I’ve listened to a lot of true crime podcasts and read a lot of true crime books. One thing I value when consuming true crime stories is a thoroughly researched story that doesn’t just repeat gossip and assumptions. One of the easiest ways to tell a story of violence is to make the perpetrator into a monster and the victim into a saint. Rarely is a story so clearly black and white. There is no denying anyone who chooses violence is acting in a heinous manner, but most people are a combination of good and bad and what leads them to acting in such a monstrous way is complicated. Erica always looks at the history of the perpetrator to search for things that might have happened in their lives that affected their personality/mental health and ability to cope with stress and adversity. If we can identify some of the many contributing factors to violence against others perhaps we can find ways to prevent it. People aren’t usually monsters but they can do monstrous things. I want to know how that happens and how to recognize the threat of violence in time to prevent it. Thanks for all the details and willingness to talk about the many shades of gray in each story, Erica.
