Why are you here and why am I doing this?

Why are you here and why am I doing this?

If you're like me, THIS is as close to crime as you want to get.

You want to maintain a safe distance and delve into it when it's convenient for you; not when some lunatic knocks on your door in the middle of the night, runs you off the road or approaches you in a parking lot.

Maybe you are a Murderino?

I'm someone who resolves every New Year's Eve to NOT be the victim of a crime.

Some of the crimes I'll describe here aren't horrific or even result in death, but they're still situations to be avoided. Who wants the drama or the paperwork associated with a non-violent crime? Not me.

I know I'm not the only one who's interested in reading about crime & criminals. I hope to use this blog to share that interest with others.

My process is to find something in an old newspaper, news broadcast or my own memory that grabs my attention and delve deep. I research the cases and people using newspaper and magazine archives, genealogy sites plus court or prison documents (when I can afford them). Lately the way I write the stories has changed. I'm starting to show the effort I've made to track down specific details. I also seem to be posting less frequently. This can be attributed to the fact that I'm now concerned with the As Close to Crime YouTube channel as well as my habit of falling deeper and deeper into rabbit holes with each new entry. I'd rather have quality than quantity, so I've come to terms with the lessening output.

I try not rely too heavily on other websites or books but I credit people when it's appropriate. In fact, if my main source of information is someone else's book, I'll just recommend the book. This was the case with "The Bobbed Haired Bandit."

Don't expect too many Top 10 lists from me. I instead prefer to select the more obscure crimes that some visitors to this blog have either never heard of or haven't thought about in awhile.

I also like to give attention to not just those who break the law but those who uphold the law. So you can expect to see some of that here.

There's a companion YouTube Channel for this blog, called As Close to Crime, where I occasionally post clips related to particular blog entries or just random clips concerning criminal activity. I'm never going to post an entire commercially available film.

Be sure to subscribe to the channel or this blog.

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Saturday, November 9, 2019

Cricket Coogler (1930-1949)

El Paso Times photo -
April 6, 1951
It's been 70 years since the barely concealed body of 18-year-old Las Cruces, New Mexico waitress Ovida "Cricket" Coogler was discovered in a shallow grave.

Despite numerous suspects and multiple witnesses to her movements on the night she was last seen alive, sixteen days before her body was found, the case has never been solved. The coroner can't even say for certain how she died. There was no autopsy and a bag of lyme was dumped on the body prior to its burial.

Popular opinion is that the police and top-ranking politicians of the day wanted to close the case but they didn't really want the right man to go to prison.

Police twice arrested NFL star player Jerry Nuzum but the good citizens of New Mexico refused to convict; they felt Nuzum was being railroaded.
Santa Fe New Mexican
photo - July 10, 1950

Police drove Wesley Eugene Byrd out into the desert and attempted to force a confession out of him but he refused to admit to a crime he said he didn't commit.

Who killed Cricket Coogler and why? Were investigators inexperienced, incompetent or purposely obstructing justice to cover up for their cronies?

This case is filled intrigue, corruption, mafia ties and honest citizens being stonewalled.

Rather than delve deep into the crime myself, as I had originally intended, I'm going to recommend the work of two others.

If you only want to spend 85 minutes on the case - I suggest watching the 2000 award-winning documentary "The Silence of Cricket Coogler: A Political Murder" by Charlie Cullin.


It's available on Vimeo, for purchase or rental.

I've uploaded the trailer to this blog's YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/S-Z2LTK0wuY

My only complaint about the documentary is that background on the victim is sparse. The focus is primarily on the kick-ass Grand Jury that was convened to look into why the sheriff's department would be doing such a lousy job investigating the homicide plus the corruption which jury members worked hard to uncover and the impact this pursuit of justice had on several of the major players. The best thing about the film might be, in my opinion, the interviews with folks who were involved in the reporting of the events and a few surviving members of the grand jury.

If it's a more comprehensive look at the case you're interested in, then pick up a copy of Paula Moore's work "Cricket in the Web."

from the As Close to Crime library
This 2008 book is well-researched and the author does what I would do myself if I was relating this crime to you - she makes a point of tracking the movements of the key players after the excitement of the trials had died down. There are plenty of suspects and many conflicting witness statements. Moore tries to sort through the evidence.

Neither Cullin nor Moore actually accuse any one individual of killing Cricket Coogler, either because they don't know or they don't wish to be sued.

I, naturally, recommend both the film and the book as a set piece. The documentary, including it's unused footage, was a resource for author Paula Moore.

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