"True Crime"
"I feel like Dan Markel is haunting me from the grave."
-- Donna Adelson
Peacock is paying the ex-wife of accused serial killer Rex Heuermann during his upcoming trial. He has been charged with some of the murders associated with Gilgo Beach on Long Island. She is reportedly making $1 million for cooperating in the making of a documentary. I think Peacock's investment suggests that there is a growing interest in "true crime."
Yet among the "true crime" community -- including hosts and guests on numerous podcasts -- many question Peacock's deal, because it apparently leaves out the families of the victims. Many of these podcasts provide valuable information to the public that remind me of the "hedge schools" of Ireland. Some of them feature defense attornies, former federal prosecutors, retired state and federal investigators, and/or psychiatrists and psychologists. I've also watched others by a variety of other concerned citizens, including a couple of very good ones by housewives. Most all question the Peacock deal.
If we consider just this Gilgo Beach case, viewers learn about a wide range of the realities of the justice system, and issues in sociology and mental health. The victims were young women engaged in the sex trade. The rise in violence against sex workers -- including serial killers targeting them -- is among the topics that some top forensic professionals address. In my opinion, rates of violence against those who are most vulnerable is an accurate measure of social illness. I recognize that others may see the issue differently, as there are numerous examples of the legal system failing women in the sex industry in the past. However, the internet and cell phones have added to the mix.
A number of sources also carry trials live. Both "Court TV" and "Law & Crime" cover the most high profile trials, in states where cameras are allowed. There seems to be a growing desire that federal courts broadcast criminal trials. I'm confident that everyone here would love for the defendent's two federal cases to be broadcast live. They are both criminal trials, no different than any other cases prosecuting crooks.
Some carry the conveyor belt arraignments of low-income people -- frequently for drug offenses -- in various states. There has also been the drug-related murder trial of attorney Alex Murdaugh in South Carolina, that highlighted the connections between politics and finances. It is good for the general public to see that economics play an important role in the legal system, though even the wealthy class at times are prosecuted and convicted.
There are two Florida cases involving murder for hire when child custody issues go out of control that include multiple trials. Both involve wealthy white people paying non-white criminals to execute the father of the children. Trials from the more recent murder are scheduled to start in the spring of 2024, when Shanna Gardener and her estranged husband Mario Fernandez face charges of having her ex-hudband murdered.
Jared Bridegan had just dropped his and Gardener's two children off, when he stopped to remove a tire blocking the street. He was shot multiple times by Henry Tenon, a career criminal. Bridegan's two year old daughter was left alone in her car seat for approximately a half-hour before someone came upon the scene. Tenon, who rented his nearby home from Fernandez, would soon deposit three checks from Fernandez into his account. He was arrested, of course, made a plea deal, and will testify against Gardener and Fernandez.
The second case involves the 2014 murder of law professoe Dan Markel. This is a case that should interest members of this forum, as Markel was the type of person we want on the federal bench, and eventually on the Supreme Court. He had dropped his young sons off at their school, went to a gym, and returned to his home. Two hit men killed him in his car in his driveway.
The killers, the mother of one of their's children, and her former boy friend -- the brother of Markel's ex-wife -- have been found guilty of the murder in televised cases. The brother, Charlie Adelson, was convicted in November. Prosecutor Georgia Cappleman has tried these cases, and is extrememely impressive to watch.
A week after Charlie was convicted, his mother was taken into custody while she and her husband were attempting a one-way trip to Vietnam, a country lacking an extradition treaty with the US. This attempt to flee may have been related to the evidence Cappleman put forth in Charlie's trial, from opening statement to her closing. That evidence alone ties Donna to the murder plot in a direct way that should result in her conviction.
Perhaps the wild card in the case is Markel's ex-wife, attorney Wendi Adelson. She has testified in previous trials, most recently her brother's. To say that there is extreme tension between Wendi and Georgia is the definition of understatement. I can appreciate the large number of people who think that she will be next to be arrested. The hostility between Markel and Wendi involved child custody, finances, and employment. Some of the Adelson family engaged in an expensive search to find someone to kill Markel, and there are some things that suggest that Wendi may have been aware of this.
On the day of Markel's services, investigators interviewed a lawyer who was friend with both Dan and Wendi. The tape of this interview was only released years later. The woman said that she had hoped the Adelsons were not involved, but their behavior at Dan's services -- especially the father, Harvey's -- convinced her they were. She outlined her thoughts on how it could have happened, with amazing accuracy. Yet justice was delayed for many years -- some have speculated that Harvey's close friendship with a top Florida judge and other powerful individuals is the reason for the delay. Thus, "true crime" teaches that the legal system may be different for the wealthy than it is for everyone else.
= new reply since forum marked as read
