Two University of West Florida professors, Dr. Richard Hough and Dr. Kimberly McCorkle
wrote a textbook “American Homicide” to fill a gap in the publishing market.
“Existing books tend to focus on serial killers, mass murders, school shootings and cult killings,” Hough said. “People fear these things, but they actually make up a very small percentage of homicides.”
The book explores how and why people kill and how crimes are investigated and prosecuted. McCorkle said she and Hough wanted to offer a more balanced view of homicide that concentrated on the most common types of murder in the United States, confrontational homicide and intimate-partner homicide.
The text also covers the procedures of investigating and prosecuting a crime.
“Really a lot of us have grown up watching the television shows and the movies that glamorize the role of the homicide detective or instill us with the fear of the random murderer,” Hough said.
In the book, Hough and McCorkle disabuse these notions and offer insight into the investigative process that involves aspects such as witnesses, technology, victims and what a detective actually does to bring a case to closure.
Hough is a criminal justice instructor with more than 30 years of experience as a law enforcement officer and trainer. McCorkle is the associate dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies and a former state prosecutor.
The two authors will answer questions about the new textbook “American Homicide” during a forum. The event is at 4 p.m. March 24 in Building 70, Room 115 on the UWF campus, 11000 University Parkway in Pensacola.
This article is part of a collaboration between WUWF and the UWF Center for Research and Economic Opportunity.
