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Journalism of Courage
Some experiences and incidents, though seemingly innocuous, can leave a lasting impact on us. And often, we realise the seriousness of a situation and the impending danger in it only in retrospect. Not only that, sometimes it can lead to the realisation that you were tangentially part of an iconic event. Jamilah King, a New York City writer, recently recounted a similar experience when, she, all of 11 years, had met a “serial killer.” “Hi. I have a story to tell about meeting a serial killer. It’s nuts. But it’s true. So here goes,” she starts her story, adding that she was practising basketball when she noticed a man watching her. “He’s older than me, an adult, but still pretty young. He’s wearing a long dark green coat. He’s standing on the sideline, between the park’s grass and the court,” she writes.
Now, the man she writes about is none other than Andrew Cunanan, the serial killer who murdered five people, fashion designer Gianni Versace and Chicago tycoon Lee Miglin. It was only when she saw Cunanan’s mug shot on TV recently and heard about the movie being made on Versace that she joined the dots.
Back in 1997, unnerved, she recounts how she was about to leave the place when he stopped her, praised her and gave her $1. After much trepidation, she took it but she did sense something amiss. “Anyway, I run up and take the dollar from the dude, barely looking at him. And then I hop on my bike and speed away,” she writes. Later, when there was “a manhunt for some guy who’s going on this cross-country murder spree,” did she realise that it was the same man who she had met. King later confided in her friends, but no one believed her. Finally, she writes, “believe your friends when they tell you crazy shit happens.”
