On June 30, 2008, in the Circuit Court of the City of Portsmouth, Demetrius L. Neely was convicted on multiple drug‑ and firearm‑related counts. Those convictions included: possession of cocaine with intent to distribute (second offense), possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a Schedule I/II controlled substance while in possession of a firearm, and possession of marijuana. For these crimes, he received a total sentence of 50 years and six months, with nine years suspended.

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Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is an American former zoo operator and convicted felon who gained international fame as the eccentric, flamboyant star of the Netflix docuseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (2020). He owned and operated the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, where he bred and exhibited big cats and other exotic animals. Known for his wild personality, outlandish style, and outspoken behavior, Joe Exotic became infamous not only for his controversial animal practices but also for his feud with animal rights activist Carole Baskin. In 2020, he was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for a murder-for-hire plot against Baskin and multiple wildlife violations.

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In 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio, 16-year-old Victor Mercado allegedly shot and killed a man named Anderson. Mercado was identified as a suspect based on eyewitness descriptions. Mercado was convicted and was facing life in prison but was sentenced to 18 years.

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Martha Ann Freeman is a Tennessee resident who, along with Rafael DeJesus Rocha‑Perez, was convicted by a Davidson County jury of first-degree, premeditated murder in the April 2005 slaying of her husband, Jeffrey Freeman. Neighbors reported that she behaved strangely, both were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole.

Rafael DeJesus Rocha‑Perez, also convicted in the same case, was revealed to have been her boyfriend at the time, secretly living in the Freeman residence. Forensics connected both to the crime through evidence like DNA and witness accounts placing Rocha‑Perez near the scene just after the murder. The Court of Criminal Appeals upheld their convictions in 2008, rejecting appeals related to evidence and trial conduct.

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Michael Curtis Reynolds is an American convicted of domestic terrorism after attempting to orchestrate a plot in 2005 to bomb U.S. energy infrastructure, including oil pipelines and refineries. Posing as a terrorist sympathizer online, Reynolds sought assistance from what he believed were al-Qaeda operatives—who were actually part of an FBI sting operation. He was arrested in Idaho while trying to collect $40,000 to fund the attacks and was later convicted on multiple charges, including attempting to provide material support to terrorists and possessing explosive devices. Reynolds, who has a history of mental health issues, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.

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Donald Ray Middlebrooks is a convicted murderer from Tennessee who was sentenced to death for the 1987 racially motivated killing of 14-year-old Kerrick Majors, a Black teenager. Along with two other white men, Middlebrooks participated in the brutal torture and murder of Majors, who was beaten, stabbed multiple times, and burned with cigarettes in a wooded area in Nashville. The crime was widely recognized as a hate crime, marked by extreme violence and racial hatred. Middlebrooks was identified as the ringleader and was convicted in 1988; his death sentence was upheld despite decades of legal appeals and debates over the fairness of his trial and sentencing. His case drew national attention as a symbol of racially motivated violence and the ongoing struggle for justice in such cases.

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Hart D. Fisher is an American horror crime author, comic-book writer, and publisher best known for founding Boneyard Press and creating the controversial “Jeffrey Dahmer: An Unauthorized Biography of a Serial Killer” comic in 1992 

He’s also dubbed “the most dangerous man in comics” in the ’90s for pushing adult-themed horror/crime titles and later expanded into film, poetry, and a horror streaming channel called American Horrors 

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Christopher Bennett is a native of Craigsville, Virginia, who made national headlines in 2003 when, at 18, he fatally shot his stepfather, Vincent McDorman. Bennett was subsequently convicted of capital murder as well as robbery and breaking and entering, accepting a plea deal that resulted in a sentence totaling 1,800 years—equivalent to three life terms under Virginia law.

According to Bennett, he stumbled into the home after hearing his sister’s cries and confronted his stepfather as he was allegedly molesting her. The case has sparked ongoing debate, with supporters portraying Bennett as a juvenile who acted to protect his siblings from abuse.

Victoria McDorman, Bennett’s younger sister, is central to both the case and the ongoing campaign for his clemency. She has publicly recounted enduring repeated abuse at the hands of their stepfather and described her brother’s actions as brave and necessary. Victoria and other family members have participated in rallies—including one in 2020 in Craigsville—calling for Bennett’s release, highlighting the trauma they endured and advocating for a reexamination of his sentence. In recent years, their story has attracted further attention through podcasts like True Crime Broads, which features Victoria’s voice as she elaborates on those events and continues to champion her brother as a hero rather than a criminal.

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Kerrick Majors was a 14-year-old African American boy from Nashville, Tennessee, whose brutal, racially motivated murder in April 1987 became a symbol of both racial violence and justice in the American South. Described as a kind, respectful middle school student, Kerrick was abducted after a minor dispute over a broken vase with three white drifters—Donald and Tammy Middlebrooks and Robert Brewington—who falsely accused him of theft. They forced him into a wooded area where he was tortured over several hours—burned, beaten with brass knuckles, urinated on, slashed with knives, and stabbed to death while racial slurs were used against him.

His body, left naked under a discarded mattress in a creek bed, bore signs of extreme cruelty, including a carved "X" on his chest. Police initially dismissed him as a runaway and delayed the investigation, which led to public outrage, disciplinary action against officers, and a $2 million lawsuit by Kerrick’s family. The case resulted in historic convictions: Brewington received life plus 75 years, Tammy Middlebrooks received life with parole eligibility, and Donald Middlebrooks was sentenced to death—the first time in modern Tennessee history that a white person was condemned to death for murdering a Black child. The case remains significant for highlighting systemic racism, law enforcement negligence, and the rare pursuit of justice in a racially charged crime.

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James Sparks is a criminologist; he holds a Bachelor of Arts from Murray State University and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from UAB. His academic focus and teaching responsibilities at UAB encompass specialized topics such as serial killers, serial killers in international contexts, and the juvenile justice system.

Although primarily serving as an instructor, Sparks applies a criminological lens to the study of violent crime and the intersection of psychology and criminal justice. His courses typically explore offender behavior patterns, developmental and systemic aspects of criminality (particularly in youth), and international comparisons of serial homicide. Through engaging students in these challenging subjects, Sparks contributes to the broader mission of preparing future criminal justice professionals and researchers.

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