Christopher Goffard is an author and a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. He shared in the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for the paper’s Bell coverage and has twice been a Pulitzer finalist for feature writing, in 2007 and 2014. His novel “Snitch Jacket” was a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel. His book “You Will See Fire: A Search for Justice in Kenya,” based on his Times series, was published in 2011.
Latest From This Author
A man was fatally shot outside the St. John Bosco High School stadium, where he came to watch his son play in a youth football game, authorities said.
Oct. 5, 2024
He is mostly forgotten today. But Caryl Chessman’s death penalty conviction dominated the debate about capital punishment for years.
Sept. 28, 2024
Hunkered over a Xerox machine at an ad agency above a flower shop on Melrose Avenue, Daniel Ellsberg began the laborious process of photocopying the smuggled documents that he hoped would end the Vietnam War.
Sept. 14, 2024
The club’s yearly dues were $31,500, and with travel and hotel expenses, the Arizona couple was spending close to $125,000 annually. Disney revoked their membership after an allegation that Scott Anderson was drunk in public.
Sept. 4, 2024
Patricia Hearst’s transformation into a fervent member of the SLA was part of a strange saga at the nexus of leftist militancy and American aristocracy, saturation media coverage and youth revolt.
Aug. 21, 2024
George Franklin’s freedom was at stake. So was support for the idea that ‘repressed memories’ like his daughter’s recollection of Susan Nason’s 1969 slaying are accurate.
Aug. 7, 2024
Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme was one of Charles Manson’s earliest disciples and remained devoted to him long after he went to prison. In September 1975, she brought a loaded gun to Sacramento’s Capitol Park with plans to confront President Ford.
July 31, 2024
The criminal trial was fresh in memory when the DMC-12 — equipped with the mysterious “flux capacitor” — served as a time machine in the 1985 hit “Back to the Future,” enshrining it in pop culture.
July 24, 2024
Alison Chao, 15, hasn’t been heard from since Tuesday, when she left home on her bicycle for a short ride to see a family member in San Gabriel. Police are searching for clues.
July 20, 2024
The McMartin Preschool trial ended with zero convictions. “McMartin” became a byword for social contagion, hysteria and the epic failure of trusted institutions: law enforcement, courts, the child-therapy establishment and the media.
July 17, 2024