Gee, What's for Dinner? And What Time Should I Be There?

While this isn't the most sensational of the legendary (New York crime scene photographer) Wee Gee's photos, it is one of his most published and it bears the most interesting title, Human Head Cakebox Murder. Perfect name for a thrash metal or punk band.

I was watching the local (Chicago) news last night and a reporter was interviewing neighbors of a Park Ridge, Illinois (Hillary Clinton's hometown) man who had been murdered in the early morning hours. Many neighbors described being awakened by a popping sound and were genuinely astounded later to discover that such a nice guy had been murdered -- he owned a plumbing business. Maybe there was a business connection to the crime? Still, a real tragedy and one that would shake a small community to the core.

What really appalled me was, that, while a murderer was on the loose, the reporter and the station continued providing far too much specific detail about the neighborhood that could endanger the community further; for example, what the neighbors heard, what they might have seen, or where they lived in relation to the victim. The station even flashed their names across the screen! What the interviewer neglected to ask was what each neighbor might be serving for dinner that night. After all, murderers gotta eat too...

Kudos to the administrators of the private elementary school across the street from the scene. They had the sense to implement a phone tree to notify parents that the school would be closed for the day so the children wouldn't be curious about all the police cars (and yellow tape) or media vans parked outside.

Photo: Wee Gee, Human Head Cakebox Murder (1940)