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Podcast: Crime and the Courtroom
Episode: #100: "Wing Violence" and the Murder of Charlie Kirk
Description: In the 100th episode of Crime and the Courtroom, host John Collins pauses the celebration to examine the shooting death of Charlie Kirk in Utah and what it reveals about public safety, due process, and the health of civic life. Drawing on his experience in the Atlanta Olympic bombing investigation, Collins unpacks how early speculation and "wing violence" narratives can distort reality, feed polarization, and obscure root causes. He introduces the "event horizon" metaphor—the point where isolation, echo chambers, and performative media pull vulnerable people past reason—and argues that rigorous, respectful debate is a safeguard, not a thre...