Intentional murders, including drive-by and targeted shootings, is a leading
motive in Memphis cold cases over the years. Most occur at night and are over within seconds, leaving behind few witnesses or clues.
That information was gleaned from a sampling of 25 local cold case
homicides and attempted murders in Memphis Police files. Some of the victims were found in their own front yards, or porches or even inside their homes behind closed doors. Others were killed while sitting in or driving their cars.
In the 25 files, 16 victims were male and nine were female.
The second leading motive in the cases is robbery on the streets, closely
followed by home invasion.
Of course, detectives with the Memphis Police Department’s Cold Case
Bureau see a wide array of events leading up to aggravated assaults and murders — even accidental deaths that go unsolved. Cold cases include hit and run accidents, or break-ins where burglars are surprised by homeowners.
In some cases, the reason someone was killed is unknown, making many cold cases even harder to understand.
A new motive being uncovered across the country in many cases that are
growing cold is rage. In recent years, the data across the country shows that stupid, petty disputes increasingly sparked killings, according to retired
Albuquerque detective and cold case investigator Liz Thompson.
“People die over absurdities — dibs on a carwash stall, stolen weed, getting
cut off in traffic or beer pong gone wrong. More and more, guns are likely to be involved,” she wrote in an opinion piece for The Washington Post.
In this new motive for violence, she said, killers generally feel powerless over their circumstances. Having lost control over their lives, they may commit violence in an attempt to regain a semblance of it.”
When they get away with rage killing and leave behind few clues, new cold
case files are created.
