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USA TODAY launches WITNESS, a true-crime collection powered by investigative journalism

USA TODAY launches WITNESS, a true-crime collection powered by investigative journalism

USA Today12-03-2025

USA TODAY launches WITNESS, a true-crime collection powered by investigative journalism
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Introducing 'Witness,' a collection of our best true crime stories
Find all the most compelling stories, curated in one place, reported by local experts who know the cases best.
USA TODAY
A naked body found in Missouri, dead, composing and dismembered.
Two sisters missing in Chicago, one bizarre note and a family asking for 20 years: Where are our girls?
Want to know the rest of the story?
Lovers of true-crime mysteries will have a place to read about or listen to these sagas and many others with WITNESS, the first true-crime service powered by investigative journalism.
WITNESS, a subscription-based service launched Tuesday by USA TODAY, makes available, all in one place, a collection of in-depth investigative stories, videos and edge-of-your seat podcasts, all backed by investigative journalism.
The stories are born from years of relentless work by the USA TODAY NETWORK's seasoned journalists who cover crime and corruption, holding institutions accountable while honoring the real people at their core. Their stories have had real-world impacts, leading to arrests and exonerations.​
"WITNESS is now the premier true crime collection backed by investigative journalism across the USA TODAY Network," said Monica Richardson, senior vice president of USA TODAY. "These are true crime sagas unearthed by our local journalists who spend months, or years, uncovering crime and corruption. Following true crime is more than just a story. It's about highlighting the impact of these crimes, humanizing the victims and holding our institutions accountable in the communities we serve."
Subscribers will have access to gripping stories, like the murder of Josie Berrios, a beloved transgender woman in New York whose boyfriend set fire to a construction site where she was sleeping and locked her inside; Rachel Glass, an Arizona mom who is still seeking answers nearly 15 years after her daughter's murder, and the true tale of the Cocaine Bear, the inspiration for a comedy horror film.
WITNESS is available to subscribers for $4.99 per month.
Click here to learn more.
Follow Michael Collins on X @mcollinsNEWS

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'Forgiveness is between him and God:' Families reflect on decade since Charleston church massacre
'Forgiveness is between him and God:' Families reflect on decade since Charleston church massacre

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time27 minutes ago

  • USA Today

'Forgiveness is between him and God:' Families reflect on decade since Charleston church massacre

'Forgiveness is between him and God:' Families reflect on decade since Charleston church massacre Show Caption Hide Caption Mother Emanuel AME churchgoer's legacy remembered seven years after tragic shooting Melvin Graham reflects on the life and legacy of his sister, Cynthia Graham Hurd, on the seventh anniversary of the Mother Emanuel AME mass shooting. Josh Morgan, USA TODAY Melvin Graham sat on the right of the arena with other families and listened as Barack Obama read the names of the nine churchgoers who were killed by a White supremacist at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. He heard Obama call the name of his younger sister, Cynthia Graham Hurd. That was emotional enough. But at one point, the then-president broke out singing, 'Amazing Grace.'' Pastors, families, choir members joined in. 'That's one of those moments when you just wanted to break out and cry,'' recalled Graham, who had heard and sung the hymn plenty times over the years. 'Not in the context of having lost a loved one.'' The shooting 10 years ago at Emanuel AME Church, a historic Black church also known as 'Mother Emanuel," shocked the nation. Members− including Cynthia, a librarian − were at Bible study that June 17 evening when a White man they had welcomed later fatally shot nine of them. Five others survived. Some family members called Obama's presence days later at a funeral service and his rendition of the hymn a poignant moment as the country grappled with the horror of people gunned down in church. 'Even though this happened to Black people in a church… It felt like that sent a message of 'This could happen to anybody,' '' said Rev. Sharon Risher, whose mother, Ethel Lee Lance, was among the Emanuel Nine. "The sympathy from the country was overwhelming.' The nation was also gripped by some of the families publicly forgiving the shooter. 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  • USA Today

At least 6 injured after car plows into crowd near SoFi Stadium: Reports

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How HBO's 'The Mortician' explores the horrors of the 'business of death'

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