Ledes

The story that I read is “A Home Invasion, A Torture Session, One Lawyer Nearly Killing Another—The Gruesome November Night in One of Washington’s Wealthiest Suburbs.” This story was about
Andrew Schmuhl breaking into his wife’s ex-boss’ home, interrogating him, and being arresting with nothing on but an adult diaper. The lede is a scene setter lede, reading:

“Sue Duncan was roasting a chicken for dinner when she and her husband heard the doorbell ring. It had been a quiet night. Leo Fisher was sitting on a recliner in the living room, reading. It was 6:15 on November 9, 2014, a cool fall evening in McLean.”

This lede introduces the location and overall tone of the ex-boss’ home that is about to get broken into. It was more of a prayer someone would listen, rather than an exciting statement. The excitement in the story comes after the lede in the following graphs. The lede makes this sort of utopian picture, which makes the reader want to keep reading to see when the chaos is going to occur. It contradicts the headline, which describes a dramatic event.