Each rider's individual goal is $300. I have already raised $185 and need your help me to raise more with a generous donation.

For every $25 donation you make, I will give away a signed copy of any of my Kensington/Pinnacle books, which include DEAD AND BURIED, MURDERED INNOCENTS, EVIL EYES, STRANGLER, and PURE MURDER. To receive this gift, please e-mail me your name, mailing address, which book(s) you would like, and the inscription you want in your book(s) to truecrimewriter@aol.com.

Thank you for your help during these tough economic times for attempting to find a cure for those afflicted with this devastating disease.

Yes, it’s hard to believe, but we eclipsed that milestone at the beginning of this month and I’m just now gettin’ ‘round to it.

Thank you to all of our faithful readers and for those of you who drop in occasionally. We love you all and encourage you to tell your friends about In Cold Blog, or ICB, as we are affectionately referred to by our fanatics.

To this day, I don’t believe there is a better place to pop in for compelling insights into the world of true crime. We have always been different here at ICB and, apparently, that’s what you love about us. We don’t simply grab news from Google Alerts and spit them back out with snarky rejoinders. We give you unique, thoughtful, and entertaining works that make you think, make you cry, and even piss you off.

ICB is doing something right these days.

And that is what makes ICB work so well.

We have a multitude of brilliant contributors with many opposing viewpoints, but they are all worthy of reading, digesting, and discussing. If you don’t like what one contributor writes, there is usually someone else with a different perspective with whom you might agree. The thing is, you know you can always come to ICB and share you differences of opinion.

We’ve had some former contributors who failed to understand that. When they did not get their way, they were kindly shown the door. We have not missed a beat ever since. In fact, we have escalated leaps and bounds since their departures and could not be happier around the ICB campus. Of course, that does not mean everyone here agrees with everyone else; no, just that all of our writers are mature adults who know how to disagree with one another and to make this a well-oiled, multi-faceted, multi-viewpoint machine.

Plus, we just don’t like stalkers.

So, on this belated 2nd year anniversary of what has often been called the #1 true crime blog, I want to give a big thanks to all of you who have read this far. Also, special kudos go out to our wonderful editor, Michelle McKee. She takes no guff and gives everything back in return.

There are plenty of new things in store for ICB and I hope to share those with you sometime later this year. In the meantime, keep enjoying the fresh content coming down the pipe. Also, be sure to check out some off our newest, wonderful contributors including Paula Ururburu, Joe McKinney, Steve Singular, and Cathy Scott. I am just as excited as you to read these new voices here at ICB.

Now, I must return to my man cave and finish my next book on Bart Whitaker.

Sheila Muhs took exception to their behavior, ran outside her home waving a shotgun, screaming and cursing at the Coffeys to get off her property. She then took aim and fired a shot at the family who quickly scurried back to their Jeep and sped off. The petrified father was so scared he veered off to the side of the road but was able to recover and drive away.

Unfortunately, Muhs wasn't done with them.

She jumped into her vehicle, as did her husband Gayle, and proceeded to barrel after the Jeep. They caught up to it more than 100 yards away from their property. Gayle then pulled out the shotgun and fired upon the Coffeys who screamed at the Muhs that there were kids in their vehicle. That exchange led to more shots fired upon the Jeep.

Donald Sr. was shot in the elbow and skull. His daughter, Destiny, suffered a shotgun wound as well. Unfortunately, several bullets pierced the face and head of Donald Jr., killing him.

All because a young boy needed to take a leak. And not even on the Muhs' property.

As you can see in the above photo, the Muhses proudly posted a misspelled sign that clearly acknowledged their intentions as far as "defending" their property: "TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT - SURVIVERS (sic) WILL BE RE SHOT (sic) !! - SMILE I WILL"

Thankfully, the couple has been arrested and charged with murder, though their original charges were only for aggravated assault.

I am fully aware that the majority of gun owners are decent, law-abiding citizens who would never engage in such outlandish, violent behavior as that of the Muhses. But if there was ever a case to be made for more stringent gun control, then this is the one. I am also fully aware that there are already thousands of gun laws on the books and I, for one, am glad they exist. I simply believe there should be many, many more.

The Muhses both have rap sheets, yet they are still legally allowed to own guns. Texas also has a "castle law" that allows one to defend his or her property if necessary. Hell, another Texan, Joe Horn, has recently been praised to the heavens for shooting and killing two black men who trespassed on his neighbor's property. Horn was even recently paraded on Glenn Beck's television program on Fox News last month during a so-called Tea Party in front of The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. Horn was treated like a rock star or war hero for his deed.

Yes, most gun owners are reasoned, level-headed individuals who would never go on a killing mission because a young boy took a leak on public property. They may be offended, even curse the delinquent's name, and yell at them to stop misbehaving. Or, they may call the cops and report the illegal behavior. But to purposefully jump into your vehicle, chase down the roadside urinator, and fire repeatedly upon them, subsequently killing an innocent boy? Where is the level-headedness in that behavior?

No, President Barack Obama will not take away your guns. But in the case of Gayle and Sheila Muhs, and those out there like them with the same gung-ho, Wild West, shoot-em-up mentality, I certainly wish he would.

Corey Mitchell is the best-selling author of several true crime books including PURE MURDER and DEAD AND BURIED, the founder of In Cold Blog, and a proud contributor to MetalSucks.

The procedure is very simple. The nominations will be up for two weeks. You can vote once per day in each category. Please choose only one nominee from each category per day, except for the Hall of Fame True Crime Book category where you can select up to three choices per day. The ballot boxes are drop down ballots so click the arrow to see all the choices in each category.

Feel free to promote your nomination wherever. In fact, I encourage it. I want to spread the word of true crime around to as many people as possible so please don't be shy or exhibit false modesty. There are lots of true crime media out there and to be singled out for a nomination is truly a great feat. So please pimp yourself, but don't come here to badmouth other nominees.

Good luck!

Corey Mitchell

P.S. Sorry about the formatting issues with this post. Sometimes Blogger is just not your friend.

Corey Mitchell is a best-selling critically acclaimed author of several true crime books, founder of In Cold Blog and the ICB Detective Awards, a former blogger for the Discovery Channel's Investigation Discovery, a contributor at MetalSucks, and is happy that his Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl.

***********************************

(Please Select 3 titles to join previous winners Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry's HELTER SKELTER, Truman Capote's IN COLD BLOOD, and Ann Rule's THE STRANGER BESIDE ME)

**************

Cartwright, Gary, BLOOD WILL TELL
Gilmore, John, SEVERED
Lavergne, Gary, A SNIPER IN THE TOWER
McDougal, Dennis, ANGEL OF DARKNESS
McGinnis, Joe, FATAL VISION
Graysmith, Robert, ZODIAC
O'Brien, Darcy, TWO OF A KIND: THE HILLSIDE STRANGLERS
Olsen, Jack, SON
Thompson, Tommy, BLOOD AND MONEY

There are quite a few films based on true crime featured at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

The 2009 Edgar Awards have been announced and amongst the numerous categories that focus mainly on fictional mysteries is the ridiculously titled category, Best Fact Crime.

***According to Megan Twohey of the Chicago Tribune, there are 3.4 million stalking victims in the United States alone. The vast majority are, of course, women.

***When is enough enough? According to Diane Garrett of Hollywood trade mag Variety, Samantha Geimel, the then 13-year-old sexual assault victim of filmmaker Roman Polanski is criticizing the Los Angeles District Attorney for prolonging the case against the notorious former husband of Sharon Tate.

In a court filing on Monday, Geimer said she and her family are being harmed by renewed focus on the case. Geimer, who was 13 at the time of the March 1977 incident, is now 45 and a mother of three. She has long requested that the charges be dismissed.

"I am surprised and disappointed with the District Attorney," she wrote, noting that the D.A. has not only refused to dismiss the case, but "has, yet, one more time, given great publicity to the lurid details of those events, for all to read, again."

Corey Mitchell is a best-selling author of several true crime books, founder of In Cold Blog, a contributor at MetalSucks, and is feeling pretty good about his Pittsburgh Steelers today.

***Do yourself a favor and set aside some time to read this wonderful article by Jessica Snyder Sachs entitled Anatomy of a Serial Killer located over at Popular Science. I won't spoil any of the story by talking about it, here is a great pull quote:

In a recent issue of the scientific journal Homicide Studies, criminologist Kenna Quinet wrote that conventional calculations seriously underestimate the number of serial murder victims. “The problem may be 10 times worse than we imagined,” she says. Instead of 180 victims a year in the U.S., there may be as many as 1,800.

***Buried within the comments of the above story is a link to a hilarious video from The Onion on the infallibility of the Chinese legal system that should get your morning started off on the proper humorous note.


China's Andy Rooney Has Some Funny Opinions About How Great The Chinese Government Is

***It's hard to believe, but ostracized filmmaker Roman Polanski's child rape case is still a percolating issue in Los Angeles. Check out Michael Cieply's interesting piece, Polanski's Lawyers Seek Change of Venue From Hollywood, in a recent edition in the New York Times.

But I don't read true crime for good writing, and neither does anyone else. (Fortunately, because it's in short supply). I read it because I want to learn about a given case. Ann Rule hasn't sold a bajillion books because she's such a fantastic wordsmith; her prose is mediocre at best. But she knows how to identify a juicy story, she knows how to get access to everyone involved with it, and she knows how to keep it moving.

***Be sure and check out this very interesting article about the controversial French defense attorney, Jacques Verges (pictured left), AKA, "The Devil's Advocate." Not only has he defended the worst of the worst, he also denies the atrocities committed in Phnom Penh. Verges, a former war hero, alleged terrorist supporter, and playwright claims to have a "passionate interest in evil" according to Stephen Kurczy in his article Curtain raises again on Jacques Verges in tomorrow's Asia Times.

***According to Elizabeth Olson of the New York Times, dating abuse is on the rise and high schools are stepping up to help stop it before it escalates to murder. The story talks about Heather Norris (pictured left), a young woman from Indianapolis who was caught in an abusive relationship as a teenager which eventually led to her death and dismemberment by her abusive boyfriend.

While I agree that everyone should keep an eye out on abusers, putting the onus on the backs of our educators is making it tougher and tougher to focus on the task at hand, which should be teaching.

Corey Mitchell is a best-selling author of several true crime books, founder of In Cold Blog, a contributor at MetalSucks, and looking forward to the Texas Longhorns beating Ohio State tonight. Hook 'em!

Top 10 lists are great for books, films, and movies -- check out my list of Top 10 Metal Albums for 2008 over at MetalSucks for ample proof -- but I have a serious problem with Top 10 lists for true crime stories. Somehow the thought of neatly compiling the "best" in murder rings hollow with me.

So, let's get on with the new year, shall we?

***And guess what? We are still a racist and paranoid country here in America. According to Amy Gardner of the Washington Post, nine Americans who practice the Islamic faith were kicked off a TransAir flight for making "suspicious comments." The statement that sent up the red flag?

Kashif Irfan, one of the removed passengers, said the incident began about 1 p.m. after his brother, Atif, and his brother's wife wondered aloud about the safest place to sit on an airplane.

"My brother and his wife were discussing some aspect of airport security," Irfan said. "The only thing my brother said was, 'Wow, the jets are right next to my window.' I think they were remarking about safety."

***Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s pick of former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris as the replacement for President-elect Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat has left a bad taste in many mouths due to his enthusiastic efforts to convict an innocent man, Rolando Cruz, in a 1992 death penalty case. According to Ben Protess of ProPublica:

Mr. Westlake wrote seven days a week, his friends said. His productiveness was honed in part by an era in which publishing houses churned out books at a relentless pace. During that time, he also wrote erotic literature, science fiction and westerns.

Hopefully, time permitting, I will be able to provide you with a few choice links every weekday morning to some of the most interesting true crime news, tidbits, opinions, etc..

So, enjoy a little crime with your coffee.

Isn't this the same guy who used a 9-11 love nest right next to Ground Zero? Keep stayin' classy, Bernie.

Adam Cohen, editorialist for the New York Times writes that we are still willing to zap the hell out of people in Four Decades After Milgram, We're Still Willing to Inflict Pain.

The shocks were not real. But the participants were told they were — and instructed to increase the voltage with every wrong answer. At 150 volts, the participant could hear the learner cry in protest, complain of heart pain, and ask to be released from the study. After 330 volts, the learner made no noise at all, suggesting he was no longer capable of responding. Through it all, the scientist in the room kept telling the participant to ignore the protests — or the unsettling silence — and administer an increasingly large shock for each wrong answer or non-answer.

Reuters correspondent Tim Gaynor...reports: “In scores of crossings I have made to Mexico over several years, I have been stopped on just two or three occasions. Never once have I had my car searched. The odds are heavily in favor of the smugglers.”

I was interviewed nearly a year ago for this entertaining show despite never having seen it before. It is a fast-paced and funny show that attempts to confirm or dispel infamous Hollywood rumors. I spoke on about 15-20 cases including Charles Manson and The Monkees, James Dean's cursed car, and KISS's blood-soaked comic book. I have no idea, however, exactly which cases will feature me in the inglorious "talking head" role.

I DO know that I will be appearing in episodes 2 (tonight), 4 (10/29), 5 (11/5), and 6 (11/12) for a total of four out of seven episodes.

Tonight's episode features Charles Manson and whether or not he tried out for The Monkees. I definitely talked about that one as the Manson case has always been the one that fascinates more than any other.

So, do yourselves a favor, take a break from the dwindling Dow, the race-based mudslinging, and join me for a bit of ol' Hollywood lore and a few laughs.

And really, if you haven't made up your mind as to whom you will vote by now, should you really be voting?