'Insensitive, tacky, sensationalized': Author Howard Blum slammed for planning book on horrifying Idaho murders
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently.
MOSCOW, IDAHO: Bryan Kohberger, a WSU PhD student, is on trial for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. The four University of Idaho students were found brutally stabbed to death on November 13, 2022. After six weeks of rigorous investigation, Moscow Police, in collaboration with the FBI and Pennsylvania State online was able to nab the 29-year-old suspect. Now, a well-known author, Howard Blum, is writing a book on the horrific incident. However, the Internet is not in support of this decision.
Blum said in a statement as per Komo News, "I hope to tell a suspenseful factual story that will put readers in the midst of events and help them understand what really happened in the still of the night in Moscow, Idaho. And, not least, why it happened." As for Blum, he is known for books like 'Wanted!: The Search for Nazis in America', and 'American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century', which in 2009 won an Edgar Award for 'best fact crime' book. The quadruple murders of the University of Idaho students is heavily covered by media and it is unclear whether the author has taken approval from the families of the victims for writing the book.
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Who is Howard Blum?
Blum, an author, and a journalist was a former reporter for The Village Voice and The New York Times. He is also a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. Blum has written several non-fiction books, including the New York Times bestseller and Edgar Award winner 'American Lightning'. He has previously written an article piece on the gruesome Idaho quadruple murder titled 'The Eyes of a Killer'. The article was ridiculed by many viewers online as he referred to Goncalves' dog Murphy as "Morgan" and the name resembled to Mogen, one of the victims'.
'Insensitive, tacky': Internet slams Howard Blum for writing a book on the Idaho victims
A Reddit user pointed out how a lot of information regarding the case is still under wraps and said, "Isn't a it a little early to be writing books on this case? There's still a lot we don't know smh." Another user pointed out how he misidentified victims in one of his stories saying, "Is this the dude who kept calling Murphy 'Morgan', who got a ton of details wrong, and who depicted the victims in odd ways?" A third Redditor wrote, "What if this is just what BCK wants? Maybe he committed these murders in order to be a famous serial killer (I know he’s not a serial killer yet) who people will write books about and want to interview. What if he wanted to get caught?"
Another user who was not intrigued by the idea wrote, "I have to veto this idea, Howard. You didn't even get Murphy's name right. That disqualifies you outright." One more commented, "It’ll be insensitive, tacky, sensationalized, and misleading. His other books are literally titled 'Wanted!: The Search for Nazis in America' and 'American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century.'" A person wrote, "That article of his really did seem like a teaser for a book he was going to write, but he got a lot wrong, and made a lot of assumptions, and on top of all that there's a gag order in effect right now. This just seems like a guy trying to cash in on being the first, rather than putting out a decent book on the case."
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online