Colgan TRUE CRIME FANS NEED TO COP ON
Let officers do their jobs
IT’S easy to forget that true crime series are, in fact, true.
The TV shows, podcasts and books are all based on crimes that actually happened and aren’t just a form of entertainment.
And by the end of each series, that has typically garnered a huge audience, all kinds of conclusions have been made in people’s minds about who did what.
The disappearance and murder of Gabby Petito in the U.S. is the latest true crime saga to have captured people’s imaginations.
The 23-year-old blogger went missing in Grand Teton National Park last month and was found dead on Sunday.
The case is being well documented in news reports as well as in social media videos that have been widely shared.
Her fiance Brian Laundrie, who hasn’t been charged in connection with anything, has effectively been found guilty by the court of public opinion.
The fact that he returned home without her must mean he is guilty.
His reasoning for not reporting her missing must mean he is culpable.
And the fact that he has evaded police after going hiking in Florida must mean he’s responsible for Gabby’s death.
It’s case closed as far as some people are concerned before justice has even begun to take its course. While his behaviour is suspicious, it doesn’t make him guilty of murder.
Similarly, the murder of Sabina
Nessa in England has caught people’s interest. The teacher left her home in Astell Road, London, at 8.30pm last Friday and never arrived at a nearby pub where she was to meet a friend. Her body was found in Cator Park the next day and police suspect she was attacked by a stranger.
Some don’t believe she could have been killed by someone not known to her as it’s so rare. They’re claiming a cover-up has taken place without any evidence to support that.
Justice
These true crime fans who are so intent on seeking the truth seem to forget that the authorities have to be able to do their job for justice to be served.
The prejudice cast by armchair investigators must make it near impossible for a suspect to get a fair trial. The pressure on police to follow certain lines of inquiry — and criticism if they don’t — must make their job even tougher.
And victims’ family must find it hard to see self-appointed advocates leading campaigns they have no part in.
If we want victims to get the justice they deserve, it’s best to leave it to the professionals.