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You may remember my unboxings and reviews of this box a year ago- now I am bringing you one of their Mystery boxes!
I know that normally I cover beauty and lifestyle boxes, which I love and am passionate about, but I also have other interests and passions too.
Those of you who don't know me, I work in mental health and when I was doing my undergraduate degree, I specialised in Criminal and Forensic Psychology. I am fascinated by true crime, what makes criminals tick, why they do what they do etc and spend most of my free time reading true crime books, watching documentaries and researching cases that interest me.
Just Killin Time is a true crime subscription box containing hand picked and specially curated, mystery and collectible items every month- all related to true crime. A lot of the items are also exclusive to the box, or limited edition items such as tshirts and art prints to delight every true crime fan.
As always, I unboxed this on my YouTube channel and you can watch it here:
I received an email letting me know that they had mystery boxes for 50% off on their website for a limited time, so I swiftly parted with £15 (plus postage!) and eagerly awaited my box! I was so excited to get into this and potentially discover new cases I wasn't familiar with, as well as other items to add to my collection. I really like the design of the box, with the evidence seal tape and printed artwork on the box, it definitely sets the mood! I will go into a little detail on some of the cases mentioned and will also link to further reading for those of you who want to look into any of them a little more!
The first thing I took out was a magazine, which is actually a magazine I have bought a few times before- Real Crime. It is a great magazine, it covers a lot of different cases and areas of crime, so there is often articles about lesser known cases mixed in with some more well known ones. Definitely not for the faint hearted though!
There were some little extra's inside the box too, a Popsocket, a couple of badges and some stickers. I already have the Popsocket, which you attach to the back of your phone to help you hold onto it better and prevent you dropping it. It was printed with a similar design as the box itself, so definitely a quirky item that fits the theme perfectly! The first badge simply stated 'no comment'-something many criminals say during interrogation and the second badge was a silver background with a black fist design on it, which I believe is designed to show solidarity and support. After the events of the past year, it is definitely something we should all do! The stickers depicted a wanted poster of John Dillinger, an American gangster accused of robbing 24 banks and 4 police stations. He was also charged with the murder of a police officer, but was never convicted of the crime. He escaped prison twice and was eventually killed via gunshots. The second sticker states 'Hot for Holes. Fuck the Golden State Killer'. This is referring to former cold case investigator Paul Holes, who was known for helping to solve the 'Golden Sate Killer' case using advances in DNA and Genealogy. 'Golden State Killer' Joseph James DeAngelo is a serial killer, serial rapist, burglar and former police officer who committed at least 13 murders, 50 rapes and 120 burglaries across California in the 70's and 80's, however he was only apprehended in 2018. He was serving a life sentence for his crimes but has recently died in prison. The final sticker is in reference to the West Memphis 3 case. In 1993, 3 young boys were brutally murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas and in 1994, 3 teenage boys were convicted of the crimes. The conviction came with a lot of controversy however, as they evidence was dubious at best, leading to many people campaigning for their release, or a retrial. In 2011, they all entered an Alford Plea and were released. This case is certainly a difficult one, as 3 young boys lives were taken in such a horrific way but 3 young men were potentially convicted of a crime they didn't commit and were consequently robbed of a large part of their adult lives as a result. There has recently been new developments come to light and new pleas to test the evidence again- hopefully this can provide some closure for all involved.
There were also a couple of art prints too- one depicting Paul Holes (see above) and the other representing the Netflix series 'Don't F*** With Cats', which has been a huge hit! I haven't watched it myself as yet, I haven't been able to bring myself to as I have cats and I know it would upset me, so I am trying to build up to it! The case itself is a shocking one- in 2012, Luke Magnotta murdered Chinese computer engineering student Lin Jun, posting footage of the murder online and sending her dismembered body parts to different institutions- including the headquarters of the 2 main political parties in Canada. Prior to this, Magnotta had been posting disturbing videos of himself torturing and killing cats. Internet sleuths were concerned by these videos and feared that his behaviour would escalate, so they began a quest to track him down. After he committed the murder of Lin Jun, he fled to Europe but he was arrested- ironically whilst reading a news article about his crimes- and was sentenced to life in prison in 2014.
Along with the art prints, there were 4 postcard prints with the following: Amido Black (used to test for blood present in latent fingerprints), Diphenylamine (toxic substance present in gunshot residue), Acid Phospatase (used to identify the presence of semen) and Luminol (used to test for blood). These are certainly interesting and whilst I don't think I will send these out as postcards, they make for interesting art prints to display!
Up next, and a really interesting item, was the Just Killin Time 2022 calendar. You will have seen me going through this on the unboxing video. There were little activities for each month such as finishing off a drawing of high profile American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer as a Llama- so he's Dahmer the Llama. I think this is the perfect way to make him look like an idiot so we can have a laugh at his expense- which is the very least he deserves after his abhorrent crimes! Dahmer was known as the Milwaukee Cannibal and he murdered and dismembered 17 men and boys. Some of these murders also involved necrophilia, cannibalisation and preservation of body parts. Dahmer would pick up his victims in various bars around the city, taking them back to his apartment for sexual activity, often drugging them first before murdering them. There was also colouring in Ted Bundy, who I am sure needs no introduction! For those of you who may not be aware of him, he was a prolific American serial killer who kidnapped, raped, and murdered numerous young women and girls during the 1970s and possibly earlier. After more than a decade of denials, he confessed to 30 homicides, committed in seven states between 1974 and 1978. His true victim total is unknown, and could be much higher. This is definitely a different type of item and I have it on display in my room!
There is always a book included and this one is right up my street! A Special Place in Hell- The Worlds Most Depraved Serial Killers by Christopher Berry-Dee. I have read a few books by this author and I like his writing style, so I am excited to get stuck into this. The blurb on the back reads:
'Sunday Times bestselling author Christopher Berry-Dee is the man who talks to serial killers. A world-renowned investigative criminologist, he has gained the trust of murderers across the world, entered their high security prisons, and discussed in detail their shocking crimes.
The killers' pursuit of horror and violence is described through the unique audiotape and videotape interviews which Berry-Dee conducted, deep inside the bowels of some of the world's toughest prisons.
Christopher Berry-Dee has collated these interviews into this astounding, disturbing book. Not only does he describe his meetings with some of the world's most evil men and women, he also reproduces, verbatim, their very words as they describe their crimes, allowing the reader a glimpse into the inner workings of the people who have committed the worst crime possible - to mercilessly take the life of another human being'. I am definitely adding this to the top of the pile to read next!
There is usually an item of clothing or two inside and I was spoiled with 2 great items in my mystery box! The first was a snapback cap stating 'Hello, my name is True Crime Obsessed' and the second was a super comfy tshirt with the slogan 'Murder Shows and Comfy Clothes'. I love these and can definitely see myself wearing them.
Finally, there were some case cards to look over. These were 3 cases that I actually am not familiar with- which is unusual!
The first card talks about John Doyle Lee, a prominent early Latter Day Saint who later came to be known as the central figure in the Mountain Meadows Massacre, where 120 people from an emigrant group were killed in a four day siege as they camped in preparation for crossing the Mohave desert. John always denied his involvement, but was executed by firing squad on the site of the massacre 20 years after it happened.
The second case card was Ervil Lebaron, who was the leader of a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist group. He ordered the killings of many of his opponents- including his own brothers, daughter, 2 of his grandchildren and a great grandchild- and is considered by many to be a serial killer. He justified his actions as them being 'blood atonement'. He is currently in prison, however has written a book which included a hit list of more people he wanted killed. It is thought that at least 25 murders have taken place as a result of this hit list and many ex members of his group are in hiding for fear of retribution from remaining members.
The final case card was Henry Layer, who is responsible for one of the most horrific mass killings in North Dakota history. Henry had argued with his neighbour Jacob Wolfe, accusing the Jacob's dog of biting one of his cows. He then ignored requests to leave the property and so Jacob grabbed his shotgun to try and make Henry leave. Henry grabbed for the gun and struggle ensued, causing the gun to discharge twice. One of the bullets his Jacob's wife Beatta and the other hit chore boy, Jacob Hofer, killing them both. Jacob Wolfe fled to the yard and Henry found more ammunition for the gun before shooting Jacob twice, killing him. The couple's daughters- Edna (8), Maria (10), Bertha (13) and Lydia (6) were then shot and killed. The youngest child to be killed, Martha aged 3, was hit with a hatchet. The only survivor was 9 month old Emma, who was brought up by her aunt and uncle.
I have really enjoyed this box and typing out the review, I love things that are a little different and I find this sort of thing fascinating. If you like true crime, I think you will find it fascinating too. As I mentioned, this was a half price mystery box priced at £15- there are a few different levels of mystery box available at different price points but they do have a monthly subscription too.
The prices are as follows:
Infraction- a mini box offering a snippet of what the full box includes: £12.95 per month.
Misdemeanour- the full box, and what I have here: £29.95 per month.
Serial Offender- 6 month prepay: £173
Most Wanted- 12 month prepay: £335
Partners in Crime- recurring plan for 2 people: £59.90 per month.
I think for what you get in the box, the price is very reasonable. The items are all so relevant, interesting and a lot of them are exclusive and limited edition too.
I am thinking of starting another blog dedicated to true crime, conspiracies and unsolved mysteries- I have been considering it for a while and if I have the time etc to dedicate to it. I of course will not be abandoning this blog but I feel that including content like that on here would be too much of a mish mash and would take away from the purpose of this blog, so I will start a new one from scratch, I will link it here if I do decide to start it of course, and will continue to bring you reviews of amazing boxes and brands as always!