At least 11 black women were raped and killed on Cleveland's East side between 2007 and 2009 by a man named Anthony Sowell. It's one of the worst cases of serial murder in recent history and has been largely left untold. For Wilbert L. Cooper, who was born and raised in Cleveland, the real story lies in how Sowell was able to get away with these heinous acts for two years. These crimes say as much about the depraved killer as they do about race, class, and law enforcement in the City of Cleveland. Wilbert goes home to dive back into the case that's haunted the city, meeting with some of Sowell's surviving victims, family members of the deceased, and the police officers who put Sowell on death row.
A brutal home invasion shook a dusty border town in Southern Arizona late one summer night in 2009. Three supposed US Border Patrol agents fatally shot a father and his 9-year-old daughter. As it turned out, the double homicide was masterminded by prominent-Minutemen-leader, Shawna Forde. VICE explores the demented rise and fall of Shawna Forde in a story about astonishing distortions of the American Dream and the unintended consequences of false narratives.
In 1997, a teenager was found beaten to death in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska. Police quickly pinned the murder on four native teens from a local high school and convicted them on false confessions, an unreliable witness, and forged evidence. Still, the "Fairbanks Four" continued to maintain their innocence. Over time, the fight for their freedom grew into a statewide movement against Alaska’s judicial system. After 18 years, the Fairbanks Four were set free—but the state still refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the wrongfully convicted men, who were thrown in prison as teenagers, are struggling to get used to life outside after nearly two decades behind bars. VICE trekked to Alaska to meet two members of the Fairbanks Four, the community members who rallied behind them, and the investigators who helped secure their freedom—exploring the enduring impact of their wrongful incarceration and the native community’s effort to move forward.