Resource Center

Stories

The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast.

These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need.

Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:



Search results for "hitman" ...

  • Dr. Death and His Accomplice

    CBS News 60 Minutes tells the story of Dr. Larry Ford, a gynecologist who hired a hitman to kill his business partner and committed suicide after police connected him to the attempted hit. "When police went to search Dr. Ford's home in Irvine, CA, they found guns and explosives buried in his backyard and a cache of biological agents -- including botulism, salmonella, cholera and typhoid -- in his refrigerator. Police found evidence that Dr. Ford had allegedly poisoned women with some of his germs or chemicals, and (60 Minutes) discovered that a number of female acquaintances of his had long-term debilitating symptoms which rendered them legally disabled. Tips poured in to local police that Dr. Ford had military and intelligence connections, and that he had worked for South Africa's apartheid-era bio-warfare program. (60 Minutes) discovered strong evidence linking Dr. Ford to the leader of the South African program, Dr. Wouter Basson, who has been dubbed 'Dr. Death' by the African press, for his mandate to kill blacks and other opponents of the white-ruled government."

    Tags: Dr. Larry Ford; Dr. Wouter Basson; Irvine; California; war; South Africa; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT

    By Robert Zimet;Chris Everson;William Cassara;Anton Van der Merwe;Stefan Springman;Christie Gripenburg;Jennifer Sherwood;Peter Klein

    CBS News 60 Minutes

    2002

  • Under Cover

    Milwaukee magazine tells the story of an under cover cop Eric Szatkowski who takes on different personas to catch criminals. He acts a hitman, porn surfer or a drug dealer to apprehend criminals.

    Tags: cop; under cover; FBI; police; investigation; detective; porn surfer

    By Kris Radish

    Milwaukee magazine

    2000

  • Death of an Heiress

    Jeanne Tovrea, the widow of one of the state's pioneer cattlemen, was killed as she slept in her gated community in April 1988. In 1995 police arrested a man on first-degree murder charges. The New Times was given complete access to the files amassed in the case (public and sealed), and spent more than 30 hours interviewing the hitman in jail. He was convicted of first-degree murder in late 1997. The series implicated Mrs. Tovrea's stepson in the case.

    Tags: None

    By Paul Rubin

    New Times (Phoenix)

    1997

  • Arkan: Wanted and the hitman

    CNN looks at the rise of Arkan from international thief, Yugoslav government hitman and formenter of nationalism to a paramilitary leader responsible for carrying out a madness of murder, torture, expulsion and looting in many of the ethnic cleansing campaigns in the war that wrecked Yugoslavia.

    Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; Bosnia Muslim United Nations

    By Christiane Amanpour

    CNN (Atlanta)

    1997

  • Ex-hit man breaks code of silence

    Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch runs articles on a Mafia hitman who testified under the witness protection program.

    Tags: Mafia; hitman; witness protection program; Virginia; Charlie Allen

    By Mike Grim

    Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va.)

    1985