Crime Expert BURL BARER. Edgar Award Winner and NYT Bestselling Author

HOW TO MARRY A PSYCHOPATH: Sandra Brown tells you how this Saturday,

HOW TO MARRY A PSYCHOPATH: Sandra Brown can show you how!

LISTEN LIVE SATURDAY 2pm Pacific, 4pm Central, 5pm Eastern, and 10pm UK time by clicking this link!

Why hitch your heart to a healthy human when you can date a psycho bitch from hell, a selfish empathy deficient monster with no conscience who is firmly convinced that she (or he) is the center of the universe?   There's nothing like going with a psychopath to make your life interesting -- and if you divorce one, who gets cutody of the bodies buried in the back yard?

Find out the best places to meet psycopaths, how to attract them, and best of all, how to avoid them, this Saturday Oct. 30th 2pm Pacific Time when our guest is Sandra Brown, a woman who knows her way around sociopaths, psychopaths, and the men and women who just can't resist them.

Sandra L. Brown, M.A., CEO of The Institute for Relational Harm Reduction & Public Pathology Education is a psychopathologist, program development specialist, lecturer, and an award-winning author. Her books include Counseling Victims of Violence: A Handbook for Helping Professionals (1991, 2006), How to Spot a Dangerous Man Before You Get Involved Book and Workbook (2005) and Women Who Love Psychopaths (2008).

Sandra is recognized for her pioneering work on women's issues related to relational harm with Cluster B/Axis II disordered partners and specializes in the development of Pathological Love Relationship clinical training and survivor support services. Her books, CD's, DVD's, and other training materials have been used as curriculum in drug rehabs, women's organizations and shelters, women's jail and prison programs, school and college-based programs, inner city projects, and various psychology and sociology programs and distributed in almost every country of the world.

Her collaborative research on Women Who Love Psychopaths was recently presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy as well as the Ruth Ginsberg Lecture Series Women and The Law on Domestic Violence, and Domestic Violence Provider and Batterer Intervention Training in which her unique focus on Pathological Love Relationships has been featured.

Under her direction The Institute has developed a comprehensive on-line psychopathology magazine interviewing some of the country's leading researchers on personality disorders and neurobiology, a Therapist Certification Program in Pathological Love Relationships, a Peer-Support Coaching Program, and a Model of Care Approach for Treatment Centers. The Institute's first hospital inpatient treatment program opened late summer of 2009.

Sandra's previous work included the founding and directing of Bridgework Counseling Center, a multi-faceted mental health treatment center for Trauma Disorders, Treatment of Personality Disorders, and one of the country's first long-term residential programs for women with Dissociative Identity Disorder. She was also a pathologist on a Woman's Trauma Inpatient Hospital Program. She facilitated groups on PTSD and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as well as individual treatment. Sandra holds a Master's Degree in Counseling.

Books by Sandra Brown, M.A.

Women Who Love Psychopaths

by Sandra L.Brown

2008 Health and Well-Being Publications, LLC

$24.99

buy now

How to Spot a Dangerous Man Before You Get Involved

by M.A. Sandra L. Brown

2005 Hunter House

$16.95

 

Live and Local: The future of terrestrial radio in the Internet Age.

My good friend Matt Alan is a true pioneer in Internet radio, and I'm proud to be one of the regular "Demons of Decadence" featured on his popular Outlaw Radio in addition to co-hosting True Crime Uncensored with Don Woldman one-hour prior to Matt's live show on Saturdays.   The Hollywood Reporter recently did an excellent feature on Internet radio in which Matt suggested that terrestrial radio stations won't be worth a nickel in the near future. The same opinion was voiced with the advent of the 33rpm record, the cassette tape, television, and now, Internet radio.  I'm saving my nickels, because a live, local radio station can give you something you can't get from a record, tape, or satellite -- a true connection to the community in which you live, the vibe of the city, town, or specific localized sub-culture. Good local radio will survive and flourish as long as there are owners, managers, programmers and talent who see radio as something more than intangible real estate with time for sale. 

Radio has always been about tribes -- the top 40 tribe, the country/western tribe, the adult contemporary tribe -- but the true stand-out exemplary radio stations give you more than the music you most prefer, they give you  companionship.  Several decades ago there was a joke about the salesman who asks a customer what 8track tape he would like to hear in his car, and the customer responds, 
"the one with local news, weather, and entertainment." 

Sadly, you can travel from city to city in America and no matter how many times you "twist the dial" or press the buttons, you hear "McRadio" -- the same programming everywhere. Los Angeles and New York personalities siphoned in via satellite with homogenized music lists of heavily researched, least objectionable playlists for mass consumption.  Where is the local talent, the music by local/regional artists, the addressing of local issues and local concerns -- and not at 4am Sunday morning? 

Thankfully, there are radio stations that are live and local...or at least localized and live as budget allows. An excellent example is KHTS, AM-1220 in Santa Clarita, California.  They really do live local radio, and do it with broadcast professionals who honest-to-God care.  There are other stations as well that "connect" with their local audience, and build a loyal following.  Radio listening habits are much like cable television viewing habits: no matter how many channels are available, you will pick three that most reflect your lifestyle and your interests.  With radio, you will do much the same.  When there is live local radio, you will listen..and that doesn't mean that you don't also enjoy Internet radio, syndicated programming, or your favorite CD while blasting down the highway. 

No local radio station can provide what Outlaw Radio provides every Saturday -- unless they decide to broadcast our True Crime show and Matt's wild and outrageous Outlaw show as part of their programming, augmenting their local focus, personalities  with special feature programming. Satellite delivered or Internet programming should add spice to local radio, not be the  entire meal.

Personally, I would love to own a local radio station in a well defined market, offering affordable advertising to the local mom and pop businesses that are the backbone of a local economy.  Besides, it is still great fun to "play radio" -- hence, you will find me every Saturday hanging out with Matt Alan, Don Woldman, and the gang at Outlaw Radio.

One of the benefits of the Internet is the ability to hear your home town local radio station where ever you are in the world, thanks to Radio Locator,  the most comprehensive radio station search engine on the internet. They have links to over 10,000 radio station web pages and over 2500 audio streams from radio stations in the U.S. and around the world.  Enjoy!

THE BIG LIE and the FALSE CONFESSION: Is there a link?

 

I was watching a televised debate from Nevada when the moderator called out one of the participants for making a blatantly untrue statement about her opponent.  The moderator asked her pointedly to do one of two things: Either acknowledge the lie and apologize, or produce proof.  As producing proof was impossible, there was only one ethical and rational course of action: acknowledge and apologize.   

Nope. She responded by repeating the lie.  The moderator, her opponent and a good percentage of the audience was stunned - but not her supporters.  It wasn't that she didn't know that she was lying, but she also had been "trained" by political strategists to never engage in rational discussions. Rather, simply say the same phrases over and over, regardless of their falsity.  Facts and veracity are inconsequential and irrelevant to the essential goal - using the lie to mislead, confuse, and control. 

Is it any different with false confessions? Both are lies intended to deceive for personal gain. Yes, staying alive can be "personal gain" when you are facing a death penalty for a crime you didn't commit, but if you confess you can get life in prison. 

In 1985, four people described a horrific murder and rape of a 68 year old woman from Beatice, Nebraska.  Three of those witnesses Ada JoAnn Taylor, James L. Dean, and Deb Shelden told investigators that two men Thomas Winslow and Joseph White repeatedly took turns raping the victim while holding her down. Taylor even said she held a pillow over the victim's face during the assault, suffocating her.  These "confessions" led to six convictions.  White was sentenced to life in prison.  Winslow, fearing the death penalty, ultimately admitted to being present at the crime scene, and pled guilty to a reduced charge and was sentenced to 50 years.  Taylor was sentenced to 10 to 40 years for aiding and abetting second degree murder. Dean, Gonzalez and Shelden each pled guilty or entered no contest pleas and were  sentenced to 10 years. That's four confessions, six convictions, and five guilty pleas -- only White took his case to trial and lost.  Case closed, right? Nope.

19 years later DNA evidence revealed that they were all INNOCENT!   According to Taylor: “I was coerced into taking a plea bargain and coached into testifying to what I was coached to testify to.” 

Swell,

A politician is coached to lie, and repeat the lie even in the face of facts, on a televised debate.

An innocent woman is coached to lie, and repeat the same lie in a court of law, in order to only do 40 years in prison for a crime she didn't commit.

This Saturday, Prof. Alan Hirsch, an expert on False Confessions will be our guest on True Crime Uncensored. I'll ask him if there is a link between the Big Lie and the False Confession.

 

 

 

Burl Barer Returns to Las Vegas!

I lived in Las Vegas for a couple years, and did extensive research for a book entitled SHADOW OF THE STRATOSPHERE about the transformation of Winchester Township between 1972 and 2002 -- that's the area taking in the Sahara Hotel, Stratosphere, Country Club, and also the highest crime neighborhood in Las Vegas.  The interviews were knock-outs.... from pit bosses  and poker champs to show promoters, whores, dealers (both kinds) and they guy who started the first Cuban gang in Vegas. It was all backed up on CD of course, and multiple copies -- all sadly stored in the same place...a place that was robbed and vandalized while I was in Los Angeles.  The computer, the back up discs, everything -- GONE.

All that remained was the prologue which I had sent via email and was able to retrieve. I learned my lesson. Don't just back up early and often, but send the damn stuff to yourself via Yahoo and have it forever saved in outer space, Google Docs, dropbox, or SOMETHING that can't be stolen.

My favorite interview was with Mickey Ramirez, an incredibly clever and well spoken woman of "high risk lifestyle" who's memory for minutiae remained undimmed.  If I can find her in Vegas this week, I'm going to get that interview again -- the story about her husband's death by gunfire on a hot Vegas night is horrific and compelling.  If I get it again, I'll share it.

Meanwhile, I'm packing up and aiming for the Sahara on Sunday and return to Los Angeles on Wednesday!