Marissa Alexander said sh fired a warning shot to stop an abusive husband. No one was physically injured, yet Florida’s mandatory-minimum law produced a twenty-year sentence. Her case reveals how self-defense, race, plea pressure, and the “perfect victim” standard can turn survival into criminalization.
In August 2021, Moab police separated Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie after a reported assault and identified Gabby as the aggressor. An independent review later found she was likely a long-term victim. Part four of Behind Closed Doors examines what one incident can and cannot reveal.
Jessica Lenahan had a protection order and repeatedly asked police to enforce it when her three daughters disappeared in June 1999. After Rebecca, Katheryn, and Leslie were found dead, her fight for accountability reached the U.S. Supreme Court and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Their contrasting decisions exposed the gap between legal protection on…
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Crime is never just a story — it’s someone’s lived experience.
Crime Central was created by Mikaylin, a researcher, writer, and victim advocate who believes understanding crime requires more than surface-level storytelling. With academic training and professional experience supporting survivors of domestic violence, she approaches every case with both analytical depth and empathy.
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