True-crime expert Danny Collins examines 23 crimes from the last 40 years that have been so shocking that their impact is still felt today

 

With 24-hour news channels and easy internet access, society as a whole is constantly bombarded with reports of crime from every corner of the globe. It seems that no sooner has one tragedy hit than stories of another are being flashed across computer screens and printed in newspapers worldwide. There are some crimes in every generation, however, that will never be forgotten. Just as people remember where they were when they heard that President Kennedy had been shot, unforgettable tragedies of today—such as the attacks of 9/11 and the revulsion felt when the sickening details of the Fritzl case came to light—are indelibly imprinted on the global consciousness. Examining the horrific nature of some of these crimes, this exploration remembers how James Bulger, Sally Anne Bowman, Holly Wells, and Jessica Chapman, among others, have forever impacted society.