With my recent article about Madison County, I have received some fairly nasty comments and cruel messages--which is fine. Everyone has a right to their own opinions and to express those opinions, and I will always defend that right. But I do want to set the record straight on a few things.
I am not paid for my work. I am not a "professional" true crime writer. I've loved to write all my life, and I would love to get paid for my work someday--but that is not my priority at this time. Everyone has to start somewhere, and I am fine starting here, building lasting relationships with grieving families and making sure that their wishes are honored.
I started writing these articles because of my best friend, Shannon. I never had any interest in writing true crime stories--I wanted (and still want) to write horror novels. But I was moved to the point of outrage watching Shannon and his family struggle with the inefficacy and outright corruption of the justice system. Shannon is an innocent man who has been condemned to die in prison, and no one cares about it. No one is talking about it--even though innocent men serving life sentences or sitting on death row is not a new problem. It is not some strange and recent phenomenon--just like law enforcement failing to do basic investigative work on important cases isn't some rare and isolated event. In all of the cases I have worked on, the justice system has not seemed concerned with doing all they can to serve the victims and their families. They seem to only be concerned with serving themselves. They put their reputations, their bank accounts, and their own personal vices and desires first--they serve and protect their own interests. That is not how it should be, and we shouldn't accept such a low standard from those who are meant to uphold the law. I know I certainly won't.
I write my articles from information I gather from new articles, public documents, online forum discussions, and extensive interviews with the victims' families, friends, and co-workers. I do not discount or refuse to report on people's opinions. In fact, I try to make a point to include the opinions and concerns of people that largely go unheard. Whenever possible, I also use autopsy reports, evidence reports, incident reports, crime scene photos, official written statements, court testimony, 911 and police dispatch recordings, and similar sources to flesh out the information in my pieces. But first and foremost, I make a great effort to ensure that the victims' families feel that all of their concerns and opinions have been heard and thoughtfully considered. I try my best to represent their wishes in my work, and create a story that they are proud to stand behind. I will never apologize for doing this, because too often their stories have been dismissed and forgotten.
If you think that the American justice system is an ethical and smoothly running machine, this is not the place for you. If you can ever offer evidence that the above statement is true, I'll bite my tongue and promptly publish it. I can readily admit when I'm wrong--and I'm happy to grow and evolve along with the discovery of new and credible information. But the justice system is sick. It is diseased with corruption, nepotism, and inefficiency--and it is bleeding out all over the citizens of this country. You can call me names, you can criticize my work as well as my character. But nothing you say will change the fact that serious reform needs to occur, and I will continue to write about that need every week.
For those interested in having a platform to voice their opposition to my work, Donny Walker of WGLRO radio has invited you to call him and have as much air time to explain your position as you may require. He can be reached at 410-652-2701. Thank you for reading.
Sincerely,
Kaci Dillingham-Burr
