In a story titled “Death In A Bottle,” People Magazine (January 6, 2006) gives two pages to the case of James Keown, the Jeff City talk-show host accused of poisoning his wife. Not sure why this case qualifies for the Big Media Treatment but I’m guessing it does/will. Is it the talk radio thing? Poisoned Gatorade? Whatever, I’m guessing it’s not good –from a legal defense perspective– to see your client’s face in People. A bail hearing is set for January 4th.
UPDATE: June 8, 2022 – Not sure how I stumbled upon it but an interesting update (and book review) from 2021.
I was called by People Magazine so that they could get a statement from me about this story. It’s dumb that they don’t have any other stories so they have to bring his up. They had nothing else to write about. Too bad most of the information was incorrect!
Yes, but why this story? There must be dozens (hundreds?) of similar crimes from which the People editors could have chosen. What was it about this case that prompted them to go with it? Certainly tragic, but –sadly– routine. Or so I would have thought.
Why is it getting big media treatment? I’d think you would be the one to point this out: If it bleeds, it leads. Particularly since we are all suffering from outrage fatigue in the national spotlight these days. We need something fresh! Why not shovel up some juicy intrigue from the hinterlands?