He “was an unlikely figure to evolve into the personification of evil. A few inches over five feet, he was a petty criminal and small-time hustler. And his followers bore little resemblance to the stereotypical image of hardened killers. Most were in their early twenties, middle-class white kids, hippies and runaways who fell under his charismatic sway.” Charles Manson is dead at 83.

+ “What mercy, sir, did you show my daughter when she was begging for her life? When will I come up for parole? Can you tell me that? Will the seven victims and possibly more walk out of their graves if you get parole?” That was Doris Tate speaking for her daughter. Because of her vigilance (later taken up by her daughters), victims’ voices carry a weight in the nation’s legal system.

+ “A former journalist, equipped with an algorithm and the largest collection of murder records in the country, finds patterns in crime.” The New Yorker: The Serial-Killer Detector.