CULTURE EDITION
A true crime event will be staged at the Corn Exchange this month. Psychologist Cheish Merryweather explains what’s in store A n obsession with true crime and psychopathic serial killers might seem like a dark interest to pursue, but for Cheish Merryweather it’s become a profession. A qualified research psychologist, she conducts theatre talks and stages crime scene events, challenging members of the audience to use their own sleuthing skills to solve true crimes. “The aim is to try and understand what motivates a killer, find behaviour patterns and explain things that seem beyond our comprehension,” says Cheish. “If we can explain crimes like these and understand why they’re committed, it makes the world a little less scary to live in.” Cheish started out as a freelance writer obsessed with serial killers. “I couldn’t find publications that would publish my work, so I started my own website: Crime Viral. Then Netflix released a series called Making a Murderer in early 2015 and interest in true crime really took off. Crime Viral gathered so many followers, which made me realise there are loads of us out there! I started to do talks and became a guest lecturer on true crime at universities. Now, I tour with new material every couple of years, looking at the dark side of psychology.” A perfect murder THEATRE
True crime is a way to get close to our worst fears without risking death
Research psychology involves finding human behaviour patterns by collecting data, analysing it and drawing conclusions. “I just apply that approach to serial killers, asking for instance: what kind of childhood behaviours make for a mass murderer?” It’s revealing that 99% of Cheish’s audience are women. “True crime stories are a way for us to get as close as possible to our worst fears without risking death itself,”
Murder: Staged takes place on 24 January at 7.30pm, Cambridge Corn Exchange. Tickets are £23 including booking fee and have that discussion among friends,” concludes Cheish. “The more we talk about these crimes, the greater chance there is of solving and avoiding them.” adds Cheish. “We want to understand what’s going on, place ourselves in that situation and ask what we would do. In fact, serial killers are responsible for less than 2% of all murders committed every year, so Murder: Staged is about that other 98%, asking who they are. Unfortunately, it’s typically the partners we share a bed with, the close friends, immediate family members and colleagues at work.” Part of the evening involves Cheish conducting a psychopathy test on the audience. “It’s a really fascinating night, looking at psychological insights about the killer next door,” she says. “The evening starts off with a fun introduction video telling you that your best friends are more likely to murder you than Ted Bundy, which always cheers the audience up! Then, we go through six different types of murderer – the cleaner, the creator, the concealer, the fabricator, the planner and the inflictor – and the scenes they tend to leave behind. Then we explain how they were caught and the telltale mistakes they made along the way. After a short break, the audience get to examine some crime scene reconstructions. I ask them: do you think the murderer was a stranger or was it somebody who was already in the house? “I want people to leave the theatre
A KILLER DISCUSSION Cheish wants audiences to leave knowing more about murderers and their habits
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK JANUARY 2025 35
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