The Crime Before the Crime

by Stan B. Walters The Lie Guy®
ORCID: 0009-0002-1063-0519

Every investigation begins after the event has already occurred. The theft has been committed. The fire has been extinguished. The assault is over. The investigator must work backward through the evidence to discover how the event unfolded. Yet many investigations focus almost exclusively on the crime itself while overlooking the chain of circumstances, decisions, and actions that made it possible. To understand what happened, investigators must reconstruct three things: the conditions that existed before the event, the choices that moved people toward it, and the sequence that connected those choices to the final outcome.

The Conditions Before the Event

The first step is understanding the conditions that existed before the crime. Relationships, financial pressures, conflicts, routines, opportunities, access, and prior events often establish the environment in which decisions are made. These factors are not excuses. They provide the context investigators need to understand how certain choices became possible, why particular people became involved, and what may have set the event in motion.

The Choices That Moved the Event Forward

Crimes rarely appear out of nowhere. They are usually preceded by a series of choices—some deliberate, some impulsive, and some influenced by other people or changing circumstances. Identifying those decision points may reveal motive, planning, knowledge, intent, and credibility. A well-conducted interview helps subjects reconstruct those choices rather than merely describe the final event.

The Sequence That Connects the Story

Facts become far more meaningful when they are connected in the order they occurred. A reliable narrative can expose gaps, inconsistencies, missing information, and opportunities for verification that isolated answers rarely reveal. The sequence shows how one condition led to a choice, how that choice produced another action, and how those actions eventually converged at the crime itself.

The Event Is Only the Endpoint

The event itself is the end of the sequence—not the beginning of the investigation. The real work requires moving backward through the conditions, choices, and actions that existed before the crime. When investigators understand the crime before the crime, they are far more likely to uncover the truth and build a case that can withstand scrutiny in court.

Choices made in the interview room eventually play out in the courtroom.™

© Copyright 2026 by Stan B. Walters All Rights Reserved.
Brief excerpts may be quoted with attribution and a link to the original article. Reproduction, redistribution, or use in training materials requires written permission.

Related Video:
Inside the Interview Room (ITIR) #43 – “The Crime Before the Crime?”
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/504O4dJcpBM