A Guide to Finding Ethical True Crime Creators
From the Lauren Spier to Maura Murray cases, ethics has become a concern in true crime. The Long Island Serial Killer may provide a roadmap to finding ethical true crime creators
By Raul Montero
I cannot exactly call myself a true crime fan. I am also not a police reporter or any kind of journalist. I am not a family member of a victim. I am an advocate and even that was by accident.
I came into all of those spaces several years ago when I became interested in a true crime case when the police found 10 murder victims along Ocean Parkway in both Jones Beach Park and on a beach in the small oceanfront town of Gilgo on Long Island, New York.
I was baffled by law enforcement's slow response, which later we found out was because some police leaders wanted to keep the FBI away from the case out of fear that they would discover unrelated corruption in the department, apathy because most of the victims appeared to be sex workers and sloppy police work.
This led me to try to find a way to do my part, and I built a social media presence on Twitter and Reddit under the name CatchLISK. I focused on finding the perpetrator or perpetrators and combing through missing persons case files to find other potential victims (Rex Heuerman, a Manhattan architect who lived on Long Island, was arrested and charged with three of the murders in July 2023 and has since been charged with four more).
This exposed me to a tremendous amount of media coverage about true crime cases around the world.
There is no doubt there is an army of law enforcement officers, advocates, victims’ family members, attorneys, true crime creators and consumers searching for answers in these cases, but in the Long Island Serial Killer case, as well as others, salacious headlines, slanderous hyperbole, accusatory allegations and loose interpretations of facts to suit a narrative have confused the investigations, true crime fans and the victims’ families.
Is this the role of journalism in true crime?
The answer is no, but all of this holds preeminence in the true crime space to the point where, some days, as a victim’s advocate, it feels like it would be worth it to throw the good out with the bad and start over.
But bear with me. I think there is a better way. And I think there is a way for you to find the best true crime creators.
Victims Should Not Be Footnotes in True Crime Cases
Often, victims and the horror they have endured become a footnote compared to the story of the perpetrators of a crime. The media, Hollywood, lawyers who are financially motivated and true crime consumers seem to be more duplicitous and disingenuous.
More recently, this disease appears to be infecting more and more journalists and true crime content creators as they position themselves to sell more papers, get more paid subscriptions, get paid through YouTube SuperChats and obtain more followers and clicks that drive up the attention they get and advertising revenue they received.
These creators seem like opportunists with little remorse, with some even trading in on relationships with victims’ family members for influence, money, stature or self-serving attention. This tarnishes the overall better intentions of more ethical creators and the true crime community writ large.
I recognize that true crime fans are an important force for good. They have brought attention to many cases and, in some instances, led to resolutions. That’s part of the reason I am bothered by the direction that so much true crime media is headed in.
To this point, Gilgo is no different than all others before or to come. I use it as an example because I know it well and I think it’s instructive. But the Delphi, Maura Murray, Lauren Spierer, Golden State Serial Killer and other cases are all, in different ways, examples of what can go wrong. It is astonishing how much polarization can occur and how much energy can be wasted on fringe speculation. Some creators even subtly blame victims for the circumstances that put them in the sights of predators. No one looks to be abused or murdered. This does not reflect reality.
Being ethical goes beyond respecting victims. It also involves accuracy and telling the truth, even when it's inconvenient or throws cold water on the entertaining, revenue-generating part of true crime. We all make mistakes, but ethical creators also make corrections.
Think of all the good we could do if we were all operating off of facts and not fighting with each other.
Some of it has to do with our fascination with darkness. Most true crime consumers can rattle off details about a serial killer yet cannot even name a victim, let alone recall details about their lives. Even here, as I use the descriptor “Gilgo”, I acknowledge that the term has kept victims separated in the public’s minds for so long. Additionally, many earlier victims, Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack, and Jessica Taylor received little coverage until the 2010 discoveries of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello.
Only once the media solidified around the Long Island Serial Killer moniker, or LISK, were the cases connected and got both media and law enforcement attention. This attention, of course, was because it was a rare and sensational event, not because they were each precious human life that was taken. For all families and us advocates, it is sad how a murdered person means little until they are linked to a serial killer or some other “notorious” case. But I also recognize that true crime entertainment is the gateway drug for many to make a difference in their own lives and those of others. The entertainment just cannot take precedence over truth and treating victims, family members and innocent actors with the respect they deserve.
It Can Be Hard to Figure Out Who Is an Ethical Creator
Some of the worst offenders in true crime are also some of the loudest voices when it comes to promoting ethics, accuracy and compassion.
Their actions, however, belay that.
When a creator refuses to correct misinformation and continues to defend their flawed reporting, those creators diminish the ability of the community to help find a person or find justice (this recently happened in the Maura Murray missing persons case where at least one reporter is not backing down from doctored emails they wrote about that made the Murray family seem suspicious; the Murray family has not said that the e-mails were fabricated but it’s hard to come to any other conclusion).
When a creator publishes conspiracy theories that threaten to derail investigations or court cases, like what happened in the Delphi, Indiana murders of 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German, creators make the true community a thorn in the side of, instead of an instrument of, justice.
When a creator speculates on the thinnest amount of evidence that a serial killer is responsible for a crime, as has happened in Spierer's missing persons case, they provide shields for potential guilty parties, magnify the suffering of loved ones and send true crime consumers who might have or be able to find clues headed in the wrong direction. No, Israel Keyes did not kill everyone. When we waste our time on him, we miss opportunities to find out what really happened.
A Roadmap for True Crime Fans
There is hope, however. As our collective awareness grows, we have seen less use of denigrating descriptors such as prostitute, hooker, junkie, and drug addict. Moving away from these judgmental words that paint a negative image of victims has been refreshing.
Conversely, more palatable words like sex worker, survival worker and escorts, and descriptions like “those struggling with substance abuse” and people who are “struggling with their finances” do more to humanize a person while being honest and without spotlighting imperfections. They become more relatable. After all, who hasn’t or known someone who has struggled with substance abuse or finances?
Many in the LISK case “universe” are making efforts to be more ethical.
For those who think we are close to the end with the arrest of Rex Heuermann, I suggest being prepared for a long journey of discovering more unfortunate information.
Often, ethical creators and true crime fans complain they do not know how to figure out who the good creators are.
I want to highlight some of them in the LISK and explain why to give fans and creators some guidance.
One of the very first was Jaclyn Gallucci, a New York-based journalist who penned, before anyone else, “Lost Girls: When Women Go Missing on Long Island, Some Matter, Prostitutes Don’t.” in the Long Island Press on October 21, 2010, months before the first bodies on Gilgo Beach were found.
While the use of the “P” word was incorporated, the crux of the article humanized the victims, exposed the plight of sex work and the population’s preference to relegate these young women and men to the fringe and ignore systemic issues right under everyone’s nose. Gallucci has continued to shed light on the system, the epidemic and the apathy, while uplifting victims to women, mothers, sisters, cousins, nieces and children who are loved and missed by their families and friends.
Timothy Bolger is the editor-in-chief of the Long Island Press and from the beginning of the case, he has focused on showing respect for the victims and their families while sharing the realities of the lives they were, at times, forced to exist in (an important caveat is not allow people go into sex work out of desperation and some do it because they enjoy the vocation). Bolger’s editing and reporting have won numerous awards, from local to national, often on topics such as the heroin crisis on Long Island. He was one of the first journalists to expose a connection between the unidentified victim known as Peaches, the one found at Jones Beach State Park, and a murdered toddler found on Gilgo Beach along Ocean Parkway.
Tania Lopez is a former criminal justice reporter for Newsday, Long Island’s largest daily newspaper, who reported events surrounding the discovery of victims along Ocean Parkway during the search for a missing woman named Shannan Gilbert. Tania was nominated for an Emmy in 2016 in the category of Outstanding Crime Program/Special as an associate producer for the Newsday documentary “Gilgo: Five Years Later”. She is now the Director of Communications for Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.
Grant Parpan and Anthony DeStefano are two current Newsday journalists reporting ethically and accurately for Newsday for the courts and crime, respectively. Anthony and Grant invest the time to build and nurture relationships with families while being thorough and honest in their reporting of events.
Sandra Peddie is an investigative journalist also with Newsday. Sandra explores deeper issues and has recently published profoundly insightful articles on sex trafficking and murdered unresolved cases on Long Island.
Mary Murphy is a well-known journalist in the New York Metropolitan area who has been reporting for well over 40 years now. She is a trusted and knowledgeable journalist who has not only covered major stories, such as John Gotti’s case, and is particularly nuanced in all of her reporting on Gilgo.
Groundbreaking investigative deep-dive podcasts such as the LISK podcast , hosted by Chris Mass, helped to correct many false narratives while maintaining utmost respect for the victims’ legacies and their family’s honor. The LISK Podcast had captivating and informative experts with each episode and the podcast remains the standard bearer platform for the totality of the case.
Some Tips on How to Find Ethical Creators
Ethical true crime creators can be found in various ways. Here are some recommendations.
Listen to what victims’ families say about who has been fair and accurate. No one is more vested in their loved one’s cases and they are unlikely to sacrifice the ugly truth at the expense of not receiving justice for their loved ones. Victim’s family members may be reluctant to criticize harmful creators but pay attention when they are bending over backward to praise a creator, like Bruce Maitland, the father of the missing 17-year-old Vermont woman Brianna Maitland, did when put Tim Pilleri and Lance Reenstierna on the board of his charity, Private Investigations for the Missing.
Listen to what advocates say about who responsible creators are. Advocates are vested in justice. Don’t be afraid to reach out to them to ask who responsible creators are on any given case. We may be prone to focuses on the bright side of victims’ lives, but we also are focused on the truth.
Pay attention to who law enforcement will talk to. When you see law enforcement agencies talking to some creators but not others it can be for an assortment of reasons. It could be related to their media policies or petty differences, but when it takes a law enforcement agency a long time to get around to a creator while they are talking to others, pull out a little yellow flag and be cautious because it might be because they think the creator is harming the case.
Listen to people who share your values. This cannot be stated more. Find the people among your friends who are smart and share your values and ask them what newspapers they read, and what podcasts they listen to and what documentaries and YouTube channels they watch.
And most importantly, listen to the voice in your head. Most true crime fans get the feeling that something is wrong with a creator long before it becomes obvious. Ask yourself whether a creator’s work feels sensational compared to others, whether it is accurate and whether it is logical.
Some of the individuals I’ve mentioned are incredible journalists and other creators who have contributed immensely and who handle and balance the story with the human element. However, even those people occasionally get short-sighted, often posting a mugshot of a victim instead of a more ethical and realistic picture. A mugshot is just a snapshot moment in the life of a person. Those people should never be defined by that moment. It’s not about being perfect, but it’s about trying.
Journalists, reporters, newscasters, podcasters and other content creators need to be fair and balanced and not incorporate their own unconscious biases into a piece; they need to look at what they are putting out there not as a story but as a fair and honest description of someone is lived experience. Not everyone gets it right 100 percent of the time; we are all human, but when a misstep occurs, it is important to own up to it, correct the mistake and work to ensure it does not happen again.
Journalism, like everything else, can and should evolve as society does.
Raul Montero is an advocate for missing and unidentified persons and has created a geographic visual database of missing and unidentified persons in the United States.
You can find Raul’s database here.
Here are some additional resources to identify ethical true crime creators:
https://truecrimepodcasttraining.com/journalistic-ethics-in-true-crime-research/
https://journalism.uoregon.edu/news/true-crime-genre-ethics
https://ethics.org.au/true-crime-media-an-ethical-dilemma/
https://bsmknighterrant.org/2024/05/07/an-ethical-critique-of-true-crime/
Excellent article. Thank you.