On February 14, 2018, a 19-year-old former student / lone gunman walked through the halls of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida during class, randomly shooting at staff and students until seventeen people lay dead and seventeen were wounded. It is, at this writing, one of the world's deadliest school massacres. Many students have began campaigns for gun control legislation, requesting their government take action, and creating advocacy groups for gun control. Some of those students have taken up a pen to write down their feelings, to record what they witnesses on February 14. In an exclusive, one of those students shares her innermost feelings from that horrible day. 9 minutes in hell is an effort to explain how those terrible minutes inside the walls of a high school was more than a news blurb or a candlelight vigil; these were real people who were loved, who were lost forever, or whose lives will never be the same because sheer terror changed them forever.
We are all so excited to bring an exclusive to you this issue, one near to our hearts. As you may be aware, we support new and aspiring writers. In the Summer of 2017, I was approached by a woman named Lori who had quite the story to tell. We worked with her and published her article about her father, John Orr, the most prolific serial arsonist of that time (Orr is currently incarcerated). I encouraged Lori to tell her story by publishing it, giving her a lead on a publishing company. Lori's book, "Burned" (published by Wild Blue Press) will soon be available to the public. As an exclusive, we are publishing an excerpt in this issue. We are proud of you, Lori!
True crime author Ann Marie Ackermann is not just a master storyteller and gifted writer, but she may be soon listed in the Guinness Book of World Records! Her amazing book, "Death of an Assassin" started out as a simple little diary to be used as a birdwatching project. The story behind the book just keeps getting better and bigger. Every true crime author hopes for an adventure like Ann Marie's, and I assure every reader this book will be an adventurous read.
Yet again as we were preparing to ready for print, another school shooting made headlines. This time it was in my beloved home state of Texas, not far from where I have family. The Thursday prior, May 17, I was on an evening talk show with another expert discussing the correlation of bullying to school shootings. Just another reminder of how difficult this job can be, and how important it is that we teach our children to respect and communicate.
Welcome to the SUMMER 2018 of True Crime: Case Files. Enjoy the read, share the information, and be safe out there.
Judith A. Yates