New York City was in panic for more than a year in the late ‘70s while a serial killer armed with a .44 caliber gun taunted law enforcement, toyed with the media and played a fatal game of cat and mouse with its residents. Now, on the 40th anniversary of the capture of David Berkowitz, Investigation Discovery (ID) premieres the documentary special SON OF SAM: THE HUNT FOR A KILLER, tracing the parallel stories of a serial killer’s unsuspecting victims and the dedicated detectives who worked tirelessly to capture the madman who left six young people dead, seven wounded, and a city in chaos. Through a combination of first-person testimony and rich archival footage, SON OF SAM: THE HUNT FOR A KILLER delivers a compelling suspense thriller tracking the investigative moves of the NYPD and New York media in their hunt for a suspect, while providing a platform for the survivors and victim’s families. The two-hour special event, SON OF SAM: THE HUNT FOR A KILLER, premieres Saturday, August 5 from 9-11/8-10c on the #1 true crime network, Investigation Discovery, with additional content available on ID’s TV Everywhere app, ID GO.
Investigation Discovery Marks 40th Anniversary of Capture of New York’s Most Infamous Serial Murderer in SON OF SAM: THE HUNT FOR A KILLER


The Kennedy’s, JFK Assassination, Frank Sinatra and The Mob




No other president in history has embodied the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the American people like John F. Kennedy. His death was the end of a legacy that once held such a promising future. In the years following his death, conspiracy theories and controversy still remain. Eventually, The Warren Committee ultimately concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of President Kennedy. Despite this conclusion, conspiracy theorist note other affiliations as responsible for JFK’s death.
But what other syndicate could’ve been responsible for the assassination of JFK? Who demonstrated the most animosity towards Kennedy tenure? Why would anybody order the death of such a beloved U.S. President? In order to answer these questions, one must examine who the Kennedy family really was. The family story begins with Joseph P. Kennedy, the father. Joseph, who was also referred to as Joe, was a successful commodity investor who made the bulk of his fortune on Wall Street.
The Dead Speak to Coroner Graham Hetrick: True – Crime Network Investigation Discovery’s Hit Forensic Series The Coroner: I Speak For The Dead Returns


Season Two Premieres on Monday, July 17 at 10/9c
They say that death is in the details, and coroner Graham Hetrick knows this to be true. In Investigation Discovery’s THE CORONER: I SPEAK FOR THE DEAD, Hetrick shares the most compelling homicide cases from his 26 years as the Coroner of Dauphin County, Pa. It’s Hetrick’s job to administer the medical legal death investigation process, enabling homicide detectives to fully reveal the story of how and why someone died. Through complex forensic analysis, he and his team uncover the secrets that every body holds, providing information crucial to solving homicide cases and giving a voice to those who can no longer speak. Hetrick returns with more clues to unravel in the 10-episode second season of THE CORONER: I SPEAK FOR THE DEAD, premiering Monday, July 17 at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.
The Mafia Chronicles: Kansas City Mobsters Blew Up Lefty Rosenthal’s Car, Insiders Speculate


Two people with knowledge of how the underworld works recently said they believe Kansas City mobsters were responsible for blowing up Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal’s car in Las Vegas during the early 1980s.
Those people are Gary Jenkins, a former Kansas City detective, and Las Vegas resident and former mobster Frank Cullotta.
First the backstory.
In a scary incident that literally shook parts of the city, Lefty Rosenthal, carrying an order of takeout ribs, was injured when his 1981 Cadillac Eldorado blew up outside the Tony Roma’s restaurant at 620 E. Sahara Ave. not far from the Las Vegas Strip.
Mob Wisdom 101


Anyone familiar with Facebook has come across the thousands of memes with a famous gangster pose and some intriguing advice about life. Most of this insight was not actually quoted by the mobster themselves it’s solely done to emphasize a point, play up the dramatics or for entertainment purposes only. So, with this in mind I decided to track down some of my favorite all time gangsters and their foresight, insight & gumption for life. (Not everyone on my list is considered a “traditional mobsters/gangster…” then again, my definition of a gangster sometime differs from others)
Virginia Hill: The Mob’s Lady Associate


Virginia Hill is best known for her relationship with Bugsy Siegel. She was given the nickname “Queen of the Mob” by Time Magazine in 1951 after the Kefauver Hearings. Virginia Hill who was born 1916 in Lipscomb, Alabama had a reputation for being promiscuous from the very beginning. In a day and age when it was rare for a female to use her sexuality for gain, Hill had no qualms about using her looks and sexual talents to conceal money, hide stolen goods or anything else the mob needed from her.
Nevertheless, Hill’s story begins when she started working as a waitress at a popular mob hang out for Al Capone associates. It was there the 17-year-old met a Chicago mobster and bookmaker by the name of Joseph Epstein who apparently, according to sources, wasn’t a very good looking character. Still, what he lacked in looks he made up for with money… Stacks of it!
Comic Bill Dana Dead at 92


Bill Dana a very popular comedian and comedy writer for decades died at his home last week in Nashville at the age of 92. He rose to fame on TV with his most famous character, the bumbling, English-mangling José Jiménez that delighted audiences for years.
His death was confirmed by his friend Jenni Matz, who is working on a documentary about him.
The Curse Returns: Destination America’s Breakout Hit Series GHOSTS OF SHEPHERDSTOWN Is Back for a Second Season


The first season of GHOSTS OF SHEPHERDSTOWN, a surge of 911 calls reporting what appeared to be supernatural activity in Shepherdstown, W.V., inspired Police Chief Michael King to enlist the help of paranormal investigators to figure out why the town had become such a hotbed for hauntings. Nick Groff, Bill Hartley, and Elizabeth Saint, with the help of local historian Dana Mitchell and psychic medium Lorie Johnson, uncovered clues linking the rash of mysterious incidents to Shepherdstown’s historic waterways and a woman murdered on accusations of witchcraft in the town’s early history. The first season finale culminated in a ceremony on the Potomac River to cleanse the town of its “Witches Curse,” which seemed to settle the ghostly activity… at least, within its own borders. Soon, Chief King began hearing from his colleagues in neighboring police jurisdictions that the mysterious happenings had spread to their nearby towns, suggesting that Shepherdstown is only one piece to a much larger paranormal puzzle. Groff, Hartley and Saint return for season 2 to follow new leads and attempt to solve the mystery once and for all, with eight all-new episodes of GHOSTS OF SHEPHERDSTOWN premiering on Monday, July 10 at 10/9c on Destination America.
A Closer Look at the Top 5 Horrific Deaths in the Mob


Murder in the mob often comes in the form of those you trust. Its necessity helps to maintain control and reinforce a strong mandate… “Death before Dishonor.” Protecting the pride of its members and maintaining the integrity of the organization is a key component to the mob’s reputation and survival. Upholding the code of honor sometimes comes at a high cost. Listed below are my picks for the most shocking and appalling murders committed by the mob.
The Brutal Legacy of Griselda Blanco (1943-2012)


In order to have some claim to fame in the world of organized crime one must be calculating, cunning and above all brutal. Of all the names that could describe Griselda Blanco best no other word does her more justice than “brutal.” I got it admit, out of all the mobsters and gangsters I deem lower than a dog Blanco takes first, second and third place. It’s not that I dislike her ability to compete in a dominantly male profession, if you can call it that, which I confess she did better than most. I despise her callousness. To be fair, I do understand this type of harshness comes along with the lifestyle, however, when your raw tactics not only make you public enemy number one amongst all your contemporaries, cost you the lives of all, but one of your children, the question then becomes how beneficial is your strategy?
The Mafia Chronicles: Frank Sinatra’s Las Vegas


The “Rat Pack” publication by Life now on newsstands recalls, in pictures and words, the mid-century era in Las Vegas when Mafia figures, entertainers and elected officials hobnobbed together on the Strip, with the Sands hotel-casino as the neon nightlife’s glamorous ground zero.
The Strip was their private playground (and cash cow), with tourists in evening attire as amused witnesses. The Rat Pack, called “The Original Bad Boys” on the publication’s cover, were Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, JR. and a select few others.
Sinatra’s 1955 album “In the Wee Small Hours,” now considered a classic, helped establish a mood-song tone in the post-war years that, a little more than a decade later, would explode into a cultural fireball during the youth-fueled swinging ‘60s, parodied by Mike Myers in a couple of “Austin Powers” movies.
NewzBreaker Brings You Scarface Trivia: True or False?


According to CNN entertainment Universal Studio is moving forward with the remake of “Scarface” utilizing “Straight Outta Compton’s” Jonathan Herman for the rewrite. With that in mind, let’s see how much you actually know about the 1983 version without looking up the answers, shall we?
1.) Howard Hawks came up with the idea behind the remake of the 1983 classic Scarface?
2.) John Travolta was considered for the role of Manny Ribera?
The Sinatra File: Cops, Lawyers, and Godfathers… The Movie Roles Francis Albert Turned Down or Were Cast with Another Actor


Let’s be clear: “Magnum Force” (1973) is not only my favorite of the “Dirty Harry” film series, but also stands next to films like “The Seven-Ups” and “The French Connection” as my favorite of all police films ever to come out of Hollywood. But who knows? If things had gone the way originally intended, maybe cinema audiences would have never had legendary actor Clint Eastwood thrilling them as no-nonsense Harry Callahan in films like “Magnum Force,” “Sudden Impact,” “The Enforcer,” or “The Dead Pool.”
Few realize that before Eastwood and longtime collaborator Don Siegel entered the picture, the role of Harry Callahan was intended for a good actor who made his bones, so to speak as a singer of American popular music. That man was Frank Sinatra.