The trailer was later found abandoned at a truck stop about 115 miles away from Houston; the people inside had clawed away at the insulation inside the trailer, kicked and punch holes in the sides of the trailer, and cried and screamed until they were discovered. Authorities found 17 people dead from suffocation and dehydration in and around the trailer and several dozen were sent to hospitals to be treated, 2 of which later died in the hospital. The driver of the truck was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Los Angeles, California raid- 8 people were arrested in October 2009 after police, ICE agents and investigators conducted a sting operation on a family that illegally smuggled immigrants into the US and housed them until they were transported. The family, which included a couple and their son, who were believed to be the masterminds behind the operation, would charge between 2500 and 4500 dollars to smuggle Mexican immigrants into the US, and charged even double to smuggle Chinese immigrants. The group is responsible for smuggling at least 200 immigrants a year into the US.

Chui Ping Cheng- Chiu Ping Cheng aka, “Sister Ping” was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2006 for her role in organizing a large human smuggling operation that lasted from 1984 and 2000. Cheng was charged with smuggling thousands of Chinese immigrants into the US- charging as much as $30,000 per person. Cheng was also involved in the Golden Venture tragedy in which the ship, which was carrying 300 illegal immigrants from China into the US, ran aground after a rebellion by the smugglers. 10 immigrants died trying to swim to shore, while the rest got away- or were deported or imprisoned.

Taiwan ring- In June of 2009, the National Immigration Agency arrested 74 suspects all in connection with a human smuggling operation that smuggled more than 40 Chinese citizens into the US, making over 3 million dollars, in 2 years. The group of smugglers was responsible for soliciting families that wanted to send their daughters to the US, and would sometimes charge them between 60 and 70 thousand dollars per person. The Border Affair Corps spent more than 8 months building their case leading up to the arrests of the 74 suspects; the main suspect, Ten Weng-shen, who is believed to have directed the operations, remains at large.

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Escalating violence has been a legitimate concern in US border cities as the war on drugs, smuggling, and organized crimes grows increasingly more dangerous and threatens the lives of US citizens across the US-Mexico border. Mexican drug gangs competing for control of smuggling routes and clashing with government forces have resulted in kidnappings, beheadings, torture, and major gun and grenade battles. It is estimated that over 22,000 people have been killed since Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderon declared a war on drugs in 2007. According to the US State Department, it is estimated that 90% of cocaine that enters the US transits Mexico and that Mexican drug cartels control about 70% of the narcotic flow into the US. In 2008, 79 US citizens were killed in Mexico in relation to drug wars, up from 35 people in 2007, according to the State Department. These are some of the few cities affected by border violence and the war on drugs:

El Paso- Located in West Texas, El Paso lies across the border to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua in Mexico. Rival drug cartels fighting over smuggling routes have been responsible for over 4,000 deaths in Ciudad Juarez alone in the last two years. Because Ciudad Juarez is one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico, possibly even in the world, El Paso officials and intelligence have been on high alert to keep the violence from coming into their city. In March of 2010, a US Consulate worker, her husband, and the husband of another US Consulate employee, were gunned down leaving a birthday party in Ciudad Juarez. More recently, in June, several bullets hit City Hall in El Paso; the bullets are believed to be stray bullets from a gun fight that was taking place across the border in Ciudad, Juarez.

Brownsville- Located at the southernmost tip of Texas, Brownsville shares a border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. In September of 2009, a gun battle that lasted hours broke out in broad daylight in Matamoros and several stray bullets hit buildings and cars on The University of Texas at Brownsville campus in Brownsville forcing administrators to shut the campus for several days. Gun battles have also caused shutdowns in one, two or all three bridges that connect Brownville to Matamoros in the last few years. Residents of South Texas and the border areas have been urged to stay away from Mexico as members of the cartels have set up fake checkpoints all across northern Mexico states to target travelers for kidnapping, robbery, violent crimes and to avoid having them get caught up in crossfire during gun battles that occur pretty frequently.

Laredo- Located on the north bank of the Rio Grande River in South Texas, Laredo sits just across the border from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. In April of 2010, a Mexican drug gang targeted the US Consulate in Nuevo Laredo and threw explosives over the fence. The US Consulate in Nuevo Laredo has also been shut down several times in the past because of threats or actual criminal attempts being carried out on the Consulate grounds. Due to several recent gun wars in the Nuevo Laredo area, one of which ended with 39 people dead, residents have been urged on several different occasions to take shelter and avoid the bridge areas.

San Diego- Located in California, San Diego is situated on the US Mexico border adjacent to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. One of the problems San Diego residents face is kidnapping on both sides of the border. More specifically, a gang knows as Las Palillos had been known to kidnap wealthy business people, hold them for ransom, and murder them so that they could not testify against them later. Las Palillos is responsible for at least 9 murders and several kidnappings, and many others that went unreported. Recently, Border Patrol agents in San Diego have been asked to wear protective gear under their uniforms and take extra caution as drug cartel members have threatened to kill Border Patrol agents after a Mexican citizen was killed by Border Patrol agents last month.

Nogales- Nogales, Arizona borders the Mexican town of the same name, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. While Nogales seems to be one of the border towns less affected by the drug and smuggling wars, the city has had some violence. In March 2010, a prominent Arizona rancher was found shot to death on an ATV on his ranch and footprints on the crime scene led back across the Mexico border. In July 2010, a major gun battle broke out a few miles from the Mexican town between rival drug and migrant traffickers and resulted in the death of 21 people and several others wounded. It is also reported that an 80 mile stretch along the Arizona border, including parts of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, were closed as an increase in drug smugglers and illegal activity threatened the safety of visitors.

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Crimes committed in college can sometimes be pretty synonymous with drinking and experimenting with drugs. The majority of crimes committed by college students on this list have to do with drinking and being drunk. While many of these offenses depend on jurisdiction and laws and sentencing vary by state, sometimes they can be generally put into the same categories. It is always best to limit yourself and be aware of the law to avoid these all too common offenses:

Public Urination- Public urination has occurred when a person has urinated or defecated in a public place other than a restroom and usually results in a misdemeanor. This offense can carry a sentence of no more than 1 year in jail and/or a fine not to exceed $1000 and/or community service. Public urination is pretty common among college students on and off campus as they are unable or do not want to hold their urges to go to the bathroom.

PI- Public Intoxication occurs when a person appears in public under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol to the degree that he or she is a danger to himself/herself and/or others. Depending on the severity of the situation public intoxication is usually considered a misdemeanor offense and can be punishable by up to 30 days in jail and/or up to a $1000 fine and counseling.

Disorderly conduct- While disorderly conduct can also be associated with being drunk in public it can also be given to someone for behaving in disruptive manners, fighting, behaving erratically, and engaging in lewd acts in public, amongst others. Depending on the severity of the case disorderly conduct charges can be tried as misdemeanors or felonies and the penalties can start with a small fine or up to jail time and/or larger fines.

DWI- Driving while intoxicated occurs when a person is operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. A DWI is a pretty serious offense and can be punishable by jail time, fines, loss of drivers license, court ordered counseling, community services, and others. Studies show about 1,700 college students aged 18-24 die in alcohol related accidents each year. Additionally, a recent college survey showed 25% of college students admitted to driving after drinking in the past month.

MIP- A Minor in possession occurs when a person who is under the legal drinking age is caught in possession of alcohol and sometimes just for drinking. MIP’s are usually ticketed and fined between $100-500, which can usually be lowered by doing community service or completing some sort of alcohol counseling course. Some states suspend driver’s licenses from a period of 30 days up to a year.

Possession of Marijuana or drug paraphernalia- Depending on how much the person is caught with, the penalties can become very severe. If he/she is caught with a very small amount the offense is usually considered a misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine and in some cases up to 30 days in jail. Marijuana is the second most used drug, behind alcohol, in college students and according to The National Institute on Drug Abuse, 48% of college students have used marijuana.

Hazing- Hazing is a ritual or other activity involving harassment, humiliation, and sometimes abuse as a means of initiation of one into a certain group. A National Hazing survey suggests that more than half of college students in clubs and organizations experience hazing. Hazing has resulted in several deaths and serious injury across colleges in the U.S. and is considered a felony in many states.

Noise Ordinance violation- A noise ordinance violation disturbs a person of reasonable sensitivities and exceeds the sound level limit set forth by the ordinance. These ordinances vary greatly by community and campus but are usually pretty common amongst parties thrown by college students. At first, there is usually no penalty as it is common to be given warnings. Several violations or failure to control noise can result in fines not to exceed $500.

Jaywalking- Jaywalking is a term used to describe when a pedestrian illegally, carelessly, or without the right-of-way crosses a roadway. While jaywalking is not one of the most serious offenses, people ticketed for jaywalking can be fined up to $250.

Rape- A rape occurs when a person has assaulted another involving sexual intercourse without the person’s consent. Rape is the most common violent crime committed on American campuses today. Since there are several different classes and types of rapes it is hard to give an accurate sentence to rape but it can be punishable by up to 99 years in prison. College stats show that 1 in 4 college females surveyed are victims of rape or attempted rape with 85% of those being acquaintance rapes.

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Throughout American history, serial killers have both captivated and horrified their fellow citizens. They’re capable of altering the daily lives of large populations in a way that’s only rivaled by natural disasters. If they’re caught, we’re left wondering what possessed such seemingly harmless people – many times they look like your average Joe with a nine-to-five job – to become such monsters. Unfortunately, there have been numerous serial killers who have lived among ordinary Americans since this country’s beginnings. The most notorious of them just happened to receive the most press coverage during the last century when the media became most pervasive. Below is a list of 20 of the America’s most notorious serial killers; the ones who truly kept us watching our backs and cringing in disgust.

• Jeffrey Dahmer

  Dahmer was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. At the time of his arrest, few people imagined the polite man with blond hair, blue eyes and thick glasses was capable of killing, dismembering and cannibalizing 17 young men. But his murders remain among the most gruesome in American history. Most of his victims were poor Asian, African-American and Latino men from the Milwaukee area.

• Ted Bundy

  It might have been Bundy’s good looks and charm that helped lure his victims into positions of vulnerability. He confessed to roughly 30 murders by the time of his 1989 execution, but criminal justice experts estimate that he committed several more. The victims were strangled and mutilated, and he slept with their corpses until they became unbearably decayed. But that didn’t deter thousands of women from sending him letters of adoration while he was in prison.

• Charles Manson

  Manson and his gang of four people most notoriously killed actress Sharon Tate in 1969. The Manson Family, which was mostly composed of naïve and troubled young women, was convicted of killing seven people in total. The charismatic leader dreamed of a racial revolution that would eventually result in the Manson Family ruling the world.

• Dennis Rader

  The BTK Killer was finally caught in 2005 after murdering 10 people between January of 1974 and January of 2005. Rader sent several letters during that time period to police stations and media outlets, anonymously taking credit for the acts. He managed to cover his tracks until investigators finally traced a floppy disk he had sent to a Wichita TV station back to the Christ Lutheran Church where he was the president of church council.

• David Berkowitz

  The summer of 1977 was the Summer of Sam in New York City when the Son of Sam, David Berkowitz, killed six people while alerting the police and media – not unlike the BTK Killer – detailing his crimes. The 24-year-old sharpshooter claimed that howls from dogs from around his neighborhood were messages from demons that demanded him to kill women.

• Gary Ridgway

  Two bodies found in Seattle’s Green River in 1982 were the first of dozens of bodies – many of whom were young female prostitutes – discovered throughout Washington during the next several years. The culprit was Gary Ridgway, or The Green River Killer, who wasn’t officially identified until 2001 despite being subject to suspicion not long after his first crimes were committed. He would eventually confess to 48 murders.

• John Wayne Gacy

  Before the bodies of 29 young men and boys were discovered on his property in 1978, Gacy was known around Chicago for being nothing more than a friendly neighbor. He dressed up as Pogo the Clown and was the chaplain of the Jaycees. Because of his reputation, many people failed to consider that he was arrested for sodomy with a minor during the ’60s.

• Boston Strangler

  The Strangler’s reign of terror in Boston lasted from the summer of 1962 to the winter of 1964. A total of 13 women were killed, ranging from 19 to 85 years of age. It’s believed that the women allowed him into their apartments, where he sexually assaulted and strangled them. Albert DeSalvo confessed to the 11 Strangler killings and two others, and was sentenced to life in prison in 1967. But doubt remains that he was the killer, and some believe that more people may have been involved.

• Zodiac Killer (identity unknown)

  The crimes of the Zodiac Killer remain unsolved more than 40 years after they occurred. He killed five people in Northern California from December 1968 to October 1969, and sent a series of cryptic letters to newspapers taking credit for the murders. He claimed credit for 37 murders in total; but police have never found his identity, so the truthfulness of his confessions is in question.

• Richard Ramirez

  Ramirez became a heavy drug user and Satan worshipper by the age of 18, and by the age of 24, he was a full-fledged serial killer. In 1989, He was convicted for 13 murders in California that occurred between June of 1984 and August of 1985. His nickname, the Night Stalker was inspired by his favorite rock group – AC/DC.

• Coral Eugene Watts

  Watts is the most notorious American serial killer who you don’t know about; his deeds rival those of Gacy, Bundy and Dahmer. He confessed to more than 80 murders in total, and he received immunity in 1982 for confessing to 12 of them. His string of killings lasted from 1974 until 1982, and his victims were women ranging from age 14 to 44.

• Dean Corll

  The Candy Man – a nickname he acquired because he worked in his mother’s candy store – was responsible for killing more than 27 boys and young men. Corll’s crimes became known as the Houston Mass Murders during the early ’70s. He employed the help of two teenage boys who assisted him in his abductions; one of whom eventually killed him and confessed his role in the murders.

• Richard Angelo

  Angelo wasn’t receiving the praise he thought he deserved at Long Island’s Good Samaritan Hospital in 1987, so he decided to put himself in the best position to save lives. Unfortunately, that entailed poisoning patients with Pavulon and Anectine until they were near death. As a result, 25 people were estimated to have died, and just 12 people survived.

• Albert Fish

  Fish’s vile deeds included pedophilia, cannibalism and murder. When he was captured, he admitted to molesting more than 400 children. Many of his victims were African-Americans; he believed he would be less likely to get caught because they wouldn’t be missed. There were just three known murders committed by Fish, though he confessed to killing hundreds.

• Eddie Gein

  The body parts of 15 different women were found on his property; many of which were made into household items, including a chair composed of human skin upholstery and a skull that was used for a bowl. Gein accumulated the body parts after two murders and while grave-robbing.

• Belle Gunness

  Very few serial killers are female, but Gunness was just as heartless as her male counterparts. It’s believed that she killed more than 40 people on her Indiana farm, including her own two children, husbands and potential suitors who she lured to her property through personal ads. She is said to have died in a fire in 1908, but many claimed she fled the state with the money she had accumulated from the men she killed.

• Angel Maturino Resendiz

  Resendiz was responsible for at least 24 deaths in the US from 1986 to 1999. Also known as Rafael Resendez-Ramirez and The Railcar Killer, he used numerous aliases as he traveled the country by rail, murdering and robbing people in Texas, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky and Georgia. He also confessed to killing more people in Mexico.

• Derrick Todd Lee

  Responsible for at least seven deaths from 1992 to 2003, Lee focused his carnage on the Louisiana State University area in Baton Rouge. Charlotte Pace, a 22-year-old LSU student, was stabbed 81 times with a knife and screwdriver in 2002. Lee was eventually sentenced to death despite his IQ of 65.

• John Allen Muhammad

  The Washington DC area was kept in a constant state of fear during October of 2002 when a series of random sniper killings occurred. Muhammad along with his 17-year-old accomplice, Lee Malvo, killed 16 people in total; most of the murders occurred in DC, Maryland and Virginia. Muhammad was put to death in November of 2009.

• Herman Webster Mudgett

  Nineteenth century serial killer Herman Webster Mudgett, also known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, confessed to murdering 27 people. Killing was a profitable business for Mudgett, who lured women into his Chicago castle, where he tortured and killed them after forcing them to sign over their life savings. He also performed abortions and made skeletal models using his victims’ bones, which he sold to medical schools.

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Dubbed the “Craigslist Killer” in April 2009, Phillip Markoff, 24 was indicted on charges of First Degree Murder and armed robbery, amongst other charges. After responding to several different ads on the erotic services of Craigslist, Markoff allegedly met up with 3 different women in Boston and Rhode Island area hotels and robbed them at gunpoint; one of the women fought back and was murdered. After following up on hundreds of leads Markoff was arrested and despite the alarming amount of evidence against him has entered a not guilty plea; he is set to go to trial in June 2010.

In March of 2009, 50 year old radio reporter, George Weber was found dead in his apartment after being stabbed at least 50 times in the neck and upper body. After responding to a S & M sex Craigslist ad posted by 16 year old John Katehis, the two agreed to meet up and exchange sex for money. Katehis describes himself on his MySpace profile as “Extremist, an Anarchist, a Sadomasochist” and originally told police he killed him after Weber tried to stab him first.

In April 2010, a Washington couple agreed to meet a couple that responded to their Craigslist ad selling a ring for $1050. The two people who were posing as a couple interested in buying the ring for their mother-in-law, entered the home of James Sanders and tied up Sanders, his wife, and their two children. Two others then entered the home and began to beat one of the children and the father was shot and killed while trying to protect his son. All four people were arrested within a couple of days.

A Vancouver couple was arrested in May of 2008 after allegedly posting an ad on Craigslist to sell their 7 day old baby for $10,000 because they “can’t afford” her. After being alerted to the post, Vancouver police tracked the post to an apartment in Vancouver’s West End where the couple was arrested and the child placed in Child Protective Services. The couple has since told authorities that the posting was a joke.

Kennith Goodwin, a 51 year old U.S. Postmaster from Washington was arrested in May 2010 after he allegedly tried to solicit sex on Craigslist with detectives posing as a 13 year old girl. Federal investigators said that the computer he had been using to correspond with the detectives, while he was at work at the Winlock Post Office had been seized. Goodwin was later charged with patronizing prostitution.

Kissimmee Police arrested 24 year old Braves pitcher, Deunte Heath on March 26, 2010 for solicitation of prostitution and entering a dwelling for prostitution. The Braves pitcher who was in Florida for spring training agreed to pay $75 for a “sex act” he had found on Craigslist and was arrested as he entered the townhouse where it was supposed to take place. He was released from the Osceola County Jail after posting a $2000 bond that same day.

A “group sex” ad posted on Craigslist in April 2010 as a joke landed a 29 year old Connecticut man in jail charged with misdemeanor sexual assault and burglary, amongst other charges. The Craigslist ad stated that there was a soccer mom there ready to have sex with as many men as possible; however, Richard Zeh showed up at the wrong address and was told to leave. When he showed up at the correct address listed on the ad he was again turned away. Thinking the 18 year old woman in the first house was playing hard to get, he went back and sexually assaulted her and was arrested soon after.

Brandon and Amber Herbert, an Oregon couple were arrested in April 2008 for posting a fake ad on Craigslist to cover up a burglary that they had committed. After burglarizing a ranch they knew was unattended for a couple of days, they attempted to cover it up by posting an ad on Craigslist pretending to be the owner of the house saying that he had to leave town on an emergency and couldn’t get rid of all his stuff, therefore it was all up for grabs. The man returned to his home to see about 30 people taking off with loads of stuff from his home and it took officers about a week to track down the couple that had posted the ad.

In November 2005, a 22 year old California woman was taken into custody after posting an ad on Craigslist offering her 4 year old daughter for sex in exchange for $500. After someone responded to an ad posted by Shannon Nicole Woods they agreed to meet for sex and when the person brought up the sexual encounter with her 4 year old daughter Woods did not object. The person, who was not involved with law enforcement, alerted authorities and a warrant was issued to search Woods’ house and police confiscated her laptop along with several CD’s and placed her under arrest for suspicion of lewd conduct.

22 year old Corey Jackson was arrested in Philadelphia for robbery and aggravated assault in September 2009. A 51 year old man from New Hope posted a Craigslist ad selling a $14,500 diamond ring. After corresponding and meeting, Jackson informed the man that he needed a ride to get the money and when they got there Jackson maced the man in the face and stole the ring. Determined to find him, the man placed phony ads on Craigslist hoping Jackson would try to sell the ring. It worked and when both men showed the police were ready to arrest him.

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What is it about true crime that makes it so popular? Even with the abundance of TV procedurals, books about real-life murders and other crimes remain popular, and many of them have in turn been adapted for the screen. Chalk it up to our fascination with the worst among us, and the chill of learning how easily people can go from being productive members of society to killers sent over the edge by circumstance or insanity. Here are 25 standouts in the field that take a detailed look at some of the most notorious crimes in history:

1. In Cold Blood, Truman Capote (1966)
The 1959 murders of the Clutter family in small-town Kansas were gruesome, but they took on epic proportions when Truman Capote recorded the events for his “nonfiction novel” that used journalistic techniques and authorial flair to tell a true crime story like never before. The finished product was a landmark in the development of the true crime genre and cemented Capote’s status as one of the most important writers of his day. The book was turned into a film in 1967, and Capote’s investigation and writing were further dramatized in the biographical Capote in 2005.

2. Helter Skelter, Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry (1974)
The Tate-LaBianca murders, committed in 1969 by Charles Manson and his unstable followers, garnered national attention and turned Manson’s name into a synonym for evil. Vincent Bugliosi was the attorney who prosecuted Manson, and the book’s title comes from the Beatles song “Helter Skelter,” which was one of the tracks from the group that Manson claimed contained messages and instructions impending race wars. Co-authored by Curt Gentry, Helter Skelter is one of the best-selling true crime books of all time, and it inspired a pair of TV-movies (one in 1976, the second in 2004) as well as the 2008 horror film The Strangers.

3. Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, David Simon (1991)
David Simon, a reporter with the Baltimore Sun, spent a year with local homicide detectives to write this engrossing account of murder, drugs, and society that wound up winning an Edgar Award. Simon weaves together four main cases and a host of other facts to present a nuanced view of the world from the street. The book was the basis of the NBC series “Homicide: Life on the Streets,” and would also serve as inspiration for HBO’s “The Wire.”

4. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, Erik Larson (2003)
Erik Larson’s sweeping historical crime volume details the events of the World’s Columbian Exposition, an 1893 event in Chicago held to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World. The book follows the exploits of Daniel Burnham, the chief architect of the fair, and H.H. Holmes, a hotelier who used the fair as a hunting ground for victims and became one of America’s first serial killers.

5. Crime and Science: The New Frontier in Criminology, Jurgen Thorwald (1967)
German author Jurgen Thorwald is known for his body of work devoted to forensic science as a crimefighting method, and his Crime and Science remains one of the most informative accounts of the field, though technology has since come to supplement or adjust many of the mid-century techniques.

6. Doctor Dealer: The Rise and Fall of an All-American Boy and His Multimillion-Dollar Cocaine Empire, Mark Bowden (2000)
Although he might be better known for his 1999 war narrative Black Hawk Down, Mark Bowden has turned his journalistic eye more than once toward true crime. Doctor Dealer

7. Wiseguy, Nicholas Pileggi (1986)
Crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi worked with former mobster Henry Hill to construct this riveting insider’s account of life in the Luchese crime family. Hill’s criminal exploits included involvement in 1978’s Lufthansa heist at JFK International Airport, the biggest cash robbery at the time in the country. Hill eventually turned on his fellow gangsters and entered the Witness Protection Program. The book was famously adapted to film as Martin Scorsese’s 1990 classic, GoodFellas.

8. Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, Joseph D. Pistone (1987)
Joseph Pistone was an FBI agent who spent six years undercover in order to get close to members of the Bonanno crime family in New York City. His fake identity was that of Donnie Brasco, a jeweler and thief. The book he wrote about his time details his close calls and intricate field work required to rise through the ranks of the family. Johnny Depp portrayed Pistone in the 1997 film based on the book.

9. Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster, Harold Schechter (1998)
Harold Schechter’s Bestial tells the tale of Earle Leonard Nelson, one of the nation’s earlier serial killers. Beginning in the winter of 1926, Nelson went on a killing spree in the U.S. and Canada in which he murdered a variety of woman across far-flung locations with no apparent motive other than pure destruction.

10. Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who Got Away With Murder, James B. Stewart (2000)
A former lawyer turned reporter who won a Pulitzer for his coverage of the 1987 stock market scandals, James B. Stewart has used his journalistic edge to cover a dazzling array of topics. In 2000, he released Blind Eye, which won an Edgar Award. The book follows the horrible killings committed by Michael Swango, a chilling figure who allegedly poisoned and killed up to 60 patients without being caught.

11. Finders Keepers: The True Story of a Man Who Found $1 Million, Mark Bowden (2002)
It was too good to be true. Joey Coyle, an unemployed man in his late 20s, was driving with a couple of friends when they happened upon a pair of sacks with a total of $1.2 million in cash. The weird, sad, slightly comic story of true crime follows Joey’s attempts to hide the cash and launder it, all while police are looking for the loot, which went missing from an armored car.

12. A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder and Its Aftermath, Jeanine Cummins (2004)
Jeanine Cummins has a unique perspective on the crimes detailed in A Rip in Heaven: they happened to her family. On a Spring Break vacation with her family as a teen, Cummins’ 19-year-old brother, Tom, and their two female cousins were attacked on a bridge by a group of assailants. The girls were raped, and they were all pushed off the bridge. Only Tom survived. Cummins recreates the details of the case, including the fact that Tom was initially considered a suspect, with skill and surprising balance given her closeness to the events

13. The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule (1980)
Ann Rule career as a true crime writer exploded with her first book, The Stranger Beside Me, in which she describes the shocking true story of knowing and working with Ted Bundy before his arrest for a string of brutal murders. They worked together in the 1970s at a Seattle suicide hotline, and she slowly came to realize that the man she’d known was the one who committed these crimes. The book is a gripping account of her unusual proximity to one of the worst American killers in history.

14. Lethal Intent, Sue Russell (2002)
Female serial killers are far less common than male ones, which is why the story of killer Aileen Wuornos is so riveting. Sue Russell’s biography lays out Wuornos’ sordid history, from her early prostitution to her series of murders and finally execution via lethal injection. Wuornos’ autobiography, Monster, is also worth seeking out, and her life story was turned into a film in 2003.

15. Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders, Terry Sullivan and Peter T. Maiken (2000)
Terry Sullivan was the lawyer who prosecuted John Wayne Gacy, nicknamed the “Killer Clown” because of his practice of dressing as a clown for local parties. Gacy murdered many young men and stuffed their bodies into his crawlspace. Sullivan’s account of Gacy’s cold-blooded acts remains one of the best looks at the man’s disturbed mind.

16. The Lives and Times of Bonnie & Clyde, E.R. Milner (1996)
Long romanticized, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow robbed banks and stayed ahead of authorities from 1932-1934, becoming legends after their death. E.R. Milner’s finely detailed book, which took a decade of research and writing, is one of the best portraits available of the couple and their impact.

17. Dead Man Walking, Helen Prejean (1993)
Sister Helen Prejean’s moving story of working with death-row inmates became an acclaimed film in 1995. Her book offers a compelling argument against the death penalty, detailing her work as a spiritual advisor to men sentenced to die.

18. Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34, Bryan Burrough (2004)
The inspiration for Michael Mann’s 2009 film Public Enemies, Bryan Burrough’s exhaustively researched tome offers a fascinating look at a pivotal era in criminal justice in America. Burrough discusses Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and more in his tale of one of the biggest crime sprees in the nation’s history, and he does it all with grace and skill.

19. Angel Face: The True Story of Student Killer Amanda Knox, Barbie Latza Nadeau (2010)
Meredith Kircher was 21 years old when she was murdered in Italy, and the case shocked the nation as well as her family and viewers here in the states. Fellow American student Amanda Knox was eventually convicted of the crime, but there are dozens of twists and turns along the way, not to mention more suspects. Nadeau’s new book sheds light on the killing like never before, including the controversial convictions.

20. The Killing Season: A Summer Inside an LAPD Homicide Division, Miles Corwin (1997)
Similar to David Simon’s Homicide, Miles Corwin’s The Killing Season examines crime in Los Angeles and the way that most murders tend to be ignored by society. In the summer of 1994, everyone else in the country was fascinated by O.J. Simpson, but Corwin rode along with homicide cops in south-central Los Angeles to chronicle the hundreds of murders they dealt with.

21. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, Kate Summerscale (2008)
Kate Summerscale’s nonfiction period drama tells the unusual tale of one of England’s first modern detectives and the case that nearly undid him. Scotland Yard’s Jonathan Whicher was tasked with discovering who killed a 3-year-old child in 1860, and his dogged investigation of the victim’s family turned up solid theories but no evidence. Whicher’s career suffers even as justice is pursued in this fascinating story.

22. And the Dead Shall Rise: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank, Steve Oney (2003)
Steve Oney’s And the Dead Shall Rise profiles a dark moment in American anti-Semitic activity. Mary Phagan, age 13, was murdered in 1913, and her boss, Frank, was arrested for the murder and eventually convicted. His Judaism brought plenty of hatred and discrimination, as Oney details, and when Frank’s death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, angry locals stormed the jail, made off with Frank, and hung him themselves. The shocking turn of events gave birth to the Anti-Defamation League.

23. Confessions of Son of Sam, David Abrahamsen (1985)
David Berkowitz, better known as the Son of Sam, killed multiple people in a spree that gripped New York City and the nation in the summer of 1977. David Abrahamsen’s book is culled from 50 hours of interviews with Berkowitz, as well as research and interviews with family and friends. It’s a truly indispensable book for anyone looking to learn more about the notorious serial killer.

24. Cries Unheard: Why Children Kill — The Story of Mary Bell, Gitta Sereny (1999)
Gitta Sereny’s true crime book focuses on an often neglected area of criminal justice: children who kill. The titular Mary Bell was 11 when she and a friend killed two little bots, and Sereny’s book examines Bell’s tortured youth to find out what might drive a young mind to the breaking point.

25. Blood and Money, Thomas Thompson (2001)
Using a novel-like approach to describe real events, Thomas Thompson’s Blood and Money is a compelling tale of death, murder, and corruption in Texas. The riveting cast of characters, combined with Thompson’s skill at untangling the crimes’ many webs, make it one of the most engaging true-crime books out there.

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Miscarriages of justice are sad reminders that the criminal justice system is a good one but far from perfect. Sometimes bad guys go free, and sometimes innocent men and women do time or die for crimes they didn’t commit. When you look at a list like this, some patterns emerge: some confessions are coerced by police, while other convictions are overturned because of advances in DNA technology. But everyone on this list paid a price for something they didn’t do, and that’s a reminder that in the legal system, there’s always room for improvement:

1. Randall Dale Adams
In 1976, Robert Wood of the Dallas Police Department was shot and killed when he pulled a car over. Police first suspected a man named David Ray Harris, but Harris blamed Randall Dale Adams for the killing, and multiple surprise witness in the trial led to Adams’ conviction. He was sentenced to death. However, in May 1979, with just three days to go before his execution, the Supreme Court stayed his execution because of procedural issues with the trial, so Adams’ sentence was commuted to life. In 1985, documentary filmmaker Errol Morris began making The Thin Blue Line, which would come to investigate Adams and reveal further evidence that he was innocent. Adams was set free in 1989, in part because of what the court called malfeasance on the part of the original prosecutor and perjury issues with one of the witnesses. At a later legislative hearing, Adams summed up his journey: “The man you see before you is here by the grace of God. The fact that it took 12 and a half years and a movie to prove my innocence should scare the hell out of everyone in this room, and if it doesn’t, then that scares the hell out of me.”

2. Darryl Hunt
Darryl Hunt was convicted of the 1984 rape and murder of Deborah Sykes in North Carolina, though from the start, racial tensions were present: Hunt is black, Sykes was white, and Hunt faced an all-white jury. Further, there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime, merely testimony from witnesses later proven to be inaccurate. In 1994, DNA technology had advanced to the point where Hunt’s name was cleared in the sexual assault charge, which in turn raised doubts about his involvement in the killing. In December 2003, another man confessed to Sykes’ rape and murder, and the DNA backed up the confession. As a result, Hunt was set free after serving 18 years of his original life sentence. He had always maintained his innocence, and has since become involved with The Innocence Project, a non-profit group that uses DNA testing to help overturn wrongful convictions. The story was retold in the documentary The Trials of Darryl Hunt:

3-6. The Roscetti Four
Lori Roscetti, a medical student was raped and murdered in Chicago in 1986. The young men convicted of the crime came to be known as the Roscetti Four: Omar Saunders, 18, Marcellius Bradford, 17, Calvin Ollins, 14, and Larry Ollins, 16. Bradford agreed to plead guilty and testify against Ollins, and as a result received a 12-year sentence while the other three got life. However, Bradford eventually recanted, saying that his confession and subsequent plea bargain had been forced on him by police. Although forensics at the original trial said that semen found on Sykes’ body could have come from the Ollins brothers, further digging revealed that none of their blood types matched the evidence. In 2001, DNA tech cleared all four men of the crime, and they were released from prison. They all received settlements from the State of Illinois, and Calvin Ollins earned another $1.5 million from the City of Chicago. The proceedings were recounted in a 2002 episode of the radio program “This American Life” entitled “Perfect Evidence.”

7. Kirk Bloodsworth
Kirk Bloodsworth holds an interesting record: He’s the first American sentenced to death whose conviction was overturned through DNA testing. Bloodsworth was convicted of the rape and murder of a 9-year-old Maryland girl, and he maintained his innocence even as several witnesses placed him at the scene. In 1992, while in prison, Bloodsworth read about the emerging practice of DNA testing and how it could be used to help convict or exonerate criminals. When tested against the crime scene evidence, including semen in the victim’s underwear, Bloodsworth name was cleared, and he was set free in 1993. The real killer was located in 2003. Bloodsworth now works with The Justice Project and other groups on behalf of those who have been wrongfully convicted.

8. Martin Tankleff
When he was 17, Martin Tankleff’s parents were murdered and he was arrested for the crime. His conviction was largely aided by a confession written out by a detective that Tankleff rejected and refused to sign. In 1990, he began serving serving his two consecutive life sentences. However, in the following years, he worked hard to protest his treatment and spread word of his innocence. In November 2007, the Suffolk County district attorney was convinced that there had been prosecutorial misconduct in the original trial, and in December of that year, Tankleff’s convictions were overturned. The state later announced it would not seek to retry him, effectively ending his nightmare of wrongful imprisonment after 17 years behind bars. More info here.

9. Darryl Burton
Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, Darryl Burton served 24 years of his erroneous life sentence before earning his freedom. When a drug dealer was killed in St. Louis in the summer of 1984, Burton was named for the crime by a pair of witnesses angling for lighter sentences on other charges. There was no evidence linking him to the murder, but the testimony was enough to put him away. With help from Centurion Ministries, Burton’s case was eventually brought back up and he was allowed to go free after 24 years.

10. Bill Dillon
Bill Dillon was convicted of murder in 1981, thanks largely to the testimony of a man named John Preston, who used his scent-tracking German Shepherd to link the victim’s bloody T-shirt with Dillon. However, Preston and his dog turned out to be frauds, and were discredited in 1987. Unfortunately, no one started a review process of the cases in which Preston had testified, so it wasn’t until Dillon learned about Preston’s phoniness in 2006 that he started acting on it. He secured a DNA test that exonerated him of the crime, and he was set free after spending 26 years in prison for a crime he always maintainted was committed by someone else.

11. Clarence Brandley
A high school janitor in Texas, Clarence Bradley was convicted of the rape and murder of 16-year-old student Cheryl Dee Ferguson. Brandley, a black man, was sentenced to death for the crime after facing two all-white juries. (The first was declared a mistrial.) Once in prison, his lawyers discovered more evidence that supported his innocence, and civil rights groups raised money to promote his cause and further investigate the killing. Brandley was eventually freed, though prosecutors refused to admit they pursued the wrong man.

12. Glen Edward Chapman
Glen Edward Chapman was convicted of the 1992 killings of Betty Jean Ramseur and Tenene Yvette Conley in North Carolina. However, he was granted a new trial in 2007 when a Superior Court judge learned that detectives had covered up evidence affirming Chapman’s innocence and that one of the detectives had committed perjury in the original trial. Even his original defense attorneys were no good: one was disciplined by the state bar association, and other was taken off another death penalty case to enter alcohol abuse treatment. After 15 years and multiple errors, Chapman was finally sent home a free man. “I’m tired, but not angry,” he said. “I see no need for it.”

13. Thomas Clifford McGowan
When Thomas Clifford McGowan was sent to prison for committing rape and burglary, he maintained his innoncence. The main evidence used to put him away was identification by the victim that turned out to be inaccurate. Thanks to DNA tech, his innocence was proven in 2008, and he was set free after spending 23 years behind bars. “Words cannot express how sorry I am for the last 23 years,” state district judge Susan Hawk told him when he was released.

14-15. Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz
Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz were wrongly convicted in 1988 of the rape and murder of Oklahoma woman Debbie Carter. Williamson, a former minor league baseball player, was suffering from increased mental illness in the 1980s, and though Carter was murdered in 1982, he and Fritz were arrested in 1987 on sketchy premises, including a dream of Williamson’s that was cited as a confession. The evidence against the men also included hair analysis, and the spotty procedure (now known to be unreliable) was used to convict them when it could just as easily have exonerated them. Williamson received a death sentence, despite his mental state, while Fritz received life imprisonment. It wasn’t until April 1999 that the men were freed because of DNA testing. Williamson died five years after in a nursing home, suffering from cirrhosis of the liver. John Grisham wrote about the men in his nonfiction book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town.

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It’s tough to say what will start a riot. From the entries on this list, it looks like all you need is the right combination of unhappy people, unfortunate circumstances, and an anger at society or the system at large that has been allowed to simmer to the boiling point. American history is dotted with these explosions of violence, whether motivated by politics, racism, or just plain discontent. Here are ten of the worst:

1. New York draft riots (July 13-16, 1863)
The backdrop: New York stood with the Union when the Civil War broke out in 1861, but the high body count meant the North’s soldiers were dwindling. In 1863, Congress passed the United States’ first conscription act, though men drafted for service could pay a commutation fee of $300 to get out of service. That financial inequity led to unrest among the lower classes who couldn’t afford to avoid the war the way rich men could.
The final straw: When the draft lottery began, riots broke out and ran for three days. Historians dispute the casualties, estimating that between 120 and 2,000 civilians were killed. The brawls were featured in part in Martin Scorsese’s 2002 film, Gangs of New York.

2. Newark riots (July 12-17, 1967)
The backdrop: Running almost a week in 1967, these New Jersey riots wound up killing 26 people and injuring hundreds more. Black residents of the city had grown tired and angry at repeated incidences of police brutality, as well as a growing feeling of being disenfranchised.
The final straw: A pair of white cops arrested a black cab driver for improperly passing them and took him to their precinct building, across the street from public housing. Residents of the project saw an “incapacitated” black man being dragged inside, and though the driver was taken to a hospital, rumor spread that he’d died in police custody. With that, the civil unrest tipped over and erupted into a week of riots. The 2007 documentary Revolution ‘67 examined the events:

3. Riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (April 1968)
The backdrop: The killing of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the heat of the civil rights movement of the 1960s was a dark moment among the many from that era. King was a leader for a generation, and his death angered and saddened millions.
The final straw: King’s assassination instantly gripped the nation and sparked riots in more than 60 cities. Washington, D.C., rioted for four days, with mass looting and injuries, and the swelling crowds at one point spread to within two blocks of the White House. Baltimore exploded into a riot, as well, and 5,000 soldiers from Fort Bragg deployed to the city to maintain order. Citizens in Chicago rioted and spread out over almost 30 blocks along West Madison Street, and the Illinois National Guard came in to assist police. Nationwide damages were well into the millions.

4. The Rodney King riots (April 29-May 4, 1992)
The backdrop: Rodney King, a black man on parole, led officers on a high-speed chase through Los Angeles before being caught and beaten. The beating was captured on the officers’ car cameras, and all four were charged with using excessive force. After a week’s deliberation, all four were acquitted of assault and three of the four acquitted of the excessive force charge.
The final straw: The verdict sent local black and Hispanic communities into a frenzy at the perceived injustice, and riots started to break out the evening of the verdict’s reading and lasted for days. There were many retaliatory attacks, including Reginald Denny, a white truck driver whose vicious beating was captured by a live news camera from above. All told, the riots killed 53 people, injured 2,000, and cost close to $1 billion in damages.

5. Stonewall riots (June 28, 1969)
The backdrop: Gays and lesbians were routinely shut out from mainstream society in the middle of the 20th century, from the denial of employment to being diagnosed by the American Psychiatric Association as having a “sociopathic personality disturbance.” New York’s Greenwich Village became one of the nation’s foremost gay-friendly areas, including the Stonewall Inn, a bar on Christopher Street.
The final straw: Police raids on gay bars to harass patrons and arrest drag queens were regular, but the one in the early hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall didn’t go as planned. Customers refused to cooperate or disperse, and eventually the confrontation turned violent as the sides attacked each other. The fracas led to greater protests and a higher profile for the gay rights movement.

6. The Chicago riots at the Democratic National Convention (August 28, 1968)
The backdrop: Following a year of assassinations and political disappointments, protestors from various groups had grown tired of the Johnson administration’s handling of the Vietnam War and the growing divide in society. Many promised to show up in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention to show their displeasure.
The final straw: Tens of thousands of protestors descended on the city, and the biggest conflict occurred on August 28 as protestors and police began fighting. Law enforcement officers used tear gas and Mace to subdue countless civilians. When it was all over, seven people were charged with conspiracy to incite the riot, and they became known as the Chicago Seven. Some were acquitted while others were fined, but all convictions were overturned in 1972.

7. The Battle in Seattle (November 30, 1999)
The backdrop: The World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999 was held in Seattle for three days in November that year. Leading up to the conference, delegates couldn’t agree on an agenda and admitted that the attempt to launch new trade negotiations was being hampered by constant disagreements. The meeting was a target for participants in the anti-globalization movement, which stands in opposition to global capitalism because of its perceived abuse of the worker.
The final straw: On November 30, the Direct Action Network, an anarchist group, led activists to take control of major intersections and converge on the city to effectively shut it down. The move prevented delegates from reaching the convention center, but some began looting and smashing windows, which invited blowback from police. More than 600 people were arrested, some beaten in the process, and the WTO ended the meeting and reconvened it in 2001.

8. The Attica Prison riot (September 9-13, 1971)
The backdrop: Prisoners in New York’s Attica Prison were made to enjoy low standards of living in 1971, including one shower a week and one roll of toilet paper every month. Their unrest continued to grow.
The final straw: In August 1971, a prisoner at California’s San Quentin Prison was killed attempting to escape. In response to that and other turns, almost 1,000 Atttica prisoners rioted in September in an attempt to demand better living conditions. They took 33 guards hostage and began negotiating for their demands. Eventually, state police hit the building with tear gas and fired into the smoke, killing some hostages and inmates who weren’t resisting. In the end, nine hostages and 48 inmates were killed, either by state police or inmates.

9. Cincinnati riots (April 2001)
The backdrop: Racial tensions in Cincinnati had been growing for years, exacerbated by the regular deaths of young black men killed by police or in their custody. Of the 15 men who died this way between 1995 and 2001, three were unarmed. A 19-year-old black man named Timothy Thomas was killed running from police on April 7, 2001, and it was revealed that the officers acted improperly in the situation, including failure to give Thomas time to respond to the cops’ commands.
The final straw: The night Thomas was killed, almost 200 residents showed up to protest at a city council meeting, and protestors assembled outside city hall. After being dispersed, they began rioting, which triggered more outbreaks of violence and vandalism across the city. The riots lasted for days, becoming the largest disorders of their kind since the Rodney King riots nine years before. The officer who shot Thomas was eventually tried and acquitted in a criminal trial.

10. Watts Riots (August 11-15, 1965)
The backdrop: Race relations were strained all over in the 1960s, and Los Angeles was no exception. Growing tension between blacks and whites and between police and civilians added fuel to the fire.
The final straw: A white California Highway Patrol officer pulled over and arrested a black man for driving drunk, but the growing crowd of witnesses soon turned antagonistic. The mob grew angry, and when the CHP officer wound up arresting the man’s brother (also in the car) and mother, full-flegded riots broke out in the Watts section of town. Fires, violence, and looting were rampant for days, and the riots would be the biggest in L.A. history until those in 1992. The National Guard eventually came in to help. At the end of the spree, 34 people were dead, more than 2,000 injured, and almost 4,000 arrested.

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