Originally Published: April 10, 2014 | Birmingham Examiner (AL) Author/Byline: Traciy Curry-Reyes; Birmingham Movie Examiner | Section: Movies Complex of Fear is a movie based on the true story of Norcross, Georgia, rapist John Charles Whipple.  Complex of Fear originally aired as a CBS Tuesday Night Movie. In recent years, it has aired on Lifetime Television . The film was directed by Brian Grant and is based on a teleplay by Dyanne Asimow.  The cast includes Hart Bochner , Chelsea Field , and Joe Don Baker .  The rapist's name was changed for the film. "Complex Of Fear" Synopsis/Plot When a rash of rapes terrorizes an upstanding apartment community, the women depend on one local police officer who lives in the building to save them from the unknown rapist. The movie took its story from the case of John Whipple, also known as John Charles Whipple. According to police, Whipple terrorized an apartment complex in Norcross, Georgia, during the late 1980s. He was eventual...

Originally Published: August 1, 2014   Original Publication: Examiner.com | Birmingham Examiner Byline: Author/Traciy Curry-Reyes;  Section: Movies "Highway Heartbreaker," aka "Highway Casanova," is a true-story movie based on the case of Orange County con man Joseph Duffy, aka Joe "Mac" Duffy. The movie debuted in 1992 on CBS before airing on Lifetime Television. It is directed by Paul Schneider and written by Deborah Serra. The cast stars Linda Gray, Heather Locklear, and John Schneider. The real names of the people involved were changed for the telefilm. "Highway Heartbreaker" Synopsis/Plot When three women meet Mickey, a handsome con man who entices them to invest their life savings in a money-making venture, their lives are turned upside down as they watch their money go down the drain. But these women have revenge in mind and band together to make Mickey pay for his con games. According to Traciy Curry-Reyes , "Highway Heartbreaker...

I've had some very strange and hard-to-believe experiences. But for those who know me in real life... that's just my life. I was just this small-town Alabama girl with an organic following who was able to sort of claw my way up and carve out my own path, even if it was just a tiny bit compared to the giants of the true crime world. Recently, I shared my story in a casual four-part series about how I got into true crime. Though I can come across as a bit gruff at times, it wasn't meant to be a résumé of my career or a chance to brag. It was simply my way of being more transparent after a five-year absence and sharing the experiences that shaped me, why I care about these stories, and the opportunities I had to research cases , write professionally, and help tell some of those stories on television. Along the way, there were accomplishments, setbacks, and bitter disappointments. I never tried to be a celebrity, but I have always appreciated having my work acknowledged and see...

Originally Published: August 1, 2014   Original Publication: Examiner.com | Birmingham Examiner Byline: Author/Traciy Curry-Reyes;  Section: Crime & Courts It's a tale of obsession, stalking, and murder Yamisha Thomas with her stalker and killer Sylvester Davis Yamisha Thomas Fatal Attraction-Stalker Case Yamisha Thomas, aka Yamisha Brown Thomas, is an African American woman who was murdered by her live-in boyfriend, Sylvester Davis, in 2011. Thomas had been missing for a month prior to the discovery of her body, as stated in a report by WLTZ. Police say Sylvester strangled Thomas, covered her in cement, and buried her in a shallow grave in Phenix City, Alabama. Yamisha Thomas was originally from Columbus, Georgia. Authorities say Davis murdered his girlfriend because he was jealous that she was seeing another man. Police records show that Yamisha "Toot" Thomas had tried to distance herself from her boyfriend but feared for her life, according to the Ledger-Enquirer. ...

I've tried not to edit Ivy's photography. She called it "moody photography," and while I'm tempted to restore some of these images, I hope I'm not taking away from her original artistic vision. I think she loved the darkness, the shadows, and the atmosphere they created. These photos were taken in 2016.  (All photographs in this collection by Ivy Brook Walker) Ivy Brook Walker during one of her night drives through Birmingham, Alabama and Five Points South (2016) Driving at night helped her unwind. What inspired the night drives, she told me, was the many trips we had taken at night when she was little. From the time she was just two-years old  until she was about six or seven years old, night drives were our tradition. Every Friday and Saturday night, usually around 7 p.m., we’d get in the car and go out to eat or to the movies. At the time, I was attending Jeff State and UAB, so I spent a lot of time in the Five Points South area. I loved it there. During th...

I think one of the eeriest stories I have ever heard was the story of Reyna Marroquin, a pregnant woman from El Salvador who vanished in the 1960s in New York. Her mummified body was found in a barrel 30 years later, inside a Jericho, New York, home. Detectives finally cracked the case in 1999. They say her married lover, Howard Elkins, a retired businessman, did it to cover up the affair and pregnancy from his wife. Elkins took his own life when he was confronted about the crime. The haunting story has been the subject of several true crime documentaries. I did not investigate this case, but it's an unforgettable story and a cautionary tale for women who sometimes find love in unfortunate places. Howard Elkins & Reyna Marroquin When a mummy with a fetus inside is found in a barrel in a New York home, detectives uncover the identity of a beautiful immigrant who vanished three decades before. Reyna Marroquin A Nightmare in America When Reyna Marroquin arrived in New York in 1966...

Originally Published: June 24, 2014   Original Publication: Examiner.com | Birmingham Examiner Byline: Author/Traciy Curry-Reyes;  Section: Crime & Courts Exondia Salado, aka Exondia Jaye Salado, was an African American woman who was convicted of shooting, dismembering, and barbecuing her Afro-Dominican husband, Manuel Emilio Salado, aka "Manny Salado," in 2007. Police say Exondia Salado was jealous and angry that her husband was going to leave her for another woman in the Dominican Republic. She was arrested for his murder in 2008 and convicted in 2011, according to News 6. Exondia was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. *Some documents refer to Exondia as Exonida. Exondia J. Links Salado case background: Exondia Salado was living with her husband, Army reservist Manuel Salado, in their Oklahoma City home in 2006. Exondia had met the Dominican man in a club off base years prior. The two hit it off and became lovers , then later married. Accord...