This year, police around the world stayed busy investigating everything from literal porch pirates to brutal murders committed "out of curiosity."
Every year at All That’s Interesting, we cover countless news stories on topics ranging from scientific breakthroughs and archaeological discoveries to odd happenings around the world and strange, sometimes grisly crimes. Naturally, there are stories that we just can’t stop thinking about, even months after the fact.
The crime news stories featured in this list certainly fall into that category. Some of them are outright bizarre, while others are long-awaited conclusions to decades-old cold cases — but all of them are sure to be captivating.
From the true crime fanatic who committed murder to see how it would feel to the Florida men who waterboarded a stranger in an Airbnb, these are our nine most captivating crime news stories of 2023.
A True Crime Fanatic Was Arrested For Committing Murder ‘Out Of Curiosity’
Busan Metropolitan Police AgencyJung Yoo-jung was arrested for fatally stabbing a complete stranger “out of curiosity.”
“I think I was out of my mind,” said 23-year-old Jung Yoo-jung, a South Korean woman who confessed to murdering a tutor she met online “out of curiosity.”
Jung, a self-professed true crime fanatic, prepared for the murder meticulously. She searched the web for ways to hide a body and spent hours watching and reading true crime stories. Then, she masqueraded as a schoolgirl in need of a tutor, went to her chosen victim’s house, and stabbed her to death.
At a nearby store, she purchased bleach and trash bags, returned to the victim’s home, and dismembered her. Jung’s crucial mistake, however, came when she hired a taxi to take her to a wooded area — with a suitcase full of body parts in hand.
The taxi driver found her suspicious and alerted the authorities, who then found the victim’s bloody clothes and parts of her body and promptly arrested Jung.
“We are conducting tests to see if she is a psychopath,” a police representative said at the time.
An Instagram Influencer Killed Her ‘Doppelgänger’ In Order To Fake Her Own Death
TikTokKhadidja O., the victim, was another beauty blogger.
In February 2023, a German-Iraqi Instagram beauty influencer identified only as Shahraban K. was accused of murdering another beauty blogger, Khadidja O. The reason? Shahraban wanted to fake her own death — and Khadidja happened to look just like her.
Dubbed the “Doppelgänger Murder” by the German press, the incident was equal parts bizarre and gruesome. When police discovered the victim’s body inside Shahraban’s Mercedes, she had been stabbed more than 50 times, to the point that her face was unrecognizable.
Shahraban allegedly committed the murder to escape troubles at home and had previously tried to lure as many as five other women to a similar fate. She also reportedly recruited her friend, Sheqir K., to help her.
A Georgia Man Stole His Neighbor’s Entire Porch
Coweta County Sheriff’s OfficeRobin Swanger was charged with one count of felony theft and two counts of domestic violence.
Robin Swanger, a resident of Arnco, Georgia, was arrested in August 2023 for stealing his neighbor’s entire front porch from their property.
“It’s a full-size 8-by-10 porch. It would be what goes onto a house for entrance and exit,” Coweta County Sheriff’s Office investigator Chris Stapler said at the time. “Very well-constructed.”
The porch was valued at approximately $3,000, and although the house was no longer on the property, the owner said Swanger would have passed several “no trespassing” signs in order to get to the structure.
Police ultimately arrested Swanger several days after the theft when they responded to a call about a domestic dispute at his home. There, they found him mid-altercation with his wife, throwing rocks at the house. He attempted to flee the scene but was apprehended by officers.
