Google Trends: Sea View, NJ

Fans of the Satin Strangler (i.e., everyone) will be interested in this internet search information we obtained from Google.

In May, 2006, Google Labs started their Google Trends service, allowing web browsers to tap into Google's database and assess search term frequency. A trends query on any topic shows the volume of queries over time, by city, regions, and languages. The data go as far back as January, 2004. Graphs show spikes in search topics and links to related news items. Geographic and regional data are also displayed, as are data by language.

Google searches for “Sea View, NJ” spiked from almost zero to their current numbers following the arrest of Destiny Blande.


Searches/Day for "Sea View, NJ":

"9/13/08: 8 searches/day

12/01/09: 130,257 searches/day

These numbers reflect similar statistics for other variations on the term “Sea View, NJ.” The search terms most commonly combined with this town name clearly reflect the source of the spike:


“Sea View, NJ” (alone): 4%

“Sea View, NJ” and _______

"Satin Strangler”........50%

"Destiny Blande”........20%

"Murders“.................13%

"Oceanview Motel".....10%

"Ocean Park”.............2%

other terms...............3%

Sea View Mayor Winston Mayfield has had a smaller but analogous ascent in the Google world, emerging from anonymity on the national and international Google stage to a recognizable presence on the radar screen. Scant searches before Blande’s arrest were generally combined with the terms “local green initiatives” and “surveillance systems.” Today’s searches are most often combined with “Satin Strangler.”

Data on Blande’s criminal defense attorney Horace Krouch revealed profound changes over time. Before Blande’s arrest, searches on Krouch were often linked with “Gloria Watson” and “famous lawyers.” More recently, however, searches about the famous lawyer were combined with the terms “Destiny Blande,” “Satin Strangler,” “If She Did It,” and “Sea View.” The most common search term associated with Krouch during the last month has been “sex tape.”

It doesn’t take an advanced degree in Google-ology to discern that to most of the world, Sea View has become synonymous with the Satin Strangler, as well as the supporting characters and scenes from her story. The Satin Strangler single handedly resurrected the little beach town. Blande’s supporting cast members, such as Mayfield and Krouch, have had their identities redefined through the context of the Satin Strangler case.

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Destiny Blande Popularity

For those of you following the Satin Strangler case, which means everyone, here are some interesting statistics regarding Destiny Blande’s popularity and approval ratings, according to US News.

Individual popularity ratings on the internet can be done in several ways. Most incorporate some combination of the number of searches registered for that person, the number of news items found for that person, and the volume of traffic to and from any websites featuring that person. It is a measure of interest, rather than one of approval or liking. Because of the particular system used by US News, the scale was re-set with 100 being the highest score obtained through the first 5 years of statistic gathering. As a result, scores above 100 are feasible for an individual if their popularity exceeds that of the people tracked during the first 5 years.

We have been tracking Destiny Blande since her arrest for the Satin Strangler murders; she came onto the scene with an impressive popularity score of 75. Throughout the criminal trial, her scores have consistently remained above 150, an occurrence that we sometimes see as a single day spike but that becomes more extraordinary in this case with every day that passes.

Our reader surveys have risen from 87% “guilty” to 94% “guilty” during the criminal trial. Most of the other respondents are undecided, with only a few people deeming her “not guilty.” Surveys elsewhere have shown similar results. Even a blog called DestinyIsInnocent revealed that 82% of their survey respondents believed Blande to be guilty.

Winning this criminal trial verdict would be a miracle for Blande, particularly given the anemic efforts of her defense attorney, Horace Krouch, who has been underwhelming, to say the least.

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This is post #35 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

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Sexual Cannibals

We have been hearing a lot about the praying mantis recently. That probably comes as no surprise, since this small creature is an obsession of accused Satin Strangler Destiny Blande. Well, here’s some information about the Satin Strangler’s second favorite hobby.

The word mantis is derived from the Greek and means “prophet.” The addition of the term “praying” has to do with the unassuming posture this tiny but ferocious carnivore takes while waiting for its prey. The mantis’ closest relative is the cockroach. There are more than 2000 mantis species around the world, but three are most common in the Eastern United States. The most prevalent, the Carolina mantis, Stagmomantis carolina, is the subject of Destiny Blande’s research. The European and Chinese species were also introduced in the region during the last century as predators to help eliminate native garden pests.

The praying mantis is a master of camouflage. With twig-like legs and a leaf-like body, the mantis blends in with its surroundings while rocking rhythmically and waiting for its prey. The mantis can capture insects far exceeding its own size, attacking with lightning-quick motions measurable in thousands of a second. The mantis, not always picky when it comes to feeding, has been documented to attack such varied victims as frogs, turtles, fish, lizards, snakes, and rodents. The predator has even been captured on film stabbing a hummingbird through the heart with its spiked leg, and then dangling the enormous meal in the air while gradually devouring it.

Most interesting, particularly as it pertains to the Satin Strangler, is the fact that the female mantis often kills and devours the male following intercourse. She will typically start with the head, leaving behind the intact abdominal ganglion that controls sexual movements. The female is thought to use the male as a nutritional source to meet the energy requirements of growing her eggs.

Some researchers believe that this behavior predominantly occurs in captivity. Others, including suspected serial killer Destiny Blande, suggest that sexual cannibalism occurs as a rule in nature, except when the female has already been well fed.

Is this sexual cannibalism of the praying mantis an interesting coincidence as it pertains to Destiny Blande, or insight into the mind of a killer?

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This is post #30 in The Satin Strangler Blogs (TSSB).

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