Tabla de contenidos para Issue 65 en Crime Monthly

Welcome to the August issue. This month, the horrifying killing of an innocent 12-year-old girl, and the female prison guards getting in trouble for inappropriate behaviour. We also look at the new podcast asking questions about a cold-case disappearance, the former model involved in human trafficking, and the case against a possible serial killer. Plus, we talk to a former lawyer in the West Memphis Three case about the latest developments. There's also our usual round-up of all the latest crime TV, books and podcasts. As usual, email us at Crimemonthly@bauer media.co.uk. See you next month.…

CRIME NEWS CASES UPDATE Prosecutors have not ruled out pressing fresh charges against convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein, following a court appearance last month. The disgraced movie mogul was found guilty of rape in New York City in 2020, but the conviction was dramatically overturned by the Court of Appeal in April this year. Now, prosecutors have vowed to press ahead with a planned retrial. Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg stated, “We believe in this case and we will be retrying this case,” before adding, “People who couldn't speak out in 2020 are now willing to speak out in 2024.” Despite the conviction being overturned in NYC, Weinstein remains behind bars after being convicted of rape, forced oral copulation, and sexual penetration by a foreign object in Los Angeles. He…

In the news The camerawork may have been shaky in the four-and-a-half minute video that went viral in late June this year, but it was all too clear to see what was happening. In the confines of a cluttered cell at HMP Wandsworth, a male inmate was receiving oral sex from a female officer, while another inmate smoked what appeared to be a joint as he filmed it. The officer was in full uniform and her radio broadcast the voices of fellow guards going about their daily business outside the cell door as the couple had full intercourse. They jumped apart when they thought they heard someone approaching and then, after yet more graphic scenes, the final shot zoned in on a discarded pair of prison-issue handcuffs. It's not know…

Wing supervisor Corinne Redhead was jailed in 2022, after her year-long affair with an inmate was exposed when she gave birth to his baby. Redhead, from Stevenage, was working at HMP The Mount at Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, when she began a relationship with Robert O'Connor, who was serving a ten-year sentence for robbery. Redhead was six months pregnant when a tip-off alerted authorities, and investigators found a mobile hidden in the toilet of O'Connor's cell with hundreds of texts between the pair, including explicit sexual content. Redhead initially denied engaging in a physical relationship, but was forced to change her story when police discovered she'd named O'Connor as the father on the birth certificate. Sentencing her to 25 months, the judge said, “This was not a momentary lapse, but was carried…

CRIME MONTHILY In the news A Missouri man who was arrested for kidnap after a woman allegedly escaped from his “torture” basement has now been charged with murder. Timothy Haslett Jr, 42, had previously been indicted on nine felony charges, including first-degree rape, sodomy, second-degree assault, and firstdegree kidnapping. But, last month, a new charge of first-degree murder was added after investigators linked him to an unsolved murder from 2022. And US reports state that Haslett Jr has confessed to having yet more victims, raising fears he may be a serial killer. ABDUCTION The initial horror unfolded back in October 2022, when a 22-year-old woman was seen desperately knocking on doors in the suburban neighbourhood of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, at around 7.45am. Dressed only in a bin bag, fetish underwear and…

In the news A man who masterminded a plot to kidnap, rape and murder TV presenter Holly Willoughby has been handed three life sentences, and must serve a minimum of 15 years. Gavin Plumb, of Harlow in Essex, was found guilty of soliciting murder, inciting rape, and inciting kidnap last month, after Chelmsford Crown Court heard how he had developed an “obsession” with the TV star. He was caught attempting to hatch the plan with online accomplices, not knowing one of the men was an American undercover officer. At the sentencing, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said, “The prosecution submits the impact of this offending has been life-changing for the victim, both in private and personal terms and, indeed, professional. It is clear that the extent of the shock and fear…

SPY TIME The Trap AVA GLASS (£9.99, PENGUIN) Writers are often told “write what you know”, but thankfully, many ignore that advice. However, for Ava Glass, writing what you know is the key to her phenomenal success. Her career has seen her working in counterterrorism for the British Government and as an investigative journalist, which give her female-led spy series a gritty authenticity. In her latest, Edinburgh is preparing to host the G7 Summit and global leaders are about to descend on the city, but they are not the only ones. Dangerous and shadowy Russian figures have also arrived and British security services have gotten wind of a credible threat to the major event. Agent Emma Makepeace is tasked with finding out exactly what is involved, but the clock is…

Murder 101 (iHeart True Crime) Proving that a fascination with all things true crime can have huge benefits in the real world, this tells the fascinating story of a group of high-school students in Elizabethton, Tennessee, who helped crack several 30-year-old cold cases. “The Redhead Murders” as they became colloquially known, were a series of unsolved homicides of redheaded females in the United States between 1978 and 1992. After the students established links between the deaths of five of the victims, they were able to help identify trucker Jerry Leon Johns as the killer. While the series loses a little momentum towards the end, interviews with the students and Johns’ only surviving victim prove that there's no such thing as a truly cold case. Daisy Hall ODFM (DarkCast Network) Although…

In the news There are few things more chilling than a grainy CCTV image that becomes the last sighting of a missing person, pushed out by the media in the desperate hope that the individual might be found alive and well. When that image is of your daughter, who also happens to be your best friend, the pain is almost too unbearable to even contemplate. Tragically, Alexis Nungaray had no choice but to endure that unthinkable living hell in June, when she was told the body of her missing 12-year-old daughter Jocelyn had been discovered in the Bayou River in Houston. And while those images proved to be the last sighting of her daughter, they also were pivotal in apprehending the prime suspects. BRUTAL ASSAULT It's believed Jocelyn left the…

A man has been charged with sexually assaulting and murdering a teenager exactly 20 years after the heinous crime was committed. Fifteen-year-old Elena Lasswell was found dead in her home in Phoenix, Arizona, at around 8pm on 10 July 2004. Although details of how she died were not revealed, authorities said, “Emergency life-saving measures were attempted, but she did not survive her injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.” Tragically, the investigation yielded no leads at the time, and the case languished until 2012, when advances in DNA allowed investigators to identify Sergio Francisco Reyes, now 37. He was indicted in 2014, but it took a decade to extradite him from Mexico. He was charged on 10 July 2024, and Elena's aunt Katie Tourville told reporters, “Knowing someone is…

The nation was left horrified last month when news broke of the deaths of 61-year-old Carol Hunt and her daughters Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25. They were found fatally wounded at their home in Ashlyn Close in Bushey, Hertfordshire, shortly after 7pm on Tuesday 9 July. It's been alleged they had been tied up and shot with a crossbow. The next day, Louise's ex-partner Kyle Clifford, 26, was arrested on suspicion of murder. It's been alleged that Clifford – who briefly served in the armed forces – went to the Hunts’ home on the pretext of picking up belongings he had left there. However, once inside, it's claimed he ambushed the women, restraining them and holding them captive for a number of hours. At some point, one of the women…

THE BIG INTERVIEW It's been more than 30 years since the shocking murders of best friends Christopher Byers, Steve “Stevie” Branch and Michael Moore. The eight-year-old Cub Scouts were found naked in a shallow muddy ditch, beaten and hogtied with their shoelaces, in West Memphis, Arkansas, in May 1993. Teenagers Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley Jr – collectively known as the West Memphis Three – were convicted of the killings the following year, despite a lack of evidence, after prosecutors argued that they had killed the children as part of a Satanic ritual. Found guilty of first-degree murder, they were given damning sentences. Damien, who was claimed to be the leader, was sentenced to death, while Jason and Jessie were given life without the possibility of parole. After…

COSY CRIME FIX Season two of the feel-good detective drama arrives on Amazon Prime Video. Originally shown on the BBC and set on the sun-drenched and glamorous Spanish island of Mallorca, The Mallorca Files centres around ambitious British detective Miranda Blake (Elen Rhys Consent, The One That Got Away) and her laid-back German partner Max Winter (Julian Looman, The Ibiza Affair, Constellation), who make up the perfect team – if only they could see it. The opening episode sees Max and Miranda investigate two seemingly unrelated deaths – opera singer José Castaña, and a woman who killed herself by drowning in the sea. Other episodes see them hunt the killer of one of the island's most hated men, and deal with the disappearance of a British bird-watcher.…

DEEP DIVE He's one of the most dangerous serial killers Britain has ever known, currently in jail for the murders of Milly Dowler, Amélie Delagrange, Marsha McDonnell and Kate Sheedy, but a new documentary suggests that Levi Bellfield may have lied about the atrocities that he has committed. Now 56, Bellfield is a pathological liar and, for more than a quarter of a century, he has repeatedly lied about details of the murders he did commit, including that of Milly, 13, who was killed on her way home from school. Now, the Faking It team are analysing Bellfield's confessions over the years, including his most recent, for the murders of mum and daughter Lin and Megan Russell back in 1996, which came in 2023. Hoping to uncover the truth within…

Fire And Bones KATHYREICHS (SIMON & SCHUSTER, £20) Temperance Brennan returns with another case, as she's called to a former bootlegging neighbourhood to analyse the victims of an arson attack. And when more fires erupt, it becomes clear she's in real trouble. Twisty. Look In The Mirror CATHERINE STEADMAN (QUERCUS, £16.99) When Nina's father dies, she learns he's left her a paradise home she never knew existed and decides to visit. Meanwhile, nanny Maria finds herself alone in a luxe home – but why is the basement off limits? Deliciously sinister. After The Storm G.D. WRIGHT (AVON, £8.99) Andrew and Sophie take their eyes off their daughter and her friend for moments one stormy day at the beach, but it's long enough for tragedy to strike. But as the police…

CRIME screen UNDERCOVER OPS Neil Strauss was a writer for Rolling Stone and The New York Times, but his career skyrocketed ten years ago when he wrote The Game, a book about the years he spent undercover in the secretive world of pick-up artists. It eventually became required reading for the FBI in order for recruits to learn how to assess their targets, but they weren't the only ones using the art of seduction for darker purposes. In this pod, Neil is introduced to Aliia Roza, who shares her shocking tale of her time working as a “sex spy” for the Russian government. She recounts her time in a military academy where she used seduction techniques against her own abuser; her first assignment in the field; and her military combat in…

An OnlyFans model accused of murdering her boyfriend has had a felony computer crime charge against her dropped. Courtney Clenney, 28, is set to go on trial for second-degree murder after the death of Christian Tobechukwu “Toby” Obumseli, 27, in Miami on 3 April 2022. In addition, the model – and her parents, Kim and Deborah Clenney – were facing extra charges of the unauthorised access of the victim's laptop after his death. However, prosecutors were forced to drop the case due to an “issue of attorney-client privilege”. While they stated that they did “not agree with all” of the court's ruling, they said they would now be “laser-focused” on the murder case. Clenney has pleaded self-defence over the stabbing.…

Sarah Williams was working at HMP Altcourse in Liverpool when she conducted affairs with three separate inmates, all of whom had ties to serious organised crime. She had been an officer for less than a year when she was sentenced to 18 months in prison in December 2020 for misconduct, as well as “causing a computer to perform a function with intent to secure unauthorised access to data”. Liverpool Crown Court heard how Williams, 39, had not long completed her training when she was assigned to a wing housing prisoners serving medium to long-term sentences. It was revealed that, after discovering the three men all had illegal mobile phones, she began exchanging texts and calls that included “intimate sexual chat”. Forensic investigators found a phenomenal amount of contact, amounting to…

In 1996, Joe Berlinger – the godfather of true-crime documentary film-making – and collaborator Bruce Sinofsky released the first of three films dedicated to the West Memphis Three case. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders At Robin Hood Hills charts the indictment of Damien, Jason and Jessie for the 1993 murders in gut-wrenching detail. Set against a soundtrack by Metallica, the multi-award-winning films are a stunning exploration of the justice system and the pressures on a community united in horror at what they believed were ritualistic killings. When the mutilated bodies of the three boys were discovered in a wooded area near their Arkansas home, Jessie confessed to witnessing Damien and Jason rape, and murder the youths. But Jessie, who is mentally disabled with an IQ of 72, allegedly admitted to…

In the news Last month, in a Brazilian courtroom, model and wellness influencer Katiuscia Torres, known as Kat, was found guilty of human trafficking. Receiving a sentence of eight years, her new life in jail will be a far cry from the lavish lifestyle she's become accustomed to. Once boasting a headline-hitting “friendship” with actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Torres’ fall from grace is likely to be a hard one. RAGS TO RICHES Hailing from a poverty-stricken background, Torres always dreamed of a way out. Luckily, she was blessed with a captivating beauty and magnetic personality that saw her crowned Miss Caieiras in 2012. After enjoying success as a model in Europe, she moved to LA. It wasn't long before she rebranded herself as a wellness guru, and she used her social…

FRIGHTENING FELONS Time for season four of the docuseries that definitely delivers what it says on the tin, as host Donnie Wahlberg once again looks back at some of recent history's most frightening killers. With the usual mix of archive footage and interviews with the key players and experts, each episode gives us the history, psychology and motives of felons such as The Ken and Barbie Killers, The Hillside Stranglers and The Cross Country Killer, as well as revealing how they were eventually caught.…

This French espionage series ran from 2015 to 2020 and was based on real-life accounts of agents of France's Directorate-General for External Security. James Bond stuff, basically. Now, all five series will be available to stream on Paramount+. The drama focuses on the “Bureau of Legends”, who train deepcover agents on missions in areas important to French interests, such as North Africa and the Middle East. Living under false identities for years, these agents have to identify and recruit good intelligence sources. It kicks off with Guillaume Debailly (Mathieu Kassovitz, Amelie), an agent who's returning to Paris after six years undercover in Damascus, Syria. Finding it hard to re-adapt, his world is thrown into further turmoil when Nadia El Mansour, his lover in Damascus, arrives and he resumes his secret…

THURSDAY MURDER CLUB KICKS OFF Filming has begun on the muchanticipated movie adaptation of Richard Osman's bestselling novel The Thursday Murder Club. The story follows a group of friends in a retirement home who gather to solve murders for fun, but find themselves embroiled in a real case. Dame Helen Mirren heads the heavyweight cast, playing ex-spy Elizabeth, with Pierce Brosnan playing former union organiser Ron Ritchie. Sir Ben Kingsley plays former psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif, and Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) is ex-nurse Joyce Meadowcroft. The film is being produced by Steven Spielberg's company Amblin Entertainment in partnership with Netflix. MORE MALPRACTICE ON ITV The second series of ITV's acclaimed medical thriller is currently filming in Belfast with Helen Behan (The Virtues, Elizabeth Is Missing) and Jordan Kouamé (Scoop)…

What was the inspiration behind your new novel? It's inspired by my experiences of small-group educational courses. I took an MA in Screenwriting that changed my life in all sorts of positive ways, but I've also found myself on many courses that were the opposite. It's a strange situation – you're in this closed environment with a handful of peers and a tutor, all isolated from the real world. It's claustrophobic, competitive, and can make small things appear large and important things irrelevant. I'm intrigued by its potential to foster behaviour people wouldn't express… such as murder! What attracts you most about writing crime? I love mysteries and solving them. And for me, reading and writing in this genre feels like a safe space to explore the worst of human…