"CIA: Crime Invtigatn Atralia" Bloodsport: The Bondi Gay Murrs (TV Episo 2009) - IMDb

Contents:

• DEEP WATER: WERE 30 UNSOLVED SYDNEY ATHS REALLY GAY HATE CRIM?
• STT JOHNSON: MAN NFS TO 1988 GAY HATE MURR
• BONDI RISE MEMORIAL HONOURS VICTIMS OF SYDNEY GAY HATE CRIM DURG 1970S TO 1990S
• BLOODSPORT: THE BONDI GAY MURRS
• BLOODSPORT: THE BONDI GAY MURRS
• IDAHO MURRS: AS A SMALL TOWN GRAPPL WH SISTER RUMORS, MEDIA’S TE-CRIME OBSSN GROWSWHILE SOCIAL MEDIA PUTS FORTH SPECULATN AND FALSE RMATN, CHANNELS LIKE NEWSNATN ARE MAKG A NAME TE-CRIME VERAGE.BY KATHLEEN HALEMARCH 8, 2023FROM LEFT: NEWSNATN SENR NATNAL RRPONNT BRIAN ENT TAP A SPECIAL REPORT ON THE SE DECEMBER; ALLEGED KILLER BRYAN KOHBERGER; THE CORNER CLUB, A LOL BAR WHERE TWO OF THE VICTIMS SPENT THEIR FAL EVENG.COURTY BRIAN ENT; AP PHOTO/MATT ROURKE, POOL; COURTY MARC TRIVELPIECE/CORNER CLUB.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVECORNER CLUB OWNER MARC TRIVELPIECE WAS STARTG TO HATE REPORTERS. AS A LE, HE NMNS VLENCE—ANYONE WHO THROWS PUNCH THE CORNER CLUB GETS BOOTED—BUT THREE WEEKS TO THE MEDIA STORM SURROUNDG THE MURRS OF FOUR LLEGE KIDS HIS TOWN, TRIVELPIECE WAS BEGNG TO THK THAT PEOPLE DON’T GET PUNCHED THE FACE ENOUGH. READ PART 1 OF THIS STORY ON THE LIV OF THE FOUR MURRED LLEGE STUNTS IDAHO, AND THAT OF THEIR ALLEGED KILLER.ON NOVEMBER 13, ETHAN CHAP, XANA KERNODLE, KAYLEE GONLV, AND MADDIE MOGEN HAD BEEN STABBED TO ATH THE GIRLS’ OFF-MP HOE MOSW, HOME TO THE UNIVERSY OF IDAHO. TRIVELPIECE’S BAR IS WHERE TWO OF THE VICTIMS, GONLV AND MOGEN, SPENT THEIR LAST EVENG ON EARTH. WHEN THE MURRS MA NEWS, THE MEDIA SWARMED, AND TRIVELPIECE’S BS PARTICULAR ME UNR SIEGE. “I WANT THE CORNER CLUB TO BE FAMO,” HE SAID. “BUT NOT FOR THIS.”WHEN REPORTERS BARGED , TALKG ABOUT THE MURRS SUCH A SUAL WAY, TRIVELPIECE WAS LIKE, “WHATEVER YOU GUYS WANT TO TALK ABOUT AT HOME IS FE. BUT THEIR IENDS [THE VICTIMS’] ARE STG RIGHT THERE. SO LET’S NOT DO THIS.” HE TURNED DOWN LOTN FE OM NBC. IGNORED LLS OM TMZ. BANISHED JOURNALISTS OM AS FAR AWAY AS THE LONDON TELEGRAPH. BUT THEY KEPT G. SOMEONE CLAIMG TO BE OM FOX NEWS HAD RECENTLY FOLLOWED A CORNER CLUB EMPLOYEE’S ROOMMATE TO WORK.LIKE OTHER MOSW BS OWNERS, TRIVELPIECE’S WORKFORCE AND CTOMER BASE ARE HEAVILY POSED OF STUNTS, WHO MAKE UP ABOUT HALF THE TOWN’S POPULATN. AFTER THE MURRS, FOX TIMATED THAT 25 TO 40 PERCENT OF THOSE STUNTS FLED HOME. THERE WAS A KILLER ON THE LOOSE. BUT TRIVELPIECE WONRED IF MEDIA HARASSMENT PLAYED A ROLE THE MASS EXOD. “HOW MANY STUNTS AREN’T GOG TO E BACK BEE FOX NEWS IS STG OUT ONT OF THEIR HOE?” TRIVELPIECE KNEW I WAS MEDIA AS SOON AS I WALKED TO HIS BAR. THE TELL WAS NOT JT THAT HE DIDN’T REGNIZE ME—TRIVELPIECE ISN’T GREAT WH NAM, HE SAYS, BUT HE KNOWS MOST PATRONS BY THEIR DRK ORRS (BCH LIGHT PT; WHISKEY AND COKE; KEEPS HIS STRAWS)—BUT MORE SO THAT NEWERS UALLY TAKE A MOMENT TO ADMIRE THE IMPRSIVE LLECTN OF SPORTS MEMORABILIA, WHEREAS MY EY WENT STRAIGHT TO THE SECURY MERAS. BEFORE AGREEG TO SPEAK TO ME, HE ASKED FOR MY DRIVER’S LICENSE AND SET ABOUT MAKG SURE THAT I WAS NOT WH FOX NEWS.“WE’RE MOURNG AND WE’RE A SMALL TOWN—AND WE KNOW WHAT’S GOG TO HAPPEN,” HE SAID TO ME. “YOU GUYS ARE GOG TO GO HOME AND YOU’RE GOG TO WRE YOUR STORY, AND IF YOU WRE SOMETHG THAT MAYBE PUTS A NEGATIVE LIGHT, DON’T MATTER TO YOU. BUT MATTERS TO , AND WE HAVE TO S AROUND AND AL WH THE REPERCSNS OF THAT AND EXPLA TO THE RT OF THE MUNY, ‘I WAS MISQUOTED’ OR, YOU KNOW, ‘THEY DIDN’T UNRSTAND WHAT I WAS SAYG.’ AND WE DON’T WANT TO DO THAT. WE JT WANT TO BE THERE FOR EACH OTHER RIGHT NOW.” THE BAR’S ONLY LE WAS “DON’T BE AN ASSHOLE.” IN A SGLE DAY, TRIVELPIECE HAD THROWN OUT 11 REPORTERS. THE PROBLEM WAS, HE ULD NOT THROW OUT THE VISIBLE ARMY OF TER TROLLS WHO FOLLOWED THOSE REPORTERS—AND EXPONENTIALLY MORE OF THEM FLOCKED TO HIS SOCIAL MEDIA PAG, AND THE PAG OF HIS EMPLOYE, EVERY TIME “CORNER CLUB” WAS MENTNED THE NEWS. HE’D READ REDD THREADS THAT PATED MOSW AS A DARK, PRSG TOWN BEE THE SUN SET AT 4:30 P.M. “WELL, WE DIDN’T FUCKG CHOOSE WHEN OR WHERE OUR TIME ZONE BORRS ARE,” TRIVELPIECE SAID. SOMEONE (“MIKE GUMBALLI”) HAD LEFT A GOOGLE REVIEW OF THE BAR, SAYG, “THE GIRLS KAYLEE AND MADDIE TOLD ME THE FOOD IS TO DIE FOR!” TRIVELPIECE’S STAFF MEMBER, ADAM, WAS DOXED AND HARASSED AFTER NEWS WORKS AIRED SECURY MERA FOOTAGE OF GONLV AND MOGEN WALKG AROUND DOWNTOWN MOSW, TALKG ABOUT SOMEONE NAMED ADAM. “THEY WANT A CLICK ON THEIR TIKTOK OR THEIR YOUTUBE OR WHATEVER,” SAID TRIVELPIECE, REFERRG TO REPORTERS AND TER TROLLS THAT FOLLOW THEIR WAKE. “ALL SOCIAL MEDIA’S DONE IS MAKE IDTS REALIZE THEY’RE NOT ALONE.” MURR VTIGATNS HAPPEN ON A MICROSPIC LEVEL. TO NIGRATE THE PROCS MAY PARTLY REFLECT A GROWG DISFORT WH LAW ENFORCEMENT, BUT NSIRG ONELF MORE PABLE SPEAKS TO A LARGER LN THAT ONLE WE N DO ANYTHG.OTHER LOL BS FACED SIAR SCTY. “MY SH IS BAD RIGHT NOW WH THE ASSHOL,” TEXTED TRIVELPIECE’S BUDDY JEFF “SMTY” SMH, WHO OWNS MOSW BAGEL & DELI DOWN THE ROAD.AT THE TIME, SMH WAS PAYG TWICE THE PRICE FOR 20 PERCENT LS PROF AT NIGHT. HE’D CID TO KEEP HIS STORE DOUBLE-STAFFED AFTER DARK, HOPG TO MAKE HIS YOUNG EMPLOYE FEEL SAFER AND SULATE THEM OM THE ONGOG MEDIA HARASSMENT. INSTEAD, THE STORE WAS GETTG “BOMBARD AND BORRLE TERRORIZED,” SMH’S WORDS, BY ALYT OF YOUTUBE PSYCHIC REVEREND DONNA SERAPHA, WHO’D TOLD HER THEN 46,400 SUBSCRIBERS THAT THE MOSW MURRER (WHOEVER THAT WAS; AT THE TIME, THERE WERE NO SPECTS OR ARRTS) BAKED HIS OWN BREAD AT A “BREAD PLACE,” POSSIBLY OWNED BY SAID MURRER’S PARENTS. SCE POSTG THE VIO, SERAPHA HAS GAED MORE THAN 10,000 SUBSCRIBERS. “I DON’T MAKE MY OWN BREAD,” SMH RRECTED THEM. “I DON’T HAVE A SON. I’VE NEVER MARRIED. NEVER HAD A CHILD.” BUT WAS NO E. THE MSAG AND MENTS AND POSTS PROLIFERATED. VISS TO THE PANY FACEBOOK PAGE SOARED OM 243 TO 231,038. FOR FAILG TO TURN HIS NONEXISTENT SON, SMH RECEIVED A SPIC TERG ORR OM “DOUCHEY COWARD INC.” TRIVELPIECE, A UNIVERSY OF IDAHO ALUM, WAS HANGG OUT WH HIS BULLDOGS, MATILDA AND SARGE, WHEN ONE OF HIS BUDDI REACHED OUT TO SAY THE CORNER CLUB WAS ON TV AGA—THIS TIME ON NEWSNATN’S BANFIELD, HOSTED BY ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, WHOM REARS MIGHT REMEMBER OM HER MSNBC VERAGE OF THE 9/11 ATTACKS, AND WHO IS NOW A MORE SOTTO VOCE NANCY GRACE. IT WAS DECEMBER 12. A NEWS BANNER READ: “DAY 29 KILLER IS STILL ON THE LOOSE.” THE IDAHO MURRS: HOW 4 COLLEGE KIDS LIVED AND LOVEDARROWBANFIELD’S SOMBER FACE WAS LEFT A TRIPTYCH OF LIVE SHOTS, OPPOSE A SLISHOW OF THE CORNER CLUB (THIS SI OF THE BUILDG, THAT SI OF THE BUILDG, THE NEON BS SIGN). STAGE CENTER? THIRTY-​SEVEN-​YEAR-OLD NEWSNATN REPORTER BRIAN ENT, A TAN, ATTRACTIVE MAN WH THICK GRAY HAIR. “THE CORNER CLUB,” BANFIELD TONED. “THAT’S WHERE KAYLEE AND MADDIE WERE.”“YEAH.” ENT LOOKED SOMBER. “I’VE BEEN THERE. THERE ARE A LOT OF MERAS THERE. THERE WERE MERAS ON THE OUTSI, AND MERAS ON THE SI, AS FAR AS I N TELL—I WENT SI. THE BARTENR WOULDN’T TALK—BUT I SAW THE MERAS WH MY OWN EY.”IDT, TRIVELPIECE THOUGHT.WHEN ENT SCENDS ON A TOWN, HE BRGS WH HIM MORE THAN 444,200 TWTER FOLLOWERS (AND UNTG)—NEARLY EIGHT TIM THE SIZE OF SERAPHA’S FAN BASE. MANY OF THEM STARTED FOLLOWG ENT OVER THE URSE OF HIS 2021 REPORTG ON GABBY PETO; PRR TO THAT, ENT HAD ABOUT 20,000 FOLLOWERS. ENT’S REPORTG ON PETO ALSO EARNED HIM THE NICKNAME “NEWS DADDY.” IN A REDD SUB VOTED TO HIM, ENT’S FANS RAVE: “NEWS DADDY IS THE ONLY DADDY YOU NEED” AND “DU GRDS FOR SURE.” ON NOVEMBER 28, 15 DAYS AFTER THE MURRS, ENT ARRIVED MOSW AND DROVE STRAIGHT TO THE CRIME SCENE A HUGE BLACK RENTED SUV HE LLED “THE BIG PREMIUM DADDY.” IN WEEKS PRR, HE’D BEEN “CHASG NDIDAT AND STUFF,” LIKE HERSCHEL WALKER AND RAPHAEL WARNOCK. ENT DIDN’T MD VERG POLICS BUT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY WERE “NOT…MY PASSN.” PART OF WHAT HE LIK ABOUT “THE CRIME STUFF,” ENT TOLD ME, IS THAT TENDS TO BE APOLIL, PECIALLY WHEN THE CRIME IS UNSOLVED.“THIS,” HE SAID, REFERENCG THE MURRS, IS “A LTLE B OF A BREAK OM THAT.”AT 12:24 A.M., ENT OPENED TWTER LIVE. MULTILORED HEARTS EXPLOD OM THE LOWER RIGHT RNER OF THE SCREEN. COMMENTS UNFURLED:HI OM MARYLANDYOU ARE THE BT REPORTER EVERATRALIA“HEY EVERYBODY,” ENT SAID. HE KEPT HIS IPHONE MERA ANGLED AT THE CRIME SCENE. POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS TAPE WRAPPED AROUND THE PROPERTY, DRAPED ACROSS STON AND POL AND TRE AND GARBAGE NS, OVER FE BOX AND DOORJAMBS. “I JT WANTED TO GET ON HERE REAL QUICK, JT LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT WE MA TO MOSW,” HE TOLD HIS FOLLOWERS. “THIS IS THE HOE WHERE THE MURRS HAPPENED.” HAD TO BE AN SI JOBPLEASE FD OUT WHERE JACK S LIV AND LET’S GIVE A VISENT’S FOLLOWERS MEANT JACK SHOWALTER, A UNIVERSY OF IDAHO STUNT, WHO’D WALKED MOGEN AND GONLV OM THE CORNER CLUB TO A FOOD TCK HOURS BEFORE THEIR ATHS. NOW WEB SLTHS WERE NVCED THAT SHOWALTER WAS THE KILLER. MOSW POLICE HAD NOT DIGNIFIED THE NSPIRACY BY NAMG SHOWALTER, REFERENCG HIM ON THE KG ROAD HOMICI UPDAT PAGE AS “MALE GB TCK SURVEILLANCE VIO,” UNR THE HEADG: “AT THIS TIME THE VTIGATN, TECTIV DO NOT BELIEVE THE FOLLOWG ARE VOLVED THIS CRIME.” IN JT A FEW DAYS, NEWSNATN WOULD SEND A PRODUCER TO SHOWALTER’S HOE, WHERE A NEIGHBOR ALLEGEDLY TERCEPTED THAT PRODUCER AND SENT HIM AWAY. SO EXTREME WAS THE HARASSMENT, BOTH ON AND OFFLE, THAT THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD SEEMED TO BE RALLYG AROUND THE FAY. BEFORE SIGNG OFF, ENT REMD HIS FOLLOWERS, “THERE’S A MURRER ON THE LOOSE.” OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, ENT MATAED A SOLEMN TONE, STARG AT THE MERA WHILE SNOW ACCUMULATED ON HIS SHOULRS, AND FORCED HIMSELF TO LOOK FORTABLE EVEN THOUGH, JT LIKE DURG HIS HURRINE AND TROPIL STORM VERAGE—HE’D REPORTED ON IAN, SALLY, MICHAEL, IRMA, MATTHEW, HERME, DORIAN, ETA, LRA, IDA, AND ERIKA—HE ALMOST FELT LIKE HE WAS GOG TO DIE. “HALF OF IS JT, LIKE, STAMA,” ENT SAID. “IT’S NOT ABOUT BEG SMART.” DPE HIS LONG JOHNS—WHICH ENT WAS STILL GETTG ED TO (“IT’S JT SUCH A WEIRD THG,” HE SAID, SHUFFLG HIS FEET, “LIKE MY LEGS ARE SO ZY AND I FEEL LIKE A PENGU”)—HE WAS EEZG. SO WAS HIS MERAMAN, MO MORAN. THEIR PRODUCER, LREN POWELL, SUCKED ON A FIREBALL TO STAY WARM. BETWEEN SEGMENTS ON BANFIELD, THEY RETREATED FOR WARMTH TO THE DADDY WAGON, WHERE THEY LISTENED TO THEIR TEAM ANTHEM, “KISS FROM A ROSE.” THE SUV WAS A TANGLE OF PAPER TOWELS, HAND WARMERS, LIQUID ROBS, AND POWELL’S BAGS OF HARD NDY. ENT REFED HER OFFER OF A LOLLIPOP, REMEMBERG THE TIME HE’D REPORTED LIVE OUTSI MAR-A-LAGO WH A GREEN TONGUE.ON DECEMBER 4, I FLEW TO MOSW TO WATCH ENT’S FIRST-EVER SPECIAL.“I’M GONNA BE MUCH BETTER TO TALK TO AFTER TODAY,” HE PROMISED ME. “I’M KD OF CRAZY RIGHT NOW. LIKE, I’M NERVO.” WHEN I ASKED IF HE UALLY FEELS NERVO BEFORE LIVE SHOWS, HE SHOOK HIS HEAD. “NORMALLY, I DO FEEL NORMAL.”IN HIS HOTEL ROOM, ENT PREPARED FOR THE SPECIAL WHILE FOX NEWS PLAYED ON TV. HE ALWAYS KEPT SOMETHG ON, TOGGLG BETWEEN STATNS TO MAKE SURE NOBODY ELSE WAS GETTG THE SOP. FOR NOW, ENT WAS SAFE; THE FOX PUNDS WERE SHOUTG ABOUT HOW REPARATNS FOR SLAVERY ARE RACIST.“THIS IS WHEN I’M ABOUT TO START GETTG CRAZY SO DON’T JUDGE ME FOR, LIKE, THE NEXT FOUR HOURS,” ENT REMD ME. HE PROCEED TO REHEARSE HIS L, CYCLG THROUGH SALT-AND-VEGAR CHIPS WHILE TYPG AND MUTTERG “SH” OR “FUCK.” “LIVE MOSW. MOSW. MOSW,” ENT DRILLED. “MOSW.” OUTSIRS PRONOUNCED “MOSS-W” BUT LOLS SAID “MOSS-E”—“I’VE LEARNED THAT THE HARD WAY,” ENT SAID. I ASKED WHAT WOULD TAKE FOR HIM TO LEAVE MOSW AND GO SOMEPLACE ELSE. ENT THOUGHT ABOUT . “I MEAN, I HATE TO SAY : A REALLY BAD SCHOOL SHOOTG OR PLANE CRASH. LIKE SOMETHG…”“CATASTROPHIC,” MORAN OFFERED. “YEAH,” POWELL SAID.“CATASTROPHIC,” ENT AGREED.LATER, OUTSI THE CRIME SCENE, ENT SWIPED FOUNDATN UNR HIS EY LIKE WAR PAT AND BRACED HIMSELF FOR THE SHOW TO START. “DO MY HOOD LOOK RIGHT?” HE ASKED. “SOMETIM I THK LOOKS WEIRD.” AFTER SOME NSIRATN, HE CID AGAST WEARG EARMUFFS. “ALRIGHT GUYS,” ENT SAID. “LET’S DO THIS, ’S GONNA BE GOOD.”A VIEW OF THE MOSW, IDAHO, HOE WHERE ETHAN CHAP, XANA KERNODLE, KAYLEE GONLV, AND MADDIE MOGEN WERE MURRED.DAVID RYR/GETTY IMAG.MOMENTS LATER HE WAS ON THE AIR, REPPG THE CRIME FOR ANYONE JT TUNG : “A NIGHTMARE FOR THIS TOWN—A NIGHTMARE THEY JT NNOT WAKE UP OM.”ENT’S IDAHO MURR MYSTERY SPECIAL REPORT NTAED EXCLIVE TERVIEWS AND ONE SHOCKG TAIL: GONLV’S JURI WERE “SIGNIFINTLY MORE BTAL” THAN MOGEN’S. IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY NEW UPDAT OM POLICE, SLTHS TOOK OFF NNG WH WHAT ENT HAD TO OFFER.  “INTER SLTHS ARE ON THE SE,” ENT SAID HIS SPECIAL. “WE ARE TALKG ABOUT THE ARMCHAIR TECTIV, PEOPLE WHO SIFT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ANY POSSIBLE CLUE—AND THE VACUUM OF RMATN OM MOSW POLICE, THEIR VOIC ARE LOUR THAN EVER.”WEB SLTHS EARNED THEIR MONIKER 1999 ON A SE BY THE SAME NAME, BUT THEIR MOVEMENT ARGUABLY REACHED A PNACLE DURG THE 2010–2012 CRIME AT THE CENTER OF DON’T F**K WH CATS, A DOCERI ABOUT THE ONLE MANHUNT FOR LA MAGNOTTA, WHO POSTED VIOS OF HIMSELF KILLG TS BEFORE GRADUATG TO HOMICI. IN THAT SE, SLTHS SUCCEED WHERE POLICE HAD FAILED, BOLSTERG THEIR REPUTATN AS PABLE TECTIV. ACRDG TO MEDIA SCHOLARS, “HISTORIL EXAMPL,” SUCH AS MAGNOTTA, “HELP TO FUEL A FANTASY...FURTHER ENERGIZED BY THE RISE OF PARTICIPATORY MEDIA CULTURE,” THAT DIENCE MEMBERS ARE “VIEWERS WH A JOB TO DO.” SCE THEN, CRIME REPORTERS HAVE BEEN PETN WH A NEW BREED OF PAPARAZZO. WHILE REPORTG ON PETO OM HER KILLER’S LAWN, ENT FOUND HIMSELF SHOULR TO SHOULR WH VIGILANTE CIVILIANS AND SOCIAL MEDIA FLUENCERS LIKE “BULLHORN BETTY,” WHO WOULD LATER UPLOAD THREE VIOS ABOUT ONE OF THE MOSW VICTIMS’ SURVIVG ROOMMAT, FEATURG A THUMBNAIL IMAGE OF XANA KERNODLE’S FACE WH THE WORDS, “WHY DIDN’T YOU SAVE ME?” LIKE MANY SLTHS, BETTY’S METHODS SEEM UNSCPULO. SHE “REPORTS” MORS AND PERPETUAT HARASSMENT OF NOCENT PEOPLE. BUT FOR PRACTIL REASONS, ENT HAS NEED TO FD A WAY TO EXIST WH PEOPLE LIKE HER. “I JT WANT TO GET MY JOB DONE EVERY DAY,” HE TOLD ME, REFG TO SPEAK ILL OF BETTY, PART, HE JOK, “BEE I DON’T WANT HER SHOWG UP TO MY HOE WH A BULLHORN.” MORE SERLY, ENT SAID THAT ’S NOT UP TO HIM WHETHER SLTHS HAVE EARNED THEIR PLACE AMONG TRAED REPORTERS; THE REALY IS THAT OUR DIGAL ESYSTEM ELEVAT THE VOIC OF SPECIALISTS AND ENTHIASTS ALIKE. AT THE END OF THE DAY, “THEY’RE STILL GONNA BE HERE,” HE SAID. “I’M STILL GONNA BE HERE.”SOMETHG ELSE BEGAN TO HAPPEN DURG THE PETO SE TOO: “I JT STARTED TO HEAR, LIKE, CHA-CHG, CHA-CHG.” STRANGERS WERE SENDG ENT RANDOM AMOUNTS OF MONEY ON VENMO, A STANDARD SOURCE OF E FOR SLTHS LIKE BULLHORN BETTY, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN FE IF ENT WERE SELF-EMPLOYED, BUT HE HAD A SALARIED JOB AT NEWSNATN. TWENTY DOLLARS ROLLED BEFORE HE ULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO SET HIS VENMO TO PRIVATE.DPE HIS PROFSNAL E OF TWTER, ENT IS THE FIRST TO ADM HE’S NOT EXACTLY TER SAVVY. HE DON’T HAVE A TIKTOK ACUNT AND SEEMED SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT THERE ARE TIKTOKS ABOUT HIM. HE HAD NEVER VISED REDD. (“HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON REDD? IT’S LIKE, REALLY POPULAR, RIGHT?” ANOTHER TIME HE MENTED TO ME, “NEXTDOOR, HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THAT APP?”) ONCE HE REFERENCED WEB SLTHS AS “THE TER PEOPLE.” WHEN ASKED WHETHER HE THOUGHT SLTHS MIGHT BE G MORE HARM THAN GOOD, ENT ANSWERED, “I REALLY THK THAT 99—” HE UGHT HIMSELF. “WELL, MAYBE NOT 99, BUT LIKE, 90 PERCENT OF THE WEB SLTHS HAVE GOOD TENTNS.” IT’S A MON MISNCEPTN THAT SLTHS “SOLVED” PETO’S MURR. IN REALY, SLTHG HELPED POLICE FOC THE SEARCH FOR PETO’S BODY, BUT ’S A STRETCH TO SAY AMATR SLTHS FOUND HER. AS ISAAC WT, AN ASSOCIATE PROFSOR AT VANRBILT UNIVERSY AND THOR OF THE SERIAL EFFECT: TE CRIME AND CONTEMPORARY AMERIN CULTURE, SAYS, “PEOPLE ARE PARTICIPATG A SOCIAL DRAMA, BUT THEIR PARTICIPATN AND ACHIEVG JTICE ARE DISNNECTED. ONE IS NOT G THE OTHER.” YET SLTHS PERSIST THE BELIEF THAT THEY ARE HERO. AS @LACEYJMEEKS (FOLLOWER UNT: 1,273) TWEETED DURG THE MOSW MURRS VTIGATNS: “FOR ?? THE ?? LOVE ?? OF ?? GOD ?? … ? ? I WISH @MOSWPDP WOULD PROVI US, THE FINDERS OF GABBY P, W/.”MURR VTIGATNS HAPPEN ON A MICROSPIC LEVEL. AFTER GRADUATG OM THE POLICE AMY, A GELG PROCS THAT VOLV PHYSILLY MANDG DRILLS AND LERAL OBSTACLE URS, AN ASPIRG HOMICI TECTIVE UNRGO YEARS OF TRAG. TO NIGRATE THIS PROCS MAY PARTLY REFLECT SOCIETY’S GROWG DISFORT WH LAW ENFORCEMENT; THERE HAVE BEEN MANY STANC OF POLICE MURRG CIVILIANS. FEARG THEM MAK SENSE, BUT NSIRG ONELF MORE PABLE OF SOLVG A QUADPLE HOMICI—OM AFAR, G ONLY A PUTER—SPEAKS TO A LARGER LN THAT ONLE WE N DO ANYTHG: GET RICH, BEE FAMO, LEAD REVOLUTNS, DIAGNOSE OURSELV WH RARE DISEAS, AND SOLVE MYSTERI. ONLY A WEEK AFTER THE MURRS, SO MANY DAMAGG MORS SWIRLED ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT MOSW POLICE ISSUED AN UPDATE SAYG, “WE URGE RELIANCE ON OFFICIAL CHANNELS FOR ACCURATE RMATN.” INSTEAD, “TROLLS AND SOCIAL MEDIA STALKERS” HARASSED YOUNG REPORTERS AT THE ARGONT, U OF I’S STUNT NEWSPAPER, THE IDAHO CAPOL SUN REPORTED. AS ENT MA HIS WAY THROUGH MOSW, SLTHS SPREAD UNTE MORS THAT MOGEN HAD BULLIED HER HMAN ROOMMATE TO SUICI AND THE STABBGS WERE AN ACT OF REVENGE, RRIED OUT TWO DAYS BEFORE WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE AD GIRL’S BIRTHDAY. OTHERS CLAIMED ONE OF THE GIRLS’ NEIGHBORS, JEREMY, WAS THE CULPR—WHY ELSE WOULD HE GIVE TERVIEWS TO THE REPORTERS MPED OUTSI? HOPG TO SET THE RERD STRAIGHT, JEREMY DID MORE TERVIEWS AND VOLUNTARILY PROVID HIS DNA TO POLICE. YET THE SO-LLED SLTHG TENSIFIED TO A POT WHERE HE FELT NECSARY TO RRY A PISTOL FOR PROTECTN. TIKTOKER ASHLEY GUILLARD, A.K.A. “ASHLEY SOLV MYSTERI”—WHO CLAIMS TO CRACK CRIM G TAROT RDS—UPLOAD SIX TIKTOK VIOS ACCG U OF I PROFSOR REBEC SFIELD (WHO WAS OREGON WHEN THE MURRS OCCURRED) OF NOT ONLY HAVG A SEXUAL RELATNSHIP WH ONE OF THE VICTIMS BUT OF ORRG A H MAN TO RRY OUT THE STABBGS. AS A RULT, GUILLARD’S FOLLOWERS UNLEASHED ON SFIELD WH SUCH TENSY THAT SHE GREW NCERNED FOR HER CHILDREN’S SAFETY. EVENTUALLY, SFIELD FILED A LAWSU, WHICH IS STILL UNFOLDG, BUT GUILLARD HAS REFED TO BACK DOWN, SAYG, “I AM NOT STOPPG.”ENT HAD MIXED FEELGS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA. ON ONE HAND, HE RELIED ON HIS FOLLOWERS FOR TIPS THAT BROKE NEWS. HE ED TWTER TO BROADST UPDAT, WHICH HE REFERRED TO AS “NUGGETS.” AT THE SAME TIME, HE FEARED GETTG NCELED, BOTH FIGURATIVELY (“LIKE, ALL TAK IS ONE MISTAKE…EVERYBODY ULD TURN ON ME”) AND EXISTENTIALLY (AS STRAIGHT-UP DISAPPEARED, LIKE THE CRIME STORI HE VERED). SOMETIM, WHILE VERG UNSOLVED HOMICIS LIKE THE MOSW MURRS, ENT PICTURED THE KILLER WATCHG HIM. GETTG ANGRY. WANTG REVENGE. WHAT IF THEY KIDNAPPED HIM? IT SOOTHED HIM TO KNOW THAT, IF HE DID GO MISSG, “I WOULD HAVE A REALLY GOOD ARMY OF PEOPLE TRYG TO FD ME.” AFTER THE SPECIAL, ENT’S FANS FIXATED ON HIS STUFFED-UP VOICE, MSAGG TO ASK WHETHER HE WAS SICK OR IF WAS MERELY ALLERGI. A PRIVATE VTIGATOR TEXTED TO SAY THAT ENT’S EY LOOKED LIKE “SLS,” AND HE SHOULD TRY ROBS. SLTHS POSTED SCREENSHOTS OF THE SEGMENT, CLAIMG ENT WASN’T REALLY MOSW AT ALL—THAT THE SNOW WAS FAKE AND HE HAD BEEN STANDG ONT OF A GREEN SCREEN. ON REDD, PEOPLE BATED WHETHER NEWS DADDY WAS A REAL JOURNALIST OR JT ANOTHER FLUENCER. UNR ENT’S TWEET ABOUT THE SPECIAL, SOMEONE WHED:TOTAL WASTE OF 42 MUT.DAYS EARLIER, ENT HAD WNSED A VIRAL SRE THE MAKG. AT THE TIME, NEWS WAS SAGGG, AND WORKS CLAMORED TO KEEP THE STORY ALIVE BY ROPG MENTARY OM FORMER FBI AGENTS AND WHAT INSI EDN REFERRED TO AS THE “BT KNOWN LAWYERS AND TECTIV.” ENT AND HIS TEAM WERE STATNED ON KG ROAD WHEN THEY HEARD LOUD MIC—SO LOUD, ENT SAID, “YOU ULD HEAR BIG TIME OM THE MURR HOE.” KERNODLE, GONLV, AND MOGEN’S HOME WAS A FIVE-MUTE WALK OM ETHAN CHAP’S ATERNY—STANDG AT THE END OF THE GIRLS’ DRIVEWAY, YOU ULD SEE SIGMA CHI THE DISTANCE. NOW, BRASH VOIC ECHOED ACROSS THE FIELD. THE ATERNY VIBRATED WH NOISE. SONGS PLAYED. PEOPLE SHOUTED. BROTHERS GATHERED ON THE CK. THAT’S TERTG, THEY’RE KD OF PARTYG, ENT THOUGHT. THAT WOULD BE SOMETHG THAT ULD GET A LOT OF ATTENTN.ON THE NIGHT OF THEIR MURRS, ETHAN AND XANA ATTEND A PARTY AT THE SIGMA CHI ATERNY (THE ROOMMAT’ HOE IS SEEN THE DISTANCE), WHILE KAYLEE AND MADISON VISED THE CORNER CLUB BAR AND THEN GOT FOOD AT THE NEARBY GB TCK.JAMES KEIVOM. KEVIN FIXLER/IDAHO STATESMAN/GETTY. COURTESY MARC TRIVELPIECE /CORNER CLUB.IT WAS AN UNRSTATEMENT. RUMORS, WHICH WOULD LATER TURN OUT TO BE FALSE, WERE EMERGG THAT SOME OF CHAP’S ATERNY BROTHERS HAD MTED THE MURRS, MOTIVATED BY AN ONGOG FD WH KERNODLE AND CHAP THAT HAD REIGNED EARLIER THAT SAME EVENG AT THE SIGMA CHI HOE. PEOPLE WERE SAYG THAT KERNODLE HAD SEXUALLY REJECTED THE BOYS QUTN, WHILE CHAP HAD ALLEGEDLY LLED THEM ON THEIR STEROID E AND BEME ENRAGED WHEN THEY ULD NOT SUCCSFULLY TUTOR HIM. THIS DUB THEORY GAED TRACTN ON 4CHAN, AN UNMORATED SE WHERE ERS RELISH MISOGYNY (“I’D LIKE TO STAB HER WH MY DICK,” SOMEONE POSTED REFERENCE TO THE MOSW MURRS) AND RACISM ( THAT SAME THREAD, THE N-WORD APPEARS 23 TIM).ENT THOUGHT BACK TO HIS OWN LLEGE YEARS. HE WAS GOOFY. HE DRANK. FOOTAGE OF THE SIGMA CHI PARTY WOULD SPOTLIGHT HIS REPORTG, IF ONLY FOR A DAY, AND GA HIM EVEN MORE FOLLOWERS, BUT WOULD ALSO CHANGE A BUNCH OF LLEGE KIDS’ FUTUR. SLTHS ULD EASILY TRACK DOWN THE PHOTOS, NAM, OR ADDRS FOR EVERYONE THE ATERNY, NCELG MORE KIDS ON THE CP OF PROFSNAL LIFE. ENT FELT SORRY FOR THEM. IN THE END, HE CID NOT TO TAKE THE SHOT. WHO KNEW WHY THEY WERE PARTYG? IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN FOR CHAP. EVERYONE GRIEV DIFFERENTLY. COLLEGE STUNTS PARTICULAR HAVE THEIR OWN WAY OF PG. TWO WEEKS AFTER THE STABBG, ONE OF GONLV’S GOOD IENDS WOULD POST PICTUR OF HERSELF AND A BUNCH OF OTHER GIRLS SG, SHOWG OFF THEIR NEW KAYLEE-SPIRED TATTOOS.“WE’RE NOT TER SLTHS. WE’RE NOT WORKG FOR TWTER,” ENT REMD HIS TEAM. “WE HAVE TO REMEMBER WHAT SETS APART OM THE YOUTUBERS, OM THE TWTER.” GROWG UP FORT LRDALE, ENT LOVED AMERI’S MOST WANTED, A SHOW THAT VED VIEWERS TO LL A TIP LE AND PARTICIPATE THE CRIME-SOLVG PROCS. THE PROGRAM HAS CREDED SELF WH HELPG TO TCH 1,186 FUGIV S 23 YEARS ON AIR, PLATFORMG WHAT MEDIA SCHOLARS SCRIBE AS OUR SOCIETY’S “CREASGLY POPULARIZED AND REJUVENATED EXPECTATN THAT ‘ENTERTAMENT CHANG THGS.’ ”WHEN ENT WASN’T WATCHG CRIME SHOWS, HE SPENT HIS EVENGS GLUED TO LOL NEWS. IF HE REGNIZED THE SURROUNDGS OF THE 5 P.M. SEGMENT, HE’D BEG HIS MOM TO DRIVE HIM TO THE LOTN SO HE ULD WATCH THE 6 P.M. SHOT PERSON. “THEY WERE LIKE REAL CELEBRI TO ME, THE LOL REPORTERS.” HE PECIALLY IDOLIZED CARMEL CAFIERO OF WSVN MIAMI, “A LEGEND” WHOSE FACTUAL YET DRAMATIC REPORTG SPIRED HIS OWN NEWS MANTRA: “MAKE NOT BORG.” OTHER BOYS PICKED ON HIM FOR NOT WATCHG SPORTS, QUIZZG HIM ON LAST NIGHT’S GAME ONT OF EVERYONE. “I DON’T EVEN THK I KNEW I WAS GAY. BUT SOMEHOW THEY MT HAVE PICKED UP ON .” IN FOURTH OR FIFTH GRA, HE ENROLLED A NEW SCHOOL WHERE THE STUNTS PUT ON A TV PROGRAM EACH MORNG. WHEN ENT’S TURN ME, HE VED HIS MOM AND DAD TO WATCH. HE TOLD THEM HE’D MA A LOT OF IENDS. BUT WHEN HE AND HIS PARENTS EXED THE SCHOOL’S MEDIA CENTER AFTER HE FISHED THE ANNOUNCEMENTS, EVERYBODY BOOED. IT WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT THE ADMISTRATN MA THE KIDS WRE APOLOGY LETTERS TO ENT’S MOM. SHE KEPT THEM ALL.YEARS LATER, ENT WENT TO THE UNIVERSY OF MISSOURI, WHICH HAS ONE OF THE BT JOURNALISM SCHOOLS THE UNTRY. AS JUNR YEAR APPROACHED, ENT’S GPA WASN’T HIGH ENOUGH TO QUALIFY FOR THE PROGRAM, SO HE SETTLED ON ENGLISH AND WORKED AS A LOL NEWS TCK DRIVER, MAKG $5.15 AN HOUR. HE SECURED HIS FIRST ANCHORG JOB WHILE STILL LLEGE. HAVG STUDIED LOL NEWS HIS ENTIRE LIFE, ENT SLIPPED SEAMLSLY TO THE WORK OF MAKG HIMSELF—THOUGH IALLY HE STGGLED TO BE HIMSELF, TRYG STEAD TO IMATE PETER JENNGS. “OLD-SCHOOL JOURNALISM: EMOTNLS,” HE PUT TO ME. “LIKE, OH MY GOD, I’M GONNA SOUND SO PROFSNAL. YOU KNOW?” THAT CHANGED AFTER ANRSON COOPER’S 2005 VERAGE OF HURRINE KATRA. “THERE WAS THIS TIME WHERE HE WOULD JT GO OM DISASTER TO DISASTER,” ENT RELLED. “I JT REMEMBER BEG REALLY IMPRSED AND, LIKE, WANTG TO BE HIM, BASILLY. HE WAS SHOWG WHAT WAS GOG ON AND GETTG REALLY UPSET ABOUT .”KNOWN FOR TAKG RISKY ASSIGNMENTS THAT SEEMED AT ODDS WH HIS PRIVILEGED UPBRGG, COOPER HAD NEVER VERED A HURRINE. BUT BATON ROUGE, HE SLID A NDOM OVER HIS MICROPHONE AND DOVE RIGHT , BEG FAMO FOR SAYG THGS LIKE, “EXCE ME, SENATOR, I’M SORRY FOR TERPTG—FOR THE LAST FOUR DAYS I’VE BEEN SEEG AD BODI THE STREETS—TO HEAR POLICIANS THANKG EACH OTHER AND PLIMENTG EACH OTHER… LERALLY, THERE WAS A BODY ON THE STREETS OF THIS TOWN YTERDAY BEG EATEN BY RATS.”  COOPER HELPED POPULARIZE A REPORTG PERSONA THAT’S BEE STANDARD: THE EMOTIVE MAN. THE NEW YORK OBSERVER LLED HIM THE “EMO-ANCHOR.” UNLIKE HIS PRECSORS, TELEPROMPTED VOIC OF GOD, COOPER STUTTERED, RAMBLED, EVEN WEPT. A 2005 NEW YORK PROFILE SCRIBED HIS STYLE AS “BEFUDDLED…SPOOKED…RAMBLG…UNHGED” AND “FLIPPED OUT”—ATTRIBUT THAT HAVE E TO FE THE 24-HOUR NEWS CYCLE. WHEN COOPER WAS RISG TO FAME, THERE WERE SO FEW OPENLY GAY ANCHORS ENT ULD LOOK UP TO, CLUDG COOPER, WHO DIDN’T E OUT UNTIL 2012. BUT THE MEANTIME HE GAVE MALE REPORTERS LIKE ENT PERMISSN TO BE THEMSELV, TO E SIMPLE LANGUAGE AND FILL THE SPACE BETWEEN SOUND B WH OTHER STATEMENTS OF FACT LIKE, “IT’S HEARTBREAKG.”FROM MISSOURI, ENT TOOK A JOB AS A LOL ANCHOR SAVANNAH, GEIA, WHERE HE MET HIS BOYIEND OF 10 YEARS, HUNTER. THERE, ENT WAS A ONE-MAN BAND, DRIVG HIMSELF TO CRIME SCEN, SETTG UP SHOTS, AND ANCHORG THEM HIMSELF, LIKE THE ANCHORMAN VERSN OF DICK VAN DYKE  MARY POPPS.A FEW YEARS LATER ME ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF ENT’S REER: CARMEL CAFIERO WAS RETIRG, AND WSVN MIAMI WANTED ENT TO REPLACE HER.IN MIAMI, HE VERED A LTLE B OF EVERYTHG: HURRIN, R CHAS, ALLIGATORS.WHEN I ASKED WHAT KDS OF THGS ULD ONLY HAPPEN FLORIDA, ENT ANSWERED WHOUT HATN, “THE GUY WHO ATE THE FACE OFF.”IF YOU’VE HEARD THE STORY, YOU LIKELY REMEMBER : HIGH ON BATH SALTS, ONE MAN ATTACKED ANOTHER AND ATE HIS FACE. I ULDN’T REMEMBER WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THE VICTIM. “DID THAT GUY DIE?”“I JT REMEMBER WAS UNR A BRIDGE.”“ISN’T FLORIDA ALSO WHERE THE LADY’S PET CHIMPANZEE…?”ENT NODD. “ATE HER FACE OFF.”IN 2020, ENT, WHO IS MIAMI-BASED, WENT NATNAL, JOG FAIAR WORK-NEWS NAM LIKE CHRIS CUOMO, DAN ABRAMS, AND BANFIELD AT NEWSNATN, A START-UP CHANNEL. LIKE ENT AND HIS HERO, CAFIERO, THE WORK HAS A FLARE FOR THE DRAMATIC; STARTED AS AN ENTERTAMENT STATN, PLAYG RENS OF BLUE BLOODS AND IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT. ITS PARENT PANY, NEXSTAR, OWNS 75 PERCENT OF THE CW. IN THE FALL OF 2021, NEWSNATN LNCHED A MORNG SHOW, FOLLOWED SIX MONTHS LATER BY A PRIME-TIME BLOCK. THE GOAL IS A 24-HOUR WORK, LIKE CNN OR FOX NEWS, FOR THOSE WHO N NO LONGER STAND CNN OR FOX NEWS. “I’VE BEEN A VOTEE OF CNN FOREVER; ’S JT SOOO ONE-SID, JT NONSTOP ‘TMP, TMP, TMP, TMP, TMP.’ YOU JT GET TIRED OF , ’S JT EXHSTG,” SAID ONE NEWSNATN VIEWER, LLG TO ABRAMS’S SHOW. “I GOT TO WATCH CNN, AND MY REPUBLIN HBAND GOT TO WATCH FOX. WE NEVER WOULD SHARE. WE N BOTH WATCH NEWSNATN.”THE GAMB SEEMS TO BE WORKG. A REPRENTATIVE OM NEWSNATN SAYS THEY’LL ACHIEVE THE ROUND-THE-CLOCK GOAL BY LATE SPRG OR EARLY SUMMER. IN JANUARY, NEWSNATN’S RATGS AVERAGED 113,000 TOTAL VIEWERS, S STRONGT MONTH EVER, UP 217 PERCENT OM THE PREV YEAR, RANKG NUMBER ONE GROWTH AND 63RD AMONG AD-SUPPORTED BLE WORKS. FOR ONE OF HIS FIRST NEWSNATN STORI, ENT VERED A MAJOR CYBERATTACK ON A LOL SCHOOL DISTRICT. HE TEETERED ON A STOOL THE MIDDLE OF A EWAY SO THAT HIS CREW ULD PTURE A GENERIC MIAMI SKYLE THE BACKGROUND. SCE THEN, ENT HAS VERED A RANGE OF GRISLY STORI. MISSG CHILDREN. MURRED CHILDREN. NATNAL DISASTERS. DURG HURRINE IAN, AFTER HE AND POWELL RCUED A DOG OM A SAILBOAT, A NEIGHBOR SAID, “OH, THAT’S LIKE THE MEANT DOG EVER; TRIED TO KILL MY DOG,” BUT ENT CRADLED HIS ARMS ANYWAY. WHILE REPORTG ON PETO, HE HELPED LNCH MISSG AMERI, A PROGRAM THAT HAS DRAWN ATTENTN TO 75 MISSG PERSONS S (AND UNTG). ACRDG TO NEWSNATN PRODUCER PAIGE LOBLL, 20 FAI HAVE RECEIVED SOME TYPE OF CLOSURE. “USUALLY ’S SAD NEWS.” BUT THREE DIFFERENT S HAVE END WH A LOVED ONE FOUND SAFELY.SOMETIM, WHILE VERG UNSOLVED HOMICIS, ENT WOULD PICTURE THE KILLER WATCHG HIM. GETTG ANGRY. WANTG REVENGE. WHAT IF THEY KIDNAPPED HIM?ENT JOURNEYED FOR WORK ALMOST EVERY WEEK AND SPENT 150 DAYS A YEAR MARRTT HOTELS, ACCG ENOUGH POTS FOR A WEEK WH HUNTER AT THE ST. REGIS ASPEN. BUT MUCH LIKE HIS HERO, COOPER—WHO ONCE SAID, “I STILL TO THIS DAY FEEL LIKE IF I TAKE A VATN, SOMEONE SMARTER AND YOUNGER WILL TAKE MY PLACE.… THERE’S NEVER A POT YOUR REER THAT YOU REACH THAT YOU THK, I’M SAFE, I’M HERE”—ENT STGGLED TO RELAX. HE VERED THE SURFSI NDOMIUM LLAPSE FOR WEEKS BEFORE TAKG A BREAK WH HUNTER AND A FEW IENDS TO UNWD FOR THE WEEKEND. “BE A NORMAL HUMAN,” ENT TRIED TO REMD HIMSELF. “CHILL THE FUCK OUT.” BUT WHILE HIS IENDS SAT AROUND A FIRE, DRKG AND HAVG FUN, ENT MATED ON THE BUILDG’S MOLN. THEN, FEELG LIKE A “BUZZKILL,” HE TOOK OUT HIS PHONE TO WATCH HAPPEN. AS CMBLED ON LIVE TELEVISN, ENT’S WALLS ME DOWN TOO; HE STARTED TO CRY—WHICH WAS EMBARRASSG, GIVEN THE FIRE AND THE IENDS AND THE DRKG, BUT THAT’S WHAT ALWAYS HAPPENED; WHENEVER A STORY END ENT FELT THIS “WEIRD RELEASE.”FOR FOUR DAYS, ENT AND I ATE TOGETHER, STOOD THE LD TOGETHER, AND SAT SQUISHED TOGETHER THE DADDY WAGON—AND FOR THAT ENTIRE TIME, HE REMAED GENUELY UPBEAT AND SHOCKGLY LOW-MATENANCE, FDG JOY SIMPLE PLEASUR LIKE EATG A BALL OF MYSTERY MH THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN MASHED POTATO OR SOMETHG ELSE. (“I LOVE ,” HE SAID, STILL NOT KNOWG WHAT WAS. “IT HAS A LTLE SPICE.”) HE NEVER PLAED, NOT EVEN WHEN A WAER SERVED HIM A SALAD TOPPED WH WALNUTS, TO WHICH ENT IS ALLERGIC. (“I’M JT PICKG AROUND THEM.”) WHEN HE SAW THE DARK HALLWAYS AND BUMPY ROCK WALLS MY HOTEL, WHICH REMD ME OF A MEDIEVAL TORTURE MOVIE, HE POTED OUT THE BRIGHT SI: IT LOOKED TORNADO-PROOF.  ONLY ONE THG  SEEMED TO MAKE HIM NERVO: ME. ON OUR FIRST DAY TOGETHER, HE WORRIED THAT I MIGHT BE “DOG, LIKE, A BAD ARTICLE.” HE MET MY GAZE, WANTG TO MAKE SURE. “I N TST YOU, RIGHT?”IN MOSW, ENT SHARED TURF WH JOURNALISTS OM ALL OVER THE WORLD AND TOOK STRI WHEN BIGGER OUTFS BOSSED HIM AROUND. HE ROLLED WH WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER OM FOX NEWS KEPT LLG NEWSNATN’S CREW “THE B-TEAM,” TELLG THEM WHERE TO PARK AND WHERE NOT TO SET UP THEIR STUFF. IN LI OF AN APOLOGY, THE PHOTOGRAPHER WOULD LATER NFS THAT HE WAS STGGLG TO PASS A KIDNEY STONE.BUT ENT'S CREW WAS ED TO BEG TREATED LIKE AMATRS. “EVERYWHERE WE GO WE’RE OUTNUMBERED,” ENT SAID. FOX NEWS, PARTICULAR, SEEMED TO BE EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THEY WERE THE TRE OR DROPPG OUT OF PLAN. THEY WERE GETTG TERVIEWS NOBODY ELSE ULD, EXCLIV WH THE MOSW POLICE DEPARTMENT, FOR WHAT SEEMED TO ME LIKE POLIL REASONS.  AT ONE POT, A FOX NEWS DIGAL REPORTER CREPT UP ON ENT, SAYG, “I KEEP HAVG TO WRE UP YOUR STUFF. I’M ALWAYS AGGREGATG , WHICH SEEMS APPROPRIATE ’E I’M AT FOX. WE’RE DOG A LTLE B TOO MANY STORI, I THK.” LIKE OTHERS OM HER STATN, SHE SEEMED EAGER FOR ENT TO KNOW SHE’D LIVED NEW YORK CY. (ENT NODD POLELY. “OKAY, OL.”) SHE ACKNOWLEDGED HER WORK’S ADVANTAGE OVER ENT’S, SAYG, “THERE’S JT SO MANY OF HERE.” BEFORE LEAVG, SHE GTURED AT THE HOE. “EVERYTHG’S BEEN PICKED DRY.”ON DECEMBER 7, ENT WENT LIVE ON TWTER TO DISCS THE MOSW POLICE DEPARTMENT’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THEY WERE SEARCHG FOR A WHE HYUNDAI ELANTRA. QUTNS OM ENT’S FOLLOWERS PEPPERED THE SCREEN AS THE LIVTREAM POPULATN TICKED OM 2,100 TO 2,200 AND UPWARD. ENT READ SOME OF THE QUERI OUT LOUD: “DO I HAVE TO SLEEP OUT HERE? NO.” HE TRIED TO TAMP DOWN MORS, REMDG HIS FANS THAT THE OWNERS OF THE ELANTRA WERE NOT BEG LLED “SPECTS.” IN RPONSE, PEOPLE MENTED:  OMG I LOVE HOW YOU SAY HYUNDAY [LGHG CRYG FACE]SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE GETTG A LDSOMEONE GET BRIAN HOT PLEASEENT THOUGHT THE ELANTRA UPDATE NSTUTED A PERFECT TASK FOR HUNGRY SLTHS, AN OPPORTUNY TO “REALLY HELP.… NOW THAT THAT R’S BEEN INTIFIED, ’S ALMOST LIKE THEY’VE GOT THEIR MISSN, AND HERE THEY GO.” ENT HOPED THEY’D TAKE OFF NNG AND FD THE R. INSTEAD, THEY REMAED FIXATED ON HIS SNIFFLY NOSE, TRYG TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF WHETHER ENT HAD ALLERGI OR A VIS. “SORRY,” ENT SAID. HE WASN’T WEARG MTENS AND THE LD WAS UNBEARABLE. “MY HAND IS STARTG TO HURT.” HE SIGNED OFF TWTER AND SHOVED HIS HANDS HIS POCKETS. “THEY GET MAD WHEN I LEAVE.” ENT’S GAZE DRIFTED TO THE OVERFLOWG DUMPSTER ACROSS THE STREET. IT WAS THE SORT OF THG HE WOULD HAVE REPORTED ON WHEN HE WAS JT STARTG OUT: CY FAILS TO AL WH OVERFLOWG REFE.WHEN I ASKED HOW HE’D SHOOT , HE CLARIFIED, “IF THERE WASN’T A MURR, YOU MEAN?”“YEAH.”ENT WAVED FOR ME TO FOLLOW HIM OVER TO . HE ANCHORED THE PRETEND LIVE SHOT WH SER ENTHIASM: “THE TRASH IS SO HIGH—LET ME STAND NEXT TO THE TRASH. LET ME SHOW YOU.” HE POSNED HIS BODY NEXT TO THE DUMPSTER FOR SLE. “IF I STAND HERE, ’S LERALLY ABOVE MY HEAD. I’M FIVE FEET EIGHT, AND THE TRASH IS ABOVE MY HEAD.” DRAMATILLY, HE NCLUD, “AND IF WASN’T THIS LD, IMAGE WHAT THIS WOULD SMELL LIKE.” EVEN WHEN THE NEWS IS GARBAGE, ENT IS A STAR.ON DECEMBER 29, A SOURCE ALERTED ENT THAT THE MOSW PD WOULD BE HOLDG AN IMPORTANT PRS NFERENCE THE NEXT DAY. ENT FELT LIKE SOMETHG BIG WAS ABOUT TO “EPT.” THE NEXT MORNG, AT 8:02 A.M., HE RECEIVED A TWTER DM OM SOMEONE PENNSYLVANIA LAW ENFORCEMENT, SAYG THAT A “BRYAN KOHBERGER” WAS CTODY NNECTN WH THE SE. AFTER SOME BACK AND FORTH, ENT WAS ABLE TO NFIRM . AT 8:26 A.M., ENT TWEETED: “AN ARRT HAS BEEN MA THE MOSW, IDAHO QUADPLE HOMICI I HAVE LEARNED.” SIXTEEN MUT LATER: “ARRT HAPPENED EARLY THIS MORNG PENNSYLVANIA.” AT 9:06 A.M.: “ARRT PAPERWORK FILED MONROE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA SHOWS 28 YEAR OLD BRYAN CHRISTOPHER KOHBERGER IS BEG HELD FOR EXTRADN A HOMICI VTIGATN MOSW, IDAHO. ON MY WAY TO PENNSYLVANIA NOW.” AT 9:09 A.M., HE TWEETED KOHBERGER’S MUG SHOT. BY 11 A.M. HE WAS ON A PLANE. WHEN ENT LAND, THE TIP HAD MA NATNAL NEWS.LATER, STATNED OUTSI THE KOHBERGERS’ GATED MUNY, ENT RECEIVED ANOTHER TWTER MSAGE OM A WOMAN CLAIMG TO BE ONE OF THEIR NEIGHBORS. SHE OFFERED TO DRIVE HIM THROUGH THE GAT. THEY MET AT A GAS STATN, WHERE ENT TUCKED ASI HIS FEAR OF BEG KIDNAPPED, BEE SHE SEEMED LIKE A “NICE LADY.” ENT GOT THE R. SHE DROPPED HIM OUTSI THE KOHBERGER HOE, WHICH HAD BEEN RAID LS THAN 24 HOURS BEFORE. ENT WENT LIVE ON TWTER. HE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR, S PANE BTED OUT BY POLICE THE RAID. BEHD ME A MUFFLED VOICE, MANDG TO KNOW WHO ENT WAS. ENT TRODUCED HIMSELF AS A JOURNALIST. THE VOICE TOLD HIM TO GO AWAY. HE DID.OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, ENT BARELY SLEPT, FUELED BY AN ADRENALE SH AS HE CHASED DOWN MORS AND REPORTED ON THE ON THAT WERE TE. LATER HE RECEIVED A TEXT MSAGE OM KAYLEE GONLV’S FAY, THANKG HIM FOR HIS NEWS VERAGE. MAYBE WAS EXHSTN, BUT THE TEXT BROUGHT TEARS TO ENT’S EY. “IT JT FEELS SO GOOD TO KNOW THEY THK I’VE DONE A GOOD JOB AND BEEN RPECTFUL. IT’S TLY SO FUCKG CREDIBLE AND HAS ME FEELG REALLY RAW.”SCE KOHBERGER’S ARRT, SO-LLED “SPECTS,” LIKE JACK SHOWALTER, JACK DUCOR (GONLV’S EX-BOYIEND), AND CHAP’S ATERNY BROTHERS, HAVE BEEN EXONERATED BY REALY—THOUGH WHO KNOWS WHAT KD OF PSYCHOLOGIL OR PROFSNAL TOLL THIS KD OF EXPERIENCE EXACTS. ONE OF THE SURVIVG ROOMMAT, DYLAN MORTENSEN, HOWEVER, NTU TO WHSTAND A HUGE AMOUNT OF ABE. MORTENSEN AND THE OTHER SURVIVG ROOMMATE, BETHANY FUNKE—BOTH NAMED AS VICTIMS PROSECUTORIAL FILGS—WERE PILLORIED ON SOCIAL MEDIA, A IEND OF THEIRS TOLD ME, ALLEGG THAT ONE SELF-APPOTED “TECTIVE” POSTED PICTUR OF MORTENSEN AND FUNKE EVERY DAY, ANALYZG THEIR “EVIL” EXPRSNS AND ACCG THEM OF THE CRIME. NROSCIENTISTS HAVE FOUND THAT WHEN WE TERACT WH SOCIAL MEDIA, ’S THE ANTICIPATN OF ANSWERS, NOT THEIR EXISTENCE, THAT STIRS A NEED TO KEEP CLICKG, SCROLLG, AND POSTG—PERHAPS THAT’S WHY KOHBERGER’S ARRT BRGS LS CLOSURE TO SLTHS THAN ONE MIGHT ANTICIPATE.IN OUR TER-ADDICTED BRAS, SEEMS PRODUCTIVE TO SKIP PAST ENDGS AND REPOST WHATEVER H ALLEGATNS WE’VE JT READ, MISGUID BY THE MYTH THAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL JTICE. IN REALY, STUDI SHOW THAT SCREENS LOWER OUR EMPATHY, CREASG THE TENNCY TOWARD CELTY, WHICH N MOUFLAGE ONLE AS HEROISM.IN JTICE ON DEMAND: TE CRIME THE DIGAL STREAMG ERA, DR. TANYA HORECK WR, “THE NOTN THAT DIENC N PARTICIPATE TE CRIME HAS, OF URSE, ALWAYS BEEN A FEATURE OF THE GENRE” BEE OFFERS A METAPHORIL SEAT THE JURY BOX. WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT TODAY’S TE CRIME DIENCE, HORECK SAYS, IS THEIR EXPECTATN THAT THE GENRE LERALLY BE TERACTIVE—THAT “JTICE” IS SOMETHG THAT N BE ACCSED THROUGH BGE-WATCHG.THERE IS SOMETHG EPLY HUMAN ABOUT FASCATN WH CRIME. THE CENTRAL ENIGMA OF MURR IS ATH, A PAFUL REALY THAT FOR ALL, AND ONE THAT WE STCTIVELY FIGHT THROUGHOUT OUR LIV, DIFFERENTIATG OURSELV OM VICTIMS LIKE MORTENSEN AND HER HOEMAT BY JUDGG THEIR CHOIC AND HUNTG THEIR KILLERS, AS IF THAT PROTECTS OM RANDOM ACTS OF VLENCE.BUT WHATEVER WE MIGHT LEARN AT BRYAN KOHBERGER’S TRIAL, THERE N NEVER BE A TOLERABLE EXPLANATN FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO MADDIE MOGEN, KAYLEE GONLV, XANA KERNODLE, AND ETHAN CHAP. WE WANT TO BELIEVE SOCIAL MEDIA’S IMMENSE POWER TO REVERSE OR AT LEAST RECTIFY JTIC. THE ALTERNATIVE IS THAT WE’VE BOUGHT TO A MASSIVE NSPIRACY, SURFG AND SHAMG AND BUYG, FOOLED BY THE IA THAT OUR ADDICTN TO SCREENS IS PRODUCTIVE, VIRTUO. NEVER MD THE STCTN WE LEAVE OUR WAKE.THE IDAHO MURRS: HOW 4 COLLEGE KIDS LIVED AND LOVEDTHE BTAL MURRS OF FOUR IDAHO LLEGE STUNTS SHOCKED LNS. THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, URT RERDS, AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURC, THOR KATHLEEN HALE FORENSILLY RENSTCTS THEIR LIV BEFORE THE CRIME, AND THE NIGHT THEY WERE KILLED.READ PART ONEMORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR“IT’S RAG TEENS” AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?THE BT TV SHOWS OF 2023, SO FARSEX TOYS, FANCIAL CRIM, AND THE ORIG OF BARBIETHAT SOUND YOU HEAR IS DONALD TMP SCREAMG, CRYG, AND THROWG UP A MAR-A-LAGO BATHROOMIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI THE ACTORS STRIKE PRS APOLYPSE: “THE CELEBRY FACTORY HAS SHUT DOWN”IS ALL THIS AMATR THERAPY-SPEAK JT MAKG US LONELIER?FROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)KATHLEEN HALE

DEEP WATER: WERE 30 UNSOLVED SYDNEY ATHS REALLY GAY HATE CRIM?

Users have lled “the shy man’s beat”, or the “last stop on Sydney’s gay sex tour”. In 2012 the New South Wal puty state roner Carmel Forb overturned the suici fdg but uld not terme how he police have formed Operatn Parrabell, a team of eight tectiv who will apply an FBI measure of hate bias – creria to terme if a crime is motivated by bias agast, for stance, sexual orientatn – to see if as many as 88 Sydney aths datg om the 1970s onward, cludg 30 unsolved s, were gay hate s were marked suici or e unknown, but past police nclns are now beg lled to qutn. A new SBS vtigatn has unvered “ser mistak” were ma the ial vtigatns, cludg the misspellg of one ad man’s Johnson tells Guardian Atralia that applyg the FBI hate bias creria is unlikely to unver gay hate crim bee the strgent checklist requir s to be solved, perpetrators to be intified and their hatred of victims to be proclaimed.

Instead, he says, a better exercise would be to pull every police file on every ath near a gay Sydney meetg place om the 1970s to about 2000 and ask: was this se properly vtigated? The aim is to attract a natnal dience to the story, and to unver more possible gay hate crim and murrs producer, Darren Dale, says he was spired by hearg 2012 about the murr of Ahmed Ghoniem, who was found Sydney apartment wh multiple stab wounds and blunt trma juri. The two attacks were unrelated but Dale, who is gay, uldn’t help but pare the public rponse.

“I live Potts Pot [ Sydney], and I thought, if there is someone attackg and murrg gay men – more gay people livg there than I spect anywhere else Atralia – then how e ’s not any of the papers, ’s not been the news? Shawn Seet, the director of the ld Canberra polil drama The Co, is at the the prent day, fictnal Detective Senr Constable Tori Ltigman, played by Yael Stone of Orange Is the New Black, her own DNA to see if match DNA found on a piece of lead pipg, which she spects may be her gay brother’s. His 1989 drowng had been rerd as a drama’s central ncerns are: Did the fictnal Kyle “Hammers” Hampton (Craig McLachlan) – a one-time member of a gay-bashg gang – play a role the men’s aths?

STT JOHNSON: MAN NFS TO 1988 GAY HATE MURR

Photograph: Sean O'Reilly/SBSThe ‘gay ATM’It was not until 2005, 17 years after Stt Johnson’s ath, that Steve realised his beloved brother might have died vlently: he had been sent a clippg about the vlent aths of three other gay men year the NSW senr puty state roner Jacquele Milledge found that the televisn newsrear Ross Warren, 25, and barman John Rsell, 31, had been murred two separate attacks 1989, most probably thrown off a cliff at Bondi’s Marks Park, which was known as a gay beat. Photograph: Steve JohnsonSteve Johnson believ, along wh many others, that herent bias play a role both the mimal media verage of the stori and the public and police rponse to vlent crim agast gay people. “I’m unsure what role homophobia played the 1980s, ” he says, “but certaly seemed that the police systematilly avoid vtigatg the aths of gay men, or men prumed to be gay.

”In Johnson’s se, police repeatedly nied that North Head was a gay beat.

BONDI RISE MEMORIAL HONOURS VICTIMS OF SYDNEY GAY HATE CRIM DURG 1970S TO 1990S

His brother says this was an implsible ncln: many gay men have told his vtigatn that the area had been a popular beat sce the 1960s but gay men were often too sred to report asslts bee “police treated them like perpetrators, not victims”’s vtigatn also clud terviewg former gay-bashg gang members, who had sentially operated wh impuny bee there was still a “lot of hatred towards gays”, he says. Homosexualy was only crimalised NSW 1984 and the Aids panmic was full flight. Image source, Steve JohnsonImage ptn, Stt me to Atralia 1986 om the USA man has fally nfsed to the murr of Cambridge Universy graduate Stt Johnson after more than 30 27-year-old's naked body was found at the bottom of North Head cliffs, a well known gay cisg ground Sydney, Atralia, back the time, his ath was led as suici - somethg his fay never Whe was arrted and charged 2020, and this week unexpectedly plead guilty at a pre-trial lawyers attempted to have the admissn whdrawn, argug that Whe, 50, was not mentally on Thursday, a Supreme Court judge rejected that motn, wrg the plea was entered " a loud clear voice, and an emphatic and termed manner".

"It was nceivable to me that Stt went somewhere and jumped off a cliff, " his brother Steve told Rad 1 Newsbeat 2018, when he was sperately mpaigng for the tth behd his brother's 2005 Steve says he beme aware of quts to siar aths of gay men at Bondi Beach Sydney - the moment when he says he "woke up" to what might have happened to his younger lol police showed ltle tert re-openg Stt's se, Steve hired an vtigator who unvered urt rerds of gangs who roamed northern beach Sydney at the time mtg asslts agast gay source, Steve JohnsonImage ptn, Steve (left) has spent more than 30 years tryg to fd out the tth about his brother Stt's athAll the years later, Steve told ABC that he was grateful a trial uld be avoid.

BLOODSPORT: THE BONDI GAY MURRS

On both ocsns police found nothg to nvce them Stt hadn't taken his own November 2017 a roner led Stt had been murred by a gay hate gang, which led to a new was timated up to 80 gay men were murred by homophobic gangs and around Sydney the late eighti - wh many phed off third qut created a lot of publicy, wh Atralian police eventually renewg their vtigatn and offerg a $1m reward for rmatn, wh Steve reportedly offerg an addnal $ rerds show "a strike force" was assembled, and followg rmatn received om a member of the public, foc turned to Stt was arrted and charged wh murr on 12 May source, Steve JohnsonImage ptn, Steve says he spent summers wh his brother travellg, readg philosophy and dog maths togetherNew South Wal Police Commissner Mick Fuller prevly said Stt's ath was one of the most challengg s he's ever worked on - mostly bee no-one was willg to talk about his murr.

Stt moved om the US to Atralia 1986 bee, at the time, domtic partnership laws (siar to civil partnership) were some of the most clive the homosexualy had only been crimalised New South Wal 1984 and Steve believ police did not take hate crim serly at the time of his brother's source, Steve JohnsonImage ptn, Stt moved to Atralia 1986 to be wh a man he met at Cambridge Universy"The gay muny were send class cizens. "The gangs would attack the cisg areas bee they knew the police wouldn't e after also knew that the gay muny were aaid of the police, so they wouldn't e and report the crim. He add his brother was a "proud" gay man, as well as his bt to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

BLOODSPORT: THE BONDI GAY MURRS

The unvarnished fact is that late at night, Marks Park, a grassy verge ppg the headland and the ncrete pathway skirtg the cliff face, had been a gay beat – a place where homosexual men would socialise and hook up – sce at least the late 1920s. Gangs like the Bondi Boys (otherwise known by their graffi tag PTK, or People that Kill) would prowl here, rryg out brazen acts of vlence; ’s likely that at least a few were serial offenrs; perpetrators of an anti-gay murr spree that swept across Sydney at the is no simple whodunn; volv a tangled tale of hate crim volvg multiple spects, gangs prisg up to 30 members, some of whom circulated among other gangs across Sydney, posg a dark mosaic of murr. This is a lot more than n be said for the other men killed here, or for that matter, the vast majory of other murrs of gay men blightg Sydney at the a year to the day earlier, on another eezg night July 1989, Ross Warren, a handsome, charismatic weatherman and newsrear om WIN-TV Wollongong, vanished on this headland the early hours of a Saturday morng.

”In what was perhaps another watershed moment this year, a 75-year-old man was arrted for the murr of Raymond Keam, a martial arts expert and father of two who was found beaten to ath January 1987 at Alison Park, Randwick, then a well-known gay beat Sydney’s east. As Sue Thompson, a former state ombudsman’s vtigator who joed the police force 1990 to ordate s liaison wh the gay and lbian muny, tells me the podst: “Cliffs were the easit weapon; you didn’t have to rry anythg wh you.

”“Thgs did not change magilly 1984 [when homosexualy was crimalised NSW]. ”For Thompson, beg a liaison officer was eply personal: one of her close iends, a gay man, had been murred only months before she took the role, and she was ls than imprsed wh the police rponse.

IDAHO MURRS: AS A SMALL TOWN GRAPPL WH SISTER RUMORS, MEDIA’S TE-CRIME OBSSN GROWSWHILE SOCIAL MEDIA PUTS FORTH SPECULATN AND FALSE RMATN, CHANNELS LIKE NEWSNATN ARE MAKG A NAME TE-CRIME VERAGE.BY KATHLEEN HALEMARCH 8, 2023FROM LEFT: NEWSNATN SENR NATNAL RRPONNT BRIAN ENT TAP A SPECIAL REPORT ON THE SE DECEMBER; ALLEGED KILLER BRYAN KOHBERGER; THE CORNER CLUB, A LOL BAR WHERE TWO OF THE VICTIMS SPENT THEIR FAL EVENG.COURTY BRIAN ENT; AP PHOTO/MATT ROURKE, POOL; COURTY MARC TRIVELPIECE/CORNER CLUB.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVECORNER CLUB OWNER MARC TRIVELPIECE WAS STARTG TO HATE REPORTERS. AS A LE, HE NMNS VLENCE—ANYONE WHO THROWS PUNCH THE CORNER CLUB GETS BOOTED—BUT THREE WEEKS TO THE MEDIA STORM SURROUNDG THE MURRS OF FOUR LLEGE KIDS HIS TOWN, TRIVELPIECE WAS BEGNG TO THK THAT PEOPLE DON’T GET PUNCHED THE FACE ENOUGH. READ PART 1 OF THIS STORY ON THE LIV OF THE FOUR MURRED LLEGE STUNTS IDAHO, AND THAT OF THEIR ALLEGED KILLER.ON NOVEMBER 13, ETHAN CHAP, XANA KERNODLE, KAYLEE GONLV, AND MADDIE MOGEN HAD BEEN STABBED TO ATH THE GIRLS’ OFF-MP HOE MOSW, HOME TO THE UNIVERSY OF IDAHO. TRIVELPIECE’S BAR IS WHERE TWO OF THE VICTIMS, GONLV AND MOGEN, SPENT THEIR LAST EVENG ON EARTH. WHEN THE MURRS MA NEWS, THE MEDIA SWARMED, AND TRIVELPIECE’S BS PARTICULAR ME UNR SIEGE. “I WANT THE CORNER CLUB TO BE FAMO,” HE SAID. “BUT NOT FOR THIS.”WHEN REPORTERS BARGED , TALKG ABOUT THE MURRS SUCH A SUAL WAY, TRIVELPIECE WAS LIKE, “WHATEVER YOU GUYS WANT TO TALK ABOUT AT HOME IS FE. BUT THEIR IENDS [THE VICTIMS’] ARE STG RIGHT THERE. SO LET’S NOT DO THIS.” HE TURNED DOWN LOTN FE OM NBC. IGNORED LLS OM TMZ. BANISHED JOURNALISTS OM AS FAR AWAY AS THE LONDON TELEGRAPH. BUT THEY KEPT G. SOMEONE CLAIMG TO BE OM FOX NEWS HAD RECENTLY FOLLOWED A CORNER CLUB EMPLOYEE’S ROOMMATE TO WORK.LIKE OTHER MOSW BS OWNERS, TRIVELPIECE’S WORKFORCE AND CTOMER BASE ARE HEAVILY POSED OF STUNTS, WHO MAKE UP ABOUT HALF THE TOWN’S POPULATN. AFTER THE MURRS, FOX TIMATED THAT 25 TO 40 PERCENT OF THOSE STUNTS FLED HOME. THERE WAS A KILLER ON THE LOOSE. BUT TRIVELPIECE WONRED IF MEDIA HARASSMENT PLAYED A ROLE THE MASS EXOD. “HOW MANY STUNTS AREN’T GOG TO E BACK BEE FOX NEWS IS STG OUT ONT OF THEIR HOE?” TRIVELPIECE KNEW I WAS MEDIA AS SOON AS I WALKED TO HIS BAR. THE TELL WAS NOT JT THAT HE DIDN’T REGNIZE ME—TRIVELPIECE ISN’T GREAT WH NAM, HE SAYS, BUT HE KNOWS MOST PATRONS BY THEIR DRK ORRS (BCH LIGHT PT; WHISKEY AND COKE; KEEPS HIS STRAWS)—BUT MORE SO THAT NEWERS UALLY TAKE A MOMENT TO ADMIRE THE IMPRSIVE LLECTN OF SPORTS MEMORABILIA, WHEREAS MY EY WENT STRAIGHT TO THE SECURY MERAS. BEFORE AGREEG TO SPEAK TO ME, HE ASKED FOR MY DRIVER’S LICENSE AND SET ABOUT MAKG SURE THAT I WAS NOT WH FOX NEWS.“WE’RE MOURNG AND WE’RE A SMALL TOWN—AND WE KNOW WHAT’S GOG TO HAPPEN,” HE SAID TO ME. “YOU GUYS ARE GOG TO GO HOME AND YOU’RE GOG TO WRE YOUR STORY, AND IF YOU WRE SOMETHG THAT MAYBE PUTS A NEGATIVE LIGHT, DON’T MATTER TO YOU. BUT MATTERS TO , AND WE HAVE TO S AROUND AND AL WH THE REPERCSNS OF THAT AND EXPLA TO THE RT OF THE MUNY, ‘I WAS MISQUOTED’ OR, YOU KNOW, ‘THEY DIDN’T UNRSTAND WHAT I WAS SAYG.’ AND WE DON’T WANT TO DO THAT. WE JT WANT TO BE THERE FOR EACH OTHER RIGHT NOW.” THE BAR’S ONLY LE WAS “DON’T BE AN ASSHOLE.” IN A SGLE DAY, TRIVELPIECE HAD THROWN OUT 11 REPORTERS. THE PROBLEM WAS, HE ULD NOT THROW OUT THE VISIBLE ARMY OF TER TROLLS WHO FOLLOWED THOSE REPORTERS—AND EXPONENTIALLY MORE OF THEM FLOCKED TO HIS SOCIAL MEDIA PAG, AND THE PAG OF HIS EMPLOYE, EVERY TIME “CORNER CLUB” WAS MENTNED THE NEWS. HE’D READ REDD THREADS THAT PATED MOSW AS A DARK, PRSG TOWN BEE THE SUN SET AT 4:30 P.M. “WELL, WE DIDN’T FUCKG CHOOSE WHEN OR WHERE OUR TIME ZONE BORRS ARE,” TRIVELPIECE SAID. SOMEONE (“MIKE GUMBALLI”) HAD LEFT A GOOGLE REVIEW OF THE BAR, SAYG, “THE GIRLS KAYLEE AND MADDIE TOLD ME THE FOOD IS TO DIE FOR!” TRIVELPIECE’S STAFF MEMBER, ADAM, WAS DOXED AND HARASSED AFTER NEWS WORKS AIRED SECURY MERA FOOTAGE OF GONLV AND MOGEN WALKG AROUND DOWNTOWN MOSW, TALKG ABOUT SOMEONE NAMED ADAM. “THEY WANT A CLICK ON THEIR TIKTOK OR THEIR YOUTUBE OR WHATEVER,” SAID TRIVELPIECE, REFERRG TO REPORTERS AND TER TROLLS THAT FOLLOW THEIR WAKE. “ALL SOCIAL MEDIA’S DONE IS MAKE IDTS REALIZE THEY’RE NOT ALONE.” MURR VTIGATNS HAPPEN ON A MICROSPIC LEVEL. TO NIGRATE THE PROCS MAY PARTLY REFLECT A GROWG DISFORT WH LAW ENFORCEMENT, BUT NSIRG ONELF MORE PABLE SPEAKS TO A LARGER LN THAT ONLE WE N DO ANYTHG.OTHER LOL BS FACED SIAR SCTY. “MY SH IS BAD RIGHT NOW WH THE ASSHOL,” TEXTED TRIVELPIECE’S BUDDY JEFF “SMTY” SMH, WHO OWNS MOSW BAGEL & DELI DOWN THE ROAD.AT THE TIME, SMH WAS PAYG TWICE THE PRICE FOR 20 PERCENT LS PROF AT NIGHT. HE’D CID TO KEEP HIS STORE DOUBLE-STAFFED AFTER DARK, HOPG TO MAKE HIS YOUNG EMPLOYE FEEL SAFER AND SULATE THEM OM THE ONGOG MEDIA HARASSMENT. INSTEAD, THE STORE WAS GETTG “BOMBARD AND BORRLE TERRORIZED,” SMH’S WORDS, BY ALYT OF YOUTUBE PSYCHIC REVEREND DONNA SERAPHA, WHO’D TOLD HER THEN 46,400 SUBSCRIBERS THAT THE MOSW MURRER (WHOEVER THAT WAS; AT THE TIME, THERE WERE NO SPECTS OR ARRTS) BAKED HIS OWN BREAD AT A “BREAD PLACE,” POSSIBLY OWNED BY SAID MURRER’S PARENTS. SCE POSTG THE VIO, SERAPHA HAS GAED MORE THAN 10,000 SUBSCRIBERS. “I DON’T MAKE MY OWN BREAD,” SMH RRECTED THEM. “I DON’T HAVE A SON. I’VE NEVER MARRIED. NEVER HAD A CHILD.” BUT WAS NO E. THE MSAG AND MENTS AND POSTS PROLIFERATED. VISS TO THE PANY FACEBOOK PAGE SOARED OM 243 TO 231,038. FOR FAILG TO TURN HIS NONEXISTENT SON, SMH RECEIVED A SPIC TERG ORR OM “DOUCHEY COWARD INC.” TRIVELPIECE, A UNIVERSY OF IDAHO ALUM, WAS HANGG OUT WH HIS BULLDOGS, MATILDA AND SARGE, WHEN ONE OF HIS BUDDI REACHED OUT TO SAY THE CORNER CLUB WAS ON TV AGA—THIS TIME ON NEWSNATN’S BANFIELD, HOSTED BY ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, WHOM REARS MIGHT REMEMBER OM HER MSNBC VERAGE OF THE 9/11 ATTACKS, AND WHO IS NOW A MORE SOTTO VOCE NANCY GRACE. IT WAS DECEMBER 12. A NEWS BANNER READ: “DAY 29 KILLER IS STILL ON THE LOOSE.” THE IDAHO MURRS: HOW 4 COLLEGE KIDS LIVED AND LOVEDARROWBANFIELD’S SOMBER FACE WAS LEFT A TRIPTYCH OF LIVE SHOTS, OPPOSE A SLISHOW OF THE CORNER CLUB (THIS SI OF THE BUILDG, THAT SI OF THE BUILDG, THE NEON BS SIGN). STAGE CENTER? THIRTY-​SEVEN-​YEAR-OLD NEWSNATN REPORTER BRIAN ENT, A TAN, ATTRACTIVE MAN WH THICK GRAY HAIR. “THE CORNER CLUB,” BANFIELD TONED. “THAT’S WHERE KAYLEE AND MADDIE WERE.”“YEAH.” ENT LOOKED SOMBER. “I’VE BEEN THERE. THERE ARE A LOT OF MERAS THERE. THERE WERE MERAS ON THE OUTSI, AND MERAS ON THE SI, AS FAR AS I N TELL—I WENT SI. THE BARTENR WOULDN’T TALK—BUT I SAW THE MERAS WH MY OWN EY.”IDT, TRIVELPIECE THOUGHT.WHEN ENT SCENDS ON A TOWN, HE BRGS WH HIM MORE THAN 444,200 TWTER FOLLOWERS (AND UNTG)—NEARLY EIGHT TIM THE SIZE OF SERAPHA’S FAN BASE. MANY OF THEM STARTED FOLLOWG ENT OVER THE URSE OF HIS 2021 REPORTG ON GABBY PETO; PRR TO THAT, ENT HAD ABOUT 20,000 FOLLOWERS. ENT’S REPORTG ON PETO ALSO EARNED HIM THE NICKNAME “NEWS DADDY.” IN A REDD SUB VOTED TO HIM, ENT’S FANS RAVE: “NEWS DADDY IS THE ONLY DADDY YOU NEED” AND “DU GRDS FOR SURE.” ON NOVEMBER 28, 15 DAYS AFTER THE MURRS, ENT ARRIVED MOSW AND DROVE STRAIGHT TO THE CRIME SCENE A HUGE BLACK RENTED SUV HE LLED “THE BIG PREMIUM DADDY.” IN WEEKS PRR, HE’D BEEN “CHASG NDIDAT AND STUFF,” LIKE HERSCHEL WALKER AND RAPHAEL WARNOCK. ENT DIDN’T MD VERG POLICS BUT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY WERE “NOT…MY PASSN.” PART OF WHAT HE LIK ABOUT “THE CRIME STUFF,” ENT TOLD ME, IS THAT TENDS TO BE APOLIL, PECIALLY WHEN THE CRIME IS UNSOLVED.“THIS,” HE SAID, REFERENCG THE MURRS, IS “A LTLE B OF A BREAK OM THAT.”AT 12:24 A.M., ENT OPENED TWTER LIVE. MULTILORED HEARTS EXPLOD OM THE LOWER RIGHT RNER OF THE SCREEN. COMMENTS UNFURLED:HI OM MARYLANDYOU ARE THE BT REPORTER EVERATRALIA“HEY EVERYBODY,” ENT SAID. HE KEPT HIS IPHONE MERA ANGLED AT THE CRIME SCENE. POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS TAPE WRAPPED AROUND THE PROPERTY, DRAPED ACROSS STON AND POL AND TRE AND GARBAGE NS, OVER FE BOX AND DOORJAMBS. “I JT WANTED TO GET ON HERE REAL QUICK, JT LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT WE MA TO MOSW,” HE TOLD HIS FOLLOWERS. “THIS IS THE HOE WHERE THE MURRS HAPPENED.” HAD TO BE AN SI JOBPLEASE FD OUT WHERE JACK S LIV AND LET’S GIVE A VISENT’S FOLLOWERS MEANT JACK SHOWALTER, A UNIVERSY OF IDAHO STUNT, WHO’D WALKED MOGEN AND GONLV OM THE CORNER CLUB TO A FOOD TCK HOURS BEFORE THEIR ATHS. NOW WEB SLTHS WERE NVCED THAT SHOWALTER WAS THE KILLER. MOSW POLICE HAD NOT DIGNIFIED THE NSPIRACY BY NAMG SHOWALTER, REFERENCG HIM ON THE KG ROAD HOMICI UPDAT PAGE AS “MALE GB TCK SURVEILLANCE VIO,” UNR THE HEADG: “AT THIS TIME THE VTIGATN, TECTIV DO NOT BELIEVE THE FOLLOWG ARE VOLVED THIS CRIME.” IN JT A FEW DAYS, NEWSNATN WOULD SEND A PRODUCER TO SHOWALTER’S HOE, WHERE A NEIGHBOR ALLEGEDLY TERCEPTED THAT PRODUCER AND SENT HIM AWAY. SO EXTREME WAS THE HARASSMENT, BOTH ON AND OFFLE, THAT THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD SEEMED TO BE RALLYG AROUND THE FAY. BEFORE SIGNG OFF, ENT REMD HIS FOLLOWERS, “THERE’S A MURRER ON THE LOOSE.” OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, ENT MATAED A SOLEMN TONE, STARG AT THE MERA WHILE SNOW ACCUMULATED ON HIS SHOULRS, AND FORCED HIMSELF TO LOOK FORTABLE EVEN THOUGH, JT LIKE DURG HIS HURRINE AND TROPIL STORM VERAGE—HE’D REPORTED ON IAN, SALLY, MICHAEL, IRMA, MATTHEW, HERME, DORIAN, ETA, LRA, IDA, AND ERIKA—HE ALMOST FELT LIKE HE WAS GOG TO DIE. “HALF OF IS JT, LIKE, STAMA,” ENT SAID. “IT’S NOT ABOUT BEG SMART.” DPE HIS LONG JOHNS—WHICH ENT WAS STILL GETTG ED TO (“IT’S JT SUCH A WEIRD THG,” HE SAID, SHUFFLG HIS FEET, “LIKE MY LEGS ARE SO ZY AND I FEEL LIKE A PENGU”)—HE WAS EEZG. SO WAS HIS MERAMAN, MO MORAN. THEIR PRODUCER, LREN POWELL, SUCKED ON A FIREBALL TO STAY WARM. BETWEEN SEGMENTS ON BANFIELD, THEY RETREATED FOR WARMTH TO THE DADDY WAGON, WHERE THEY LISTENED TO THEIR TEAM ANTHEM, “KISS FROM A ROSE.” THE SUV WAS A TANGLE OF PAPER TOWELS, HAND WARMERS, LIQUID ROBS, AND POWELL’S BAGS OF HARD NDY. ENT REFED HER OFFER OF A LOLLIPOP, REMEMBERG THE TIME HE’D REPORTED LIVE OUTSI MAR-A-LAGO WH A GREEN TONGUE.ON DECEMBER 4, I FLEW TO MOSW TO WATCH ENT’S FIRST-EVER SPECIAL.“I’M GONNA BE MUCH BETTER TO TALK TO AFTER TODAY,” HE PROMISED ME. “I’M KD OF CRAZY RIGHT NOW. LIKE, I’M NERVO.” WHEN I ASKED IF HE UALLY FEELS NERVO BEFORE LIVE SHOWS, HE SHOOK HIS HEAD. “NORMALLY, I DO FEEL NORMAL.”IN HIS HOTEL ROOM, ENT PREPARED FOR THE SPECIAL WHILE FOX NEWS PLAYED ON TV. HE ALWAYS KEPT SOMETHG ON, TOGGLG BETWEEN STATNS TO MAKE SURE NOBODY ELSE WAS GETTG THE SOP. FOR NOW, ENT WAS SAFE; THE FOX PUNDS WERE SHOUTG ABOUT HOW REPARATNS FOR SLAVERY ARE RACIST.“THIS IS WHEN I’M ABOUT TO START GETTG CRAZY SO DON’T JUDGE ME FOR, LIKE, THE NEXT FOUR HOURS,” ENT REMD ME. HE PROCEED TO REHEARSE HIS L, CYCLG THROUGH SALT-AND-VEGAR CHIPS WHILE TYPG AND MUTTERG “SH” OR “FUCK.” “LIVE MOSW. MOSW. MOSW,” ENT DRILLED. “MOSW.” OUTSIRS PRONOUNCED “MOSS-W” BUT LOLS SAID “MOSS-E”—“I’VE LEARNED THAT THE HARD WAY,” ENT SAID. I ASKED WHAT WOULD TAKE FOR HIM TO LEAVE MOSW AND GO SOMEPLACE ELSE. ENT THOUGHT ABOUT . “I MEAN, I HATE TO SAY : A REALLY BAD SCHOOL SHOOTG OR PLANE CRASH. LIKE SOMETHG…”“CATASTROPHIC,” MORAN OFFERED. “YEAH,” POWELL SAID.“CATASTROPHIC,” ENT AGREED.LATER, OUTSI THE CRIME SCENE, ENT SWIPED FOUNDATN UNR HIS EY LIKE WAR PAT AND BRACED HIMSELF FOR THE SHOW TO START. “DO MY HOOD LOOK RIGHT?” HE ASKED. “SOMETIM I THK LOOKS WEIRD.” AFTER SOME NSIRATN, HE CID AGAST WEARG EARMUFFS. “ALRIGHT GUYS,” ENT SAID. “LET’S DO THIS, ’S GONNA BE GOOD.”A VIEW OF THE MOSW, IDAHO, HOE WHERE ETHAN CHAP, XANA KERNODLE, KAYLEE GONLV, AND MADDIE MOGEN WERE MURRED.DAVID RYR/GETTY IMAG.MOMENTS LATER HE WAS ON THE AIR, REPPG THE CRIME FOR ANYONE JT TUNG : “A NIGHTMARE FOR THIS TOWN—A NIGHTMARE THEY JT NNOT WAKE UP OM.”ENT’S IDAHO MURR MYSTERY SPECIAL REPORT NTAED EXCLIVE TERVIEWS AND ONE SHOCKG TAIL: GONLV’S JURI WERE “SIGNIFINTLY MORE BTAL” THAN MOGEN’S. IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY NEW UPDAT OM POLICE, SLTHS TOOK OFF NNG WH WHAT ENT HAD TO OFFER.  “INTER SLTHS ARE ON THE SE,” ENT SAID HIS SPECIAL. “WE ARE TALKG ABOUT THE ARMCHAIR TECTIV, PEOPLE WHO SIFT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ANY POSSIBLE CLUE—AND THE VACUUM OF RMATN OM MOSW POLICE, THEIR VOIC ARE LOUR THAN EVER.”WEB SLTHS EARNED THEIR MONIKER 1999 ON A SE BY THE SAME NAME, BUT THEIR MOVEMENT ARGUABLY REACHED A PNACLE DURG THE 2010–2012 CRIME AT THE CENTER OF DON’T F**K WH CATS, A DOCERI ABOUT THE ONLE MANHUNT FOR LA MAGNOTTA, WHO POSTED VIOS OF HIMSELF KILLG TS BEFORE GRADUATG TO HOMICI. IN THAT SE, SLTHS SUCCEED WHERE POLICE HAD FAILED, BOLSTERG THEIR REPUTATN AS PABLE TECTIV. ACRDG TO MEDIA SCHOLARS, “HISTORIL EXAMPL,” SUCH AS MAGNOTTA, “HELP TO FUEL A FANTASY...FURTHER ENERGIZED BY THE RISE OF PARTICIPATORY MEDIA CULTURE,” THAT DIENCE MEMBERS ARE “VIEWERS WH A JOB TO DO.” SCE THEN, CRIME REPORTERS HAVE BEEN PETN WH A NEW BREED OF PAPARAZZO. WHILE REPORTG ON PETO OM HER KILLER’S LAWN, ENT FOUND HIMSELF SHOULR TO SHOULR WH VIGILANTE CIVILIANS AND SOCIAL MEDIA FLUENCERS LIKE “BULLHORN BETTY,” WHO WOULD LATER UPLOAD THREE VIOS ABOUT ONE OF THE MOSW VICTIMS’ SURVIVG ROOMMAT, FEATURG A THUMBNAIL IMAGE OF XANA KERNODLE’S FACE WH THE WORDS, “WHY DIDN’T YOU SAVE ME?” LIKE MANY SLTHS, BETTY’S METHODS SEEM UNSCPULO. SHE “REPORTS” MORS AND PERPETUAT HARASSMENT OF NOCENT PEOPLE. BUT FOR PRACTIL REASONS, ENT HAS NEED TO FD A WAY TO EXIST WH PEOPLE LIKE HER. “I JT WANT TO GET MY JOB DONE EVERY DAY,” HE TOLD ME, REFG TO SPEAK ILL OF BETTY, PART, HE JOK, “BEE I DON’T WANT HER SHOWG UP TO MY HOE WH A BULLHORN.” MORE SERLY, ENT SAID THAT ’S NOT UP TO HIM WHETHER SLTHS HAVE EARNED THEIR PLACE AMONG TRAED REPORTERS; THE REALY IS THAT OUR DIGAL ESYSTEM ELEVAT THE VOIC OF SPECIALISTS AND ENTHIASTS ALIKE. AT THE END OF THE DAY, “THEY’RE STILL GONNA BE HERE,” HE SAID. “I’M STILL GONNA BE HERE.”SOMETHG ELSE BEGAN TO HAPPEN DURG THE PETO SE TOO: “I JT STARTED TO HEAR, LIKE, CHA-CHG, CHA-CHG.” STRANGERS WERE SENDG ENT RANDOM AMOUNTS OF MONEY ON VENMO, A STANDARD SOURCE OF E FOR SLTHS LIKE BULLHORN BETTY, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN FE IF ENT WERE SELF-EMPLOYED, BUT HE HAD A SALARIED JOB AT NEWSNATN. TWENTY DOLLARS ROLLED BEFORE HE ULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO SET HIS VENMO TO PRIVATE.DPE HIS PROFSNAL E OF TWTER, ENT IS THE FIRST TO ADM HE’S NOT EXACTLY TER SAVVY. HE DON’T HAVE A TIKTOK ACUNT AND SEEMED SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT THERE ARE TIKTOKS ABOUT HIM. HE HAD NEVER VISED REDD. (“HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON REDD? IT’S LIKE, REALLY POPULAR, RIGHT?” ANOTHER TIME HE MENTED TO ME, “NEXTDOOR, HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THAT APP?”) ONCE HE REFERENCED WEB SLTHS AS “THE TER PEOPLE.” WHEN ASKED WHETHER HE THOUGHT SLTHS MIGHT BE G MORE HARM THAN GOOD, ENT ANSWERED, “I REALLY THK THAT 99—” HE UGHT HIMSELF. “WELL, MAYBE NOT 99, BUT LIKE, 90 PERCENT OF THE WEB SLTHS HAVE GOOD TENTNS.” IT’S A MON MISNCEPTN THAT SLTHS “SOLVED” PETO’S MURR. IN REALY, SLTHG HELPED POLICE FOC THE SEARCH FOR PETO’S BODY, BUT ’S A STRETCH TO SAY AMATR SLTHS FOUND HER. AS ISAAC WT, AN ASSOCIATE PROFSOR AT VANRBILT UNIVERSY AND THOR OF THE SERIAL EFFECT: TE CRIME AND CONTEMPORARY AMERIN CULTURE, SAYS, “PEOPLE ARE PARTICIPATG A SOCIAL DRAMA, BUT THEIR PARTICIPATN AND ACHIEVG JTICE ARE DISNNECTED. ONE IS NOT G THE OTHER.” YET SLTHS PERSIST THE BELIEF THAT THEY ARE HERO. AS @LACEYJMEEKS (FOLLOWER UNT: 1,273) TWEETED DURG THE MOSW MURRS VTIGATNS: “FOR ?? THE ?? LOVE ?? OF ?? GOD ?? … ? ? I WISH @MOSWPDP WOULD PROVI US, THE FINDERS OF GABBY P, W/.”MURR VTIGATNS HAPPEN ON A MICROSPIC LEVEL. AFTER GRADUATG OM THE POLICE AMY, A GELG PROCS THAT VOLV PHYSILLY MANDG DRILLS AND LERAL OBSTACLE URS, AN ASPIRG HOMICI TECTIVE UNRGO YEARS OF TRAG. TO NIGRATE THIS PROCS MAY PARTLY REFLECT SOCIETY’S GROWG DISFORT WH LAW ENFORCEMENT; THERE HAVE BEEN MANY STANC OF POLICE MURRG CIVILIANS. FEARG THEM MAK SENSE, BUT NSIRG ONELF MORE PABLE OF SOLVG A QUADPLE HOMICI—OM AFAR, G ONLY A PUTER—SPEAKS TO A LARGER LN THAT ONLE WE N DO ANYTHG: GET RICH, BEE FAMO, LEAD REVOLUTNS, DIAGNOSE OURSELV WH RARE DISEAS, AND SOLVE MYSTERI. ONLY A WEEK AFTER THE MURRS, SO MANY DAMAGG MORS SWIRLED ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT MOSW POLICE ISSUED AN UPDATE SAYG, “WE URGE RELIANCE ON OFFICIAL CHANNELS FOR ACCURATE RMATN.” INSTEAD, “TROLLS AND SOCIAL MEDIA STALKERS” HARASSED YOUNG REPORTERS AT THE ARGONT, U OF I’S STUNT NEWSPAPER, THE IDAHO CAPOL SUN REPORTED. AS ENT MA HIS WAY THROUGH MOSW, SLTHS SPREAD UNTE MORS THAT MOGEN HAD BULLIED HER HMAN ROOMMATE TO SUICI AND THE STABBGS WERE AN ACT OF REVENGE, RRIED OUT TWO DAYS BEFORE WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE AD GIRL’S BIRTHDAY. OTHERS CLAIMED ONE OF THE GIRLS’ NEIGHBORS, JEREMY, WAS THE CULPR—WHY ELSE WOULD HE GIVE TERVIEWS TO THE REPORTERS MPED OUTSI? HOPG TO SET THE RERD STRAIGHT, JEREMY DID MORE TERVIEWS AND VOLUNTARILY PROVID HIS DNA TO POLICE. YET THE SO-LLED SLTHG TENSIFIED TO A POT WHERE HE FELT NECSARY TO RRY A PISTOL FOR PROTECTN. TIKTOKER ASHLEY GUILLARD, A.K.A. “ASHLEY SOLV MYSTERI”—WHO CLAIMS TO CRACK CRIM G TAROT RDS—UPLOAD SIX TIKTOK VIOS ACCG U OF I PROFSOR REBEC SFIELD (WHO WAS OREGON WHEN THE MURRS OCCURRED) OF NOT ONLY HAVG A SEXUAL RELATNSHIP WH ONE OF THE VICTIMS BUT OF ORRG A H MAN TO RRY OUT THE STABBGS. AS A RULT, GUILLARD’S FOLLOWERS UNLEASHED ON SFIELD WH SUCH TENSY THAT SHE GREW NCERNED FOR HER CHILDREN’S SAFETY. EVENTUALLY, SFIELD FILED A LAWSU, WHICH IS STILL UNFOLDG, BUT GUILLARD HAS REFED TO BACK DOWN, SAYG, “I AM NOT STOPPG.”ENT HAD MIXED FEELGS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA. ON ONE HAND, HE RELIED ON HIS FOLLOWERS FOR TIPS THAT BROKE NEWS. HE ED TWTER TO BROADST UPDAT, WHICH HE REFERRED TO AS “NUGGETS.” AT THE SAME TIME, HE FEARED GETTG NCELED, BOTH FIGURATIVELY (“LIKE, ALL TAK IS ONE MISTAKE…EVERYBODY ULD TURN ON ME”) AND EXISTENTIALLY (AS STRAIGHT-UP DISAPPEARED, LIKE THE CRIME STORI HE VERED). SOMETIM, WHILE VERG UNSOLVED HOMICIS LIKE THE MOSW MURRS, ENT PICTURED THE KILLER WATCHG HIM. GETTG ANGRY. WANTG REVENGE. WHAT IF THEY KIDNAPPED HIM? IT SOOTHED HIM TO KNOW THAT, IF HE DID GO MISSG, “I WOULD HAVE A REALLY GOOD ARMY OF PEOPLE TRYG TO FD ME.” AFTER THE SPECIAL, ENT’S FANS FIXATED ON HIS STUFFED-UP VOICE, MSAGG TO ASK WHETHER HE WAS SICK OR IF WAS MERELY ALLERGI. A PRIVATE VTIGATOR TEXTED TO SAY THAT ENT’S EY LOOKED LIKE “SLS,” AND HE SHOULD TRY ROBS. SLTHS POSTED SCREENSHOTS OF THE SEGMENT, CLAIMG ENT WASN’T REALLY MOSW AT ALL—THAT THE SNOW WAS FAKE AND HE HAD BEEN STANDG ONT OF A GREEN SCREEN. ON REDD, PEOPLE BATED WHETHER NEWS DADDY WAS A REAL JOURNALIST OR JT ANOTHER FLUENCER. UNR ENT’S TWEET ABOUT THE SPECIAL, SOMEONE WHED:TOTAL WASTE OF 42 MUT.DAYS EARLIER, ENT HAD WNSED A VIRAL SRE THE MAKG. AT THE TIME, NEWS WAS SAGGG, AND WORKS CLAMORED TO KEEP THE STORY ALIVE BY ROPG MENTARY OM FORMER FBI AGENTS AND WHAT INSI EDN REFERRED TO AS THE “BT KNOWN LAWYERS AND TECTIV.” ENT AND HIS TEAM WERE STATNED ON KG ROAD WHEN THEY HEARD LOUD MIC—SO LOUD, ENT SAID, “YOU ULD HEAR BIG TIME OM THE MURR HOE.” KERNODLE, GONLV, AND MOGEN’S HOME WAS A FIVE-MUTE WALK OM ETHAN CHAP’S ATERNY—STANDG AT THE END OF THE GIRLS’ DRIVEWAY, YOU ULD SEE SIGMA CHI THE DISTANCE. NOW, BRASH VOIC ECHOED ACROSS THE FIELD. THE ATERNY VIBRATED WH NOISE. SONGS PLAYED. PEOPLE SHOUTED. BROTHERS GATHERED ON THE CK. THAT’S TERTG, THEY’RE KD OF PARTYG, ENT THOUGHT. THAT WOULD BE SOMETHG THAT ULD GET A LOT OF ATTENTN.ON THE NIGHT OF THEIR MURRS, ETHAN AND XANA ATTEND A PARTY AT THE SIGMA CHI ATERNY (THE ROOMMAT’ HOE IS SEEN THE DISTANCE), WHILE KAYLEE AND MADISON VISED THE CORNER CLUB BAR AND THEN GOT FOOD AT THE NEARBY GB TCK.JAMES KEIVOM. KEVIN FIXLER/IDAHO STATESMAN/GETTY. COURTESY MARC TRIVELPIECE /CORNER CLUB.IT WAS AN UNRSTATEMENT. RUMORS, WHICH WOULD LATER TURN OUT TO BE FALSE, WERE EMERGG THAT SOME OF CHAP’S ATERNY BROTHERS HAD MTED THE MURRS, MOTIVATED BY AN ONGOG FD WH KERNODLE AND CHAP THAT HAD REIGNED EARLIER THAT SAME EVENG AT THE SIGMA CHI HOE. PEOPLE WERE SAYG THAT KERNODLE HAD SEXUALLY REJECTED THE BOYS QUTN, WHILE CHAP HAD ALLEGEDLY LLED THEM ON THEIR STEROID E AND BEME ENRAGED WHEN THEY ULD NOT SUCCSFULLY TUTOR HIM. THIS DUB THEORY GAED TRACTN ON 4CHAN, AN UNMORATED SE WHERE ERS RELISH MISOGYNY (“I’D LIKE TO STAB HER WH MY DICK,” SOMEONE POSTED REFERENCE TO THE MOSW MURRS) AND RACISM ( THAT SAME THREAD, THE N-WORD APPEARS 23 TIM).ENT THOUGHT BACK TO HIS OWN LLEGE YEARS. HE WAS GOOFY. HE DRANK. FOOTAGE OF THE SIGMA CHI PARTY WOULD SPOTLIGHT HIS REPORTG, IF ONLY FOR A DAY, AND GA HIM EVEN MORE FOLLOWERS, BUT WOULD ALSO CHANGE A BUNCH OF LLEGE KIDS’ FUTUR. SLTHS ULD EASILY TRACK DOWN THE PHOTOS, NAM, OR ADDRS FOR EVERYONE THE ATERNY, NCELG MORE KIDS ON THE CP OF PROFSNAL LIFE. ENT FELT SORRY FOR THEM. IN THE END, HE CID NOT TO TAKE THE SHOT. WHO KNEW WHY THEY WERE PARTYG? IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN FOR CHAP. EVERYONE GRIEV DIFFERENTLY. COLLEGE STUNTS PARTICULAR HAVE THEIR OWN WAY OF PG. TWO WEEKS AFTER THE STABBG, ONE OF GONLV’S GOOD IENDS WOULD POST PICTUR OF HERSELF AND A BUNCH OF OTHER GIRLS SG, SHOWG OFF THEIR NEW KAYLEE-SPIRED TATTOOS.“WE’RE NOT TER SLTHS. WE’RE NOT WORKG FOR TWTER,” ENT REMD HIS TEAM. “WE HAVE TO REMEMBER WHAT SETS APART OM THE YOUTUBERS, OM THE TWTER.” GROWG UP FORT LRDALE, ENT LOVED AMERI’S MOST WANTED, A SHOW THAT VED VIEWERS TO LL A TIP LE AND PARTICIPATE THE CRIME-SOLVG PROCS. THE PROGRAM HAS CREDED SELF WH HELPG TO TCH 1,186 FUGIV S 23 YEARS ON AIR, PLATFORMG WHAT MEDIA SCHOLARS SCRIBE AS OUR SOCIETY’S “CREASGLY POPULARIZED AND REJUVENATED EXPECTATN THAT ‘ENTERTAMENT CHANG THGS.’ ”WHEN ENT WASN’T WATCHG CRIME SHOWS, HE SPENT HIS EVENGS GLUED TO LOL NEWS. IF HE REGNIZED THE SURROUNDGS OF THE 5 P.M. SEGMENT, HE’D BEG HIS MOM TO DRIVE HIM TO THE LOTN SO HE ULD WATCH THE 6 P.M. SHOT PERSON. “THEY WERE LIKE REAL CELEBRI TO ME, THE LOL REPORTERS.” HE PECIALLY IDOLIZED CARMEL CAFIERO OF WSVN MIAMI, “A LEGEND” WHOSE FACTUAL YET DRAMATIC REPORTG SPIRED HIS OWN NEWS MANTRA: “MAKE NOT BORG.” OTHER BOYS PICKED ON HIM FOR NOT WATCHG SPORTS, QUIZZG HIM ON LAST NIGHT’S GAME ONT OF EVERYONE. “I DON’T EVEN THK I KNEW I WAS GAY. BUT SOMEHOW THEY MT HAVE PICKED UP ON .” IN FOURTH OR FIFTH GRA, HE ENROLLED A NEW SCHOOL WHERE THE STUNTS PUT ON A TV PROGRAM EACH MORNG. WHEN ENT’S TURN ME, HE VED HIS MOM AND DAD TO WATCH. HE TOLD THEM HE’D MA A LOT OF IENDS. BUT WHEN HE AND HIS PARENTS EXED THE SCHOOL’S MEDIA CENTER AFTER HE FISHED THE ANNOUNCEMENTS, EVERYBODY BOOED. IT WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT THE ADMISTRATN MA THE KIDS WRE APOLOGY LETTERS TO ENT’S MOM. SHE KEPT THEM ALL.YEARS LATER, ENT WENT TO THE UNIVERSY OF MISSOURI, WHICH HAS ONE OF THE BT JOURNALISM SCHOOLS THE UNTRY. AS JUNR YEAR APPROACHED, ENT’S GPA WASN’T HIGH ENOUGH TO QUALIFY FOR THE PROGRAM, SO HE SETTLED ON ENGLISH AND WORKED AS A LOL NEWS TCK DRIVER, MAKG $5.15 AN HOUR. HE SECURED HIS FIRST ANCHORG JOB WHILE STILL LLEGE. HAVG STUDIED LOL NEWS HIS ENTIRE LIFE, ENT SLIPPED SEAMLSLY TO THE WORK OF MAKG HIMSELF—THOUGH IALLY HE STGGLED TO BE HIMSELF, TRYG STEAD TO IMATE PETER JENNGS. “OLD-SCHOOL JOURNALISM: EMOTNLS,” HE PUT TO ME. “LIKE, OH MY GOD, I’M GONNA SOUND SO PROFSNAL. YOU KNOW?” THAT CHANGED AFTER ANRSON COOPER’S 2005 VERAGE OF HURRINE KATRA. “THERE WAS THIS TIME WHERE HE WOULD JT GO OM DISASTER TO DISASTER,” ENT RELLED. “I JT REMEMBER BEG REALLY IMPRSED AND, LIKE, WANTG TO BE HIM, BASILLY. HE WAS SHOWG WHAT WAS GOG ON AND GETTG REALLY UPSET ABOUT .”KNOWN FOR TAKG RISKY ASSIGNMENTS THAT SEEMED AT ODDS WH HIS PRIVILEGED UPBRGG, COOPER HAD NEVER VERED A HURRINE. BUT BATON ROUGE, HE SLID A NDOM OVER HIS MICROPHONE AND DOVE RIGHT , BEG FAMO FOR SAYG THGS LIKE, “EXCE ME, SENATOR, I’M SORRY FOR TERPTG—FOR THE LAST FOUR DAYS I’VE BEEN SEEG AD BODI THE STREETS—TO HEAR POLICIANS THANKG EACH OTHER AND PLIMENTG EACH OTHER… LERALLY, THERE WAS A BODY ON THE STREETS OF THIS TOWN YTERDAY BEG EATEN BY RATS.”  COOPER HELPED POPULARIZE A REPORTG PERSONA THAT’S BEE STANDARD: THE EMOTIVE MAN. THE NEW YORK OBSERVER LLED HIM THE “EMO-ANCHOR.” UNLIKE HIS PRECSORS, TELEPROMPTED VOIC OF GOD, COOPER STUTTERED, RAMBLED, EVEN WEPT. A 2005 NEW YORK PROFILE SCRIBED HIS STYLE AS “BEFUDDLED…SPOOKED…RAMBLG…UNHGED” AND “FLIPPED OUT”—ATTRIBUT THAT HAVE E TO FE THE 24-HOUR NEWS CYCLE. WHEN COOPER WAS RISG TO FAME, THERE WERE SO FEW OPENLY GAY ANCHORS ENT ULD LOOK UP TO, CLUDG COOPER, WHO DIDN’T E OUT UNTIL 2012. BUT THE MEANTIME HE GAVE MALE REPORTERS LIKE ENT PERMISSN TO BE THEMSELV, TO E SIMPLE LANGUAGE AND FILL THE SPACE BETWEEN SOUND B WH OTHER STATEMENTS OF FACT LIKE, “IT’S HEARTBREAKG.”FROM MISSOURI, ENT TOOK A JOB AS A LOL ANCHOR SAVANNAH, GEIA, WHERE HE MET HIS BOYIEND OF 10 YEARS, HUNTER. THERE, ENT WAS A ONE-MAN BAND, DRIVG HIMSELF TO CRIME SCEN, SETTG UP SHOTS, AND ANCHORG THEM HIMSELF, LIKE THE ANCHORMAN VERSN OF DICK VAN DYKE  MARY POPPS.A FEW YEARS LATER ME ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF ENT’S REER: CARMEL CAFIERO WAS RETIRG, AND WSVN MIAMI WANTED ENT TO REPLACE HER.IN MIAMI, HE VERED A LTLE B OF EVERYTHG: HURRIN, R CHAS, ALLIGATORS.WHEN I ASKED WHAT KDS OF THGS ULD ONLY HAPPEN FLORIDA, ENT ANSWERED WHOUT HATN, “THE GUY WHO ATE THE FACE OFF.”IF YOU’VE HEARD THE STORY, YOU LIKELY REMEMBER : HIGH ON BATH SALTS, ONE MAN ATTACKED ANOTHER AND ATE HIS FACE. I ULDN’T REMEMBER WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THE VICTIM. “DID THAT GUY DIE?”“I JT REMEMBER WAS UNR A BRIDGE.”“ISN’T FLORIDA ALSO WHERE THE LADY’S PET CHIMPANZEE…?”ENT NODD. “ATE HER FACE OFF.”IN 2020, ENT, WHO IS MIAMI-BASED, WENT NATNAL, JOG FAIAR WORK-NEWS NAM LIKE CHRIS CUOMO, DAN ABRAMS, AND BANFIELD AT NEWSNATN, A START-UP CHANNEL. LIKE ENT AND HIS HERO, CAFIERO, THE WORK HAS A FLARE FOR THE DRAMATIC; STARTED AS AN ENTERTAMENT STATN, PLAYG RENS OF BLUE BLOODS AND IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT. ITS PARENT PANY, NEXSTAR, OWNS 75 PERCENT OF THE CW. IN THE FALL OF 2021, NEWSNATN LNCHED A MORNG SHOW, FOLLOWED SIX MONTHS LATER BY A PRIME-TIME BLOCK. THE GOAL IS A 24-HOUR WORK, LIKE CNN OR FOX NEWS, FOR THOSE WHO N NO LONGER STAND CNN OR FOX NEWS. “I’VE BEEN A VOTEE OF CNN FOREVER; ’S JT SOOO ONE-SID, JT NONSTOP ‘TMP, TMP, TMP, TMP, TMP.’ YOU JT GET TIRED OF , ’S JT EXHSTG,” SAID ONE NEWSNATN VIEWER, LLG TO ABRAMS’S SHOW. “I GOT TO WATCH CNN, AND MY REPUBLIN HBAND GOT TO WATCH FOX. WE NEVER WOULD SHARE. WE N BOTH WATCH NEWSNATN.”THE GAMB SEEMS TO BE WORKG. A REPRENTATIVE OM NEWSNATN SAYS THEY’LL ACHIEVE THE ROUND-THE-CLOCK GOAL BY LATE SPRG OR EARLY SUMMER. IN JANUARY, NEWSNATN’S RATGS AVERAGED 113,000 TOTAL VIEWERS, S STRONGT MONTH EVER, UP 217 PERCENT OM THE PREV YEAR, RANKG NUMBER ONE GROWTH AND 63RD AMONG AD-SUPPORTED BLE WORKS. FOR ONE OF HIS FIRST NEWSNATN STORI, ENT VERED A MAJOR CYBERATTACK ON A LOL SCHOOL DISTRICT. HE TEETERED ON A STOOL THE MIDDLE OF A EWAY SO THAT HIS CREW ULD PTURE A GENERIC MIAMI SKYLE THE BACKGROUND. SCE THEN, ENT HAS VERED A RANGE OF GRISLY STORI. MISSG CHILDREN. MURRED CHILDREN. NATNAL DISASTERS. DURG HURRINE IAN, AFTER HE AND POWELL RCUED A DOG OM A SAILBOAT, A NEIGHBOR SAID, “OH, THAT’S LIKE THE MEANT DOG EVER; TRIED TO KILL MY DOG,” BUT ENT CRADLED HIS ARMS ANYWAY. WHILE REPORTG ON PETO, HE HELPED LNCH MISSG AMERI, A PROGRAM THAT HAS DRAWN ATTENTN TO 75 MISSG PERSONS S (AND UNTG). ACRDG TO NEWSNATN PRODUCER PAIGE LOBLL, 20 FAI HAVE RECEIVED SOME TYPE OF CLOSURE. “USUALLY ’S SAD NEWS.” BUT THREE DIFFERENT S HAVE END WH A LOVED ONE FOUND SAFELY.SOMETIM, WHILE VERG UNSOLVED HOMICIS, ENT WOULD PICTURE THE KILLER WATCHG HIM. GETTG ANGRY. WANTG REVENGE. WHAT IF THEY KIDNAPPED HIM?ENT JOURNEYED FOR WORK ALMOST EVERY WEEK AND SPENT 150 DAYS A YEAR MARRTT HOTELS, ACCG ENOUGH POTS FOR A WEEK WH HUNTER AT THE ST. REGIS ASPEN. BUT MUCH LIKE HIS HERO, COOPER—WHO ONCE SAID, “I STILL TO THIS DAY FEEL LIKE IF I TAKE A VATN, SOMEONE SMARTER AND YOUNGER WILL TAKE MY PLACE.… THERE’S NEVER A POT YOUR REER THAT YOU REACH THAT YOU THK, I’M SAFE, I’M HERE”—ENT STGGLED TO RELAX. HE VERED THE SURFSI NDOMIUM LLAPSE FOR WEEKS BEFORE TAKG A BREAK WH HUNTER AND A FEW IENDS TO UNWD FOR THE WEEKEND. “BE A NORMAL HUMAN,” ENT TRIED TO REMD HIMSELF. “CHILL THE FUCK OUT.” BUT WHILE HIS IENDS SAT AROUND A FIRE, DRKG AND HAVG FUN, ENT MATED ON THE BUILDG’S MOLN. THEN, FEELG LIKE A “BUZZKILL,” HE TOOK OUT HIS PHONE TO WATCH HAPPEN. AS CMBLED ON LIVE TELEVISN, ENT’S WALLS ME DOWN TOO; HE STARTED TO CRY—WHICH WAS EMBARRASSG, GIVEN THE FIRE AND THE IENDS AND THE DRKG, BUT THAT’S WHAT ALWAYS HAPPENED; WHENEVER A STORY END ENT FELT THIS “WEIRD RELEASE.”FOR FOUR DAYS, ENT AND I ATE TOGETHER, STOOD THE LD TOGETHER, AND SAT SQUISHED TOGETHER THE DADDY WAGON—AND FOR THAT ENTIRE TIME, HE REMAED GENUELY UPBEAT AND SHOCKGLY LOW-MATENANCE, FDG JOY SIMPLE PLEASUR LIKE EATG A BALL OF MYSTERY MH THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN MASHED POTATO OR SOMETHG ELSE. (“I LOVE ,” HE SAID, STILL NOT KNOWG WHAT WAS. “IT HAS A LTLE SPICE.”) HE NEVER PLAED, NOT EVEN WHEN A WAER SERVED HIM A SALAD TOPPED WH WALNUTS, TO WHICH ENT IS ALLERGIC. (“I’M JT PICKG AROUND THEM.”) WHEN HE SAW THE DARK HALLWAYS AND BUMPY ROCK WALLS MY HOTEL, WHICH REMD ME OF A MEDIEVAL TORTURE MOVIE, HE POTED OUT THE BRIGHT SI: IT LOOKED TORNADO-PROOF.  ONLY ONE THG  SEEMED TO MAKE HIM NERVO: ME. ON OUR FIRST DAY TOGETHER, HE WORRIED THAT I MIGHT BE “DOG, LIKE, A BAD ARTICLE.” HE MET MY GAZE, WANTG TO MAKE SURE. “I N TST YOU, RIGHT?”IN MOSW, ENT SHARED TURF WH JOURNALISTS OM ALL OVER THE WORLD AND TOOK STRI WHEN BIGGER OUTFS BOSSED HIM AROUND. HE ROLLED WH WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER OM FOX NEWS KEPT LLG NEWSNATN’S CREW “THE B-TEAM,” TELLG THEM WHERE TO PARK AND WHERE NOT TO SET UP THEIR STUFF. IN LI OF AN APOLOGY, THE PHOTOGRAPHER WOULD LATER NFS THAT HE WAS STGGLG TO PASS A KIDNEY STONE.BUT ENT'S CREW WAS ED TO BEG TREATED LIKE AMATRS. “EVERYWHERE WE GO WE’RE OUTNUMBERED,” ENT SAID. FOX NEWS, PARTICULAR, SEEMED TO BE EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THEY WERE THE TRE OR DROPPG OUT OF PLAN. THEY WERE GETTG TERVIEWS NOBODY ELSE ULD, EXCLIV WH THE MOSW POLICE DEPARTMENT, FOR WHAT SEEMED TO ME LIKE POLIL REASONS.  AT ONE POT, A FOX NEWS DIGAL REPORTER CREPT UP ON ENT, SAYG, “I KEEP HAVG TO WRE UP YOUR STUFF. I’M ALWAYS AGGREGATG , WHICH SEEMS APPROPRIATE ’E I’M AT FOX. WE’RE DOG A LTLE B TOO MANY STORI, I THK.” LIKE OTHERS OM HER STATN, SHE SEEMED EAGER FOR ENT TO KNOW SHE’D LIVED NEW YORK CY. (ENT NODD POLELY. “OKAY, OL.”) SHE ACKNOWLEDGED HER WORK’S ADVANTAGE OVER ENT’S, SAYG, “THERE’S JT SO MANY OF HERE.” BEFORE LEAVG, SHE GTURED AT THE HOE. “EVERYTHG’S BEEN PICKED DRY.”ON DECEMBER 7, ENT WENT LIVE ON TWTER TO DISCS THE MOSW POLICE DEPARTMENT’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THEY WERE SEARCHG FOR A WHE HYUNDAI ELANTRA. QUTNS OM ENT’S FOLLOWERS PEPPERED THE SCREEN AS THE LIVTREAM POPULATN TICKED OM 2,100 TO 2,200 AND UPWARD. ENT READ SOME OF THE QUERI OUT LOUD: “DO I HAVE TO SLEEP OUT HERE? NO.” HE TRIED TO TAMP DOWN MORS, REMDG HIS FANS THAT THE OWNERS OF THE ELANTRA WERE NOT BEG LLED “SPECTS.” IN RPONSE, PEOPLE MENTED:  OMG I LOVE HOW YOU SAY HYUNDAY [LGHG CRYG FACE]SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE GETTG A LDSOMEONE GET BRIAN HOT PLEASEENT THOUGHT THE ELANTRA UPDATE NSTUTED A PERFECT TASK FOR HUNGRY SLTHS, AN OPPORTUNY TO “REALLY HELP.… NOW THAT THAT R’S BEEN INTIFIED, ’S ALMOST LIKE THEY’VE GOT THEIR MISSN, AND HERE THEY GO.” ENT HOPED THEY’D TAKE OFF NNG AND FD THE R. INSTEAD, THEY REMAED FIXATED ON HIS SNIFFLY NOSE, TRYG TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF WHETHER ENT HAD ALLERGI OR A VIS. “SORRY,” ENT SAID. HE WASN’T WEARG MTENS AND THE LD WAS UNBEARABLE. “MY HAND IS STARTG TO HURT.” HE SIGNED OFF TWTER AND SHOVED HIS HANDS HIS POCKETS. “THEY GET MAD WHEN I LEAVE.” ENT’S GAZE DRIFTED TO THE OVERFLOWG DUMPSTER ACROSS THE STREET. IT WAS THE SORT OF THG HE WOULD HAVE REPORTED ON WHEN HE WAS JT STARTG OUT: CY FAILS TO AL WH OVERFLOWG REFE.WHEN I ASKED HOW HE’D SHOOT , HE CLARIFIED, “IF THERE WASN’T A MURR, YOU MEAN?”“YEAH.”ENT WAVED FOR ME TO FOLLOW HIM OVER TO . HE ANCHORED THE PRETEND LIVE SHOT WH SER ENTHIASM: “THE TRASH IS SO HIGH—LET ME STAND NEXT TO THE TRASH. LET ME SHOW YOU.” HE POSNED HIS BODY NEXT TO THE DUMPSTER FOR SLE. “IF I STAND HERE, ’S LERALLY ABOVE MY HEAD. I’M FIVE FEET EIGHT, AND THE TRASH IS ABOVE MY HEAD.” DRAMATILLY, HE NCLUD, “AND IF WASN’T THIS LD, IMAGE WHAT THIS WOULD SMELL LIKE.” EVEN WHEN THE NEWS IS GARBAGE, ENT IS A STAR.ON DECEMBER 29, A SOURCE ALERTED ENT THAT THE MOSW PD WOULD BE HOLDG AN IMPORTANT PRS NFERENCE THE NEXT DAY. ENT FELT LIKE SOMETHG BIG WAS ABOUT TO “EPT.” THE NEXT MORNG, AT 8:02 A.M., HE RECEIVED A TWTER DM OM SOMEONE PENNSYLVANIA LAW ENFORCEMENT, SAYG THAT A “BRYAN KOHBERGER” WAS CTODY NNECTN WH THE SE. AFTER SOME BACK AND FORTH, ENT WAS ABLE TO NFIRM . AT 8:26 A.M., ENT TWEETED: “AN ARRT HAS BEEN MA THE MOSW, IDAHO QUADPLE HOMICI I HAVE LEARNED.” SIXTEEN MUT LATER: “ARRT HAPPENED EARLY THIS MORNG PENNSYLVANIA.” AT 9:06 A.M.: “ARRT PAPERWORK FILED MONROE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA SHOWS 28 YEAR OLD BRYAN CHRISTOPHER KOHBERGER IS BEG HELD FOR EXTRADN A HOMICI VTIGATN MOSW, IDAHO. ON MY WAY TO PENNSYLVANIA NOW.” AT 9:09 A.M., HE TWEETED KOHBERGER’S MUG SHOT. BY 11 A.M. HE WAS ON A PLANE. WHEN ENT LAND, THE TIP HAD MA NATNAL NEWS.LATER, STATNED OUTSI THE KOHBERGERS’ GATED MUNY, ENT RECEIVED ANOTHER TWTER MSAGE OM A WOMAN CLAIMG TO BE ONE OF THEIR NEIGHBORS. SHE OFFERED TO DRIVE HIM THROUGH THE GAT. THEY MET AT A GAS STATN, WHERE ENT TUCKED ASI HIS FEAR OF BEG KIDNAPPED, BEE SHE SEEMED LIKE A “NICE LADY.” ENT GOT THE R. SHE DROPPED HIM OUTSI THE KOHBERGER HOE, WHICH HAD BEEN RAID LS THAN 24 HOURS BEFORE. ENT WENT LIVE ON TWTER. HE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR, S PANE BTED OUT BY POLICE THE RAID. BEHD ME A MUFFLED VOICE, MANDG TO KNOW WHO ENT WAS. ENT TRODUCED HIMSELF AS A JOURNALIST. THE VOICE TOLD HIM TO GO AWAY. HE DID.OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, ENT BARELY SLEPT, FUELED BY AN ADRENALE SH AS HE CHASED DOWN MORS AND REPORTED ON THE ON THAT WERE TE. LATER HE RECEIVED A TEXT MSAGE OM KAYLEE GONLV’S FAY, THANKG HIM FOR HIS NEWS VERAGE. MAYBE WAS EXHSTN, BUT THE TEXT BROUGHT TEARS TO ENT’S EY. “IT JT FEELS SO GOOD TO KNOW THEY THK I’VE DONE A GOOD JOB AND BEEN RPECTFUL. IT’S TLY SO FUCKG CREDIBLE AND HAS ME FEELG REALLY RAW.”SCE KOHBERGER’S ARRT, SO-LLED “SPECTS,” LIKE JACK SHOWALTER, JACK DUCOR (GONLV’S EX-BOYIEND), AND CHAP’S ATERNY BROTHERS, HAVE BEEN EXONERATED BY REALY—THOUGH WHO KNOWS WHAT KD OF PSYCHOLOGIL OR PROFSNAL TOLL THIS KD OF EXPERIENCE EXACTS. ONE OF THE SURVIVG ROOMMAT, DYLAN MORTENSEN, HOWEVER, NTU TO WHSTAND A HUGE AMOUNT OF ABE. MORTENSEN AND THE OTHER SURVIVG ROOMMATE, BETHANY FUNKE—BOTH NAMED AS VICTIMS PROSECUTORIAL FILGS—WERE PILLORIED ON SOCIAL MEDIA, A IEND OF THEIRS TOLD ME, ALLEGG THAT ONE SELF-APPOTED “TECTIVE” POSTED PICTUR OF MORTENSEN AND FUNKE EVERY DAY, ANALYZG THEIR “EVIL” EXPRSNS AND ACCG THEM OF THE CRIME. NROSCIENTISTS HAVE FOUND THAT WHEN WE TERACT WH SOCIAL MEDIA, ’S THE ANTICIPATN OF ANSWERS, NOT THEIR EXISTENCE, THAT STIRS A NEED TO KEEP CLICKG, SCROLLG, AND POSTG—PERHAPS THAT’S WHY KOHBERGER’S ARRT BRGS LS CLOSURE TO SLTHS THAN ONE MIGHT ANTICIPATE.IN OUR TER-ADDICTED BRAS, SEEMS PRODUCTIVE TO SKIP PAST ENDGS AND REPOST WHATEVER H ALLEGATNS WE’VE JT READ, MISGUID BY THE MYTH THAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL JTICE. IN REALY, STUDI SHOW THAT SCREENS LOWER OUR EMPATHY, CREASG THE TENNCY TOWARD CELTY, WHICH N MOUFLAGE ONLE AS HEROISM.IN JTICE ON DEMAND: TE CRIME THE DIGAL STREAMG ERA, DR. TANYA HORECK WR, “THE NOTN THAT DIENC N PARTICIPATE TE CRIME HAS, OF URSE, ALWAYS BEEN A FEATURE OF THE GENRE” BEE OFFERS A METAPHORIL SEAT THE JURY BOX. WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT TODAY’S TE CRIME DIENCE, HORECK SAYS, IS THEIR EXPECTATN THAT THE GENRE LERALLY BE TERACTIVE—THAT “JTICE” IS SOMETHG THAT N BE ACCSED THROUGH BGE-WATCHG.THERE IS SOMETHG EPLY HUMAN ABOUT FASCATN WH CRIME. THE CENTRAL ENIGMA OF MURR IS ATH, A PAFUL REALY THAT FOR ALL, AND ONE THAT WE STCTIVELY FIGHT THROUGHOUT OUR LIV, DIFFERENTIATG OURSELV OM VICTIMS LIKE MORTENSEN AND HER HOEMAT BY JUDGG THEIR CHOIC AND HUNTG THEIR KILLERS, AS IF THAT PROTECTS OM RANDOM ACTS OF VLENCE.BUT WHATEVER WE MIGHT LEARN AT BRYAN KOHBERGER’S TRIAL, THERE N NEVER BE A TOLERABLE EXPLANATN FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO MADDIE MOGEN, KAYLEE GONLV, XANA KERNODLE, AND ETHAN CHAP. WE WANT TO BELIEVE SOCIAL MEDIA’S IMMENSE POWER TO REVERSE OR AT LEAST RECTIFY JTIC. THE ALTERNATIVE IS THAT WE’VE BOUGHT TO A MASSIVE NSPIRACY, SURFG AND SHAMG AND BUYG, FOOLED BY THE IA THAT OUR ADDICTN TO SCREENS IS PRODUCTIVE, VIRTUO. NEVER MD THE STCTN WE LEAVE OUR WAKE.THE IDAHO MURRS: HOW 4 COLLEGE KIDS LIVED AND LOVEDTHE BTAL MURRS OF FOUR IDAHO LLEGE STUNTS SHOCKED LNS. THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, URT RERDS, AND OTHER PRIMARY SOURC, THOR KATHLEEN HALE FORENSILLY RENSTCTS THEIR LIV BEFORE THE CRIME, AND THE NIGHT THEY WERE KILLED.READ PART ONEMORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR“IT’S RAG TEENS” AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?THE BT TV SHOWS OF 2023, SO FARSEX TOYS, FANCIAL CRIM, AND THE ORIG OF BARBIETHAT SOUND YOU HEAR IS DONALD TMP SCREAMG, CRYG, AND THROWG UP A MAR-A-LAGO BATHROOMIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI THE ACTORS STRIKE PRS APOLYPSE: “THE CELEBRY FACTORY HAS SHUT DOWN”IS ALL THIS AMATR THERAPY-SPEAK JT MAKG US LONELIER?FROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)KATHLEEN HALE

The gay muny’s mistst of police at the time wasn’t helpg to quell the vlence. “Thgs did not change magilly 1984 [when homosexualy was crimalised NSW], ” Thompson outled one of her reports.