Photo via Newsweek
Below is a brief selection of Susan Zalkind's work listed in chronological order. You can view her reporting by topic and trial and by outlet too.
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Tsarnaev, the Death Penalty, Thee Murders in Waltham, and Me In anticipation of her forthcoming book, the author argues that when it comes to punishing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, there is more than meets the eye. February 4, 2022, Boston Magazine
A Slaying In The Suburbs Katie McLean thought her marriage to a celebrated surgeon would last a lifetime. Then her body was discovered in a pond. Inside the suburban romance turned nightmare that rocked the town of Dover. November 17, 2020, Boston Magazine
Suicide-by-Text Is a Disturbing New Form of Domestic Violence Prosecutors dealing with a real problem risk painting women as having almost supernatural powers with which to manipulate. November 6, 2019, VICE (See more coverage on MA v. Michelle Carter.)
Kavanaugh Shows the Disgusting Underbelly of America's Elite Schools Bizarre-sounding rituals. Twisted nicknames. Allegations of sex crimes. And of course this guy might become a Supreme Court justice. September 24, 2018, VICE (See more coverage on New Hampshire v. Owen Labrie.)
The Mysterious Swan Song of Mafia Killer 'Cadillac Frank' The Whitey Bulger pal and former head of the mob in New England just got life in prison. But he went out with a bang, hyping FBI corruption. September 17, 2018, VICE (See more on organized crime.)
The Infrastructure of the Opioid Epidemic On Boston’s “Methadone Mile,” the city’s opioid users cluster around a few-block-stretch, where they find some support, and a sweeping range of treatment services. They are also out of sight of the rest of the city. September 14, 2017, The Atlantic's City Lab (See more coverage on the opioid epidemic.)
Dispatch from Boston’s Right-Wing “Free Speech” Rally One organizer said he’s “definitely” not coming back soon after tens of thousands drowned out 50 people and him in a gazebo. August 18, 2017, The Daily Beast
"Don’t let the demons fool you. Bella Bond’s death is a story about the opioid epidemic through and through." The tragic case of Bella Bond exposes how overwhelmed Massachusetts is by the opioid crisis, and how children of addicts are falling through the cracks. May 7, 2017, The Daily Beast (See more coverage on MA v. Michael McCarthy.)
Arrested while applying for a green card: US immigration experts fear policy shift Multiple cases of people being arrested while seeking green cards marks a dramatic shift in immigration policy, say observers: ‘This is what we all feared.’ April 1, 2017, The Guardian
Boston Bomber Told FBI He Was Approached by Mystery ‘Men in Suits’ Two years before Tamerlan Tsarnaev bombed the Boston Marathon with his younger brother Dzhokhar, he told FBI agents that four men claiming to be from the bureau wanted to speak to him. April 4, 2017, The Daily Beast (See more coverage on The Waltham Murders and The Boston Marathon Bombing.)
Whitey Bulger's guns, rings and cat paraphernalia net more than $100,000 It could have been the final scene of a horror flick or an episode of Hoarders. June 26, 2016, The Guardian (See more on organized crime.)
'The end of an era': Ringling Bros circus closes curtain on elephant show After the last-ever circus to feature elephants, capping 145 years of elephant shows and decades of pressure from animal activists, two professional clowns walked into a bar to reflect on the state of the circus industry. May 2, 2016, The Guardian
Inside MS-13’s secret initiation rituals and internal feuds Court records shed light on the inner-workings of the violent street gang along the East Coast. April 26, 2016, Boston Dot Com (See more on organized crime.)
Law enforcement moved 16-year-old out of Chelsea before his brutal murder Court records indicate MS-13 gang members kidnapped the teen and murdered him in East Boston after he assisted authorities in his own stabbing investigation. April 6, 2016, Boston Dot Com (See more on organized crime.)
My Surreal Train Ride With One of New England’s Most Notorious Sex Offenders I watched Owen Labrie get convicted of statutory rape in the St. Paul's prep school trial in New Hampshire last summer. Then I bumped into him on the train. March 4, 2016, VICE (See more coverage on New Hampshire v. Owen Labrie.)
Heroin dealers could face murder charges amid crisis in New Hampshire State’s attorney general aims to teach police to treat fatal drug overdoses like murder scenes, but critics attack a ‘backwards punitive policy.’ February 9, 2016, The Guardian (See more on the opioid epidemic.)
Fentanyl: drug 50 times more powerful than heroin ravages New England Of 69 fatal overdose victims last year, 68% had taken the synthetic opioid, which Mexican cartels have learned to make and smuggle to interstate highways. The drug ‘is what is killing our citizens,’ says Manchester’s police chief. February 4, 2016, The Guardian (See more on the opioid epidemic.)
A Boston Detective Is Facing Charges After Allegedly Jerking Off Naked in Public The 19-year veteran, who was involved in a police-brutality case that the city settled in 2012, is accused of open and gross lewdness. September 5, 2016, VICE
Police Foil Massacre at Pokemon World Championship Two men drove from Iowa to Massachusetts with a trunk full of ammo and guns, boasting about ‘killing the competition’ on Facebook. August 24, 2015, The Daily Beast
EXCLUSIVE Profile of Usamaa Rahim In private Facebook conversations, Usaama Rahim called for death to those “defaming the religion of Islam or the Prophet Muhammad.” June 6, 2015, The Daily Beast (See more domestic terrorism coverage)
Tsarnaev’s Dead Eyes Got Him Killed The surviving member of the pair of Boston Bombers showed little remorse—or any emotion, really—during his trial. It may have earned him the death penalty. May 15, 2015, The Daily Beast (See more coverage on The Waltham Murders and The Boston Marathon Bombing.)
The Downfall of the Boston Bombers’ Gun Runner Stephen Silva’s life as a drug runner fell apart after his childhood friend Dzokhar Tsarnaev allegedly set off a bomb at the Boston Marathon. But with his somewhat sympathetic defense, why did the government call him to the witness stand, anyway? March 18, 2015, The Daily Beast (See more coverage on The Waltham Murders and The Boston Marathon Bombing.)
Jailed For Knowing The Boston Bomber Is Mustafa Ozseferoglu a victim of overzealous police work, or is he a key cog in a larger investigation? March 9, 2015, The Daily Beast (See more coverage on The Waltham Murders and The Boston Marathon Bombing.)
Tinder But For Getting Strangers To Shovel Out Your Car On a whim, I decided to see if I could use Tinder to get someone to shovel out my car. And it worked. March 4, 2015, Boston Magazine (See more Arts & Entertainment.)
Dead Men Tell No Tales Last May, a weird story made the news: the FBI killed a guy in Florida who was loosely linked to the Boston Marathon bombings. He was shot seven times in his living room by a federal agent. What really happened? Why was the FBI even in that room with him? Susan Zalkind spent six months looking into it, and she found that the FBI was doing a bunch of things that never made the news. March 7, 2014, This American Life (See more coverage on The Waltham Murders and The Boston Marathon Bombing.)
The Murders Before The Marathon Waltham, September 11, 2011: Three men, throats slit, cash and drugs left on the bodies. Two years later, two dead suspects: Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and a friend who the FBI says was about to confess. One haunting question: Could solving this case have prevented the Boston Marathon bombings? March 2014 cover story, Boston Magazine (See more coverage on The Waltham Murders and The Boston Marathon Bombing.)