Jennifer Chase's Blog, page 33
March 8, 2014
Take a Walk Through a Body Farm
Originally posted on Author Jennifer Chase:
Today’s post is not for the squeamish or faintof heart. I find the scientific research into decomposition fascinating. I originally posted this article more than a year ago and have received so many comments and questions about it, so I thought I’d repost again.
This is for all of you armchair CSI buffs or aspiring crime authors…
March 4, 2014
Female Serial Killer in England Sentenced to Life in Prison
While I focus a lot of research on crimes that are committed in the United States, and unfortunately there are no shortage of them, I also like to keep up with what is happening in other justice systems. This week in England, a serial killer was sentenced. There were two particularly unusual details about this event. First, the criminal was ordered to remain in prison for a “whole life term.” The second is that the criminal is a woman.
Male serial killers outnumber females by a wide proportion...
March 2, 2014
Photography Sunday — Beauty in Black & White
Originally posted on Author Jennifer Chase:
One of my favorite escapes from the daily grind and writing is to go to the beach. I love to walk, take my dogs for a run on the beach, and I bring my camera for good measure because you never know what you’re going to see. I find that some of the most beautiful subjects are often emphasized in black and white.
This particular day it was really windy, I mean really windy. I saw a nice shot up abeach path and I had to make sure that I kept my mouth cl...
February 25, 2014
Teenager Claims to Have Killed Dozens
Photo Courtesy AP
If nineteen-year-old Miranda Barbour’s confessions prove to be true, she could be one of the worst serial killers in our nation’s history. The Pennsylvania teenager and her husband were arrested earlier this month on charges of criminal homicide after allegedly stabbing and strangling a man they met through Craig’s List. Once in custody, Barbour readily shared that this was not her first experience with murder and had killed somewhere between 22 and 100 people over the last s...
February 21, 2014
February 17, 2014
Writing and the Winter Olympics
Photo courtesy Associated Press
Have you been watching any of the Winter Olympics in Sochi? I love how every four years we all become experts on curling and the biathlon and the luge as we analyze every athlete on our television screens. The spectacle of the opening ceremonies, the political implications at play between different countries, the rare chance that these men and women have to highlight the sports they love – all of it makes for fascinating viewing. But beyond just enjoying these G...
February 11, 2014
Cold Weather Keeps the Criminals Inside
Photo Courtesy AP
If you are reading this blog post from somewhere in the United States, chances are you are someplace cold. This winter has brought Arctic temperatures to places not used to seeing the thermometer go below freezing and then parked those single digits in the air for days at a time. We all saw the photos of what Atlanta looked like following a covering of ice and snow on the city. Even school systems like the one in Chicago, with a population certainly used to bitter cold and ge...
February 8, 2014
A Character Powerful Enough to Drive a Series
When I first decided to write a full-length novel, I did not initially plan to write a series. I had a different serial killer story idea with a strong female protagonist, and I wanted to write about it. It was as simple as that. I do now see the error of my ways, but I think in the end it all worked out. I spent a fair amount of time thinking about Compulsion before I wrote anything down on paper. In retrospect, I think I was planning a series all along and did not even know it!
“It’s not eve...
February 5, 2014
California Teacher Charged with Sexual Assault
When we think of a sexual predator, it is likely that our first inclination is to picture a man. These odds are perpetrated by crime dramas that unfold on movie and television screen but also by the reality that an overwhelming percentage of individuals charged with sexual assault are males. However, women also are guilty of this horrific crime and the impact of their actions is just as deep and long-lasting.
This week in my home state of California, educator 
Andrea Michelle Cardosa was charge...
January 29, 2014
Are We Soon Going to See Robocop for Real?
If you are familiar with any of my books, you know that I have a strong interest in the way that technology can be used within law enforcement to track and capture criminals. In my novels, vigilante detective Emily Stone uses surveillance equipment that sometimes surpasses the resources of the local police department. However, a fascinating article that gives a peek into the not-distant future shows us that police officers from the largest cities to the smallest towns are only going to get mo...
