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10 cases

Ten cases. One mechanism each.

Each case page carries the claim, the diagram, the case, the mechanism, the rule and every source in full.

The index

No. 01 to No. 10

  1. No. 01The Myth

    An IQ of 145 turned himself in.

    Santa Cruz, California · 1972–1973
  2. No. 02The Catch

    The parking ticket only picked the date.

    New York · 1976–1977
  3. No. 03The Myth

    An IQ of 85 stayed free for nineteen years.

    Seattle area · 1982–2003
  4. No. 04The Myth

    The FBI retired the myth that serial killers can’t stop in 2008.

    California · 1975–2020
  5. No. 05The Catch

    A criminology PhD student left his DNA at the scene.

    Moscow, Idaho · 2022–2025
  6. No. 06The Pyramid

    Every step up this pyramid removes one way to get caught.

    Five cases
  7. No. 07The Failure

    Gacy and Zodiac are opposites, and that explains both.

    Chicago suburbs · 1972–1978
  8. No. 08The Class

    Concealment decides how long. Biology decides whether.

    United States · 1970–2014
  9. No. 09The Failure

    A doctor’s signature made every death natural.

    England · 1971–2000
  10. No. 10The Failure

    The state executed a man it later cleared, then released a killer.

    Shakhty, Soviet Union · 1978–1994

By series

In brief

What is on a case page?

A case page holds one adjudicated case in six parts: the claim, a diagram drawn in one notation, the case in a paragraph, the mechanism that explains it, a one-line rule, and every source in full. The narration is published as a transcript. Victims are named first.

How are the cases chosen?

Each case is adjudicated: a conviction, a guilty plea or an official finding. Each one shows a single mechanism clearly, either the error that ended a case or the failure that let it run.

Why do the case pages have no photographs of people?

The series is faceless by rule. There are no photographs of killers, victims or crime scenes. A case’s image is its diagram.

Are the Zodiac case and Israel Keyes treated as solved?

No. The Zodiac case is described as open and no suspect is named. Israel Keyes is labeled every time as having confessed and died before trial.

How long is each Short?

Under a minute. The ten narrations run between 47.9 and 57.8 seconds, and each is published on its case page as a transcript.

Educational analysis. Adjudicated cases only. Victims named with respect.