The CrimeCon Blog
We're always searching for the next podcast to binge and we know you are too so we're starting something new over on crimeHQ: The crimeHQ Podcast Club. Think of it like a traditional book club but for podcasts. Together, we'll all listen to a new podcast over 1-2 months (this will vary depending on pod length). We'll have all episodes posted in crimeHQ. Feel free to go at your own pace but after you listen to an episode, head to the bottom of that episode page to leave your thoughts and comments so we can all discuss together. Subsequently, we'll all meet for a special live event and Q&A (or 2!) in crimeHQ with the podcast host and maybe some surprise guests directly involved in the podcast. What you'll get from the crimeHQ Podcast Club You'll get a few great benefits from participating: Your new favorite podcast (maybe!) Sometimes listening to something outside of your comfort zone and not what you would typically choose is the best way to find a new favorite. Access to exclusive content. We're partnering with podcast hosts to bring you exclusive content from the pod. Meeting new people. crimeHQ members are as excited as you are to dive into the episodes so don't be shy about chatting and discussing along the way.
For the passionate true crime fan, it isn’t just about knowing what happened —it’s about understanding why. Every Monday TV One goes beyond the headlines to get to the WHY behind the crime. From police brutality to stories of Black love and revenge, TV One is committed to telling our stories, our way! “Payback” is all about vengeance, revealing the motives behind the crimes. “Fatal Attraction” explores when love’s embrace morphs into a deadly grip, while “Sins of The City” unmasks the crimes that have rocked cities across the country. “For My Man” tells the stories of women who committed crimes for love. And in “ATL Homicide,” Detectives David Quinn and Vince Velazquez share their most challenging cases, highlighting the profound human impact of crime.
Check out all of the exclusive perks for crimeHQ members at CrimeCon 2023 Orlando!
FOR THE ONE WHO DESERVES A VACATION:
These are just a few of the unique, unbuyable experiences we’re putting up for auction to benefit an amazing organization: National Center for Victims of Crime this Black Friday during CrimeCon Give Back-A-Thon
crimeHQ Cold Case Club: Who Killed Tanya Frazier?
THE TRUE CRIME FILE: Serial Killers, Famous Kidnappings, Great Cons, Survivors & Their Stories, Forensics, Oddities & Absurdities, Quotes & Quizzes compiled by Kim Daly is a content-packed mini-encyclopedia for newcomers and aficionados alike that delivers more than 200 stories of murder, mayhem, and survival. Our favorite part? Daly gets to the heart of true crime while remaining respectful of the victims—meaning all the stories are told with an emphasis on awareness, victim advocacy, and social justice. The True Crime File is perfect for those just beginning to explore the thrilling vagaries of true crime and also provides a new lens for fans who have been delving into the subject for years.
Between 1925 to 1961 in Ireland, unwed expectant mothers in County Galway were banished to a mother and baby home to give birth. Operated by the Bon Secours Sisters, a religious order of Catholic nuns, the workhouse was home to thousands of unmarried pregnant women who had brought perceived shame upon their families — a place to hide them away until they gave birth. Many women were kept in the workhouse well after they gave birth, forced to nurse other children but never allowed to be alone with their own. Soon after birth, most babies were adopted out of the home, often without their mothers’ consent. Mother and baby homes were not uncommon in Ireland at the time, but the Bon Secours held a dark secret: almost 800 dead children, aged from 35 fetal weeks to several years old, were presumably “buried” in a septic tank on the home grounds. And there they remained during the 36 years the home operated. The horror remained undisturbed until a young boy fell into the pit while playing with a friend in 1971. Local authorities examined the mass grave, chalked it up to “unbaptised babies lost to the famine,” and covered the macabre tomb with a concrete slab. The site was forgotten until local historian Catherine Corless, researching the Tuam community, found herself perplexed at the staggering number of death certificates from the Bon Secours home, but a disturbing lack of burial records. In 2012, Corless published an article about her findings and later discovered the names of the almost 800 children who died in the home and were likely in the horrific mass grave. CrimeCon 2022 welcomed two Bon Secours survivors, Michael Byrne and Kathy Bellise, to the stage to share their stories as they have fought to learn the truth — not only about why the dead children were so cruelly discarded, but about their own histories. Moderated by Angeline Hartmann, Director of Communications at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Michael and Kathy were joined onstage by Kathy’s husband Andrew and virtually by Tanya Stephan, director of the Topic Original documentary series The Missing Children.
As the world heals from a devastating pandemic, CrimeCon is back in a BIG way — record-setting crowds, packed-house sessions, and more to offer than ever before. The event ran the gamut of emotions, with high-fiving highs and gut-wrenching lows, belly laughs and ugly-cries. Through it all, the spirit of this convention held strong: advocacy, education, and bottomless compassion for the victims and their families. In 2017, we were thrilled to have 800 people at our first event in Indianapolis. This year, the smallest breakout room alone held twice that many as we welcomed approximately 5,000 true crime fans, creators, experts, speakers and more to Las Vegas. There’s a special power in the room when you gather that many people who want to do good things. Watching this event grow to this size, simply because enough people are invested in that simple and right idea, is an incredible honor. While hot-ticket sessions like Dateline 24/7: What’s Next for the True Crime Original and JonBenét: Dispelling 25 Years of Myths were the largest events of the weekend, CrimeCon 2022 sessions presented a massive array of topics and ideas: Advocacy : Sessions that brought attention to overlooked cases, called for compassion in the true crime community, or raised awareness about the rights of victims and families Science : New advancements in scientific investigative methods and in-depth looks at how science changed the game in high-profile cases Practical Tips : Sessions that delivered specific, actionable advice attendees can put into everyday practice to keep themselves and their loved ones safe