fact or fiction

Is it fact or merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores the myths and beliefs we hold about copycat killers, eyewitnesses testimony, what makes a murderer and more.

Getting away with murder
GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER Because the embassy wasn't interested in my suspicion that I had a major Nazi war criminal staying in my hotel, I decided to be his judge and jurors myself. Their opinion may have been influenced by the general consensus that the man in question had died in South America years before. Or I may have sounded insincere or crazy since I wouldn't give my name. Either way, I had spent my last coins to call them about his whereabouts, and if they didn’t care, I’d be damned if I let this opportunity slip away.
By Tone Sutterud5 years ago in Criminal
Customer number one
It was cold that morning at 4:45am. Lizbeth was scheduled to open Sips and Sweets, but had to switch shifts with me suddenly. I don’t usually open the coffee shop, but I needed more experience. I was hoping to move up and maybe become assistant manager someday. We typically have a lot of the same people who come in the morning and afternoon. I was not familiar with the regular morning crowd, but Lizbeth would always tell me stories about the first customer of the day. Customer number one. Her most loyal and mysterious regular.
By Jane Lovemoore5 years ago in Criminal
The shy hitman
Little did Michael know when he woke up at six o’clock on that Monday morning that it would be his last day working as a hired assassin. To him, it was a job like any other and he was relieved that he could earn some extra money since working as a taxi driver during the pandemic was not worthy at all. Of course, there was no pleasure in doing what was he doing, not to mention that he had to buy new clothes and shoes every week, change the color of his hair pretty often, and still working as a taxi driver to cover this all up, but in a short time after accepting the new job he was free of any debt and the bank called to congratulate him for paying off the mortgage.
By Alex5 years ago in Criminal
The Garage, or Consciousness in Violet
Hyperventilating, mouth dry, eyes rolling uncontrollably, & neck throbbing from a violently racing heart, it was clear he was about to lose consciousness. It had come on suddenly, & Elijah instinctively knew it was inevitable. He couldn’t even get his eyes to focus, & the rows of cars swam in his grey, dimming line of vision. His only comfort was in knowing that he would collapse in front of the elevator he’d just stepped out of, on the second level of this parking garage. And though, at 2:00 PM, the lunch crowd was gone, this garage was in downtown Seattle; someone was bound to find him & help.
By Umohowet Yelayu5 years ago in Criminal
Pencil Truths
Early evening A room. Tightly plaited banana leaves in the roof hide the last waning rays of sunlight, leaving it illuminated solely by a single bare bulb. The light reveals a single wooden chair tucked under a matching desk, that throws eerie shadows along cracks in the walls.
By Zoe Slattery5 years ago in Criminal
A Secret Freedom
I have a confession. Now, don’t get too excited. It’s nothing salacious. You’ve probably done it yourself. More than once.
By Jennifer Lynch5 years ago in Criminal
Faux Aficionados
The lights were pulsating with increasing intensity and the floor was shaking from the bass. You could almost feel the sweaty condensation ready to drip down the walls. The air was close with the heat radiating from the moving bodies drunkenly sauntering around the dance floor.
By V A Harker5 years ago in Criminal
Saving Stella
The monstrous waves crashed against the warm sand and made the sea foam tickle my bare feet as the sun blistered my cheeks. I had never been to the beach before and for the first time in my life, I felt joy. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths and savored every second of the salty air as it entered my lungs. A smile grew across my lips and several tears rolled down my sunburnt face as laughter from young children filled the air.
By Courtney Gaylor5 years ago in Criminal
Her Second Favorite Mug
She tugged the thick envelope out of her mailbox. When she did, it tore on a sharp edge, revealing what was inside. Blood roared in her ears as she processed what she was seeing. She wasn’t counting money at her department store job; she was standing outside her dilapidated apartment, key to her own mailbox dangling from the door that was swaying in the wind.
By Monica Larc5 years ago in Criminal
Dark Santa
Twenty-three years ago, a woman gave birth to a child in a black market, underground cave where she is one of many; held captive. Her abuser is the father of a budding crypto cult, where the RNA of male genes and chromosomes are empathetically mutated and used on female babies to strengthen their body’s natural immune system. After a negative gender identity, her child was swiftly removed. Only to be used like all other negative results, as test subjects for the next batch of girl babies. Surprisingly, the caretaker deviates and ships the baby to a disclosed facility were the rare few, are given rays of hope through adoption or foster care.
By Rheda Denning5 years ago in Criminal
The Treasure of a Lifetime
This was the heist that rocked the Boston Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum back in March of 1990. Two thieves disguised as police officers tricked the security guards at this museum as mentioned above into letting them into the museum late at night.
By Paige Kostyniuk5 years ago in Criminal
There's no room for love in the troubles
The smell of the air after it rains is the best thing about a storm. I stand at my front door, streetlights warm up the damp tarmac with their orange glow.
By Lucille Hamilton5 years ago in Criminal