James Renner's Blog, page 6
August 18, 2019
The Porchlight Project Begins!
This last year, I’ve been working hard to put together a new non-profit that can provide financial help and media attention to the families of the missing and murdered, focusing on cold cases in Ohio. I’m excited to announce that The Porchlight Project is here and our first case is the 1987 unsolved murder of Barbara Blatnik.
The board members of The Porchlight Project include former police chiefs, private investigators, journalists, lawyers, and podcasters. We’ll be working together to bring closure to a handful of cases this year. Please visit our website and consider a donation today.
August 13, 2019
The Tour Continues!
I’m taking my “Confessions of a True Crime Addict” comedy show to the Pacific Northwest and California this October! Get your tickets today, before they sell out!
Oct. 2 – Seattle – The Jewelbox Theater – Tickets here.
Oct. 6 – San Francisco – Cobb’s Comedy Club – Tickets here.
Oct. 7 – Sacramento – Punch Line – Tickets here.
Oct. 11 – Portland – Curious Comedy Theater – Tickets here.
May 17, 2019
MUSE is here!
My new, little novel MUSE is officially out via Cemetery Dance. The story is set in 1960s New England, and follows a private investigator hired by a teenage girl to steal a box from the estate of H.P. Lovecraft. Signed hardbacks are limited to 750 copies. You can order yours here.
If audiobooks are your thing, Tantor Media put together a fabulous one for MUSE. You can get it on Audible, today!
April 18, 2019
The Philosophy of Crime, Season Two is Here!
Do lie detectors really work? How do psychopaths convince other people to commit murder? What’s the deal with familial DNA? I explore these questions and more in Season Two of The Philosophy of Crime. All 6 episodes are now available everywhere you can find podcasts. Check it out!
March 18, 2019
Confessions of a True Crime Addict Tour!
2019 TOUR ANNOUNCED!
This June, I’ll be on the road in the eastern U.S. for my “Confessions of a True Crime Addict” tour. It’s a mix of stand up and scary tales about my adventures in true crime journalism. Get your tickets before they sell out!
Here are the links for venues by city:
Wednesday, June 5, Zanies, Nashville: http://zaniesnashvilletickets.laughstub.com/event.cfm?cart&id=525436
Thursday, June 6, Birmingham, Alabama, Stardome: https://stardome.com/
Saturday June 8, New Orleans, The New Movement: https://comedynola.com/new-orleans-comedy-shows/
Tuesday, June 11, Charlotte, The Evening Muse: https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1838622?_ga=2.7271478.505496876.1552910860-1011059912.1551730365&__utma=1.102416815.1551730365.1551990352.1552910860.3&__utmb=1.1.10.1552910860&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1552910860.3.3.utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=(not%20provided)&__utmv=-&__utmk=85873945
Thursday, June 13, D.C., The Improv: https://dcimprov-com.seatengine.com/shows/97243
Friday, June 14, Brooklyn, EastVille Comedy: https://eastvillecomedy.com/event/9217735/-confessions-of-a-true-crime-addict-booking-reading-james-renner/
January 31, 2019
Pre-order MUSE Today!
My new novel, MUSE, comes out May 14 but you can pre-order a copy, today at this link! This story is limited to only 750 signed copies and Cemetery Dance has done a wonderful job with it.
Here’s a hint of what it’s about:
The enclosed was transcribed from ten mini-cassette tapes that were recovered from the offices of Boston attorney William J. Latch following his disappearance on June 19, 2014.
These tapes are part of the evidentiary record in the civil case of Latch V. Weymouth Life & Casualty.
William J. Latch was declared dead by the State of Massachusetts in April 2015 after Magistrate Gavin FitzGerald reviewed these tapes, privately, in his chambers. Weymouth Life & Casualty was therein ordered to release Latch’s survivor’s benefits to his children.
Latch’s body has never been found.
His client, Michael Hadley, also remains missing…
January 3, 2019
Amy Mihaljevic Documentary Series Airs on ID Discovery
A very excellent, three-part docu series on the Amy Mihaljevic cold case is now available to view on demand via ID Discovery (it’s actually the first part of a new series called The Lake Erie Murders). They cover the case and some suspects in great detail. There are some things revealed that even I didn’t know about.
December 9, 2018
Check Out My New Crime Series on ID Discovery!
BIG NEWS!
ID Discovery has graciously given me my first crime series, LAKE ERIE’S COLDEST CASES, which debuts at the end of the month only on IDGO. Each episode explores a new unsolved case I’ve researched in the Cleveland area (one of them is solved as I’m covering it!).
And it gets better! This online series is a companion project to a new TV series that will run on ID Discovery, called THE LAKE ERIE MURDERS. The first three episodes explore the unsolved abduction/murder of Amy Mihaljevic. Tune in on December 30 to see what we’ve uncovered!
October 5, 2018
New True Crime Article!
I have a new long-form true crime article, published by ID Discovery’s Crimefeed. It’s a deep-dive into the story of Colleen Fitzpatrick and Margaret Press, the two women who figured out a new way to use DNA to catch bad guys.
They called the dead man Joseph Newton Chandler but that wasn’t his name. He lived alone in an efficiency in a nondescript apartment complex in Eastlake, Ohio, a workaday suburb of Cleveland. He rarely ventured far from home and the closest thing he had to a friend was a former coworker at a chemical factory he once listed as an emergency contact on his employment forms.
One day in July, 2002, Chandler purchased a handgun — a .38 caliber Charter Arms revolver. The old man returned home. He locked his door and windows, turned off the AC. Then he stepped into to his bathroom, faced the mirror, and put the barrel of the gun in his mouth. The last thing to enter his mind, other than that bullet, may have been the dark secret he was leaving behind.
Check out the Crimefeed post here.
September 5, 2018
Virtually a Detective, Case 101: DELPHI
Join journalist James Renner as he travels to Delphi, Indiana, in search of a killer.
On Valentine’s Day, 2017, the bodies of Abby Williams and Libby German were found off a popular trail in the woods of Delphi. Libby had the piece of mind to photograph her attacker and capture his voice on her Snapchat app. However, he has yet to be identified.
Virtually a Detective is a new experience in true crime – not a podcast, not really a documentary, it’s a fully-immersive 3-D experience that allows the viewer to travel with James as he speaks to the friends and family of the girls, as well as detectives, culminating in a journey to the sight of the abduction.
A new episode will be released every day on Renner’s YouTube Channel.
Here are the links to the first videos you can watch, today:
Tune in!
