Thank you, Stacy, for inviting me to appear on Twisted Minds and Dark Places. I always love your Thriller Thursdays, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to write one.

When I sat down to create the villain in my paranormal mystery, Forever Road, I drew heavily on my fascination with true crime cases. I used a total of three true crime cases for my inspiration. Today’s post is only one of them.

Barbara Bentley and John Perry

I became interested in Barbara Bentley’s story about her husband, John Perry, after seeing a true crime documentary. I made a point to read her book, A Dance with the Devil.

Barbara survived being married to a psychopath at great financial and emotional cost. As a result of her experiences with John Perry, she worked to change inequitable divorce laws and became a motivational speaker.

John Perry presented himself to Barbara as a retired Navy Rear Admiral. John claimed he was a Blue Angel, a Congressional Medal of Honor Winner, a fluent speaker of five languages, and had been the best man at Frank Sinatra’s wedding…and the list goes on. John appealed to Barbara as a sophisticated man who knew about gourmet food and expensive wine.

Even John’s family was extraordinary. He told Barbara about a father and who had been a well-known Naval officer and a grandfather who discovered the North Pole. John claimed his adult children were an astronaut and a musician.

During Barbara’s marriage to John, the couple attended Navy events as VIPs. At one of these, John was saluted by the President of the United States. According to Barbara, John would flash this ID, that had neither his name nor his picture on it, and they’d be whisked to the VIP seating. When she asked him about this ID, John alluded to the CIA, but never gave an explanation.

The mysterious ID was only one of the pieces of John that didn’t add up. It never worked out for Barbara to meet John’s super-accomplished family. And, when the couple visited John’s father’s grave, John couldn’t find it.

Then there was the money. John convinced Barbara to do things like take out a second mortgage on her house to buy a $75,000 painting. Money John was owed from supposed employers never materialized.

Barbara Takes A Stand

The stress from the debt led to disagreements and culminated with a violent incident in which John tried to kill Barbara. She later pressed charges, and John was convicted of first-degree attempted murder. He was sentenced to five years in prison but was out in one.

On her own, Barbara investigated John and learned the majority of his impressive history was a lie. John—or whoever he really was—had several known aliases and had been arrested for auto theft, credit card fraud, and passport fraud. He was under investigation by the FBI for impersonating a Naval Officer.

After Barbara got away from John, she finally tracked down his family. They had distanced themselves from John who, after a head injury, began behaving erratically.

John, once out of prison, manipulated himself into another woman’s life and got right back to his old tricks. Eventually, he died of a drug overdose. Barbara believed he caused the overdose by ingesting a combination of drugs to help him fake a heart attack. (The fake heart attack was something John pulled during his marriage to Barbara.)

If this is remotely interesting, I highly recommend Barbara’s book, A Dance with the Devil. There have also been several TV documentaries about her experiences, and there are several online sites that feature a more detailed account of the information in this blog post.

I won’t delve deeply into how John Perry’s story fits into my paranormal mystery, Forever Road. If I did, I’d give away the mystery. But I will say that my heroine, Peri Jean Mace, is up against a villain every bit as deceptive, manipulative, and conniving as John Perry.

Seeing ghosts is rough, but owing a ghost a favor flat out sucks.

My name’s Peri Jean Mace, and I’ve seen ghosts ever since I can remember. Don’t get too excited. Seeing across the veil branded me as a loony during my growing up years, and I learned to keep my yap shut about it.

Now I’m not sure I can anymore.

See, my cousin up and got herself killed the very same day I promised her a favor.  Now she’s back in spirit form and determined to make me pay. If I don’t solve her murder, she’s going to haunt me forever. Talk about the debt collector from hell.

That’s not my only problem. An obnoxiously hot cop wants to arrest my best friend for the murder.  My bigmouthed archenemy holds a clue to the killer’s identity. And there’s this mean—and ugly—woman who wants to beat me up.

None of this can turn out good.

Purchase FOREVER ROAD on Amazon

Catie Rhodes decided to turn her love of lying into writing fiction after she got fired for telling her boss the President was on the phone. It didn’t take Catie long to figure out what she wanted to do when she grew up. Drawing on her East Texas roots, her love of true crime, and her love of the paranormal, she writes the kind of stories she wishes the book stores sold. With her faithful Pomeranian, Cosmo, at her side, Catie relishes being that kid your mother warned you about, the one who cusses and never washes her hands after petting the dog.

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Between 1964-65, six women were murdered, their bodies found around the Thames River. All were prostitutes. All had been strangled and left naked. Because of their locations and similarity to the Jack the Ripper case, the unidentified assailant was given the nicknamed Jack the stripper.

The Victims:

Hannah Tailford, 30. Found dead February 2, 1964 near the Hammersmith Bridge. Hannah was strangled and several teeth were missing. Her underwear had been forced down her throat.

Irene Lockwood, 26. Found April 8, 1964 near the same area where Hannah’s body was found.

Helen Barthelemy, 22. The third victim and first break in the case, Helen was found on April 24, 1964 in an alleyway. Flecks of paint used in car factories.

Mary Flemming, 30. Found July 14, 1964 in an open street. The paint spots were found on the body.

Frances Brown, 21. Found November 25, 1964 after missing for a month. A friend was with Brown when the man believed to be her killer picked her up, and a composite sketch was created.

Bridget O’Hara, 28. Found dead behind the Heron Trading Estate. Again flecks of paint were present.

The paint pattern was found near a paint spray shop on the Heron estate, near the location of Bridget O’Hara’s body. Investigators realized this was where the bodies were stored before being dumped. 7,000 people were questioned.

Police announced the suspect list was being narrowed down in the hopes of causing the killer to make a mistake, but an arrest never happened.

Detective Chief Superintendent John Du Rose was in charge of the investigation, and in his book, Murder was my Business, Du Rose states the prime suspect committed suicide before an arrest could happen.

We had done all we possibly could but faced with his death no positive evidence was available to prove or disprove our belief that he was in fact the man we had been seeking. Because he was never arrested or stood trial, he must be considered innocent and will therefore never be named. – John Du Rose

Writer David Seabrook later identified this suspect as Mungo Ireland. Ireland gassed himself with exhaust on March 3, 1965. He left a note behind:

“I can’t stick it any longer… PS. To save you and the police looking for me I’ll be in the garage.”

Opinions vary on whether or not this man was actually the killer, and the case remains unsolved.

What do you think? Is the suicide note enough? Could Du Rose have been reaching to cover a failed investigation?

For more detailed accounts, visit here. For an entirely new theory, check out this interesting post.

Coming Soon: TIN GOD.

The official blurb for my second novel, TIN GOD (April 2013) is below! 

If you’d like to read the first chapter for FREE, visit my website.

TIN GOD
Mystery/Romantic Thriller

Getting pregnant as a teenager and being coerced into giving her baby up for adoption left a festering scar on Jaymee Ballard’s life. Trapped by poverty and without many allies, Jaymee nearly gives up hope of getting her daughter back after her best friend is murdered. Now, four years later, a wealthy woman with legal connections hires her as a housekeeper, and Jaymee gathers the courage to seek her help. But Jaymee’s last chance ends up in a puddle of blood in one of the historic antebellum mansions in Roselea, Mississippi.

I just murdered your wife…again.

An unsigned letter consisting of six horrifying words turns Nick Samuels stagnant life upside down. Stuck in emotional purgatory since his wife’s unsolved murder four years ago, Nick is about to self-destruct. The arrival of the letter claiming credit for his wife’s murder and boasting of a new kill sends Nick to Roselea, where he and Jaymee’s worlds collide.

Jaymee and Nick realize exposing the truth about her daughter’s adoption is the only way to solve the murders. Up against years of deception, they rush to identify the killer before the evidence–and Jaymee’s daughter–are lost.

But the truth doesn’t always set the guilt-ridden free. Sometimes, it destroys them.

Today’s topic is the brand new Investigation Discovery show, Redrum, and its first case. I’ve been seeing previews for Redrum for a few weeks, so with all the hype, I had high expectations.

For the most part, I wasn’t disappointed. Redrum starts at the scene of the crime, reveals the killer, then the motive, and finally, the trigger event. It’s a good way to put the focus on the lives and motives of the killers themselves instead of the forensic information and trial tricks.

Scout’s Honor – Redrum premiere episode

In Lonoke, Arkansas, the Stocks are an average middle-class family. But like so many of these stories, there’s a dark secret behind the walls. Heath Stock and his father, are having serious issues (the show depicted his father as verbally abusive), and Heath has turned to drinking.

On January 17, 1997, Heath sat alone in his parents home thinking of all the misery between he and his father. He was also drinking.

“I was just watching TV and I started thinking about all the trouble my dad and I were having, I started crying and I started getting mad. I got the .45 my dad kept in his gun cabinet and another clip. I put the clip in my pocket. I carried the gun with me as I went from room to room, messing up the house. After I messed up the house, I tried to kill myself. I put the barrel of the gun in my mouth, but I couldn’t pull the trigger. I did this twice.” –Heath Stock police statement.

His younger sister arrived home and discovered Heath on his knees with the pistol in his mouth. Their parents arrived shortly after.

“I remember seeing the back of my mom and dad, and as soon as I saw my dad, the gun came out of my mouth and ‘pow’. I remember seeing my sister in the kitchen. She had the phone in her hand. I don’t remember her pushing any buttons. I remember looking at my sister and I knew she was gone. All of them were lying on the floor.” –Heath Stock

So what was the truth behind Heath’s pain? According to the show, a few days prior to the murder, Heath’s mother had caught him in bed with another man–Heath’s boy scout master, Jack Walls. What stood out to me was that this happened IN THE STOCK’S HOUSE. According to Redrum, his mother called Heath for breakfast, and when he didn’t arrive, went up to the room and found her son with the scout master. She later confronted him, and Heath told his mother Jack Walls had been sexually abusing him for years. He hoped his mother would do something, but she was in shock and nothing changed for Heath. Redrum cited this as the breaking point for Heath, with Walls driving home that his mother didn’t care about him, and that he (Walls) was the only one who did.

This immediately bothered me, because I couldn’t find anything about this in my research. Perhaps I wasn’t looking at the right place, but I can’t get passed how sloppy Jack Walls would have been to get caught in Heath’s bed. Most pedophiles–especially those as prolific as Walls turned out to be–are extremely cautious and calculating. Allowing himself to be caught in the kids house just didn’t add up to me.

Facts not included on the show:

Heath claimed he tried to bring up sexual abuse during his psychiatric evaluation, but that doctors put down their pens and acted as though he said nothing. His public defender also told Heath not to mention the abuse, that it was irrelevant.

In 1997, without the benefit of a trial, Heath pled guilty to all three counts of murder and received three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

The investigation into Jack Walls would begin a month later, brought on by another boy who took a different route, confronting Walls in front of his own parents–and at gunpoint.The story has sparked national attention over the years. Heath Stock claims (and many believe him) that Jack Walls told him to commit the murders. That could be his attempt at a lighter sentence, but consider this:

Jack Walls insisted to be the first to visit Heath after he was arrested. He also stayed at the Stocks home after the murders to help “secure the crime scene” and asked investigators if Heath had implicated anyone else in the murders. Despite Heath’s claims, no one questioned Walls’ motives.

Years after Heath’s conviction, the investigation into Walls has led authorities to believe he abused over one hundred boys. He no doubt played mind games with Heath and the other victims, and while Heath isn’t shirking responsibility for the murders, he also believes he deserves a new trial. The prosecution–and the jury–may have judge Heath differently in light of the abuse, a crime Walls eventually pled no contest to.

Jack Walls is currently serving 3 forty-year terms and 3 consecutive life sentences for five counts of rape.

Overall, I really enjoyed the first episode of Redrum, although I’m not sure they got all of their facts straight. They may have taken some creative license, but they had a very complex case to cram into a 30 minute block.

So what about Heath Stock? Does he deserve a new trial? Should his story be heard by a jury, and his sentence reduced?

Watch last night’s episode on ID Discovery.

Into The Dark on SALE for 2.99 – Limited Time.

Stacy Green’s Into the Dark is a psychological thriller grounded in real lives and fears, built around convincing characters, and nicely woven around real places and intriguing mystery. —Reviewer Sheila Death.

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]]> https://stacygreenauthor.com/archives/2346/feed 10 2346 https://stacygreenauthor.com/archives/2315 https://stacygreenauthor.com/archives/2315#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2013 13:45:25 +0000 https://stacygreenauthor.com/?p=2315 Read the rest →]]> Today’s Thriller Thursday features two current cases, one local (Iowa) and the other national.

Iowa City, Iowa

On January 3, Kirk Levin, age 21 was arrested and charged with murdering his mother and kidnapping another woman within hours of his release from prison on New Year’s Day.

Levin was arrested on kidnapping charges after a woman he attempted to attack managed to escape. Police then found his mother, Marilyn Schmitt, dead in her farmhouse near Early, a small town about 100 miles northwest of Des Moines.

Levin later confessed to choking and stabbing his mother to death–within 36 hours of his release from a Mount Pleasant prison. He served two years of a five-year sentence for third-degree burglary.

On Wednesday, prison officials stated they warned the sheriff about disturbing drawings Levin made while incarcerated. Prior to his release, officials discovered a notebook with explicit writings and drawings of a woman being raped.

Levin’s history is disturbing. Records show that in 2008, Levin told authorities he planned to use duct tape found in his backpack to rape a girl. In 2009, he was caught hiding in the basement of a girl he planned to attack.

Despite prior history, officials at the Mount Pleasant prison claim they had no choice to release Levin due to a state law that routinely cuts inmate sentences in half.

He’s now charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to commit sexual assault, and third-degree kidnapping. Because he has been in and out of jail since the age of 17 and committed murder within days of his release, the judge set Levin’s bond ond at $1 million dollars. If he is convicted for murder, he will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.

SOURCE
SOURCE

TULSA, Oklahoma

On Monday, four women were found shot to death in an apartment. Rebeika Powell, 23; Kayetie Melchor, 23; Misty Nunley, 33; and Julie Jackson, 55, were shot and killed at Tulsa’s Fairmont Terrace Apartments.

Police have arrested person of interest Joseph Tillman in Kansas. He is wanted on domestic assault and battery, and police believe he may have information regarding the case.

“The killer is still out there so there is some sort of danger to the public but I don’t think we need to be sitting in the rocking chair with a gun pointed at the door. There was some reason for what has occurred and I am confident the investigation will come out.” –Tulsa Homicide Sergeant Dave Walker.

Walker stated police are looking at narcotics, domestic issues, and money as motive. They also believe the shooter knew the victim. He stressed that at this point, Tillman is not a suspect but a person of interest.

Neighbors are on edge and some claim they have been warned to stay quiet. Most of them can’t afford to move.

SOURCE

What would you do if a murder happened near you? Would you be afraid to speak to the police? Would you be able to move or stay with a friend?

In regards to the Iowa case, should prison officials be held partially responsible for Levin’s actions? Or the state lawmakers?

INTO THE DARK now $2.99! (limited time)

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ONE MORE THING!

In celebration of her first novel release, August McLaughlin is hosting a giveaway and thrill-fest on her blog and Facebook. The fun starts today, and chances to enter the raffle for prices (thrilling books and author interviews) continue through Saturday. Participating authors include myself, Amanda Kyle Williams, David Freed, DP Lype, Donna Galanti, and Amy Shojai. August will also be giving away three signed copies of IN HER SHADOW, hot off the presses in a couple of weeks.

Visit the raffle here, and for more details, hop over to August’s blog.

Dumb crime and bonehead criminals are a favorite topic for me. With all the cruelty in this world and the topics I write about, they’re a nice break.

Here are some of my favorites from the last couple of months.

Portsmouth, RI: Gregory Rosa, 25, was charged with a series of vending machine robberies. He tried to post $400 bail in coins.

Lake City, FL: Karen Lee Joachimi, 20, was arrested for trying to rob a Howard Johnson’s with an electric chainsaw. It wasn’t plugged in.

Kentucky: Two men tried to yank off the front of a cash machine by running a chain from it to their truck bumper. They wound up pulling the bumper off their truck and fled the scene. The chain was still attached to the machine, with the bumper. And their license plate.

Larch Barrens, MD: Burglars tried to cut through a safe using a Laser Tag gun.

Chicago: A man was wanted for throwing bricks through a jewelry store windows and stealing. The night of his arrest, a brink bounced back, hit him in the head and knocked him out. He was still out when the police arrived.

But don’t worry. Dumb crime isn’t limited to the States.

England: A German on an apparent golf holiday brought his golf bag to customs. During golf chatter, the official realizes the tourist doesn’t know anything about the sport. When asked to demonstrate his swing, he does. Backwards. Narcotics were found in the golf bag.

And the list goes on. And on!

Do you know any dumb criminals? Have a favorite dumb story to share? I’d love to hear it.

From now until the end of January, I’m running a very cool contest. Everyone who joins my monthly mailing list will be entered into a contest to a starring role in an upcoming Delta Crossroads novel.

The Delta Crossroads Series is set in southern Mississippi, and the first book, TIN GOD, releases in April. Don’t miss your chance to see your name in the follow-up!

Join the mailing list (you’ll hear from me only when something special is going on) to receive exclusive pricing on all Delta Crossroads novels as well as first crack at contests, excerpts, and much more. SIGN UP HERE!

TIN GOD, A Delta Crossroads Novel. April 2013

He just murdered the man’s wife…again.

Discovering her employer’s body is just the beginning of Jaymee Ballard’s troubles. When widower Nick Samuels arrives in Roselea, Mississippi determined to tie the murder to the slaying of his dead wife, Jaymee realizes the secret she’s been harboring for years may be a motive for the killings. Up against a beloved minister and years of lies, she and Nick join forces to find justice. The truth doesn’t always set the miserable free. Sometimes, it destroys them.

On July 13, 10-year-old Lyric Cook and her 8-year-old cousin, Elizabeth Collins disappeared from Evansdale, Iowa–just fifty miles from where I live in Marion.

They left for a bike ride, and hours after they were reported missing, the girls’ bikes and purses were found near Meyers Lake. A search of the lake turned up no evidence, and Lyric and Elizabeth were believed to be abducted.

The FBI was called in and stated they believed the girls to be alive but declined to share the evidence leading them to that conclusion. Volunteers from all over the state launched a massive search effort in the small town of Evansdale, but there was no sign of the cousins.

On December 5th, two bodies were found by hunters in the Seven Bridges Wildlife Area. Investigators believed the remains to be that of Elizabeth and Lyric.

Days later, the state medical office confirmed the remains were in fact the missing girls. No cause of death or state of the bodies has been released.

Despite the amount of time the cousins had been missing, the family and residents had maintained hope. The small community is devastated and has rallied around the families.

Heather Collins, Elizabeth’s mother, posted the following message on Facebook after the news was released.

“We know that they are up in heaven with our savior,” she wrote. “Lord we know that you have them in your loving arms and we are so blessed.”

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad released the following statement after the positive identification was made:

“It was with great sadness that I learned of the deaths of Lyric and Elizabeth. I want to commend the thousands of family members, friends and volunteers who never lost hope that they might be found alive. With this closure now comes great grief. The thoughts and prayers of my administration go out to those affected by this terrible tragedy. I want to assure everyone that our Department of Public Safety will continue working with local law enforcement officers. We want justice served for the taking of these young lives.” SOURCE

My deepest sympathies go out to the families of Lyric and Elizabeth. As a parent, my worst nightmare is something happening to my child. I’m not sure I could recover, and I pray these parents are stronger than I am. I sincerely hope this case is solved, and I will continue to update you as we learn more.

This Christmas, as you are safe and warm with your families, say a prayer for Lyric, Elizabeth, and their families.

This is probably the first true crime show I ever watched, and it sucked me in from the beginning. Hosted by Bill Kurtis, Cold Case Files tackles any case deemed cold, some dating back as far as forty years. It’s interesting to think about how differently an old case might have been handled were it to occur today.

The best thing about the show is that the cases chosen are ones finally solved. Most of the time, a case has been dormant for months if not years until a determined detective or officer gets wind of it and looks at the situation with fresh eyes. Sometimes it takes decades, but dogged determination and advancement in forensic science have resulted in hundreds of solved cases.

Episode Highlights:

The Answer In The Box

On July 25, 1986 eleven-year-old Alison Parrott disappeared from her Toronto, Canado home. A male caller had convinced her he would be taking pictures of Allison and her track and field teammates. She was to meet the photographer at the University of Toronto’s Varsity Stadium. The man had also called a week earlier with the same request, and Alison was able to get her mother’s permission to meet him. She told the family housekeeper her plans, and then left her home. Source

She was found two nights later in Kings Mill Park on the Humber River. Alison had been raped and strangled.

Capture

The case went cold for 10 years until Francis Carl Roy was arrested in 1996. A runner with a known interest in photography, Roy had a criminal record that included assault and rape. When Alison was murdered, he’d been on parole after serving just 18 months of an eleven year sentence for the rapes of two teenaged girls. DNA evidence linked him conclusively to Alison.

He was convicted of first-degree murdered and sentenced to life without the chance of parole for 25 years.

Mommy’s Rules–the Murder of Suesan and Sheila Knorr

Theresa Knorr physically and verbally abused all her children but daughters Suesan and Sheila were targeted the most. Jealousy over their youth and beauty, and the crazed notion the two girls were witches who had forced Theresa to gain weight were used as her motivation to torture them. Source

Theresa burned her kids with cigarettes and beat them, and she trained her sons to beat and discipline her daughters.

Suesan

In 1983, Knorr shot Suesan in the chest. The bullet lodged in the girls back, but her mother refused to seek medical help. She left Suesan to die in the bathtub, but when she survived, Theresa started nursing her back to health.

A year later, Suesan asked to move out. Theresa agreed on the condition she could remove the bullet still lodged in the girl’s back. On the dirty kitchen floor with alcohol as an anesthetic, Theresa had her son Robert removed the bullet with a box cutter. Suesan quickly became infected and slipped into a coma–on the kitchen floor. She was left there to die, and Theresa instructed the other children to walk over her, telling them her illness was a result of possession by the devil. She convinced her sons Robert and Bill to take Suesan and burn her alive.

Sheila

Next, Theresa forced daughter Sheila into prostitution, and then accused her own daughter of giving her an STD. Sheila was locked in a closet and starved to death. Her body was packed into a cardboard box and dumped.

Daughter Terry managed to escape and then spent years trying to get law enforcement to listen to her. No one believed her until in 1993, she finally convinced someone to listen.

Capture

Finally, in November 1993, Theresa and her sons are arrested after an appearance on America’s Most Wanted. She was charged with two counts of murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, as well as multiple murder and murder by torture. When Theresa found out her sons were set to testify against her, she pled guilty to avoid the death penalty. She was sentenced to two life sentences and will be eligible for parole in 2027.

These are just two of the dozes of harrowing and complicated cases A&E’s Cold Case Files have covered. For a full list, visit the show’s official site.

What do you think about these cases? Should Theresa have a shot at parole? How much should her sons be held accountable? And is the system to blame for Allison Parrott’s murder?

Don’t forget, Welcome To Las Vegas is on sale NOW with an exclusive excerpt of Into The Dark. 
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Obsessive October is flying by, and today we’re talking about the superstars of the stalking world: celebrity stalkers. Being in the public makes celebrities ripe for obsessed fans, and the power of the Internet makes it that much easier for the savvy stalker.

The list of celebrities who have been stalked over the years is long: Madonna, Mila Kunis, Janet Jackson, Alec Baldwin, Halle Berry, Uma Thurman, Shawn Johnson, Britney Spears–the list goes on. There are a few, however, that stand out as the creepiest of all.

John Hinckley Jr.

Hinckley Jr. pulled double stalking duty, going after both Jodie Foster and Ronald Reagan. In 1980, when Jodie Foster enrolled at Yale University, John Hinckley followed. He left love notes and poems, including a poem that detailed his plans to assassinate President Ronald Reagan.

Over the past seven months I’ve left you dozens of poems, letters and love messages in the faint hope that you could develop an interest in me. Although we talked on the phone a couple of times I never had the nerve to simply approach you and introduce myself. […] the reason I’m going ahead with this attempt now is because I cannot wait any longer to impress you. –John Hinckley, JR.

On the same day he left Jodie the cryptic note, Hinckley went to Washington, D.C. and shot President Reagan, who survived. His press secretary, James Brady, was paralyzed by the bullet that struck him.

Hinckley was charged with 13 accounts of attempted murder but found not guilty by reason of insanity–a rare feat despite what popular television shows depict. He was diagnosed with narcissistic and schizoid personality disorders, dysthymia and borderline passive-aggressive features. He remains hospitalized.

Anthony Gary Silvestri

Anthony Gary Silvestri spent months stalking television reporter Kathryn Dettman in Waco, Texas. In January 1998, he broke into Dettman’s home and attacked her with a knife, stabbing her more than a dozen times.

Dettman had been living her last days in the small Texas town and was preparing to move to a much larger station in Dallas.

“It was an extremely violent attack. She had 15-16 stab wounds.” –Temple Police Sgt. Keith Reed.

Dettman’s friends admitted she knew the 21-year-old had been stalking her. She’d said he was sweet and flattering, and he’d been spotted outside her apartment more than once. Kathryn didn’t consider him a threat.

“Most station managers don’t even give the news anchors all their mail or their email,” says Dietz. “Very few stations have adequate screening of who gets on the premises or do the things for their talent that can help protect them.”
–Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz

Anthony Silvestri received 40 years in prison.

Robert John Bardo

Robert John Bardo cut his stalking teeth on child peace activist Samantha Smith. When she died in a plane crash in 1985, Bardo found Rebecca Schaeffer.

In the late 80s, Rebecca Schaeffer was on her way to making it big in Hollywood, staring in My Sister Sam and several movies. With virtually no stalking laws in place at the time, Bardo got Shaeffer’s home address from a detective agency, who’d obtained the information from the California DMV. He tracked her down at home and confronted her for the sex scene in Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills, accusing her of losing her innocence. He told her he was a big fan, and she asked him to leave. Shortly after, he returned and shot her. Rebecca died on the scene.

As a result of the shady way Bardo found Rebecca’s address and her ultimate murder, the US government passed the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act which prohibits state Departments of Motor Vehicles from releasing the home addresses of state residents.

Today we’re talking about women predators. Aileen Warnous may be the most famous, but she’s certainly not the only female serial killer. In a study by Eric Hickey for Serial Murderers and their victims, female serial killers had between 400 and 600 victims! One of the worst is The Giggling Granny.

Nannie Doss – The Giggling Granny

Born in Blue Mountain, Alabama on Nov, 4, 1905, as Nancy Hazle, Doss spent much of her childhood years dealing with an abusive father. Education wasn’t a priority, and Nannie only completed the sixth grade. At the edge of seven, she suffered a head injury that caused her to suffer migraines, blackouts and depression for the rest of her life.

Her father prevented his daughters from social interaction, and Nannie didn’t get a taste of freedom until her first job at the age of 16. Her favorite pastime became romance magazines, and she loved the lonely hearts club section. She eventually married a coworker named Charley Braggs, and the two lived with his ailing mother, who was controlling and manipulative. Over the next four years, Nannie had four children and life became a prison of childcare and caring for her demanding mother-in-law. Charley was an abusive adulterer, and Nannie because drinking and barhopping to cope.

Nannie’s First Victims

In 1927, Nannie’s two middle children died from food poisoning. Her husband suspected Nannie and left with the oldest child but left Nannie alone with the newborn. His mother died soon after. Eventually the two divorced and Nannie and her children moved back in with her parents.

Nannie met her second husband through the lonely heart’s column. Robert Harrelson was yet another poorly chosen man. He was a drunk and loved bar fighting. Still, they remained married for 16 years until Harrelson’s death.

The Grandchildren

In 1943, Nannie’s oldest daughter had a son. Two years later, she gave birth to a healthy girl who died soon after birth. Her death was unexplained, but Nannie’s daughter said that while in and out of consciousness after a rough delivery, she saw her mother stick a hatpin into the infant’s head. No proof was ever found.

In July, 1945, Nannie had a fight with her daughter about the girl’s new boyfriend. Her grandson Robert was in Nannie’s care, and that night he died of asphyxia from unknown causes. Nannie collected a $500 insurance policy on the child a few months later.

That fall, Frank Harrelson allegedly came home drunk and raped Nannie. The next day she poured rat poison into his corn whiskey and watched her husband die a miserable death.

More Husbands

Nannie snagged Arlie Lanning from the classifieds. After two and a half years of marriage, Lanning died. He had a history of drinking, and it was believed he died of a heart attack brought on by the flu. Lanning’s house was to be inherited by his sister, but it burned down before she could take possession. Nannie got the insurance money, but not before her mother-in-law (whom Nannie was staying with) died in her sleep. Nannie then moved in with her cancer-stricken sister, who also died in Nannie’s care.

Richard Morton met Nannie at the singles club. He wasn’t a drunk but an adulterer, and Nannie had her sights set on another man already. Her recently widowed mother came for a visit and within days, died after complaining of severe stomach cramps. Richard Morton was next.

Samuel Doss was Nannie’s last husband. Unlike her other men, Samuel was good man who fell in love with Nannie. But he was very frugal and boring, and that just didn’t sit well with Nannie. His life was militant–no romance novels or love stories on television and a strict 9:30 p.m. bedtime every night. He finally gave Nannie access to the money after she took off, and then she convinced him to take out two life insurance policies with herself as the benefactor.

Then came the stomach problems. Samuel spent two weeks in the hospital. His first night home, Nannie gave him a home-cooked meal, and he died soon after.

Doctors ordered an autopsy and found arsenic poisoning. Nannie was questioned and confessed to killing four husbands, her sister, her mother, her grandson, and one mother-in-law. Remorse wasn’t her style. She joked about her dead husbands and her killing methods, earning her the nicknames of The Giggling Granny and The Jolly Widow.

Sentenced to life for Samuel Doss’s  murder, Nannie Doss died in 1963 of leukemia.

What do you think?

What drove Nannie Doss to do such horrible things? Was she a psychopath or just a vicious, jealous individual? How did she manage to murder so many times without suspicion?

This is one of those cases with SO much more information than I could relay in a blog post. Visit Murderpedia for a Picture of Nannie Doss and source.
Source – Inside the Minds of Serial Killers by Katherine Ramsland