Category Archives: Event

SACRAMENTO LIBRARY TO HOST TRUE CRIME MINI-CON!

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I’m thrilled to be one of the speakers at the Sacramento Public Library’s True Crime Mini-Con on Saturday, November 16, 2019. So far there are over 250 people planning to attend. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet and mingle with others who love the true crime genre.

You will find information and sign-up instructions HERE.

My presentation will focus on historic Los Angeles crimes such as the 1927 kidnapping and murder of twelve-year-old Marion Parker and the infamous Black Dahlia case from 1947.

I hope to see you there!

Deadly Women

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For the past 10 years or so I’ve appeared in episodes of the Investigation Discovery true crime series, DEADLY WOMEN.

The season, which is the show’s 13th, begins tomorrow night, August 22 [check your local listings for details]. Look for me in the following episodes — the name in bold type is the case I’m covering.

They are all unhinged.

Episode 3
A FAMILY TRAGEDY
Aurea Vazquez Rijos
Pamela Lee Worms
Helen Levina
8/22/2019


Episode 6
VOW TO KILL
Featuring:
Jane Leslie Carpenter
Emma LeDoux
Lindy Williams		9/19/19




Episode 7
FATAL FIXATION
Featuring:
Shanna Golyar
Marie Arthur
Lucy Cruz 		9/26/19




DITCHED & DESPERATE
Featuring:
Melanie Eam
Amy Hill
Kathryn Preston		10/10/19



LOVELESS
Featuring:
Lisa Segotta
Jacqueline Crymble
Shelly Arndt		10/24/19



The Night Stalker Case Revisited: Insights From the Lead Investigator

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Gil Carrillo, retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lieutenant, was  the new kid in the department’s homicide bureau in 1985 when several brutal, seemingly random, murders were committed. Gil discerned a pattern to the crimes which caused him to believe they were hunting a serial killer.  While detectives hunted a killer, the killer hunted human prey. He was dubbed the Night Stalker–his given name was Richard Ramirez.

If you lived in Southern California during the summer of 1985, you likely have vivid memories of the Night Stalker murders.  The crimes changed forever the way many of us lived. We not only locked our doors, we barricaded them. We bought guard dogs. We bought guns. We would never feel completely safe again.

On Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 2 p.m. in the Central Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium, join two of my friends, Gil Carrillo and Glynn Martin (retired LAPD), for a conversation about the summer of 1985 and the terror of the Night Stalker.

Details for the event are HERE.   

You don’t want to miss this!  I also suggest that you attend the opening of the photo exhibit for Glynn’s book, Satan’s Summer in the City of Angels: The Social Impact of the Night Stalker.  

Details for the photo exhibit are HERE.

 I’ll be at both events, so please come up and say hello.

 

MOVIE TICKET GIVEAWAY!! HOTEL ARTEMIS

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Thanks to GLOBAL ROAD ENTERTAINMENT, I have four pairs of tickets to give away for the movie HOTEL ARTEMIS.  The passes will be good for an advance screening on Tuesday, June 5th at the TCL CHINESE 6 (6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028). Winners will need to arrive by 6:00 pm to pick up their tickets and should proceed directly to the table in the theater lobby — no need to wait in the general admission line.

Following the screening you are invited to attend an event at Dave & Busters.

The way to win a pair of tickets is simply to submit your name to jrenner@derangedlacrimes.com and  reference “HOTEL ARTEMIS” in the subject line. 

Submit your information by 6 pm PDT on Sunday, June 3, 2018 for a random drawing. Winners will be announced by NOON on Monday, June 4, 2018. 

GOOD LUCK!

Here is a description of the film:

Set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, HOTEL ARTEMIS is an original, high-octane action-thriller starring Jodie Foster as The Nurse, who runs a secret, members-only hospital for criminals. Jodie Foster is joined by an all-star cast that includes Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Bryan Tyree Henry, Jenny Slate, Zachary Quinto, Charlie Day, and Dave Bautista.

 

 

#HotelArtemis

 

Movie Ticket Giveaway: SUBURBICON

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Thanks to Paramount Pictures, I have four pairs of tickets to give away for the movie SUBURBICON.  The passes will be good for an advance screening on Tuesday, October 24th at the Landmark Theater at the Westside Pavillion (10850 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064) at 7:00 pm. Winners will need to arrive by 6:30 pm to pick up their tickets and should proceed directly to the table in the theater lobby — no need to wait in the general admission line.

The way to win a pair of tickets is simply to submit your name to jrenner@derangedlacrimes.com and  reference “SUBURBICON TICKETS” in the subject line. 

Submit your information by 6 pm Pacific Time on Friday, October 20, 2017 for a random drawing. Winners will be announced on Saturday, October 21, 2017. 

GOOD LUCK!

Here is a description of the film:

Suburbicon is a peaceful, idyllic, suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns — the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer of 1959, the Lodge family is doing just that. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge must navigate the town’s dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit and violence.

mother! Ticket Giveaway

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Thanks to Paramount Pictures, I have two pairs of tickets to give away for the movie mother!  The passes will be good for any Cinemark theater playing the film in the Los Angeles area beginning Monday, September 18, 2017.  The passes will be honored on weekdays only (excluding holidays).

The way to win a pair of tickets is simply to submit your name and mailing address to jrenner@derangedlacrimes.com

Submit your information by 6 pm Pacific Time on Saturday, September 16, 2017 for a random drawing. Winners will be announced on Sunday, September 17, 2017.

GOOD LUCK!

Here is a description of the film:

A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. From filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream), mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer in this riveting psychological thriller about love, devotion and sacrifice.’

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction: The Real L.A. Noir

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I’m pleased to announce that I will be the featured speaker at the May 7th meeting of the Los Angeles chapter of Sisters in Crime!  I’m looking forward to it and I hope that you will come out to the beautiful South Pasadena Library for the presentation.  If you are not familiar with Sisters in Crime, I suggest that you consider joining. The membership is comprised of mystery and true crime writers as well as librarians, booksellers, readers–anyone who loves the genre (men are welcome to join too!)

For details regarding the location of the meeting visit the Sisters in Crime website.

 squiggleJoan Renner—“Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction: The Real L.A. Noir”

Los Angeles has inspired writers of crime fiction since the Golden Age in the 1930s.  The reason is simple, the City of Angels has been home to the most depraved killers and deranged crimes ever recorded. In her presentation, “Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction: The Real L. A. Noir”, writer and social historian, Joan Renner, will introduce you to a few of L.A.’s grittiest true tales and most fascinating real life characters, and offer tips on how to research them.

Joan Renner is a social historian and writer specializing crime. She’s been an invited speaker at the California Association of Criminalists, and has appeared in over 20 episodes of numerous Investigation Channel programs including Deadly Women. Her blog, Deranged L.A. Crimes, tells true tales of murder and mayhem from the 20th Century.