Recent developments, the people behind the headlines, and more ways to explore each story.
Ten editorial selections, ordered by the date of the featured reporting. This is a reading guide, not a national popularity ranking. Each update identifies what was reported and when.
Ten U.S. editorial selections with reported developments or newly released or announced media in 2026, reviewed October 30. Each case has a published book, film, documentary or reported television account. Dates identify the featured reporting or release; these are not internet-wide popularity rankings. The earlier 50-case Spotlight collection remains a separate dated edition.
Appeals and new hearings can change a case’s status. Charges and disputed theories are attributed to their sources. A documentary release does not by itself establish a new finding.
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John O’Keefe’s January 2022 death led to two trials and extensive public debate about the investigation.
What’s New
Boston 25 reported on October 29 that Karen Read and attorney Alan Jackson plan to launch Read Between the Lines in early 2027. It is an announced project, not an available series. Read was acquitted of the homicide-related charges at her June 2025 retrial; she was convicted of drunken driving.
The June 2021 killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh led to a trial, convictions and a later order for a new murder trial.
What’s New
At the October 16 hearing, Judge Debra McCaslin allowed further defense DNA testing and rejected a broad request involving unrelated shootings. The retrial remained scheduled for April 2027. The 2023 murder convictions were set aside in May 2026; Alex Murdaugh remains imprisoned for separate financial crimes.
Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were killed in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022.
What’s New
KIFI reported on October 14 that hearings connected with Bryan Kohberger’s post-conviction petition and attempt to disqualify Judge Steven Hippler were taken off the calendar. The defense alleges judicial bias and the state opposes that claim. The scheduling change does not undo Kohberger’s guilty pleas or sentences.
The 1996 shooting of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas remained without a murder prosecution for decades.
What’s New
On October 13, 2026, Duane “Keffe D” Davis was sentenced to 40 years to life following his August 31 conviction in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. FOX5’s courtroom reporting describes the conviction as involving orchestration of the shooting and reports that the defense plans to appeal.
Seven people in the Chicago area died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol in 1982.
What’s New
Idaho investigators identified a long-unidentified deceased man and raised a possible connection to the 1982 Tylenol poisonings. September 23 reporting stresses that the proposed link is unproven and does not place him in Chicago during the killings. The October documentary Unmasking the Tylenol Killer also revisits the case; its title does not establish that the murders are solved.
Abigail Williams and Liberty German were killed near Delphi, Indiana, in February 2017. Richard Allen was convicted in 2024.
What’s New
The Indiana Court of Appeals heard arguments on September 21 about Richard Allen’s conviction, including challenges to the search, statements made in custody and excluded defense evidence. Prosecutors disputed those arguments. The hearing itself did not reverse the conviction; the linked report describes the issues under review.
Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of the 1989 killings of their parents, José and Kitty, in Beverly Hills.
What’s New
NBC reported on September 18 that Lyle’s next parole hearing is tentatively set for February 23, 2027, and Erik’s for February 24. Both were denied parole in August 2025 after their sentences were reduced to 50 years to life. Earlier hearing dates do not guarantee release.
Suzanne Morphew disappeared in Colorado in 2020. Her remains were found in 2023, and a renewed prosecution followed.
What’s New
September 8 reporting says a judge raised Barry Morphew’s bond to $10 million cash after alleged release violations. He has pleaded not guilty. The Colorado courts’ case page, checked October 30, lists a November 3 status conference. The charge and bond ruling are not findings of guilt.
Laci Peterson disappeared while pregnant with her son, Conner, in 2002. Scott Peterson was convicted in 2004.
What’s New
A&E’s two-part Scott Peterson: The New Evidence premiered July 16–17, 2026, examining disputed defense claims. A May 12 statement from the district attorney reports that the court denied Peterson’s third habeas petition on April 27. The documentary is not a court ruling or exoneration.
Discoveries near Gilgo Beach revealed killings across Long Island and years of unanswered questions for victims’ families.
What’s New
The Suffolk County district attorney announced on June 17 that Rex Heuermann received three consecutive life-without-parole sentences plus 100 years to life. He had pleaded guilty to seven charged murders and admitted killing Karen Vergata as part of the plea. His case should not be treated as resolving every death connected in media coverage to the area.
