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Lessons I've Learned From True Crime Shows

How Stories of Death Helped Prepare Me for Life

By Jessica PillaPublished 6 years ago 8 min read
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You could say I got my love of true crime shows from my mother, an avid fan of cozy English murder mysteries. Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, and Hercule Poirot were names I recognized before I even started kindergarten. By the time I discovered Forensic Files in the fifth grade, it seemed no different than all of the stories and television shows that I loved for years. I was completely mesmerized by the chase and all of the methods that detectives used to solve crimes. Years later, when I saw that a forensic science class was being offered at my high school, I immediately registered for it.

Had I been much better at math, and able to withstand the smell of a rotting corpse, I would have chosen forensics as a career path. Other than being endlessly determined to solve any dilemma that comes my way, I've also noticed that I'm freakishly capable of suppressing emotions in order to work through an intense situation.

It wasn't until college that I really started to pay more attention to the people at the center of these stories: the victims. I finally saw the depth and tragedy of their stories, what they had planned for in life, and the people they left behind in death. I also took a closer look at their killers, wondering how no one possibly saw the warning signs and what could have driven them to become so vile.

As I continue to watch HLN and Investigation Discovery programs religiously, I've begun to notice that the events I've studied for so long have impacted my daily life. They've determined how I view world events, how I interact with friends and family, and even the steps I take to protect myself. Sure, some may tease me or refer to these shows as "murder porn," but they've become so much more than a way to satisfy my morbid curiosities.

There's no such thing as a truly perfect crime.

Criminals can do as much careful planning as they'd like. They can wear masks and gloves and wipe down every single thing that they've touched. They can burn potential evidence and hide their victim where they'll never be found. They can even delete files from their computers. Yet, try as they might, a small trace of them and their activity will always stay behind.

Hairs fall out, even pubic hairs, without any force at all. Clothing fibers and paint chips are left behind, and chemical tests can easily match them back to a source. Altered gun barrels can be tested and compared to bullets found at crime scenes. Fracture match exams are conducted to match pieces of tape back to a specific roll. After being weighed down before dumped into a body of water, internal gases can still bring a corpse right back to the surface. And any forensic computer analyst can tell you with certainty that deleting a file won't erase it from a computer, but will simply mark the space it took up as "available for reuse."

No matter where you go or what you do, a piece of you is always left behind. It's up to the investigators to find and process it.

People kill for the most trivial reasons.

Money and lust are the oldest, and most common, motives in the world. Thieves kill their targets in order to eliminate witnesses. Spouses kill one another to reap the benefits of their life insurance policies. One may be having an affair and has chosen their lover over their spouse. Children even kill their parents hoping they can live off their inheritance or continue a relationship that their mother or father disapproved of. Worse yet, parents may kill their own children to spite the other parent or get rid of a "financial burden."

Still, some have motives that are just plain bizarre.

In 1996, Seattle police sergeant Matt Bachmeier set his own house on fire with the hope of collecting insurance money and using it to finance his entry into a bowling competition. He thought he was all set until his peers noticed that his art collection and bowling trophies had suspiciously been kept safe during the fire. Realizing he was now a suspect, he felt he had no choice but to create a diversion. That came when James Wren called the police after a dispute with his landlord. Bachmeier eagerly responded and offered to drive him to the police station, under the pretense of taking down a statement. He coerced Wren into signing a written confession before killing him in the back of his police car. By the time Wren's body was found months later, the disgraced sergeant was already charged with first-degree murder and arson.

A murderer could be closer than you think.

By now we should all know that criminals do not have a certain look, gender, or economic background. Unfortunately, enduring classism and racial profiling continue to brainwash us into believing that we can easily spot and avoid dangerous people. How many times, after a white perpetrator is caught, have we heard that they were "quiet and kept to themselves" or "seemed like a fine, up-standing citizen." Even with growing social justice movements and greater access to information, many news outlets still revert back to stereotypes for no other reason than gaining views.

But the most frightening truth of all is that those most likely to lead us to our downfall could be the ones closest to us. I've lost count of how many times I've seen the same scenario; a nice, normal suburban family has all they could ever need until one member's actions destroy everything. Maybe they became too obsessed with maintaining a certain image, or they could no longer cave in to pressure and stay in a situation that they hated. Whatever their reasons may have been, their selfish desires became infinitely more important than the well-being of their loved ones.

Anyone can be a victim.

As the only child of working parents, I spent most of my time at grandparents' home. My grandmother, an unusually paranoid woman, took every precaution she could to safeguard the house from intruders and encouraged me to do the same one day. She had extra locks on all of her doors, and kept bells on the doorknobs to alert her when someone was entering. She installed a mirror next to her front window so she could see who was at the front door. She installed a locking fence in front of our driveway and hung a "Beware of Dog" sign on it, even though they didn't own a dog. Additionally, she never shied away from calling the police on strangers that she considered "suspicious." It wasn't until high school that I realized her paranoia all but useless.

Watching episode after episode of Forensic Files introduced me to many who were just like my grandmother; reclusive, worried, and doing everything they could to feel protected. Yet nothing they did could keep out one determined and experienced thief who wouldn't dare leave a witness behind.

Science and technology are constantly evolving.

Blood types were not discovered until 1901, by Austrian biologist Karl Landsteiner. It wasn't until 83 years later when British geneticist Alec Jeffreys discovered a method of pinpointing the differences in individuals' genetic makeup and invented the process of DNA profiling. The early 1990s introduced a method of testing mitochondrial DNA, which could be done with much smaller biological samples and even hair without any root material. In 2003, molecular biologist Tony Frudakis helped the Baton Rouge Police Department catch a serial killer by identifying the man's race through a new DNA test that he invented. Then, as early as two years ago, investigators have started to use DNA phenotyping to determine a perpetrator's physical appearance and even identify decomposed bodies.

If DNA testing has advanced to this level in just over thirty years, who knows what science will be capable of five years from now.

Cherish every single moment that you are alive.

Undoubtedly, the most sobering lesson learned from my obsession is just how quickly and unexpectedly your life can end. Loved ones may have a dark secret that you won't discover until it's too late. Accidents can never be avoided, and lives can change within a mere second. In some of the most frightening cases I've ever seen, there was no connection between the victim and the killer at all. They were simply going about their daily lives and were spotted by someone who just felt like playing God.

Day after day, we waste so much time fussing over the most minor inconveniences. We're disappointed when we don't have enough followers on social media, when a favorite sports team loses, or when a film you were looking forward to disappoints. We yell at restaurant servers and retail workers over things they can't control, get angry at strangers on the road for not moving fast enough, and argue with our parents over household chores.

In the end, none of this truly matters. In Bronnie Ware's book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, her elderly patients expressed remorse at never having spent enough time with family or friends and not allowing themselves to be truly happy. We are only around for such a short time, and we don't have control over when we die. Learn to enjoy life's simpler moments, and know that most things will eventually get resolved. Let nothing stop you from pursuing your dreams, and speak up whenever you see any injustice. Most importantly, let your loved ones know just how much they mean to you. For all we know, they could be gone by the next hour.

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About the Creator

Jessica Pilla

Darkly-inclined actress, movie-lover, and cat mama fueled by caffeine and carbs. True crime shows relax me.

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