By Tamara Leigh Young, PhD, City of Destin Public Information Director
“I think it’s fantastic to have a real expert who is delving into a real unsolved case,” said Amy Adams, Destin Library Assistant. “You’re not only learning fascinating details about crime solving, but you also have the opportunity to possibly help justice be served. Too cool!”
It may not sound like the typical Library discussion, but the criminal focus is thanks to Michael Yoder, a 20-year veteran with the FBI who now shares his knowledge in victimology with the Destin community. He has set up a wildly successful True Crime Club at the Destin Library, amassing over 160 members to date.
It’s one of many groups who utilize space at the Destin Library. There’s also the annual AARP free tax service meeting, the Daughters of the American Revolution setting up displays for patriotic holidays, the snowbirds who utilize the place in January, and more.
It’s a space where everyone can find their own form of sanctuary.
Yoder credits the Library with finding him a free space to host monthly meetings, and he said Skylar Dennis, Library Technology & Programming Specialist, immediately helped him when he rang the Library phone number asking about reservation options. “I couldn’t have started this Club without the Library’s help.”
From the standpoint of Dennis, it’s a win-win. “I love that the True Crime Club is engaging people in the community that have never been to the Library before,” she said. “Several people have come in for the Club and gotten Library cards.”
Wen Livingston, Library Director, echoes this. “I’m delighted that people are enjoying the Club, and we have community members willing to provide their time to create interesting events. Michael Yoder also spent some time with me looking at the building and suggesting ways to make it safer and the best rooms to go to if there is an active shooter or other emergency.”
Despite retiring some time ago, Yoder can’t help but share his expertise. The last eight years of his FBI time was spent as a criminal profiler with the BAU. Perhaps due to the popularity of shows like “Criminal Minds”, the BAU – Behavioral Analysis Unit – has gained plentiful followers. But with that, there are also misconceptions.
“Murder is not an FBI thing,” explains Yoder. “It’s a local or state crime. The FBI only gets involved in murder cases at the request of police.”
Yoder said one of his more memorable cases took place when he was working for the Crimes Against Adults Unit. There was a case about 13 years old (which means 13 years cold), and Yoder received a call from a police department that “provided their theory that a small group of young adults was responsible for killing this woman. She was in a wheelchair and killed in her home while sleeping.”
After investigating, he was able to dismantle the entire theory and come up with a new one that matched the killing to one individual, and the police were able to pin that person – a scorned suitor of the woman’s daughter – and get a conviction.
“Imagine if you were suspected of a murder you didn’t commit; imagine that shadow hanging over you,” said Yoder. “Five or so people were exonerated because I was able to debunk a theory.”
Those memories provide great satisfaction, but Yoder knew he needed something to occupy his mind upon retirement. He also knew with the national true crime trend, that he should get a group of like-minded folks together.
“The first thing was determining a location,” said Yoder. “I wasn’t going to spend my own money on a room. I’m too much of a cheapskate.”
Hence, the True Crime Club at the Library was born.
“The first couple of meetings, for the first hour, I talked about what I want this Club to be. I talked about goals. The second hour I taught a class. I do teach at the University of West Florida – in their criminal justice department – so I spent the second hour teaching pure civilians on criminal justice concepts.”
The first class was on ‘No Body Homicide,’ which means a person is missing, you think they are dead, but there is no body. “People think if you don’t have a body, you can’t charge with murder, and that’s not true,” said Yoder. “We talked about the misconceptions of No Body Homicides, and that was a pretty rowdy class with lots of questions.”
After a few months of meeting, Yoder said he didn’t have to do much at all. “By that time, we found a Club president who is good with investigations, we found a case for the group members to take up, I interjected with opinions and concepts, and then I got to sit back and enjoy.”
At present, the majority of the monthly meeting time is made up of updates on the real cases that they work on as a Club. He said they pick the cases to have a focus on victimology. “It’s not to solve a case, not to find a whodunnit, just to work on victimology.
In my experience, working with hardcore homicide detectives, many times they gloss over victimology as if it’s not necessary. I have found that when you understand victimology, you get a better understanding of the crime.”
The True Crime Club’s first big case is somewhat local, a Panhandle Florida case, and it’s within the last 10 years. That helps the group members utilize Internet skills, explained Yoder.
“I’m truly amazed at the direction of this Club,” said Yoder. “We’re finding some real hard-core, true crime researchers amongst the group. Law enforcement is usually close to the vest people, and they don’t want to share, and there are legitimate reasons for that. With that in mind, we’re going to work hard to get as much information as we can get, put it in a packet and try to get a meeting with the lead detective at that agency, just as a gift. They will see the value of our work, and if they’d be willing to share certain specific answers to some specific questions, we’d be willing to go further with our work.”
Yoder doesn’t mind that he’s leveraging a bit with the BAU’s connection. He explains that it’s that same reputation that got him and others in the doors of cases for years. “We’re the Hail Mary’s of homicide investigations. When a police department is completely depleted of leads, when they have nowhere else to go, the easiest thing they can do is call the BAU. It gets us in the door, and, hopefully, we come up with some suggestions and new leads for them.”
The True Crime Club will take a break in December, as Yoder wants to let people enjoy their holiday season. But, the Club will kick back in during January. The Library will have been re-carpeted, people will have missed their book club discussions, and a new year brings new hope and perhaps new solving of crimes.
Of course, the new year will also bring continued community involvement with other groups.
“Beginning in January, we will have Josh Hipp, a licensed financial planner, offering free, monthly classes,” said Amy Adams. “His first class will cover estate planning including probate, long-term care, and strategies to avoid federal estate taxes. He just moved to the area and has a lot of experience giving these classes to Library audiences.”
And, as always, there will be the Amateur Authors Writers group and other active community groups.
We’d all scream bloody murder to say there was nothing going on at the Destin Library.
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