“Even in death, a coherent picture of Mr. Martinez’s double life — which was once the subject of a Hollywood movie — proves elusive. He was both a loyal confidant and one of the most infamous turncoats in New York lore. He was a kind friend and an admitted, ruthless killer; a selfless neighbor and […]
Crime
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Long Afterlife of a Terrible Crime
“Decades after her mother was killed, Regina Alexander reached out to the son of the people who did it.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Under the Wheel
“I have always been drawn to stories about people who try to escape — escape their neighborhoods, their families, their histories — and who instead become what they were running from.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
How Your Family Tree Could Catch a Killer
“Genetic genealogists like CeCe Moore are cracking cold cases and transforming policing. As DNA analysis redefines ancestry and anonymity, what knowledge should we be permitted to unlock?”
Posted inEditor's Pick
My Father, the Hitman
“Doc Dolan was connected to the JFK assassination and some of Benny Binion’s bloodier work. When I was a kid, he pulled a con on me that I’m still struggling to understand.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Fugitive and the Chameleon
“Mario’s father had gone by many names. Luis Archuleta. Lawrence Pusateri. The man the son knew as Ramon was just a fraction of his way into what may be one of the longest fugitive runs in U.S. history — a 50-year game of cat-and-mouse that played out across the West, from the streets of Colorado […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Han Twins
“The narrative that emerged was as simplistic as it was appealing: An evil twin, Jeen, had grown so jealous of her minutes-older and higher-achieving sister, Sunny, that she set in motion a barely believable sequence of events. The truth is far more interesting.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Airbnb Is Spending Millions of Dollars to Make Nightmares Go Away
“When things go horribly wrong during a stay, the company’s secretive safety team jumps in to soothe guests and hosts, help families—and prevent PR disasters.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Did Paying a Ransom for a Stolen Magritte Painting Inadvertently Fund Terrorism?
“Modern art crime, like the arms trade, still thrives in the shadow of global conflict, which gives rise to criminal networks that make from the detritus of war immensely profitable commodities.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Heat Listed
“He could be the shooter, he might get shot. They didn’t know. But the data said he was at risk either way.”