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    How the Rich Kill
    How the Rich Kill
    How the Rich Kill
    Ebook193 pages2 hours

    How the Rich Kill

    By Gini Graham Scott

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    About this ebook

    When the rich kill, they really do it different from those who aren't wealthy.  HOW THE RICH KILL features some of the ways, reflected in the cases of wealthy killers who were charged with a crime and sometimes convicted.  Among other things:

                - It is rarer for them to kill

                - When someone wealthy gets arrested and convicted for murder, they get a lot of media attention.

                - They are better able to delay an investigation.

                - They are more likely to get away with murder because of their money.

                - They kill for many of the same basic reasons as other killers -- jealousy, revenge, power, and money, though much more money is involved.

                The book begins with a discussion about the differences between rich and poor killers and a historical overview of murder by the wealthy.  Then, the book features a series of cases illustrating the different ways the rich kill, including chapters on the already famous and rich kids who kill their parents.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChangemakers Publishing
    Release dateJul 16, 2018
    ISBN9781386704775
    How the Rich Kill
    Author

    Gini Graham Scott

    Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D., CEO of Changemakers Publishing and Writing, is an internationally known writer, speaker, and workshop leader. She has published over 50 books with major publishers on various topics and has written over 3 dozen children's books. Her published children's books include Katy's Bow, Scratches, The Crazy Critters First Visit, and Where's the Avocado? published by Black Rose Writing. She has published 8 children's books through her company Changemakers Kids and is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She does workshops on self-publishing and creativity. She also helps clients write books as a ghostwriter and self-publish or find publishers and agents. Her websites are www.changemakerspublishgandwriting.com and www.ginigrahamscott.com.

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      Book preview

      How the Rich Kill - Gini Graham Scott

      INTRODUCTION

      ––––––––

      In 2005, I wrote about how the rich kill differently from others in Homicide by the Rich and Famous: A Century of Prominent Killers, which illustrated this with nearly 20 cases. Not all of these killers were tried and convicted, since the rich, then as now, often can avoid a trial or guilty verdict, despite evidence that they almost certainly committed the crime, because they have the money to quickly hire high power lawyers to get them out of the mess. Aside from buying off witnesses – or even having them killed – their lawyer can craftily find ways to get them off by planting the seed of reasonable doubt. So they can often evade justice, though sometimes the victim’s family can prevail in a civil court based on a preponderance of the evidence standard, though the rich can often get out of paying anything by evading a court judgment. Yet, even if they escape justice, the public may popularly consider them killers, much like the popular sentiment is that O.J. killed his estranged wife Nicole and Ron Goldman, who happened by that night in June 1994, and that Lizzie Borden, acquitted in the 1890s, really did kill her father and step-mother.

      Now, over 10 years later, I have revisited this subject in When the Rich Kill with 10 cases from the last few years, which show that the characteristics of these killers and their reasons and methods of killing are still true today. Even though they kill for many of the same basic reasons – jealousy, revenge, power, and for money, some notable differences exist, most notably in the way they kill and can delay or get away with justice because of their money. Also, their motive to kill involves a lot more money than motivates a killing by individuals with lower incomes, and usually the person seeking money wants much more than they feel is appropriate, such as when a wife seeking a divorce wants a very large amount of money. This book explores these differences in a fascinating series of cases that sometimes read like a suspenseful mystery murder or legal battle after a suspicious death.

      I began this project in a graduate seminar in Communications, as part of getting an additional M.A. After the professor invited us to look critically at any topic, I chose homicide by the rich – and usually famous, since these cases have been regularly explored in the news, and I noticed certain patterns in the way they kill and their reasons, which differ from other killers. For example, they are able to use sophisticated strategies to plan and cover up the crime, and they are more resourceful in the way they can later elude justice with the help long-term friends, business associates, or others they hire.  I found plenty of information on these cases, since the media seems to find these cases fascinating, whether as news stories or special features.  Some recent stories have been about the affluenza teen Ethan Couch, who killed four people in a reckless driving case; Robert Durst, who confessed to killing people while his mike was still on after a TV interview; and John DuPont, who killed one of his protégés after he set up a wrestling training program on his vast estate, as featured in the popular film Foxfire. Other recent projects on rich criminals include a Netflix series called The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, and a TV series on American Crime Story revisiting the O.J. case.

      Given this continuing interest, I thought it would be timely to write another book. Some observations about the differences of the very rich and the rest of us in this book, which are illustrated in the featured cases, are these:

      - These murders are much rarer than homicides by members of other social classes, so they get more coverage and attention because the news emphasizes what’s new and different – and because people are fascinated by the doings of the rich. In other words, killings by the rich are especially newsworthy, because they are unique and different or simply committed by the very rich.

      - The homicides by the rich draw attention because they are more complex and become like intriguing mystery stories, in part because the rich often use more complicated, hard-to-detect methods, or they have other people commit the crime or provide alibis or protection for them.

      - The rich are better able to hire investigators and lawyers who can help to deflect attention to other suspects, obscure the evidence against them, or make it more difficult to obtain much evidence; and their trial often becomes a source of high drama.

      - The murders the rich commit are often more difficult to investigate and solve, because the increased public attention can interfere with the crime scene and usual police procedures.

      - The rich are more likely to lawyer up, so they protect themselves from being more carefully investigated and charged; and if the case comes to trial, they are better able to delay the case, get out on bail, and continue to appeal the case if they are convicted, sometimes resulting in their release or a new trial.

      - Given their better ability to defend themselves, often because of their more powerful lawyers, rich suspects are more likely to be acquitted or serve less time.

      - Often rich killers have evaded discovery for many years – or they are better able to disappear or flee to another country and avoid or delay extradition, because they have the money to do so.

      - The rich are less likely to be serial killers, who generally kill for the thrill of killing or evading capture, or mass murders, who generally kill because they feel mistreated or exploited. The rich already have many other ways to experience thrills, from extreme sex to extreme sports, and they already feel powerful, so they don’t need to kill to show this.

      - Most commonly, killings by the wealthy tend to arise out of the classic personal motives – for money, jealousy, failed relationships, and feelings of being trapped in a loveless marriage, with no way out; and usually when it’s a matter of money, much more money is involved to trigger a decision to kill.

      - Even if a rich killer serves less time or is acquitted, notoriety and a popular belief of guilt commonly follow the rich killer and can shapes his or her life.

      I have additionally explored other themes and patterns I discovered in the cases I  selected to profile. I have chosen them, since they have gotten extensive media coverage over the last five years. As in my previous book, I have included cases where the killer has become rich through various means, whether born into wealth, earning the money, or marrying into it. I have selected cases where the individual has been charged and prosecuted for at least one murder, whether convicted or not, as long as that person appears to be guilty based on popular opinion, because as noted, the rich often get off due to good lawyering and problems with the investigation or crime scene.

      After a general introduction, the book features two or three cases per chapter illustrating the different ways these homicides by the rich differ from homicides by those who aren’t rich. Some of these key patterns which will be turned into chapters are these:

      - personal motives; typically drive the rich to murder, including acting out of jealousy, power, success, money, prestige, and not losing one’s fortune or status;

      - the method often involves preplanning and working out the details to avoid being caught, such as waiting for the right moment, creating an organized crime scene, and using unusual methods, such as special poisons, to conceal the crime;

      - finding hired help, such as employing or persuading others to do the actual killing;

      - creating better cover ups, which can be more effective or elaborate, because the wealthy have a greater ability to do this; for instance, they are being better able to dispose of the body, come up with an alibi of being away when someone else commits the crime, or stage a crime scene to appear like a suicide, robbery, burglary, or accident, and not a murder;

      - getting the backing of family and friends in high places, which can help them successfully fight the charges;

      - obtaining special consideration from the police or others in power, which can lead to manipulating the investigation;

      - increased media attention, which can contribute to the police compromising the crime scene and influencing the selection of the jury and their attitudes;

      - a fall from wealth and power, which can led some rich to become killers when they fall downward and lose what they have known, such as due to problems with alcohol, drugs, mental illness, and gambling, as their life spins out of control.

      The book begins with a discussion of the motives for killing and a historical overview of how the rich have killed through the centuries. Then, it features some cases which illustrate these patterns, focusing on rich killers who are also famous celebrities and those who kill their parents. A future book will feature cases with other types of rich killers, including those who are mentally ill, those who kill spouses and partners out of revenge or to get them out of the way, and those who hire others to kill for them.

      Today, this book should have more appeal than ever, because of the popularization of crime, especially murder, featured in a very popular genre of murder mystery books, films, and TV series dealing with solving murders and tracking down killers. In fact, there are so many cases featured in the popular media, it’s hard to keep up. For example, recent TV and web series include Criminal Minds, Person of Interest, White Collar, Making a Murderer, American Crime, Bloodline, Happy Valley, Broadchurch, and more.

      The cases featured in this book are ALL TRUE, based on cases ripped from the headlines. Now you can discover for yourself what happened in these cases – from the motive for murder, to how the killer or killers did it and eventually got caught.

      CHAPTER 1: A LOOK BACK AT THE RESEARCH ON HOMICIDE AND SOCIAL CLASS

      ––––––––

      Virtually no serious research has been done on the subject of homicide by the rich and famous. A search of the literature actually brings up my own book Homicide by the Rich and Famous: A Century of Prominent Killers¸ published originally in 2005, as the one book to focus on this topic.

      Also, little research has looked at the relationship between the perpetrators of homicide and economic or social status generally, although some researchers have looked at income and victimization, the characteristics of mass murderers and serial killers, the kinds of crimes the rich commit, and the profiles of homicidal offenders. A key reason for this limited research on rich killers is that the wealthy are less likely to be killers, so it is rarer when they kill, though when they are a suspect, the murder gets more media attention, because their crimes are more unusual.

      To provide a context for my research on wealthy killers – or at least those suspected and charged, since the rich often can get the charges dropped or be found not guilty – I will highlight the major types of research conducted on the perpetrators of homicides and the relationship between homicide and income or social class.

      One way to think about homicide is to consider the different types of homicides, which can be characterized in various ways, such as by method, type of victim, type of offender, and the categories used by law enforcement. One early classification was by Marvin Wolfgang, who was one of my professors when I attended the University of Pennsylvania in 1965 and got my M.A. in sociology. Wolfgang came up with the term: victim-precipitated homicide, after studying 588 homicide victims and 621 homicide offenders in Philadelphia between 1948 and 1952. He discovered that most of the offenders were acquaintances or close relatives of the victims, which is usually the case for rich killers. Then, building on Wolfgang’s work, Roberts, Zgoba, and Shahadullah found there were four main types of homicide offenders, after they studied 336 homicide offenders who were released between 1990 and 2000 by the New Jersey Department of Corrections. These four types of offenders are those who: 1) committed a homicide triggered by a dispute or argument; 2) committed a homicide while committing a felony, such as a robbery; 3) committed a domestic violence-related homicide; or 4) were charged with a homicide after an accident. While Roberts, Zgoba, and Shahadullah were looking a recidivism rates for different types of homicides, and found that no one committed another murder, their classifications are useful for thinking about relationship between these different types of homicide and income status. For instance, the rich are more likely to be involved in interpersonal homicides involving disputes and arguments and domestic violence, or homicide after an accident, resulting from reckless behavior, whereas a felony-related homicide is unlikely, since the rich are generally not involved in the most common felonies that may lead to homicide, such as a robbery or burglary gone bad.

      Differences Between Rich and Poor Killers

      One of the few articles to highlight the differences between rich and poor killers – Who Are the Biggest Killers in America? by Zaid Jilani defines the crimes by the rich more broadly than the usual criminal categories, and thus defined, the rich do kill more. As Jilani describes, the richest Americans not only steal more wealth through white-collar crime, but their crimes also lead to the deaths of more people. Citing the work of Jeffrey Reiman, a criminologist who published the first edition of The Rich Get Richer, the Poor Get Prison in 1979 and updated it with more recent statistics in 2013, Jilani points out

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