Showing results by narrator "Maureen O'Connell" in All Categories

Wednesday, October 2, 2002.

Aspen Hill, Maryland. Northgate Plaza.

5:20 PM.

Inside Michael’s craft supply store, cashier Ann Chapman rings up another customer. Then it happens. A loud crack; a gust of wind; the light in register five goes dark.

Over the next 23 days, the entire DC area will be thrust into a reign of terror unprecedented in American history. Sniper attacks targeting and murdering everyday citizens will bring the entire region to its knees.

From podcasts and documentaries to online forums, true crime is booming. But as one Audible editor and self-professed crime obsessive observes, the genre is being pulled in new and different directions along with a changing social landscape. She wanted to know: Can we ethically engage in true crime as real concerns surface around the crimes, victims, and systemic issues that directly impact the humans we are hearing about? 

One typical Friday morning in February 1997, two masked men dressed in body armor and carrying automatic rifles burst into the Bank of America in North Hollywood, California and started shooting. They forced customers to the ground, stuffed hundreds of thousands of dollars into a duffel bag and exited out the back…where they were surrounded by police. For the next 44 minutes, the armed robbers and police engaged in a deadly gunfight.