This was a feature, not a news item. A story about a particular murder should totally lead with it. But in a feature, you can totally lead with litter if you're building up to something bigger - say, the President littering shredded tax documents in the causes and outcomes of juvenile delinquency in 21st-century America.
The question is whether you have the hook - or the reputation - to get the audience to read beyond the lede. Ideally both, because there are always new readers.
This was a feature, not a news item. A story about a particular murder should totally lead with it. But in a feature, you can totally lead with litter if you're building up to something bigger - say, the President littering shredded tax documents in the causes and outcomes of juvenile delinquency in 21st-century America.
The question is whether you have the hook - or the reputation - to get the audience to read beyond the lede. Ideally both, because there are always new readers.