Kriti Mehrotra
As a docuseries that hopes to uncover the truth behind the 2011 Waltham triple homicide and its link to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, ‘The Murders Before the Marathon’ is undeniably gripping. That’s because this Hulu original revolves around journalist Susan Zalkind as she explores every aspect of these two matters for some closure, especially as a victim in the former was her friend. But for now, if you simply wish to learn more about her — her past experiences, her professional trajectory, as well as her current standing — we’ve got all the essential details for you.
Who is Susan Zalkind?
With Emma Vesey and renowned criminal defense attorney Norman Zalkind as her parents, Susan Clare Zalkind had reportedly always had a keen interest in the field of investigative reporting. It thus came as no surprise that she began serving as a freelance news personnel soon after graduating from Boston University in 2011 despite having majored in History and minored in African Studies. The Massachusetts native was actually employed at New England Cable News (NECN) as an overnight production assistant when the triple murder came to light in early September.
Susan really wanted a shot at reporting this matter not only because it occurred in Waltham, right near her hometown of Cambridge, but also because it was unusual in the sense of its brutality. However, once the name of the victims were released a few days later, her whole perspective turned upside down since her friend Erik Weissman was on there, alongside Brendan Mess and Raphael Teken. “I’d met [Erik] four years earlier, when I was 19, through some childhood friends,” she divulged. “We got high together, I occasionally bought weed from him, and we quickly became close.”
Susan continued, “He had a gentle soul, a quick mind, and a kind heart… He believed in me, telling me I would be a writer long before I believed it myself.” As per the docuseries, she did amicably distance herself from Erik upon quitting drugs to focus on her career, so her last conversation with him was when she put him in touch with her father after he got into trouble. The ensuing grief honestly made the aspiring journalist lose her taste for crime and resign, yet when one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was linked to the case, she couldn’t help but delve back in.
Susan thus parted ways with her job and began pursuing opportunities to report on these possibly interconnected offenses, just to gradually grow into the reporter she’d once dreamed of being. From having her pieces published in Boston Magazine as well as This American Life to working on radio reports to eventually leading this three-part Hulu docuseries, she has done it all. Plus, she has even managed to expand her wings by covering other high-profile trials such as that of girlfriend turned suicide enabler Michelle Carter, sexual predator Owen Labrie, and murderer Michael McCarthy.
Susan Zalkind is a Highly Acclaimed Writer Today
“For me, the whole point is the truth,” Susan recently said upon being asked about ‘The Murders Before the Marathon’ while inadvertently also painting a picture of who she really is as a professional. “I wanted people to feel some of the feelings that I did… When the truth matters, accuracy matters. Even if it’s inconvenient or hard, or doesn’t jive with a narrative that we’ve previously accepted, or it makes us feel a little safer… And I hope [viewers] see that, and I hope they realize how important this homicide was to the story of the bombing, and also the story of how we as a society deal with inconvenient truth.”
Coming to the passionate swimmer’s current status, from what we can tell, Susan still resides in New England as a proud independent journalist, writer, as well as producer at the moment. Moreover, not only has she previously appeared on notable platforms such as CNN, NBC, MSNBC, FOX, NECN, and BBC, but she is also an active New England correspondent for The Guardian, The Daily Beast, and Vice right now.
As if that’s not enough, the highly acclaimed writer is even gearing up to release her book ‘The Waltham Murders: An Unsolved Homicide, a National Tragedy, and a Search for the Truth’ in September 2023. In other words, it doesn’t seem like Susan has any plans of slowing down, let alone stopping, anytime soon — at least, not until the entire actuality of what precisely transpired on September 9, 2011, comes to light.
Read More: Where is Erik Weissman’s Sister Aria Weissman Now?
