(note: time stamps are without ads & may be off a little)
This week Beth and Wendy discuss the case of James Cornelius Brown, aka the Backpage Killer, a black man convicted of killing four women in his home in Sterling Heights, Michigan. He is said to have lured the women to their deaths using the website Backpage.com.
First, we dive into the setting (10:00), the killers early life (27:11) and the timeline (32:00). Then, we get into the investigation & arrest (40:10), “Where are they now?” (57:18) followed by our takeaways and what we think made the perp snap (58:00).
As usual we close out the show with some tips on how not to get murdered and our shout outs (01:02:02).
This episode was researched & scripted by Minnie Williams.
Thanks for listening! This is a weekly podcast and new episodes drop every Thursday, so until next time… look alive guys, it’s crazy out there!
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Shout Outs
Raised by Ricki
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raised-by-ricki-with-ricki-lake-and-kalen-allen/id1643161359
DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
https://www.netflix.com/title/81287562
Burn
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00CVMGQLC/ref=atv_dl_rdr
Detroit on Fire: The Documentary
https://youtu.be/pDoUpXNmcZA
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Footnotes
Articles/Websites
Hall, C., (02/28/2014). Mich. man convicted in Backpage.com slayings. USA Today. Retrieved 09/06/2022 from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/28/backpagecom-slayings-verdict/5898853/
Johnson, M., (02/28/2014). Michigan Man Convicted of Four ‘Backpage Murders.’ NBC News. Retrieved 09/06/2022 from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/michigan-man-convicted-four-backpage-murders-n41661
Hall, C., (04/15/2014). Backpage.com killer stays in cell on sentencing day. USA Today. Retrieved 09/09/2022 from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/15/backpagecom-killer-stays-in-cell-on-sentencing-day/7759789/
Cook, J., (06/20/2013). Sterling Heights suspect accused of killing 4 women admits lying to detective. The Oakland Press. Retrieved 09/09/2022 from https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2013/06/20/sterling-heights-suspect-accused-of-killing-4-women-admits-lying-to-detective/
Dalby, B., (02/28/2014). Michigan Jury Convicts ‘Backpage Killer’ Prosecutor Said Murdered for the ‘Thrill … of It.’ Patch. Retrieved 09/09/2022 from https://patch.com/michigan/newbaltimore/backpage-killer-convicted-by-michigan-jury-newbaltimore
Whire, E., (02/28/2014). Backpage.com killer: Detroit-area man convicted in women’s deaths. Mlive. Retrieved 09/12/2022 from https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/2014/02/backpagecom_killer_detroit-are.html
Cox, L., (05/06/2012). Man charged over murder of four women found dead in car trunks after ‘selling sex on internet.’ Daily Mail. Retrieved 09/12/2022 from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2140413/Man-charged-murder-women-dead-car-trunks-selling-sex-internet.html
Satyanaryana, M., (05/06/2012). Man charged in connection with deaths of four women. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 09/13/2022 from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109478601/man-charged-in-connection-with-deaths/
Battaglia, T.S., (11/27/2012). Sterling Heights man arraigned in 4 deaths. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 09/13/2022 from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109482049/sterling-heights-man-arraigned-in-4-deat/
Detroit Free Press. (05/31/2012). Accused man to face new charges. Retrieved 09/13/2022 from https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/mi-james-c-brown-backpage-killer-sterling-heights-convicted-feb-2014.158430/page-4
Detroit Free Press. (08/14/2012). Man’s exam in mutilations is adjourned. Retrieved 09/13/2022 from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109483064/mans-exam-in-mutilations-is-adjourned/
Hall, C., (06/09/2012). Hearing postponed in deaths of 4 women. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 09/13/2022 from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109483271/hearing-postponed-in-deaths-of-4-women/
Detroit Free Press. (06/02/2012). $1M bond in women’s mutilations. Retrieved 09/13/2022 from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109483757/1m-bond-in-womens-mutilations/
White, E. (02/07/2014). Trial opens in Detroit-area slayings of 4 women. The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved 09/16/2022 from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109658548/trial-opens-in-detroit-area-slayings/
Baldas, T. and Satyanaryana, M. (12/28/2011). Family of slain cousins seeks comfort, answers. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 09/16/2022 from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109658914/family-of-slain-cousins-seeks-comfort/
Baldas, T. and Damron, G. (12/29/2011). Dental records sought to ID last 2 victims. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 09/16/2022 from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109661411/dental-records-sought-to-id-last-2/
Cook, J. (02/08/2014). Friend on hearing news of victim’s death: ‘I lost it.’ The Macomb Daily. Retrieved 09/16/2022 from https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-macomb-daily/20140208/281505044108851
Daniels, S. (12/27/2011). 2 bodies found in car trunk after fire in Detroit. The Detroit News. Retrieved 09/16/2022 from https://www.firerescue1.com/archive/articles/2-bodies-found-in-car-trunk-after-fire-in-detroit-R1GWuuIZkSeyLd9y/
Cook, J. (07/30/2018). 2 bodies found in car trunk after fire in Detroit. The Macomb Daily. Retrieved 09/16/2022 fromMacomb County serial killer’s appeal request denied https://www.macombdaily.com/2018/07/30/macomb-county-serial-killers-appeal-request-denied/
Damron, G., Baldas, T. and Anderson, E. (12/31/2011). Mom’s night out on town ends in death. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 09/16/2022 from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109667705/moms-night-out-on-town-ends-in-death/
Justia. (09/22/2015). People of MI v James Cornelius Brown. Retrieved 09/20/2022 from https://law.justia.com/cases/michigan/court-of-appeals-unpublished/2015/321599.html
MDOC. (n.d.). James Cornelius Brown. Retrieved 09/20/2022 from https://mdocweb.state.mi.us/OTIS2/otis2profile.aspx?mdocNumber=927022
Reyes, Traciy. (04/17/2017). Vernithea McCrary, James Brown: Michigan Backpage.com Escorts Murder Case On TV One’s ‘Justice By Any Means’. Inquisitr. Retrieved 09/22/2022 from https://www.inquisitr.com/4153279/vernithea-mccrary-james-brown-michigan-backpage-com-escorts-murder-case-on-tv-ones-justice-by-any-means/
Wikipedia contributors. (09/07/2022). Backpage. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09/22/2022 from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Backpage&oldid=1108966614
.History
Wikipedia contributors. (09/15/2022). Michigan. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09/15/2022 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan
Wikipedia contributors. (09/14/2022). Detroit. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09/15/2022 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit
Wikipedia contributors. (08/01/2022). Sterling Heights, Michigan. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09/15/2022 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Heights,_Michigan
Neavling, S., (07/13/2013). As Detroit breaks down, scourge of arson burns out of control. Reuters. Retrieved 09/15/2022 from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-detroit-arson-idUSBRE96C06E20130713
Zahranac, S., Iverson, T., McElmurry, S., Weiler, S., and Levittac, R. (03/2019). Hidden Costs of Blight and Arson in Detroit: Evidence From a Natural Experiment in Devil’s Night. Ecological Economics. Retrieved 09/15/2022 from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921800916306115
Detroit Free Press. (04/22/2012). Detroit Fire Commissioner: Let Vacant Houses Burn. Retrieved 09/13/2022 from https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/10704251/detroit-fire-commissioner-let-vacant-houses-burn
Neavling, S. (12/03/2013). Detroit’s top fire official, Don Austin, is resigning in wake of botched fire crisis.Motor City Muckraker. Retrieved 09/16/2022 from http://motorcitymuckraker.com/2013/12/03/top-detroit-fire-official-don-austin-resigning-wake-fire-crisis/
Podcasts
Kimberly (host). (4/14/2021) What Had Happened: A True Crime Podcast. Backpage Killers of Detroit [Audio podcast]. Retrieved 9/21/22 from https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80YjQxOWQ0NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/MTA2MDYwNmYtNjQ2NS00NGZlLWJjZTctOWU4MzA4NGFhNjZi?ep=14
Music
“Abyss” by Alasen: ●https://soundcloud.com/alasen●https://twitter.com/icemantrap ●https://instagram.com/icemanbass/●https://soundcloud.com/therealfrozenguy●
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
“Dance of Death” by Purple Planet Music http://www.purple-planet.com
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“Trap Beat 6” by Arulo
Mixkit Stock Music Free License
https://mixkit.co/free-stock-music/trap/
“Jeopardy” by Yung Kartz https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Yung_Kartz
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
“Furious Freak” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3791-furious-freak
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