The tough truth is: Sometimes the most important stories published in a given year are some of the hardest to read. This, our first of four end-of-year roundups, includes the best stories on murders, rapes, conspiracies, and other atrocities.
The Serial Killer Has Second Thoughts: The Confessions of Thomas Quick — GQ
An absolutely insane piece about Sture Bergwall, aka Thomas Quick, by Chris Heath. Sweden's most infamous killer, Bergwall claims responsibility for 30 horrific murders. What if he didn't commit them? Read it at GQ.
Olaf Blecker for GQ
After Newtown Shooting, Mourning Parents Enter into the Lonely Quiet — The Washington Post
Eli Saslow's heartbreaking look at the parents who lost 26 young children during the Sandy Hook massacre. As the public and town move on around them, they're left alone with an incomprehensible grief. Read it at The Washington Post.
Linda Davidson for The Washington Post
A Death in Valdosta — Grantland
Jordan Conn travels to rural Georgia, where a promising athlete was found mysteriously dead in the corner of his high school's gym in what was decided to be an accident, and not investigated. This sweeping piece looks at the history over under-investigated and under-prosecuted crimes against African Americans in Valdosta. Read it at Grantland.
(Since this piece, a coroner has slammed authorities' handling of the case, now under investigation.)
Courtesy of Kenneth Johnson / Via Grantland
Why Did Jodon Romero Kill Himself on Live Television? — BuzzFeed
Jessica Testa was working the afternoon last September when Fox News, following a car chase, inadvertently broadcast a suicide live on air. She traveled to Arizona to find the real person behind the media spectacle. Read it at BuzzFeed.
John Gara for BuzzFeed
