TTC Video - True Crime: Decoding the Evidence
TTC Video - True Crime: Decoding the Evidence
.MP4, AVC, 1280x720, 30 fps | English, AAC, 2 Ch | 3h 26m | 2.83 GB
Lecturers: Elizabeth A. Murray, PhD, Professor Richard B. Spence, PhD, Raychelle Burks, PhD | Course No. 30500
.MP4, AVC, 1280x720, 30 fps | English, AAC, 2 Ch | 3h 26m | 2.83 GB
Lecturers: Elizabeth A. Murray, PhD, Professor Richard B. Spence, PhD, Raychelle Burks, PhD | Course No. 30500
While thousands of crimes go unsolved every year and often fade quickly from the headlines, there are some cold cases that continue to fascinate us for decades or even centuries. What is it about these cases—usually murders or mysterious deaths—that holds our interest? Why do professional and amateur investigators alike keep revisiting these grisly incidents?
Perhaps one of the reasons we continually return to these mysteries is the prospect of applying modern technology and forensic techniques to resolve uncertainties from the past. The tools and knowledge of the 21st century—from DNA analysis to psychological profiling and everything in between—give us hope that we may be able to finally crack the case and find a belated sense of closure. Whether we are trying to finally reveal the identities of Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac Killer or find peace regarding cases that have plagued our collective psyche for decades, the allure of sleuthing for the answers to the unanswerable is a powerful one.
In True Crime: Decoding the Evidence, you will join a panel of experts—Professor Raychelle Burks, Professor Elizabeth A. Murray, and Professor Emeritus Richard B. Spence—who will walk you through the evidence of nearly a dozen cold cases, including infamous serial killings, Hollywood scandals, deaths caused by everyday substances, a prehistoric murder, and many more. With their combined expertise in history, chemistry, biology, and forensic anthropology, these experts will grant you the opportunity to look at these events through the lenses of both history and contemporary science.
Ripped from the Headlines
Some cold cases take on a life of their own and live on long after they have faded from the news. One of the most famous is, of course, the case of Jack the Ripper. The sensationalist coverage of the gruesome murders committed by the Ripper in 1888 ensured that the crimes would live in infamy for a long time—though even the most ambitious journalists may have been surprised by just how long this mystery has intrigued later generations. We know very little about the evidence of the case due to the era’s general lack of forensic knowledge and technology that could preserve it. Reflecting on the case today opens a host of possibilities and intriguing new theories.
Nearly a century after the Ripper killings, the murder of Elizabeth Short in 1947 rattled the public and consumed the headlines. You may not recognize her real name, but you certainly know her press-given moniker: the Black Dahlia. As your experts re-examine this case, you will see how coverage of a case can influence interest and outcomes, and you’ll gain some rather disturbing insights into the mind of a killer.
As recently as the early 2000s, another mysterious death was heavily covered in the press due to its highly political nature and worldwide visibility. The poisoning of former Russian intelligence agent Alexander Litvinenko with polonium 210 was particularly frightening, as his slow decline from radiation poisoning could be traced in press photographs. People around the world watched a victim fading away in real-time while the perpetrators were never conclusively named. As you will see, not every terrible crime is committed in the shadows.
From Past to Present
From international headlines and major historical events to small-town news stories and ancient mysteries, you will explore numerous shady happenings that present unique circumstances to consider:
These, and other unsolved mysteries, continue to fascinate us for many reasons. As we ponder the many questions these cases raise, we get a glimpse into the past as well as a better idea of the present. Many of these events have influenced the scientific approaches we apply today, shaping the nature of investigation and forensic science in the 21st century. Beyond their gruesome glamor as fascinating mysteries and real-life horrors, the crimes of the past can have astonishing repercussions for the future.
Speculation, Suppositions, and Science
Why do we continually revisit these terrifying events years, decades, centuries—and even a millennium—after they happened? There is no one answer to this question, but as True Crime: Decoding the Evidence makes clear, cold cases can bring about fascinating theories and real-life scientific progress. From the chemical nature of poison and the limitations of DNA evidence to psychological profiling and historical record-keeping, you will see how our modern viewpoint can reshape the way we look at the crimes of the past.
While much of what we can apply to these cases today remains in the realm of speculation, the tools and techniques of historical analysis and forensic science provide a unique perspective from which to view them. And the hope remains that at least some of these terrible crimes may still be solved—providing a sense of closure for the families and descendants of the victims, as well as a blueprint for cracking other “unsolvable” cases.
Film, television, and mystery novels often offer us something real life can’t: unambiguous solutions. As detectives collect clues and piece puzzles together, we get the sense that everything, eventually, will fall into place. Reality is rarely so simple. And yet, as you revisit these events with experts in history and science, you will see how each messy, imperfect investigation leads to new breakthroughs and cutting-edge techniques. Some cold cases will always stay cold, but their influence continues, both in their fascinating stories and their real-life impact on the science of investigation.
In True Crime: Decoding the Evidence, you will join a panel of experts—Professor Raychelle Burks, Professor Elizabeth A. Murray, and Professor Emeritus Richard B. Spence—who will walk you through the evidence of nearly a dozen cold cases, including infamous serial killings, Hollywood scandals, deaths caused by everyday substances, a prehistoric murder, and many more. With their combined expertise in history, chemistry, biology, and forensic anthropology, these experts will grant you the opportunity to look at these events through the lenses of both history and contemporary science.
Ripped from the Headlines
Some cold cases take on a life of their own and live on long after they have faded from the news. One of the most famous is, of course, the case of Jack the Ripper. The sensationalist coverage of the gruesome murders committed by the Ripper in 1888 ensured that the crimes would live in infamy for a long time—though even the most ambitious journalists may have been surprised by just how long this mystery has intrigued later generations. We know very little about the evidence of the case due to the era’s general lack of forensic knowledge and technology that could preserve it. Reflecting on the case today opens a host of possibilities and intriguing new theories.
Nearly a century after the Ripper killings, the murder of Elizabeth Short in 1947 rattled the public and consumed the headlines. You may not recognize her real name, but you certainly know her press-given moniker: the Black Dahlia. As your experts re-examine this case, you will see how coverage of a case can influence interest and outcomes, and you’ll gain some rather disturbing insights into the mind of a killer.
As recently as the early 2000s, another mysterious death was heavily covered in the press due to its highly political nature and worldwide visibility. The poisoning of former Russian intelligence agent Alexander Litvinenko with polonium 210 was particularly frightening, as his slow decline from radiation poisoning could be traced in press photographs. People around the world watched a victim fading away in real-time while the perpetrators were never conclusively named. As you will see, not every terrible crime is committed in the shadows.
From Past to Present
From international headlines and major historical events to small-town news stories and ancient mysteries, you will explore numerous shady happenings that present unique circumstances to consider:
- Poisonings with common, widely available substances;
- A prehistoric murder preserved in ice;
- A mysterious death in Golden Age Hollywood;
- The gruesome end of the Russian monarchy;
- A serial killer with a penchant for puzzles;
- Tall tales of murder and intrigue in the Old West; and more.
These, and other unsolved mysteries, continue to fascinate us for many reasons. As we ponder the many questions these cases raise, we get a glimpse into the past as well as a better idea of the present. Many of these events have influenced the scientific approaches we apply today, shaping the nature of investigation and forensic science in the 21st century. Beyond their gruesome glamor as fascinating mysteries and real-life horrors, the crimes of the past can have astonishing repercussions for the future.
Speculation, Suppositions, and Science
Why do we continually revisit these terrifying events years, decades, centuries—and even a millennium—after they happened? There is no one answer to this question, but as True Crime: Decoding the Evidence makes clear, cold cases can bring about fascinating theories and real-life scientific progress. From the chemical nature of poison and the limitations of DNA evidence to psychological profiling and historical record-keeping, you will see how our modern viewpoint can reshape the way we look at the crimes of the past.
While much of what we can apply to these cases today remains in the realm of speculation, the tools and techniques of historical analysis and forensic science provide a unique perspective from which to view them. And the hope remains that at least some of these terrible crimes may still be solved—providing a sense of closure for the families and descendants of the victims, as well as a blueprint for cracking other “unsolvable” cases.
Film, television, and mystery novels often offer us something real life can’t: unambiguous solutions. As detectives collect clues and piece puzzles together, we get the sense that everything, eventually, will fall into place. Reality is rarely so simple. And yet, as you revisit these events with experts in history and science, you will see how each messy, imperfect investigation leads to new breakthroughs and cutting-edge techniques. Some cold cases will always stay cold, but their influence continues, both in their fascinating stories and their real-life impact on the science of investigation.
TTC Video - True Crime: Decoding the Evidence
