It’s a horrible thing when a criminal case comes to our attention. First we are appalled, then curious and then … addicted. Take the Scott Peterson trial for example. The press jumped on this case because it happened in Modesto, CA where Rep. Gary Condit lives. They hoped he was somehow involved and could connect this case to that of Chandra Levy. They were wrong. However, the vast news coverage would have subsided on the Peterson case if we, the public, had not wanted to know. There are dozens of husbands accused of killing their wives each year in this country, but few have garnished the notoriety this trial has.

Other kinds of trials grab our attention too, such as the man with nine wives, a judge on trial for bribery, the Tri-State Crematory case, a teen accused of killing his grandparents, the Seattle Spammer trial, serial killers, hired hits and many more from coast to coast. Perhaps the most intriguing are trials where the accused is acquitted. The Jerry Dean case is a prime example. Jerry Dean was accused of killing a woman who filed a sexual harassment charge against him, but the jury found him not guilty and the case remains unsolved. Another intriguing case is the “Deer Hunters Trial” involving the Duvall brothers. Even after the criminal trial was over, civil cases, such as the wife of the victim suing the wife of the defendant, kept us glued.

Why are we so addicted? Some think it’s because we just can’t believe people are truly evil enough to commit such crimes. Others think it’s because we all have a streak of evil and wonder where the line is – that line most of us know not to cross. We wonder what snaps, what mental process occurs that allows one person to kill another. As well, some of us are looking for the perfect crime, the one prosecutors just can’t prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, even though we know the defendant is guilt. Sadly, some of us are addicted because a trial is in our area and touches us personally.

Whatever the reason, we are addicted and there is no known cure.