The teenager hired a hitman to kill her, or did she? Natalie Bollinger via Broomfield Police Department The story surrounding Natalie’s murder is odd, to say the least. Drugs, Craigslist, and a stalker all play a part in this case, but how involved was each element, and why are there still multiple unanswered questions? Natalie was 19 years old and about to finish high school in Broomfield, Colorado. She’d gained a scholarship, studying to become a registered nurse at college

The four girls were killed in the store, but poor investigation and a community full of rage meant that this case is still unsolved. On the 6th of December 1991, Jennifer Harbison and Eliza Thomas were serving the last few customers of the day at I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! in Austin, Texas. Despite being 17 years old, their manager trusted them to close the shop on their own, and they were cleaning up as they went, to get the store closed on time, at 11 pm. Jennifer’s siste

Did the musician who wrote songs for the ‘sad kids’ kill himself, or was he murdered? Elliott Smith was launched into the spotlight after his involvement in the 1997 Oscar-winner Good Will Hunting, but he didn’t enjoy the sudden fame he experienced. In an interview with Elizabeth Blair in 2000, Smith explained his disregard for the fanfare. “I was pretty happy before all that [performing at the Academy Awards], I was going on tour and making records. It was kind of fun in a w

With natural charisma, Neville Heath could charm most into bed, but they didn’t always leave alive. Born in Ilford Essex on the 6th of June 1917, Neville Heath was an attractive young man who charmed everyone he met. In 1937 at the age of twenty, he decided he wanted to join the army and enrolled as a pilot. Neville Heath via mirror.co.uk Heath came from a lower-middle-class family but always had issues with petty crime. While in the army, he stole money from the mess room an

The real story behind Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood”. In April last year, the home with a dark history went back on the market. What was once home to the Clutter family was said to fetch between $150,000 and $200,000 in price. The seemingly regular farmhouse continues to attract visitors six decades later to see the place where four people were viciously murdered. Its former owners even charged $5 per visitor and created a flourishing operation before it was closed down due

The investigations spanned 25 years and John Cooper was finally caught with the help of a quiz show. John Cooper (right) on Bullseye via thesun.co.uk Born on the 3rd of September 1944, John Cooper lived in Milford Haven, a small town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, where he worked as a farm labourer. He was a keen fisherman and knew the local area well, spending most of his free time outdoors. In 1966, he married Patricia, and the couple had two children, a girl and a boy. In 1978,

His friends tried to kill him eight times for insurance money. Photo by Mark Asthoff on Unsplash In the 1930s, New York was already flattened by the Great Depression. People across the city had lost their jobs and homes, and the financial structure of New York bared no resemblance to its former position in the world market. It was a desperate era, where many tried to earn money however they could. Michael Malloy had moved to New York in the 1920s. The former firefighter was b

The murder that inspired The Conjuring III. Sketch of Arne Johnson via UVA School of Law Archives The town of Brookfield, Connecticut, sits close to the New York state border, around an hour’s drive from Hartford. Despite the University of Connecticut’s population projections, the town grew faster than anticipated, and by the early 1980s, nearly 13,000 people were living in the area. One of these was 19-year-old Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who tried to convince a jury that the Dev

Three movie stars, a boat and an alleged cover-up. Natalie Wood via HBO.com The news of Natalie Wood’s death shocked Hollywood. But, with film royalty involved, a seemingly botched autopsy and hushed whispers fluttering through the hills of affairs and murder, what really happened that night on board the yacht? Born Natalia Zakharenko on the 20th of July 1938, Natalie Wood rose to fame at a very young age. Her mother, Maria, was the instigator of Natalie taking this path to f

Armed with disguises and a gun, Miriam Rodríguez was an unstoppable force. Miriam Rodríguez via thesun.co.uk Picking through the dirt at an abandoned ranch outside of San Fernando, Tamaulipas in Mexico, Miriam Rodríguez found her daughter’s scarf. It was a devastating discovery that would later uncover part of Karen’s femur, among the dozens of bodies buried in the area. However, Miriam would not be deterred from her mission; she would find the people who abducted and killed

The nine-year-old was taken on her way home, but the investigation was more sinister than anyone dreamed. Shannon Matthews via express.co.uk In 2008, Madeleine McCann’s abduction still filled the air on every news channel. The image of the three-year-old was plastered everywhere and no one could escape the mention of her name. Her kidnapping was the nightmare of every parent in the country, and for Karen Matthews, she was about to share the pain the McCanns were going through

The famous music producer was an abuser of many. On the 3rd of February 2003, Phil Spector emerged from his house in the early hours of the morning. Inside lay 40-year-old model and actress Lana Clarkson, her teeth scattered across the carpet of the Pyrenees Castle in Alhambra, California. Clarkson had been killed by a gunshot to the mouth, which Spector and his high-paid defence lawyers would later claim occurred by suicide. The call to the police was made by Adriano de Souz

Before Sandy Hook, there was Dunblane. Outside Dunblane Primary School via aoav.org.uk Wednesday the 13th of March 1996 started like many others. Men and women went to work, store shutters opened welcoming customers, and children entered their classrooms, ready to learn. It took just three minutes to change that day for an entire community, forever. 43-year-old Thomas Watt Hamilton spent a lot of his life helping out with the Scouts. In July 1973, he was made assistant leader

The nightmare phone call leading to Shawn Grate's capture lasted 20 minutes before help arrived. Shawn Grate via Ashland County Sheriff’s Office Shawn Grate had a long history of violence, but his good looks and charisma meant he charmed everyone he met. He was known as a ‘nice guy’, and that’s what made him even more deadly. The missing On the 16th of August 2016, Elizabeth Griffith disappeared from a car park in Ashland, Ohio. According to CCTV, the 29-year-old was shopping

Kathy Page’s 30-year-old case is still unsolved. The original signs via southernfriedtruecrime.com Director and writer Martin McDonagh was travelling across America on a Greyhound bus when he saw the hand-painted signs on the side of the I-10 in Vidor, Texas. The signs had been written by James Fulton, whose daughter was murdered in May 1991, after frustration that her killer was never charged. The signs have changed over the years, but the message remains the same; his daugh

America's Unknown Child’s case is still active over six decades later. A sketch of the boy via NCMEC 400,000 flyers were distributed around Philadelphia, hoping someone would claim the boy found in the box. Envelopes containing utility bills had the face of the child imprinted on the front, and police stations and post offices bore the details of his discovery, yet no one ever came forward. The case is still active 64 years later yet little more than theories have ever been i

The musician was not the only target on his killer’s list. John Lennon and Yoko Ono via Wikimedia Commons When David Bowie stepped out on stage on the 9th of December 1980, there were three empty seats in the front row. He was performing in The Elephant Man at the Booth Theatre on Broadway and the play was only running for another month. Most celebrities had already been to see him in the title role, but his good friend and collaborator John Lennon and his wife were due to wa

The heir to a multi-million dollar airline and his friend committed the worst crime, but it wasn’t their first foray into murder.