The Science, Law and Technology of True Crime

 (Written by Elyza A, photo credit to Elyza A) On Thursday, we spent the morning writing our own short murder mystery story or working on any unfinished work thus far.  For lunch, we got to enjoy a cheese, pepperoni, and “Starburst Deluxe” pizza from Star Pizza.  After lunch, we played a roleplay game called “Bullets on Broadway,” where we had to deduce who the killer of our not-so-beloved producer was.  Each person was given a character alongside a slip that says whether or not they are the killer.  It was really fun, and everyone got really into character.  Accents and accusations were flying all across the room.   After the dust settled and the murderer was revealed, we switched gears into our presentations on the books we have been reading throughout our J-term.  Sierra B. started us off with a presentation on the heartbreaking story “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote.  John B. followed up with the dark novel “Death Deserved” by Jørn ...

(Written by Sierra B., photo credit to Sierra B) Today, the morning was mainly dedicated to finishing our short stories and finishing reading our books from Murder By The Book. We then discussed how to write the report for the book once we finished reading it, which we will probably work on more and present tomorrow.  After this, we ate lunch for an hour at school. The entire afternoon was dedicated to a Mock Trial created by Kat. We had a few different ideas in mind, but eventually we settled on one. The charges of assault and battery were brought against John Kirkland for getting into an altercation with his ex-girlfriend's date. We set up a mock courtroom, and had people play the Judge, the prosecutor, the defendant, the jury, and the witnesses in the gallery. The jury’s verdict was that the defendant was innocent of starting the altercation, but the judge ruled the defendant guilty of the charges. Overall, the trial was very fun. It was not only a good experience, but it was ...

(written by Kat B., photo credit toKat B) Today we went to the Huntsville Prison museum. The museum had many interesting stories of how inmates had made most of the wooden gift shop items seen at the store by hand. In order to release stress the Inmates also had a Rodeo day where the guards would let the Inmates participate in a rodeo called the “prison rodeo”. The museum had a area about how it had an electric chair. In The museum they have many different facts about the prison system and how it works. After we finished in the museum we went to Olive garden and ate lunch and relaxed for a while before heading back to the school. My favorite part of the museum was seeing all the items made by inmates in their free time. We even took a few photos of a cell that was made to look like a cell the inmates would sleep in.

(Written by Katie P, photo credit to Katie P) The day started off with a free period in which many of us caught up on our readings. The book we are currently reading is called “All That Remains” by Sue Black, where she discusses different aspects of death, such as environmental pollution caused by cremation and the morality of recycling caskets. The seminar starts off with everybody reading their questions out loud, once that is done we start the discussion part of the seminar. We discussed the underlying concerns of identity and in which ways we can ethically preserve the deceased.  After the seminar, we watched a documentary about a college admissions scandal called “Operation Varsity Blues” in which a college prep coach convinced many famous and wealthy individuals to participate in a large scheme involving racketeering in order to get their children a guaranteed spot in an Ivy League college or any college for that matter.  Once we finished the documentary, we had a group ...

(written By Matthew O, photo credit to Matthew O) This morning, we visited the Houston Police Department Museum. The museum was located within the actual police department, which was very interesting to see. The museum mainly focused on the history of the Houston Police Department and some influential officers. The museum had a collection of uniforms and automobiles. There was additionally a collection of badges honouring officers who died, showing the year and their age. We also listened to a podcast about a racially motivated murder that took over 30 years to solve. In the Afternoon, we played a game that simulated a murder case to solve, giving us evidence, and putting us in the role of a detective, where we had to identify the killer. In the end, we solved the game, and worked on our books and story.  Later, we finished a documentary about two serial killers who killed people with a rifle from the trunk of a car.

(written by Colin F. , Photo credit to Cayley T and IMDb.com) On our eventful Thursday during our criminal law J term, we worked hard on our outlines for our murder mystery stories that we as a class have created. Developing skills like learning how to use mood, and tone in a murder mystery by watching certain videos. We read our own personal books that we bought from the murder by the book library store. This is to prepare us for our book report next Thursday. Showing our presentation in front of the whole class.  In the afternoon, we watched a cool movie called “Run” for a couple of hours. Learning in the movie that the daughter is being prescribed dog medication by her mother, which caused her to be on a wheelchair. Overall, it was a very eventful movie for everyone who enjoyed it. Personally, I enjoyed the movie myself with lots of plot twists, and excellent storylines that strongly connect with each other. At the end of the day we had our jobs to fulfill by taking out the tras...

(Written by Cayley T, photo credit to Caley T) Right off, the class opened up Plan A Murder with a round of brainstorming inside a shared Google document. Questions there pushed each person to picture what world their story would live in, like where it happens, who tells it, how fast things move, and what patterns show up. One thing at a time, thoughts took shape through answers that shaped mood, voice, and scene choices. We did not start writing the full story yet; instead, we focused on developing ideas and planning how our stories might unfold.    After our writing, we watched a documentary, which traced Gabby Petito’s story step by step. The documentary walked us through the timeline of events and encouraged us to think analytically about real-life cases, media coverage, and the importance of paying attention to warning signs. It was a serious and reflective part of the day that connected real-world issues that even continue to happen to this day. Wrapping things up, we pl...

(Written by John B, photo credit John B) The first day of the True Crime J-Term set the tone right away. We started in the classroom, diving into real court cases and learning how they actually unfold. Instead of focusing on the shocking parts, we looked at evidence, timelines, and how lawyers and judges made the decisions. It was interesting to see how messy real cases can be and how much depends on details that are easy to miss at first. After that, we headed to Murder by the Book, where we got to pick out each of our own books to make reports on later in the J-Term. Being surrounded by shelves full of true crime and murder titles felt like stepping into the heart of the genre. We talked about how authors research cases, tell victims’ stories responsibly, and balance facts with narrative. It made the cases we studied earlier feel more real, especially knowing how much work goes into telling those stories the right way. To end the day, we stopped by milk + sugar for a sweet treat. It ...