Not far outside Boston, a criminal investigation unfolded in relative quiet. An arrest was made. Then the accused woman’s friend reached out to a loudmouthed local blogger who goes by Turtleboy. The rest was almost too ridiculous to be believed. For The Atlantic, Chris Heath brings his considerable powers to bear on a tale of citizen journalism—a tale that also suggests just how much our society is currently ruled, above all, by repeating things as often and as loudly as you possibly can.
A few hours later, Kearney published his post, several thousand words long: “Canton Cover-Up Part 1: Corrupt State Trooper Helps Boston Cop Coverup Murder of Fellow Officer, Frame Innocent Girlfriend.” (Two of the many ways that Kearney’s work practices deviate from conventional journalism are his speed to certainty, and his full-throated advocacy.) From this first outpouring, he was all in: “Karen Read is a completely innocent woman, wrongly charged by corrupt cops who would see her rot in prison in order to cover up a murder of a fellow officer.”
More picks about True Crime
The Shooting of Two Cornell Freshmen, 42 Years Later
“In 1983 six students were taken hostage in a Cornell dormitory. Two of them were killed. How have the survivors reckoned with what happened to them, and what made us forget about this act of violence?”
The Man Who Broke Into Jail
“In Nashville, a criminal-justice activist commits a baffling crime.”
He Called Himself an ‘Untouchable Hacker God’. But Who Was Behind the Biggest Crime Finland Has Ever Known?
“How would you feel if your therapist’s notes – your darkest thoughts and deepest feelings – were exposed to the world? For 33,000 Finnish people, that became a terrifying reality, with deadly consequences.”
Death by Duxelles
“This was a story of culinary disguise, of meat concealed in dough and murder masquerading as lunch.”
The Baby Whisperer
“Marian Fraser once ran the go-to day care for Waco’s elite. But the community turned against her after she was arrested for the death of a child in her charge. The evidence against her was circumstantial, yet many came to believe there had long been a dark secret to her success.”
Inside the Glitter Lab
“How the tiniest trace of red shimmer helped solve one of California’s most brutal crimes.”
