True crime has long pulled us in with the puzzle of how a killer operated, yet more and more creators are choosing a different starting point. They begin with the person whose life was cut short. This article looks at that shift toward victim-centered storytelling, why it matters for families and communities, and how it changes the way we talk about cases that once focused almost entirely on the perpetrator.
Take the Golden State Killer investigation. Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested in 2018 after decades of unsolved attacks, and he later pleaded guilty in 2020. Early reporting often highlighted his ability to evade capture and the details of his methods. Michelle McNamara’s book I’ll Be Gone in the Dark changed that focus by spending time on the people who were attacked and the families left behind. Readers learned names, routines, and dreams instead of only crime-scene facts. That choice helped turn public attention toward the lasting effects on survivors and relatives, showing that the story does not end when an arrest is made.
Victim-centered work is not simply a passing style. It grew out of repeated criticism that many accounts treated real suffering as entertainment. Popular podcasts and streaming series have drawn huge audiences, yet listeners and viewers now ask for accounts that treat victims as whole people rather than plot points. The result is a slower, more careful form of storytelling that still examines evidence but places the emphasis on remembrance and accountability.
The Roots of True Crime’s Perpetrator Focus
From the start, many true crime books and articles mirrored a wider cultural interest in understanding what makes someone commit terrible acts. Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood spent pages on the backgrounds of Perry Smith and Richard Hickock. Later books about Ted Bundy followed the same pattern, exploring childhood experiences and planning habits while victims appeared mainly as names in a list. This approach felt useful to investigators who needed to predict behavior, and it gave readers the sense that they were learning how to spot danger. Over time, however, it left families feeling that their loved ones had been reduced to supporting characters in someone else’s story.
A 2019 study by the Radio Television Digital News Association found that roughly seventy percent of true crime episodes devoted more time to suspects than to victims. That imbalance kept the public conversation centered on notoriety for the offender and relative silence for everyone else. When coverage stays fixed on the criminal, the everyday details of the victim’s life fade, and the community loses a chance to see the full cost of the crime.
Case Study: The Zodiac Killer
The Zodiac Killer’s letters and ciphers dominated headlines in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Victims such as Cheri Jo Bates and Darlene Ferrin were often mentioned only in passing. Later documentaries, including This Is the Zodiac Speaking in 2023, began including interviews with surviving family members. Viewers learned that Bates was a college student interested in aviation and that her death left lasting questions for her relatives. These additions did not solve the case, but they reminded audiences that each name represented a real future that never happened. Early coverage that ignored those details made it harder for families to feel their loss was understood by the wider public.
Defining Victim-Centered Storytelling
Victim-centered storytelling starts by asking what the person was like before the crime. It gathers details from relatives, school records, and friends to show someone with plans, habits, and relationships. Instead of labeling a person as “the third victim,” the narrative presents them as a parent, a musician, or a student with clear goals. This method does not ignore the investigation; it simply refuses to let the investigation stand alone.
Several practical steps help keep the focus respectful. Writers explore background without turning private moments into spectacle. They invite family members to share memories in their own words. They follow the legal process through the eyes of those seeking answers rather than through the thrill of new clues. They also avoid graphic reconstructions unless families have given clear permission. These choices line up with guidelines from groups such as the Society of Professional Journalists, which stress the need to minimize additional harm while still reporting facts.
Principles in Action: The Murder of Junko Furuta
The 1988 abduction and killing of seventeen-year-old Junko Furuta in Japan was first reported in ways that emphasized the age and cruelty of the perpetrators. Tabloid-style coverage turned the case into sensational headlines. More recent accounts have shifted the lens to Furuta herself. They describe her strong performance in school, her skill on the volleyball court, and the quiet kindness noted by classmates. By showing what she hoped to do after graduation, these retellings make the loss feel concrete. Readers see not only the crime but also the future that was taken, which in turn encourages discussion about how communities can better protect young people.
Exemplary Cases of Victim-Centered Triumphs
Several recent cases show how this approach works in practice when reporters and podcasters work closely with families.
Delphi Murders: Abigail Williams and Liberty German
In 2017, thirteen-year-old Abby Williams and Libby German disappeared while walking near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi, Indiana. The investigation stretched for years until Richard Allen was arrested in 2022. Podcasts such as Downstream and The Murder Sheet spent time on the girls’ friendship, their interest in music and the outdoors, and the short video Libby recorded on her phone. That clip, which captured the voice of the man who approached them, became central to the search for answers. Coverage that highlighted the girls’ personalities helped keep public attention on the families’ long wait for progress. Updates from the 2023 proceedings showed how relatives continued to speak about the everyday qualities that made Abby and Libby memorable, turning the case into a shared effort rather than a distant mystery.
Long Island Serial Killer: The Gilgo Beach Victims
When Rex Heuermann was charged in 2023 with murders that occurred between 1993 and 2010, attention turned again to the women whose remains were found near Gilgo Beach. Earlier reports sometimes described them only in terms of their work, which left them seeming interchangeable. The 2023 HBO documentary Lost Women instead showed family photographs and collected stories from sisters and mothers. Viewers met Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes as daughters and friends with ordinary hopes. This shift exposed long-standing problems in how missing-persons reports for marginalized women were handled. It also pushed local officials to create stronger cold-case teams, proving that remembering individuals can lead to practical changes in how cases are investigated.
Challenges in Implementing Victim-Centered Approaches
Putting victims at the center is not without difficulties. Some families prefer to keep their memories private, and repeated interviews can reopen wounds. Broadcasters worry that quieter stories will lose viewers who expect dramatic reconstructions. Ongoing trials also limit what can be reported without risking legal issues. A 2022 Poynter Institute review pointed out another risk: when writers present victims as flawless, they can unintentionally erase the real complexity of a life. Careful fact-checking and regular conversations with trauma specialists help keep the account honest while still compassionate.
Critiques from the True Crime Community
Within the true crime world, opinions differ on how far the shift should go. Some podcasters have faced questions about whether brief victim summaries give enough context. Others, such as the hosts of My Favorite Murder, have adopted a public pledge to keep victims central even when using humor. Online forums continue to debate whether focusing on the people harmed reduces the suspense that draws many listeners. The discussion shows that creators are still working out the balance between engagement and respect, and that listeners are paying close attention to how those choices are made.
The Broader Impact: Healing and Prevention
When stories stay with the victims, families sometimes find a measure of public acknowledgment that helps with grief. Unsolved cases can receive fresh tips because listeners feel connected to the person rather than only to the puzzle. Coverage that explains real investigative steps also corrects the impression, created by many television shows, that every case is solved in an hour with perfect science. In the Chris Watts case from 2018, attention on Shanann Watts and her daughters helped spark wider conversations about warning signs in domestic situations. Psychologists have noted that steady exposure to victims as real people can reduce the numbness that comes from seeing too many crimes treated as entertainment. After the attention generated by I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, tips to investigators increased noticeably, illustrating how respectful storytelling can support practical outcomes.
At Dyerbolical we have seen how these choices affect both readers and the families who reach out after an article appears. The same principles guide every case we cover, whether the events are decades old or still moving through the courts.
Conclusion
Victim-centered storytelling does not remove the difficult facts of any case. It simply refuses to let those facts stand without the names, voices, and futures of the people most affected. By keeping attention on what was lost, creators give families a measure of control over how their story is told. They also give the public a clearer picture of why prevention and support services matter. The genre is still evolving, but the direction is clear: the most lasting accounts are the ones that treat every victim as someone worth remembering long after the headlines fade.
Bibliography
McNamara, Michelle. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. Harper, 2018.
Radio Television Digital News Association. “True Crime Coverage Study.” 2019.
Poynter Institute. “Ethical Challenges in Modern True Crime Reporting.” 2022.
This Is the Zodiac Speaking. Directed by Joe Guidry, 2023.
Lost Women of Highway 20. HBO, 2023.
Society of Professional Journalists. “Code of Ethics.” Updated edition.
Downstream Podcast. Episodes on Delphi Murders, 2022–2023.
The Murder Sheet. Coverage of Richard Allen proceedings, 2023.
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