Maria

Maria received an MFA in English/creative writing from Hunter College in 2011. For several years she worked as a contributing writer for The Crime Report, covering stories pertaining to criminal justice and prison reform. In 2020, she founded the website Beyond the Crime, which shares firsthand interviews with those incarcerated for murder to gain a deeper understanding of the criminal mind. She is one of the only journalists to extensively interview Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. Her first book, Confessions of the Green River Killer: A True Story of Manipulation, Madness, and a Search for Justice is forthcoming with Crooked Lane Books in 2026. Her work in true crime has been chronicled in podcasts and documentaries, including appearances on ABC’s 20/20 and The Crime Story Podcast hosted by Amanda Knox and Kathy Antholis. She also teaches introductory writing courses at Middlesex County College and New Jersey Institute of Technology. She currently resides in Staten Island, NY.