I think one of the eeriest stories I have ever heard was the story of Reyna Marroquin, a pregnant immigrant woman from El Salvador who vanished in the 1960s in New York. Her mummified body was found in a barrel 30 years later, inside a Jericho, New York, home. Detectives finally cracked the case in 1999. They say her married lover, Howard Elkins, a retired businessman, did it to cover up the affair and pregnancy from his wife. Elkins took his own life when he was confronted about the crime. The haunting story has been the subject of several true crime documentaries. I did not investigate this case but included it on my old true crime site to promote a true crime documentary that featured the case.  The Mystery When a mummy with a fetus inside is found in a barrel in a New York home, detectives uncover the identity of a beautiful immigrant who vanished three decades before. Reyna Marroquin: The Body in the Barrel When Reyna Marroquin arrived in New York in 1966, she hoped to find th...

According to Lifetime, the idea for the movie came from Alfred Hitchcock's movie The Wrong Man. Hitchcock's version was based on the true story of Christopher Balestrero, a man who was accused of robbery in New York during the 1950s. The Wrong Woman full movie Pictured here is Danica McKellar as a woman framed for an attempted murder that she didn't commit. The Wrong Man full movie is available on Amazon. The Wrong Man (1956) Hitchcock movie The 1956 version of The Wrong Man was an instant classic, and it was ripped from the headlines about a man who was falsely accused of a robbery. Old 1956 arrest photo This is the case that inspired Alfred Hitchcock to make the movie. On the left is the real robber. He was confused with Balestrero, the one on the right.

Originally Published: June 24, 2014   Original Publication: Examiner.com | Birmingham Examiner Byline: Author/Traciy Curry-Reyes;  Section: Crime & Courts Exondia Salado, aka Exondia Jaye Salado, was an African American woman who was convicted of shooting, dismembering, and barbecuing her Afro-Dominican husband, Manuel Emilio Salado, aka "Manny Salado," in 2007. Police say Exondia Salado was jealous and angry that her husband was going to leave her for another woman in the Dominican Republic. She was arrested for his murder in 2008 and convicted in 2011, according to News 6. Exondia was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. *Some documents refer to Exondia as Exonida. Exondia J. Links Salado case background: Exondia Salado was living with her husband, Army reservist Manuel Salado, in their Oklahoma City home in 2006. Exondia had met the Dominican man in a club off base years prior. The two hit it off and became lovers , then later married. Accord...

Originally Published: August 20, 2014  |  Original Publication: Examiner.com |Birmingham Examiner (AL) Author/Byline: Traciy Curry-Reyes;   Section: Movies Video Voyeur: The Susan Wilson Story is a fact-based movie based on the true story of Susan Wilson and Steven W. Glover. The movie Video Voyeur aired on Lifetime Television on Monday, January 21, 2002, according to The New York Times. The movie was advertised as based on a true story. Video Voyeur stars Jamey Sheridan, Dale Midkiff, and Angie Harmon as Susan Wilson. File Photo The truth finally becomes apparent as she notices that her trusted neighbor and good friend seems to know some very intimate details about her, leading Susan to wonder if it is just her imagination or simply paranoia. Video Voyeur: The Susan Wilson Story is based on the shocking video voyeurism crime that occurred in Susan Wilson's home in Monroe, Louisiana, in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That's when Susan Wilson discovered that Steven ...

A Stranger To Love is an original CBS movie based on the true story of James McDonnell.  Article Originally Published: May 19, 2014    Original Publication: Examiner.com | Birmingham Examiner  Byline: Author/Traciy Curry-Reyes;    Section: Movies A Stranger To Love first aired on Sunday, March 24, 1996. Occasionally, A Stranger To Love airs on the Lifetime Movie Network and the Hallmark Channel. The true-story family drama is directed by Peter Levin and written by Richard Leder. Beau Bridges, Tess Harper, Pam Dawber, and Billy Forester star in the movie, The New York Times reports. A Stranger To Love was based on a real true story A Stranger To Love synopsis/plot Adam, a restaurant owner and chef, loves his life and his family. But tragedy strikes after Adam is robbed during a carjacking. When a dead body turns up in the local river, he is declared dead. But a few years later, his family begins to believe that they may have buried the wrong person, and...

Originally published: June 20, 2016 Original publication: Examiner.com – Birmingham Crime Examiner | Section: Crime & Courts Byline: Traciy Curry-Reyes Lyntell Washington, a missing pregnant teacher from Louisiana who was later found dead, was killed by her married lover, Robert Marks, 39, an assistant principal at a middle school, WGRZ   reports. The 40-year-old Baton Rouge mother was shot and dumped in a sugar cane field, investigators say. Baton Rouge authorities were alerted that something was wrong after Lyntell Washington's three-year-old daughter was found walking around a parking lot aimlessly. When detectives arrived at the 11832 Newcastle Avenue location, the toddler, who was not harmed, told them that her mother was in the lake and that "Mr. Robbie" had hurt her. Mr. Robbie turned out to be Robert Marks, AKA Robert Javontie Marks, an assistant principal at the Brookstown Magnet Honors Academy middle school. Lyntell Washington's daughter last saw her...

Movies Based on True Stories History Timeline I began researching crime and movies in the 1990s and was the first to archive movies based on true stories, matching those stories to the real people who made headlines. (screenshots below of my archived websites. 2000 Created The Movies Based on True Stories Database at Geocities.com.   Movies Based on True Stories original site GeoCities 2000 Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 In 2009, Geocities.com announced they were closing. I moved all of my original research from Movies Based on True Stories/Index2000 to Blogger.com and changed the name to Movies Based on True Stories Database. I maintained that site until 2013-2014. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 2013-2014 Version page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22        2013--2015 Began writing crime and movie news fo...