Murder and the Media - by Allison Hope Weiner (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Go behind the scenes of four well known murder trials to uncover all the facts about what really happened before they ever even hit the courtroom.

Follow author and investigative journalist Allison Hope Weiner as she reveals the secrets behind some of the country's most intriguing murder cases, exposing both the power behind the media's influence and crucial evidence that never made it to trial.

Told from a unique and particularly thorough perspective, Murder and the Media provides a front row seat to the investigative efforts shaping each case, sharing insights from the defendants, the lawyers, the investigators, and even the victims' families.

About the Author

Allison Weiner is an Emmy Award-winning producer who has worked with many of the top journalists in the country, including Diane Sawyer, Christopher Cuomo, Elizabeth Vargas, Dan Abrams, Ashley Banfield, John Quinones, and many others. She has appeared on News Nation, CNN, ABC News 20/20, HLN, Inside Edition, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, Access Hollywood, and many other networks reporting on high-profile crime stories. She was an entertainment industry litigator before she became a journalist. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Southern California Law, she practiced law and then segued to journalism, writing for Los Angeles Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Vanity Fair, and Buzz. She covered law and the industry at Entertainment Weekly, getting exclusives with James Gandolfini during his contract dispute, Paul Reubens, and with the three teens convicted for killing a young girl after listening to songs by the band Slayer. While at Entertainment Weekly, Weiner covered the trials of Winona Ryder, Robert Blake, Michael Jackson, and others. She then worked for The New York Times, writing a profile of the legendary Hollywood lawyer Bert Fields, a person of interest in the FBI's investigation of Anthony Pellicano, celebrity private eye. She wrote exclusive pieces about the federal investigation exploring Pellicano's connection to many Los Angeles power brokers including Brad Grey, Ron Burkle, and Ron Meyer. After refusing to name her sources on the Pellicano piece, the FBI opened an investigation to determine her sources on the story. While at The New York Times, Weiner also wrote about the criminal investigation into the tactics of local LA paparazzi and attempts by the DA to bring conspiracy charges against the photographers.

After working for The New York Times, Weiner wrote crime-related stories for The Huffington Post, Deadline Hollywood, The Daily Beast, Newsweek, The Hollywood Reporter, The Los Angeles Times, and many others. She worked as a producer for ABC's 20/20 for six years, recently winning an Emmy award for work on the Diane Sawyer special, "Escape from a House of Horrors."

Ms. Weiner currently works as a senior investigative producer on staff at News Nation.