Summary

The public’s fascination with celebrities can reach a fever pitch when celebrities commit or are involved in a crime. Famous victims like the Lindbergh baby and Sharon Tate have raised public outcry against the cruel crimes that claimed their lives. And the trials of celebrity criminals such as Jim Bakker and O.J. Simpson are proof that even the rich and famous are not above breaking the law. Celebrities and Crime examines the crossroads where fame and the underworld meet, looks at special types of crime targeted at celebrities, and discusses how law enforcement handles celebrity victims and celebrity perpetrators.

Chapters include:

• The Devil’s Business
• Stalked!
• Murder in Brentwood
• Number One with a Bullet
• The Price of Fame.

• Charles Lindbergh Jr. kidnapping
• Charles Manson and the Manson Family murders
• The unsolved murder of actor Bob Crane
• Celebrity stalkers and assassins, including the murder of John Lennon
• Celebrity frauds Jim and Tammy Bakker
• The O.J. Simpson murder trial, and other famous athletes’ encounters with crime
• Tupac Shakur, and the gangsta rap feud between the East Coast and West Coast rappers
• Celebrity shoplifters and the Winona Ryder case
• Robert Blake, accused of murdering his wife.

Specifications

Full-color and black-and-white photographs and illustrations. Sidebars. Chronology. Bibliography. Endnotes. Further resources. Index.

About the Author(s)

A former public school teacher, Michael Newton has published more than 200 books since 1977. His recent reference works include The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, Second Edition from Facts On File, as well as The FBI Encyclopedia and Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology. His history of the Florida Ku Klux Klan, The Invisible Empire, won the Florida Historical Society’s 2002 Rembert Patrick Award for Best Book on Florida History.