Cheryl Eddy

Recalling Another Famous Prison Break As The Search Continues For NY Duo

Behold “the Texas Seven,” violent convicts who escaped from Texas’ maximum-security John B. Connally Unit Prison on Dec. 13, 2000. You thought “Have a nice day” (with racist drawing) was an odd note to leave behind? The Texas Seven’s missive was far more ominous: “You haven’t heard the last of us yet.” They were right.…

The Tragedy Of The Gangster, The Gullible Girl, And The “Camera Gun”

It was December 1946, and 19-year-old Pearl Lusk was approached by a good-looking man in the Times Square subway station. He was a detective, he told the gullible lass, and he needed her help solving a case. Could she snap a photograph of a suspected thief with this unusual, uh, camera? As the vintage illustration…

Dan Simmons Fan Bradley Cooper Is Finally Making His Hyperion Adaptation

Dan Simmons’ Hugo-winning Hyperion is set to become an “event series” on Syfy, courtesy of producers Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips (The Hangover), and Graham King (The Departed), plus Itamar Moses (Boardwalk Empire), who’ll write the adaptation of what’s often called scifi’s answer to The Canterbury Tales. Deadline reports: Set on the eve of Armageddon with…

This Sensational Murder Case Spurred The UK To Outlaw Capital Punishment

Ruth Ellis had a difficult life leading up to the night she shot her on-and-off boyfriend, David Blakely, in 1955. Variously described as a “model” and “nightclub hostess,” she was literally apprehended holding a smoking gun, and refused to alter her bleached-blonde locks to make a good impression during her trial. Though she confessed to…

A Charming Vintage Figurine Set That Memorializes A Famous Murder

The 1827 killing of Maria Marten came to be known as “the Red Barn Murder,” a crime so sensational that it spawned its own genre of art. And Red Barn Murder commemorations are still highly sought-after. Exhibit A: this charming ceramic rendering, which sold for nearly $20,000 in 2010. The auction house description gives more…

Vincent Bugliosi — who prosecuted Charles Manson and wrote the best-selling true crime classic, Helter Skelter, about the trial — has died at age 80. Despite a long, successful career, he lamented last year that “I can no more disassociate myself from [Manson] than I can jump away from my own shadow.”

The Country Star Whose Legacy Became Defined By Murder, Not Music

He was known as “The King of Western Swing,” but Spade Cooley achieved a far darker shade of fame when he was convicted of brutally murdering his estranged wife, Ella Mae, in 1961. It was an abrupt about-face for a man whose public persona was previously defined by his namesakeTV show. The Oklahoma-born, Oregon-raised Cooley…

Yikes: Woman Accused Of Mutilating The Corpse Of Her Boyfriend’s Ex 

To be clear: the ex-girlfriend of Shaynna Sims’ boyfriend was already dead from natural causes. But that didn’t stop the Tulsa, Okla. resident from paying the deceased a funeral-home visit, where it’s alleged that she slashed the woman’s facefrom hairline to nose, cut her hair, and chopped off a toe and a breast. She also…

The Strange Case Of The Doll Seller Who Desperately Wanted To Be A Spy

Velvalee Dickinson, a Stanford grad who’d worked in the financial industry, moved to New York City from San Francisco in 1937, where she soon opened a shop that sold collectible dolls. But by 1942, she’d added a third entry to her resume — or at least she really, really tried to: spying on behalf of…

The 7 Most Unbelievable Jailhouse Weddings Of All Time

Earlier this year, Charles Manson called off his engagement to a 27-year-old woman named “Star” when her cunning plot to display his corpse after his death was revealed. (Hey, even Manson has standards.) But a surprising number of other famous criminals have made it to the altar while behind bars. There’s a term to describe…

Czech Tolkien Fans Stage Enthusiastic Battle Of Five Armies Reenactment

Several hundred Hobbit fans gathered in the woods near Dosky, Czech Republic, thirsty for the kind of blood-pumping joy that only fantasy combat can provide. Feast your eyes on more photos from the annual Battle of Five Armies reenactment below. AP Photos by Petr David Josek

Hannibal Is Back For Season Three, And It’s As Bloody Gorgeous As Ever

Hannibal is back for its third season, its carnage-drenched season two finale still lingering in viewers’ minds. The premiere’s title, “Antipasto,” suggests we’re about to see a pre-meal taste of what’s to come, and indeed many familiar characters (the ones who are still alive, anyway) don’t yet appear. Spoilers follow. We open at night as…

Mark Duplass Is The World’s Most Alarmingly Manic Host In Creep Trailer

Mark Duplass and first-time director Patrick Brice co-wrote and co-star in Creep, a psychological thriller about a videographer who’s hired to document a dying man’s life for his yet-to-be-born child. Or so he thinks, until the man’s behavior starts to get ever-more erratic and terrifying. Creep, which is produced by horror guru du jour Jason…

Insidious 3 Offers A Textbook Lesson In How To Kill A Horror Franchise

Insidious and its sequel were enjoyably frightening tales of a family haunted by parasitic spirits — and the medium, Elise (Lin Shaye), who sets them free. Insidious: Chapter 3 introduces a new ghostly dilemma, then pastes Elise into the narrative — like an afterthought, who also happens to carry the entire story. Some spoilers follow.…

Ethan Gets The Worst Promotion Ever On This Week’s Wayward Pines 

Last week we learned a couple of key points on Wayward Pines: Ethan Burke will kill for the family he was cheating on just weeks prior (R.I.P. to a certain ice cream-loving throat-slasher); and there’s something terribly sinister screeching behind the town walls. What weirdness will be revealed this week? Spoilers follow! Episode four’s title,…

A Ripper Letter (And More!) From Scotland Yard’s Secret Crime Museum

Founded in 1875, Scotland Yard’s Crime Museum (or “Black Museum”) is a trove of objects from notorious cases. It’s used like a reference library, open only to law enforcement and invited guests. But Oct. 9, the Museum of London opens “The Crime Museum Uncovered,” displaying evidence from unforgettable crimes. According to the museum’s website: We’ll…

Shoddy Inventory System Enables Theft Of $3 Million Worth Of Chihuly Art

An ongoing scheme to steal glass art by Dale Chihuly proved successful for over a year, because the warehouse worker accused of the crime stealthily only took items that he (correctly) “believed would go unnoticed.” By the time someone realized what had happened, over $3 million in work was gone. As CNN reports, former Chihuly…

Pakistani Supermodel Faces Scandalous Money-Laundering Charges

Pakistani fashion model Ayyan Ali (professionally, she goes by her first name only) was once dubbed Calvin Klein’s “Beauty of the Year,” but is now enduring a different kind of media attention since attempting to leave Islamabad with $500,000, well over the legal limit allowed passengers on flights. The case has become a cause célèbre…

Man Who Made Violent Threats On Facebook Wins Supreme Court Appeal

Anthony Douglas Elonis, whose violent, threatening Facebook posts earned him a 44-month prison term, won his Supreme Court appeal today, marking the first time the SCOTUS has had to examine the issue of free speech on social media. According to CNN: The Court said that it wasn’t enough to convict the man based solely on…

A Brief History Of Court TV, Where Many A True-Crime Obsession Was Born

If you have cable, you probably have TruTV, which specializes in comedy gags (Impractical Jokers) and clip shows (Top 20 Most Shocking). But truTV is a relatively new channel, having risen from the ashes of a network dedicated to picking over every detail of the highest-profile trials of the 1990s: Court TV. Where did Court…