5 Lessons I Learned as a Murder Investigator
By Ellison Cooper
July 13, 2018Read Ellison Cooper's exclusive guest post about what she learned as a murder investigator, then make sure you're signed in and comment below for a chance to win a copy of her debut novel, Caged!
Now that I’ve written my debut crime thriller, I’ve been reflecting on the lessons I learned as a murder investigator and how those lessons shaped my writing.
I began investigating Class 1 Felonies in Washington, D.C., in the early ‘90s when D.C. was considered the “murder capital” of the United States. Over 450 murders, mostly gang-related, were committed the year that I showed up at the ripe old age of 24 to work as the legal equivalent of a private investigator for the Public Defender’s Service (PDS). With nothing but my admission letter to Georgetown Law School, a deep well of idealism about the criminal justice system, and a laminated card declaring me an investigator, I set out into the worst neighborhoods of D.C. to investigate murder.
Before I went out in the field, the PDS provided me with a few weeks of training in the techniques and legal technicalities of the job. During that training, I learned more about the criminal justice system than I learned in any law school class. For example, a huge part of my job was to make sure I didn’t accidentally take a written statement that implicated our client so that we wouldn’t have to share that information with the prosecution during discovery (basically, when the defense and prosecution have to share information with each other). My first lesson:
1. The tension between police, prosecutors, and defense lawyers is not a fiction created by TV drama. The adversarial criminal justice system is often genuinely adversarial.
After training, I was given a partner, and we were assigned three lawyers to assist. On my first day in the field, I spent the entire afternoon playing with a toddler—definitely not what I expected. We needed to get a written statement from the child’s mother about a drive-by shooting she had witnessed, and we didn’t want the little girl to be there during that detailed conversation. So, I took the girl in the other room to play while my partner took the mother’s statement.
After the interview, we learned that the toddler had actually witnessed the murder firsthand. Even later, I learned that she was the victim’s daughter. That giggling little girl had watched her own father gunned down right in front of her. My first day turned out to be a perfect introduction to my second lesson:
2. Investigating murder is an inherently heartbreaking, gut-wrenching job. Something I try to remember when I’m writing about all the people involved, from cops to innocent bystanders.
While I spent some time on stakeouts and interviewing suspects, the vast bulk of what I did was tracking down and taking statements from witnesses, building a timeline of the events surrounding the murder, and requesting case files in the courthouse. Between all the mundane legwork, I did have a gun pulled on me, and I was almost caught up in an ATF raid. Lesson number three:
3. Investigation involves day after day of tedium punctuated by very brief moments of abject terror!
My experiences absolutely changed my perspective on the criminal justice system. I struggled with things I saw on both sides of the fence of the adversarial court system, and I realized that I didn’t actually want to become a lawyer (hello Ph.D. in anthropology instead). Despite the flaws I saw in the system, I was awed by the amazing lawyers, police, and judges that I met. Which leads to my fourth lesson:
4. The criminal justice system works because of the blazing icons of idealism and dedication that make it happen every day.
Despite the tedium, it really was incredible opening a new file and reading reports, taking witness statements, processing crime scene data, watching autopsies, and compiling all the information gathered during a murder case. So, last but not least, my fifth lesson:
5. Despite the gut-wrenching horror of any murder, the investigative process really is like a puzzle that needs to be pieced together to tease out the truth.
That human drama coupled with the questions surrounding any murder (especially the who and why) is ultimately why I love reading, and now writing, mysteries!
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Comments are closed.
Interesting insight from someone that is or was on the job.
Thank you,
Exciting and realistic book to read!
Informative post – thank you.
Interesting!
I find criminology, investigation, and forensics, very fascinating. Your book would be fabulous to read…
Many thanks, Cindi
A fascinating and intriguing feature and giveaway which I would enjoy greatly.
Oh, this is on my TBR list! I’d love to win this one!
Cannot wait to read caged!
So excited to read this!
This book sounds awesome! I love thrillers!
I can’t wait to read this book from an authority on the subject
I would love to win a copy of caged!
Wow! This background makes this a highly anticipated author for me to read. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
My wife and I are both looking forward to reading this!
Your experience makes me want to read this even more!
Count me in, please!
I would love to win this book!
Thank you for the opportunity to win!
We live in nearby Chantilly, VA and would like to read about places in D.C. We have visited. We’d like to move back to SF Bay Area. HOw did you do it?
This was fascinating! Thank you for sharing your experience.
We live in nearby CHantilly, VA and would like to read about D.C. Places we have visited.
Can’t wait to read this!
We live in Darby
We live in nearby Chantilly, VA
I’ve just been reading Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and the parallel interests of crime investigators, lawyers, and the criminal justice system sounds like it would have interesting connections.
Wow very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Interesting to here about the real deal.
Definitely want to read Caged now because your writing must have extraordinary details based on your extensive background. Thanks for the opportunity!
Nothing better than first-hand experience when writing about criminal investigation. I would ADORE a copy of this to read and review on my blog!
Excellent info , very informative .
Would love the book .
I recently watched DVDs of all the episodes of “Bones” and “The Mentalist,” so I’m now an expert on these matters!
Looks interesting. I am sure that your insight and experience help in writing a realistic, suspenseful book. I’d love to read it.
My favorite type of books – from someone who has been there!!
Our justice system is certainly a behemoth. Everyone connected to any crime is changed by that crime. It’s one of the reasons I like crime procedurals that mimic real life.
looking forward to this debut – sounds like Ellison Cooper knows what she is talking about – this would certainly add an air of authenticity to her work
Interesting article!
looking forward to reading this book.
I would love to read Caged!
I would love to win a copy of CAGED!!!
This sounds great!
Investigating a murder is a sad experience because, despite detachment, the fact remains that a person died before his/her time.
This sounds great, especially with your first hand experience!!!! Would love the opportunity to read this!!
Great essay about the inside world of crime investigation.
Thgis is very interesting. I would love to read this book.
This would be a great book to read and report on for my book club.
I appreciate your focus on the people behind the crime. So often, we get caught up in the drama and scandal of a murder, and forget that there are real human beings involved.
So interesting!! I couldn’t imagine what they go threw doing these jobs. Thanks for the chance!
Interesting insite! Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Interesting perspective. Would be nice to see how this carries over into your writing.
it’s nice to have a real life look at crime as a background when reading fictional mysteries, as a way of being able to judge its closeness to real life circumstances, as opposed to exaggerated or even ludicrous scenarios .
This sounds so interesting!!
Intriguing novel by an author with firsthand experience in the trenches
Looking forward to it.
This sounds intense and awesome!
interesting
Intriguing novel by an author who knows a murder investigation firsthand by working in the trenches
kwarren.kw13@gmail.com
Awesome insights! Looks like an interesting read. Thanks for the opportunity to win
Nice to hear from the perspective of someone who has been there.
Absolutely fascinating! Can’t wait to read.
Sounds like an interesting read.
Fascinating!!
Knowing the author has an intimate knowledge of the subject they are writing about always makes reading it a more enjoyable experience. Thank you for sharing your insight.
I found it at my library so no need to include me in the drawing.
Your insights/lessons have now wetted my appetite to read your book.
Very interesting post. Looking forward to reading Caged!
I’d like to read this book.
The chase for truth .
i found your blog very interesting and now I am intrigued about your book that I cannot wait to read!
Can’t wait to read CAGED.
I would love to win your book to read. I am an avid reader and absolutely love mysteries. Thanks for the chance.
Such an interesting post! I would LOVE to read Caged!! THANKS!
Looking forward to reading Caged… Thank you for the informative post and the entry opportunity!
Be. A. Awesome. Career choice. A. Real. Csi. Loved. That. Show
I would love the chance to read this and share my thoughts with my very active online book club with over 10K members!
I will love this because I adore Louise Penny’s works!
Great insight
thegraws@comcast.net
Fascinating stuff!
Fascinating and important work. I really want to read your book.
Would love to win!
I can’t imagine what a terribly hard job that would be emotionally. Only in fiction would I even be able to be part of that world. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of this excellent book.
Can’t wait to read.
I will move this book up in my stack of intringing reads!
Intriguing.
This sounds very interesting and would love to read it.
I can’t wait to read this book. It is gonna be one great read.
I will move this up in my stack of intringing reads.
I love a puzzle. It sounds as though this would be a great read for me!
Crossing my fingers!
I do like solving puzzles, but I’ll keep my crime in books, like this one.
Nice
I would love to get firsthand experience. Thank you for sharing yours.
I am very intrigued by the inside workings of the criminal justice system. I love your insights. I can’t wait to read your book. Thank you.
I am excited to read Caged.
This was a very interesting read! I’m looking forward to reading Caged. I just borrowed it from the library.
Looks like a great book!
Sounds like an awesome read!! Adding to my TBR list!
Looking forward to reading Caged! It looks like my kind of book!!
You have great insight into the investigative and legal process and I can’t wait to read the book.
I retired from the Juvenile Unit of the Police Department and as bad as I witnessed, I imagine you saw a lot worse. This book sounds like one I will definitely be reading and I’ll set aside a huge block of time so that I won’t be disturbed while reading.
great interview
Love to try your new book.
Thx for the info! Interesting to read from the woman-on-the-street perspective.
Thank you for sharing your experience and thank you for the chance to win your debut. Congratulations!
I’m in the process of reading a mystery/crime about a murder investigator.All 5 of the things you spoke about have been in that story……wow. Your book is on my “to read” list……..can’t wait to finish the stories.
Looks like a great book full of interesting information. Would love a chance to read.
It will be exciting to read a debut crime mystery written by someone who went through actual training! Can’t wait!
This book sounds like a fantastic read, hope i win!
Wonderful post. I’m intrigued.
You truly have an inside perpective. I think the hardest part of being an investigator would be keeping some sort of empathy. I think seeing the traumatic would desynthetize an investigator. Sometimes it’s hard to hold on to our humanity. Caged sounds like a winner and Congrats on your first book. That’s an accomplishment.
I took a Murder/Violent Crime class while working on my degree. You truly are an amazing person to do what you’ve done, and brave! I worked two years as a Sheriff Deputy and now do Adult Protective Services. It is humbling to deal with people when they are at their worst.
Interested.
Interesting post.
Please enter me in this sweepstakes.
Thanks!
I like the 2nd point she made. So often I get wrapped up in the mystery and the story, and I forget that real-life murder has real-life consequences. It’s important to remember that crimes involve real people with real heartache, grief, and death.
I’d enjoy reading this kind of book by someone who knows how these investigations go in real life.
Sounds interesting. Thanks for the chance!
excellent post
I can’t help but wonder how that child behaved that afternoon…she saw her father killed and was separated from her mother for a long time while the mother was giving her statement. Sometimes the effects appear later, I would think. Depends on the age and the child’s personality, I suppose.
I am looking forward to anything you write – judging by this post, all will be interesting to me.
Goes to show .. not all teaching can be read in books.. thanks for sharing your experiences.. Can’t wait to read your book
fascinating backround
This has got to be so fascinating!
Looks really good
I’m sure this would be a fascinating read–all the more since it’d be so grounded in reality.
Sounds like my kind of book, written by someone who has actually been there and done it.
Already have this on my tbr!!
This sounds like a “cannot put down” book! Thanks for this chance!
Always love crime/mystery books written by folks with relevant backgrounds. It adds an interesting flavor to their writing. I bet “Caged” will be a great read!
Looks like a page turner. I can’t wait to read!!
This is the sort of book I really enjoy reading. For me, a person’s experiences in such an interesting field is an absorbing read.
Quite a background of experience – mostly tedium, a few moments of terror, sums it up.
Thank you for the wonderful lessons you posted. I had thought of going into the legal field then changed my mind because of those reasons. I look forward to reading your first book.
Interesting. I imagine the book will be equally informative.
Hmm … analytical.
Very interesting article. I will definitely read Caged – would be great to win a copy!
Very interesting article. I will definitely read Caged – would be great to win a copy!
I absolutely cannot wait!!!!
Wow! You must have had an amazing 1st. career. I’ll certainly be reading your new novel.
Wow! You must have had an amazing 1st. career. I’ll certainly be reading your new novel.
Fascinating article
This is the field my daughter is studying. Sorry to hear it is so tedious
It will be nice to read a story about the criminal justice system written by someone who was in it and understands how it really works. Hope I win a copy of Caged!
Murder investigation is one of my favorite genres and I am excited for Caged!!!
Interesting! Now I really want to read this!
Fascinating insights/lessons. I have great admiration for those who pursue and continue working in the criminal justice system. I look forward to reading Caged.
As the daughter of a prosecutor/now bookstore owner, I completely understand the pressure placed on investigators. Everyone wants answers and they want them yesterday. I/mother’s bookstore manager, am looking forward to this read!
Having beeb a prosecutor, your points wring true.
Sounds like an interesting read.
Definitely need to read Caged…looks like interesting book.
This was interesting from an investigator’s point of view, and as the sister of a murder victim from the 80’s, I respect all of the hours that go into an investigation.I worked in federal prisons for a number of years, which was also quite an eye-opener.
book sounds great thanks
Such a needed, heartbreaking and even terrifying profession. Very excited to read Caged with the personal point of view from your experience.
Interesting insight into this profession. Looking forward to reading the book
It sounds like Law & Order is not far from real life!
Great article! Sounds like an interest book!
Very interesting and informative post !!!
I can’t wait to delve into Caged!
Wow, I’d love to read a new crime novel and I’m local so this would really be a treat! Thanks for the chance and good luck with your debut novel.
I loved you sharing the information with us. Can’t wait to read Caged! Your book sounds amazing. Thank you for the giveaway.
Your experience enables you to lend so much validity to a story – can’t wait to read Caged! and share it with the Forensic Science teachers at my school!
Can ‘t wait to start reading this book,sounds like it may be my best new summer read!
a subject I never tire of hearing or reading about
Wow! You sound like a very well-rounded lady! Would love to read your book!
This is useful insight.I can see how your experience would help with the writing of realistic fiction. Caged is on my to read list.
I think #2 is so important, and it’s good to read books written by someone who is aware of that truth.
sounds interesting
Fingers crossed
Sounds like a good book.
Looking forward to reading your debut crime thriller!
Sounds captivating to be able to include realistic details
Looks like this would be a very interesting read!
This book sounds like it would be fascinating. I have always been interested in the possibility of brain differences between those of us who are criminals and those who are not.
Very interesting facts. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing. I love to read both fictional and true crime books, and I am grateful that my experience ends there.
thanks for the chance
I’d love to read this since the author has so much experience.
Really enjoyed reading the article. I,m looking forward to reading the book. Wish me luck!
I’d love to read Caged. Sounds great!
I always wondered about that antagonistic relationship between law and lawyers. Thanks for the info and the giveaway!
I have always been fascinated by murder investigations, forensic science, etcetera. My favorite show as a child was Quincy M.D. Solving these terrible crimes is obviously fulfilling, and gut wrenching all at once. I admire those who work so diligently to bring about justice, and speak for the victims. I would be thrilled to win a copy of Caged!
I can’t wait to read it.
I have read so many book reviews where the author’s research on the subject matter was so meticulous and well done that it really enhanced the reading experience. Of course, you have taken that to a whole other level. Looking forward to Caged.
Thanks for the opportunity to win “Caged”.
I started out in forensic anthropology but soon realized I couldn’t deal with the families of the victims so I switched to archaeology. Now all the bodies I deal with have been dead for 2000 years! No living relatives. 🙂
Always loved the start of an investigation. Looking forward to this book!
looks very good
Good to read about what happens behind a crime scene.
Every time I read a debut novel I go on to read all their novels in the future. This one sounds really good!
I think I would like this book.
looks like a great read. thank you
thanks for the chance to learn about this and the background.
Such an interesting topic.
Fantastic!
Absolutely love reading pieces from people such as yourself that have in field experience. It truly allows me to be enveloped within the story. Bravo!
Fascinating read!!
Had to smile……i used to be a Guardian ad Litem and interviewed multiple children who, too often and sadly, had witnessed things they shouldn’t have. Was also a paralegal for almost 30 years and completely understand your outlook on the legal system.