CRIMECON 2019: A Brief Look

CrimeCon begins on June 7th this year, and so the countdown has begun. This year the convention will take place in New Orleans and promises to be bigger than ever. Many famous faces and events have been planned for our entertainment, so much so, that it’s literally overwhelming! That said, two events I don’t want to miss are Friday’s 5:30 PM presentation titled “A Tribute to the Queen of True Crime: Ann Rule.” The hosts include Rule’s daughter, Leslie Rule and Ted Bundy survivor Kathy Kleiner Rubin. The event promises to take the audience on a journey through working with Ann on one of her books and hearing a riveting tale from Kathy about pulling through after being seriously injured in the Chi Omega attacks by Ted Bundy. At 6:45 PM, a meet and greet is being held for the same hosts and here is where I hope to get a hug from Kathy Kleiner Rubin. She was gracious enough to allow me to interview her for this blog and has promised me a big hug, so I’m holding her to it!

Saturday, June 8th promises various sessions starting as early as 8:00 AM (if you’re an early riser!) including “Death Row Stories” presented by HLN and “The Use of Technology in Forensics Investigation.” I am very interested in the scientific side of criminal investigations, so I can definitely see myself at the latter session. Oxygen has a heavy presence at CrimeCon this year. Kelly Siegler will be talking about her program, “Cold Justice,” and will be available later for a meet and greet. Paul Holes, long-time investigator of California’s “Golden State Killer” will host a session called “The DNA of Murder” for Oxygen. You can also check out the Innocence Project session entitled “Frame: The Wrongful Conviction of Reginald Adams” and on Sunday, June 9th, gear up for Dr. Henry Lee to discuss “Concepts in Homicide Investigation.”

Something I really enjoyed at the Nashville CrimeCon event was Podcast Row. The main area of the hotel held several rows of tables with your favorite podcasters available for conversations, autographs, and selfies. Personally, that was probably my favorite area to visit. It’s great to rub elbows with some of the best online personalities in crime “radio” and it’s how I scored the scripting gig for the 3rd season of Criminology.

For more information about CrimeCon this year, stop by http://www.crimecon.com and watch for live tweets & some video I’ll post to the site and Twitter (@rosedysfunction) while I’m there. See you soon!

E. J. Hammon