1980s
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The Betty Broderick Case: five shots at dawn, a $16,000-a-month divorce, and a death in prison at 78
On November 5, 1989, Betty Broderick used a stolen key to enter her ex-husband’s San Diego home and shot him and his new wife as they slept. Two trials, two parole denials, and a hit TV series later, she died… Continue reading
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The Diane Downs Case: A Mother, a Dark Oregon Road, and the Daughter Who Said “My Mom”
In May 1983, Diane Downs drove her three wounded children to a Springfield, Oregon hospital and blamed a bushy-haired stranger. Her surviving daughter told the truth, the prosecutor adopted the children, and in December 2025 a parole board turned Downs… Continue reading
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The Sherri Rasmussen Case: an LAPD detective, a bite mark in a coroner’s freezer, and 23 years of silence
In 1986 Sherri Rasmussen’s father told LAPD detectives her killer was an ex-girlfriend with a badge, and was told there was nothing there. A swab found in a coroner’s freezer proved him right 23 years later, and the fight over… Continue reading
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The Candy Montgomery Case: 41 Axe Blows, a Church Affair, and the Texas Jury That Set Her Free
On June 13, 1980, Candy Montgomery walked into Betty Gore’s home in Wylie, Texas, to pick up a child’s swimsuit and left her friend dead from 41 axe blows. A jury called it self-defense, and 46 years later people still… Continue reading
Enigma True Crime 