Thursday, August 23, 2012

From Why Do We Kill?

Video is from CASE FILE 1.The Bounty Hunters taken from the book "Why Do We Kill" written by Kelvin Sewell and Stephen Janis.

Kelvin D. Sewell, a former Baltimore City Homicide Detective, is now Chief of Police in Pocomoke City, Maryland







"Crime always seeps through the boundaries, and along with it, suffering.  Pretending like it isn't happening has little effect on the steady drumbeat of death.  In fact, many times the cover-up is worse than the crime.  A dose of honesty and realism might give us the sense to figure out what is and is not  working.  Otherwise, without the truth, we are simply blind.
                                   ~Kelvin D. Sewell~

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW, after seeing this video, I'm speechless. To think our chief was once a famous homicide investigator. Where can I purchase the book?

jmmb said...

I got mine last year for Christmas and I'm sure my husband got it from Amazon. Also try the bookstores in Salisbury.

Just please read it. Each case discussed will make you cry, give you goose bumps, cause you to shake your head and get mad. I almost couldn't finish it. But I've read it twice now. There is nothing in it humorous. I promise when you have finished the book you will be able to look around you if you live in Pocomoke or even most places on the Eastern Shore and thank God. You just can't imagine.

MTMTMT said...

Having grown up in Baltimore, I thought I'd read the book. I downloaded it to my Kindle and read it at night. It disturbed my sleep for many nights! Mysteries never do that, even when I read about the same Baltimore streets and neighborhoods in Laura Lipmann's books. This book is just too real! By reading this book you will gain some insight into our Police Chief and understand why he is able to make a difference in Pocomoke and why he feels that community policing is so important here.

jmmb said...

Insight and understanding, indeed. The book terrified me and I was ready for my loved one to move home after living there for many years. I just can not believe that such horrid thoughts can cross peoples minds. It's just very sad that a city so beautiful can be filled with such violence- sometimes over practically nothing.

Thankyou for your comment on the book. Glad to know others have read it.

Chris said...

I purchased my book at Barnes and Noble in Salisbury. When is the movie coming out

jessica said...

Chilling, to think that our chief was brave enough to investigate these types of crimes.

Anonymous said...

My questions is, where was the parents of these young kids when this crime was committed?

Anonymous said...

Sewell mentioned something about the box in the video. What is the box?

jmmb said...

Anon 2:46 I don't mean to sound smug but in order to truly understand where these parents are and to get more of an understanding on what life is really like for so many there you really need to read the book.

I will tell you that one of key players in this video went to church with her Mother every Sunday. The Mother saw to it. The Mother also had a halfway decent job and worked hard to pay for her daughter to go to college. The Mother had no idea as to what her daughter had done until the daughter called her. I can't imagine such a thing.

Some chapters in the book just made me cry and I can not imagine working around this day after day....

jmmb said...

Anon 7:53 "the box" is a small room where the suspects and witnesses are questioned. The book describes it as 'OK Coral with a table and a couple of chairs.

Anonymous said...

After reading the book I have so much more respect for law enforcement. The book draws you in to a point where before you know it you are done reading it and then you want more.

jmmb said...

I've read the book twice and when I get the free time I will read it again. And if I had my life to start over again with a career I would do something in law enforcement. No, not homicide and not an officer- you don't want me to be a cop! I had to stop reading a couple of times- it's so sad (for me) and so hard to believe that these things actually exist in America today. But they do and yes all of law enforcement needs our greatest respect and gratitude. There's just so much in the book that is not imaginable from where we live. I had a hard time with the book because I have a loved on that lives in that city. Frankly, the book scared me to death! And you're right - you just have that need to finish it right away.

Anonymous said...

I'm probably one of the few persons who has always felt a slight degree of sympathy toward murderers especially those I still consider children which due to my age is anyone under 21.
After reading Chief Sewell's book I came away thinking more and more the why's.
I don't believe most people are wired to randomly kill unless it is in self defense.
What "wires" in these murderer's heads aren't connected that enables them to so callously kill another person?
I understand that there are truly insane people like Jeffery Dahmer but I also believe that someone's environment and upbring or lack there of with no role models has alot to do with the disregard of respect for another's life.

Anonymous said...

Murders are connected to their upbringing, and peer pressure play a huge role in children's lives these days. So many of our youth are so disconnected with what's right in society that they truly believe that committing murders is ok. If you can remember 35-40 years ago we had prayer in all public schools. Children were taught at a young age in schools right from wrong regardless of what type of family background they were from But the powers to be back then had prayer removed from public schools. Now, I'm not saying that people from public school systems commit murders, that would be an un-true statement, I'm just saying Prayer would not hurt in all the school systems. I also read the book and it frightened me to know that we have so many miss guided kids out there. It also saddened me to know that our new police chief had to once engage himself in these type of crimes . When you see the chief he always look so calm and pleasant and at time he greets you with that big handsome smile to make you think that all is calm everywhere. If you never read his book, You will never know by looking at him the things he has encountered in his life. We are so fortunate to have him as our chief of police. Pocomoke finally have a jewel, don't lose him.

jmmb said...

Thank you Anon 5:54. Thirty-five years ago I was raising a family and working too. But I had a great deal of insight as to where I wanted my children to go in life. It all began before they started their first day of school. It can not be put on the shoulders of the education system to raise these children and to teach them right from wrong. It is the parents job! Prayer in school IS an important thing and because there is no prayer anymore should give parents the will to instill good behavior in their children. But it doesn't. The sad factor is that these children are now products of bad parenting skills. They truly are misguided...some have probably never had a kind word spoken to them in their entire lives or a calm hand on their shoulder or the reassurance that things will be ok.

I wish I had the answer.

Cynthia said...

Amazing video how could some people be so cruel to others. I now have a new outlook and a tremendous amount of respect for police officers.