The dark side of true crime

True crime is on the rise. Streamers broadcast successful true crime documentaries, while cable channels dedicate their entire programming to the genre. A legion of podcasters, YouTubers, TikTokers and Vloggers have built audiences in the millions. They can also do a lot of good. Citizen journalists can rediscover forgotten cases, and journalists committed to seeking justice for victims can uncover hidden evidence and new suspects for crimes once considered unsolvable.

But true crime has a dark side. Thoughtful creators can build a large, loyal base of listeners, but for some, resisting the siren song of shock journalism and rapid audience growth is simply too tempting to ignore. Driven by sensationalism, conspiracy theories and irrationality, these creators appeal to our deepest fears and latent distrust in the justice system. The consequences are all around us.

In Delphi, Indiana, Richard Allen, the accused killer of thirteen-year-old Abby Williams and Libby German, is preparing for trial. On February 13, 2017, the girls were brutally murdered in a public walk-up trial not far from their homes. Allen has been on the trail at the time of the murders. Police forensically linked him to the scene with a bullet matching a gun he owns and he has reportedly confessed several times to multiple people. But the evidence is no match for a powerful story, well told.

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Allen did not kill the girls, according to his lawyers. Rather, they were slaughtered by white supremacist members of the neo-pagan religion of Odinism, aided by a cover-up orchestrated by law enforcement. While one might expect awakening the echoes of satanic panic to provoke derision, certain corners of the true crime world loved it. Recently, Allen's true anti-crime supporters launched a legal defense fund, advertising it with the hashtag “Justice for Abby and Libby,” the names of the girls Allen is accused of brutally murdering. As of this writing, more than 700 people have donated more than $40,000 to the cause.

In Boston, Massachusetts, Karen Read's trial drags on. The former financial analyst and professor is accused of hitting and killing her Boston Police Department boyfriend, John O'Keefe, with her Lexus. Read maintains her innocence, but true crime bloggers, YouTubers and podcasters didn't need a trial to decide what they thought had happened. O'Keefe was murdered by a fellow officer and the police were framing Read to cover it up. A popular blogger named Turtleboy (Aidan Kearney in his non-real life of crime) became so convinced of Read's innocence that he launched what prosecutors claim was a campaign of harassment and witness intimidation. While Read is on trial for murder, Kearney now faces at least 16 felony charges.

And then there's Moscow, Idaho, where Brian Kohberger awaits trial for the murder of four University of Idaho college students. Meanwhile, the chair of the university's history department was forced to file a defamation lawsuit against a true crime TikToker who claimed to his 100,000 followers that the professor was the real killer. Your evidence of him? He saw it in a psychic vision.

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The siren song of conspiracy is not limited to those simply accused of a crime. From Scott Peterson to Adnan Syed to Steven Avery, big-budget documentaries and slickly produced podcasts can use misinformation, police conspiracy theories, and emotional manipulation to convince millions of people that their subjects are innocent, victims of a rigged system. .

The financial return is huge, but so are the consequences. The victims are forgotten and their families must re-litigate again and again the guilt of the murderers of their loved ones. The general public's faith in the justice system is shaking, endangering our communities and making it difficult to deliver justice to those who deserve it. And it's not just the victims who suffer. Inundated with false stories of innocence, many in the public become weary, and actual cases of false convictions are less likely to be heard and less likely to be believed. The voices of the truly innocent are drowned out by the cacophony.

Identifying the dark side of true crime is easy. Doing something about it is more difficult.

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First, the judicial system must take note. Take the situation in Delphi, Indiana, for example. In that case, the court issued a gag order, including against the victims' families. And yet, the defense has not been hindered in conveying their narrative to the friendly YouTubers, while the family has had to watch, silently, as misinformation spreads.

Streamers also have a role to play. They must examine documentaries for facts and evidence, and value a commitment to the truth over easy money. The audience for a thoughtful and insightful true crime is there. Give it to them.

Consumers also have a responsibility. True crime consumers are discerning; When an innocent person is in prison, they want him to be released, while the guilty stay there. And the proliferation of DIY blogs and podcasts has had the salutary effect of giving everyone a voice. But that freedom comes at a cost. The goalkeepers were left behind. If anyone can start a podcast, anyone will. It is up to the creators and true consumers of crimes to police themselves.

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Education and critical thinking are the key. We all love a good story and we are all susceptible to the lure of conspiratorial thinking. We must resist the temptation to get carried away by the latest wave of sensationalism. Common sense still prevails, most of the time. As the old saying goes, when you hear hooves, think horses, not zebras. And when the man with the megaphone tells him that the zebras are loose, he at least asks for some proof before panicking.

Truth matters and we must all make truth more valuable than fiction. The most powerful resource listeners have is their time. They should only give that time to those who deserve it. Otherwise, as long as conspiracies and sensationalism generate clicks and money, the cause of justice (and all who care about it) will continue to suffer.

Alice LaCour is co-host of the weekly true crime podcasts “The Prosecutors” and “The Prosecutors: Legal Briefs.”