The Amish & Crime

Stories about the Amish as victims – or perpetrators – of crime.

iPods, Amish abuse, and sketchy journalism

ByErik Wesner

The stories are heartbreaking.  You feel for the victims.  It’s hard to imagine what they’ve been through. But at the same time, a 20/20 piece on Amish abuse from a few years back points to the generalizations that many journalists rely on to tell their story. The 20/20 folks lean heavily on cliches and misconceptions–from the ominous opening music, to the overplayed stories they trot…

Little Boy Blue

Little Boy Blue

ByErik Wesner
13 Comments

Convicted murderer Eli Stutzman, formerly of the Amish of Wayne County, Ohio, has died. His death has been ruled a suicide. The father of “Little Boy Blue”, suspected in three other deaths in addition to that of his son, killed himself in a Fort Worth, Texas apartment last week. Gregg Olsen, who chronicled the case in Abandoned Prayers, says the story might not be over. “I…