Episode 6: Death Investigation and the Media

The CSI Effect

For better or worse, a marriage forms between the media and all associated following a homicide. If effectively managed, the media can make a significant contribution to investigations by acting as a conduit for information between the public and investigators; however, many times the media’s unique portrayal of a crime and those involved produce dire consequences. This week THE CSI EFFECT team will examine some examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly produced by the media-homicide connection. We will discuss the innocent who received a trial by media while unwillingly placed in the spotlight: Pablo Vergara, a musician accused of killing Elisa Lam at the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles California, and 1996 Summer Olympics security guard Richard Jewell who wrongly became a suspect after saving lives during a bombing at Centennial Park in Atlanta Georgia. We will examine how the Night Stalker Richard Ramirez basked in the publicity his crimes produced, and dive deep into the details behind how BTK - Dennis Rader, the DC Snipers - John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, the Zodiac, and other killers used the media to taunt the police and drive public fear.