‘Killer Mix Vol.1’ (2004) is a cassette mix tape of songs that have been associated with true crime stories. While some of the tracks featured meaningfully in the

crime and its aftermath, other tracks were favourites of the killer or random songs that happened to be playing on the stereo at the time of the crime. On ‘Killer Mix

Vol. 1’, tunes by Mariah Carey bump up against tracks from AC/DC, putting to death the assumption that it is violent music that causes violent crime.

Killer Mix Vol. 1 (2004) Soda_Jerk Cassette Mix Tape Dur. 30mins

1. ONE SWEET DAY Mariah Carey In July 2001, 21-year-old SEF GONZALES butchered his mother, father and 18-year-old sister in their Sydney home. A compulsive liar and egomaniac, Gonzales easily played the role of the ‘only surviving victim’. He sang Mariah Carey’s One Sweet Day at his family’s funeral, and later lied that he had been offered a recording contract as a result of his stellar performance.  2. CARELESS WHISPERS George Michael The “Lake Waco Murders” in 1982 saw 3 teenagers brutally murdered and their bodies dumped by the Texan lake. MUNEER DEEB, a convenience store owner, had hired some men to kill a young woman. But in a case of mistaken identity (and overkill) the three teenagers were killed instead. During his trial, he arranged for a record of George Michael’s Careless Whispers to be sent to one of the witnesses as a warning not to testify against him. 3. FATHER FIGURE George Michael In January 1992, 4 teenagers lured 12 year-old high school student Shanda Sharer out for a night on the town. The four girls then beat Shanda, stuffed her still-breathing body in the boot of their car, tortured her, and finally set her alight. The ringleader, MELINDA LOVELESS was a disturbed teenager with a major “father complex” with her violent, sexually abusive dad. She was obsessed with George Michael’s song Father Figure, and when she sang along to it she altered the words so it was about her and her dad. 4. JEREMY Pearl Jam In 1996, 14 year-old BARRY LOUKAITIS dressed up like a gunslinger from the Wild West and went into his algebra class in Moses Lake, Washington. Concealed in his long duster were two pistols, 78 rounds of ammunition, and a high-powered rifle.  Loukaitis shot 3 students as well as his teacher, who took a bullet in the back as she was writing a maths problem on the blackboard. At his trial, his defence blamed the boy’s obsession with the Pearl Jam song Jeremy. 5. NIGHT PROWLER AC/DC In 1985 the “Night Stalker” RICHARD RAMIREZ went on a 5-month killing spree in L.A. In a series of home invasions, he attacked indiscriminately, killing 16 people in total. He often carried his Walkman with him, listening to AC/DC’s Night Prowler. His first victim to escape also described him as wearing a baseball cap with an AC/DC insignia on it.  6. INSANE IN THE BRAIN Cypress Hill On a summer night in 1993, high school “bully” BOBBY KENT was murdered by 7 of his peers, including his best friend. His battered body was dumped in a swamp in the hope that alligators would eat it. Driving in a red Mustang on the way to the murder scene, the kids listened to a cassette tape of Cypress Hill’s track Insane in the Brain, and sang along.            7. FINALLY FOUND Honeyz In March 1999, 15 year-old Melbourne dance student Rachel Barber was strangled by 20-year-old CAROLINE REID. Motivated by single-white-female style envy, Reid was particularly jealous of the victim’s good looks and long-time boyfriend. At her funeral Honeyz’s track Finally Found was played, as Barber had dedicated this song to her boyfriend the previous year.            8. WHEN DOVES CRY Quindon Tarver (Romeo & Juliet Soundtrack)  After being suspended for bringing a gun to school in 1998, KIPLAND KINKEL arrived at Thurston High School in Springfield, and opened fire on a room filled with students. He killed 2 and injured 25 with his semi-automatic rifle. Earlier that morning at home, he had also murdered both his parents, after which he put the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack on repeat and left for school. 9. FANFARE FOR THE COMMON MAN Aaron Copeland In February 1983, homosexual necrophiliac DENNIS NEILSON confessed to the strangulation of 15 men over a period of four years. He would dress the corpses in socks and vests, using them as “company” for as long as he could. He admitted to watching television and listening to music with them, often Copeland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. 10. HYSTERIA Def Leopard When arrested by the Milwaukee police in July 1991, the “Cannibal Killer” JEFFERY DAHMER had a severed head in the refrigerator, 2 more in the freezer, and 2 skulls and a skeleton in a filing cabinet. Other human remains were hidden in plastic boxes and drums. Among the other items that police confiscated was the Def Leopard album Hysteria. The title track was singled out by Dahmer’s father as one he was particularly fond of listening to.      11. COP KILLER Ice T While on patrol in July 1992, 2 Las Vegas police officers were shot by 4 teens who boasted that Ice T's track Cop Killer gave them a sense of duty to get even with "a fucking pig". They continued to sing its lyrics when apprehended. 13. SUICIDE SOLUTION Ozzy Osbourne In October 1984, John McCollum shot himself after spending the day listening to Ozzy Osbourne records. A year later, McCollum’s parents filed suit against Ozzy and CBS Records, alleging that the song Suicide Solution contributed to their son’s death. The case was eventually thrown out of court.   14. LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME ABBA In a memo, necrophiliac killer DENNIS NEILSON (see also Track 9) wrote that the realisation of the enormity of his crimes was triggered when he heard the ABBA track Lay All Your Love On Me on a prison radio.