In early October, I was contacted through this website to speak to a criminology class at Denver's Westwood College. I've always enjoyed public speaking regarding high profile criminal murders.The students had been studying cold cases which included the killing of JonBenet Ramsey and the OJ Simpson case. In the past thirteen years I'd written books on both of these topics. I was struck, as I stood before the class, by how these homicides had become historical subjects on college campuses. My wife, Joyce, accompanied me to this lecture, as she's been involved in the research of many of my true crime books. It was a great learning experience for both of us.
The books I wrote on these two cases went strongly against the grain of what was commonly perceived about these murders. Joyce and I were both amazed at how open-minded and perceptive this upcoming generation of students was when hearing new information about these infamous crimes. They taught us as much as I hope we taught them -- not just about these homicides, but about the workings of the modern media, the extraordinary power of propaganda as fed to audiences through talk shows, and the disheartening cost of law enforcement failing to investigation numerous significant leads. Unlike so many police officers, FBI agents, and other professional investigators I've dealt with over the years, these young men and women were eager to explore new avenues and they gave me hope.
The whole process sent me back into the many dusty boxes of documents I have relating to these cases and I was reminded once again that the worst way to solve a mystery is to assume at the outset that you know everything about it. Maybe the students who are becoming criminologists and investigators now will start looking at cold cases without prejudice and be able to help solve them.
It was one young woman who dug into the Ramsey case and read several books on the subject who initially contacted me and brought about the lecture. She wasn't satisfied with staying on the surface and wanted to know more. This is the kind of mind that will eventually penetrate the most difficult crimes and bring out the truth.