True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers

Have you ever been locked in a cooler with piles of decomposing humans for so long that you had to shave all the hair off your body in order to get rid of the smell? Joseph Scott Morgan did. Have you ever lit a Marlboro from the ignited gas of a bloated dead man's belly? Joseph Scott Morgan has. Have you ever wept over a dead dog while not giving a shit about the dead owner laying next him? Morgan did. Were you named after a murder victim? Joseph Scott Morgan was.This isn't Hollywood fantasy—it's the true story of a boy born into the deprivations of a white trash trailer park who as an adult gets further involved in the desperate backdoor sagas of the "new South." No hot blondes here, just maggots, grief, and the truth about forensics and death investigation.Joseph Scott Morgan became a death investigator with the Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office in suburban New Orleans in 1987, the youngest medicolegal death investigator in the country. During the day, Morgan worked in the morgue, and at night investigated for the coroner. In 1992 Morgan became senior investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office in Atlanta. Morgan is now a college professor at Jacksonville State University, where he teaches a death investigation course based on the national standards which he helped develop. BLOOD BENEATH MY FEET: The Journey of a Southern Death Investigator-Joseph Scott Morgan

Tom and Jackie Hawks loved their life in retirement, sailing on their yacht, the Well Deserved. But when the birth of a new grandson called them back to Arizona, they put the boat up for sale. Skylar Deleon and his pregnant wife Jennifer showed up as prospective buyers, with their baby in a stroller, and the Hawkses thought they had a deal. Soon after a sea trial and an alleged purchase, however, the older couple disappeared and the Deleons promptly tried to access the Hawkses’ bank accounts.As police investigated the case, they not only found a third homicide victim with ties to Skylar, they also uncovered an unexpected and unusual motive: Skylar had wanted gender reassignment surgery for years. By killing the Hawkses with a motley crew of assailants and plundering the couple’s assets, the Deleons had planned to clear their $100,000 in debts and still have money for the surgery, which Skylar had already scheduled.Now, in this up-to-the-minute updated edition, which includes extensive new material, New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother presents the latest breaking developments in the case. Skylar, who was ultimately sentenced to death row for the three murders, transitioned to a woman via hormones while living in the psych unit at San Quentin prison. Recently, she legally changed her name and gender to female, apparently a strategic step in her quest to obtain taxpayer-subsidized gender confirmation surgery and transfer to a women’s prison. Combined with Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent moratorium on executions, this only adds insult to injury for the victims’ families, who want Skylar to receive the ultimate punishment for her crimes Dead Reckoning: Extensively Revised and Updated-Caitlin Rother

An anthology of haunting murders written by acclaimed true-crime writer Michael Benson and his “boots on the ground,” Private Investigator Donald A. Tubman. Featured stories include the murders of Joanne Lynn, Pamela Moss, Shari Smoyer and Jack King, Tammy Jo Alexander, Damita Gibson, Victoria Jobson, Kelley Gaffield, Cathleen Krauseneck (The Brighton Ax Murder), Brittanee Drexel, Regina Mae Armstrong, Loretta Jo Gates and Terri Lynn Bills, plus many more—including updates on Rochester N.Y.’s Double-Initial Murders and the “Genesee Junction” murders of George-Ann Formicola and Kathy Bernhard. HAUNTING HOMICIDES-Michael Benson

Norco ’80 tells the story of how five heavily armed young men, led by an apocalyptic born-again Christian, attempted a bank robbery that turned into one of the most violent criminal events in U.S. history, forever changing the face of American law enforcement. Part action thriller and part courtroom drama, Norco ’80 transports the reader back to the Southern California of the 1970s, an era of predatory evangelical gurus, doomsday predictions, megachurches, and soaring crime rates, with the threat of nuclear obliteration looming over it all.In this riveting true story, a group of landscapers transformed into a murderous gang of bank robbers armed to the teeth with military-grade weapons. Their desperate getaway turned the surrounding towns into war zones. When it was over, three were dead and close to twenty wounded; a police helicopter was forced down from the sky, and thirty-two police vehicles were destroyed by thousands of rounds of ammo. The resulting trial shook the community to the core, raising many issues that continue to plague society today: from the epidemic of post-traumatic stress disorder within law enforcement to religious extremism and the militarization of local police forces. NORCO '80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History-Peter Houlahan

Golden State Killer, East Area Rapist, Original Night Stalker, Visalia Ransacker and more. The Story of The Golden State Killer’s beginnings. Who else was he as he traveled through time? Was he, is he the Zodiac Killer who terrorized us in the 1960's and who sits in the Sacramento County Jail awaiting trial? Anne Penn presents evidence of other monikers that belong to this man, spanning the almost 6 decades the killer roamed the state of California. The career and possible monikers for the same man 1960 - 2018. This is the true story of how such a man remained free all of these years. This is the true story of the man's patterns and attacks from the beginning until the end. The story continues. The most prolific serial criminal in California History. He could be the most prolific serial killer ever. He could not be stopped until DNA and Genetic Genealogy found him. What if this is truly how the story goes? Anne has written about the possibilities and writes about things no one else has mentioned in the Zodiac story. WHAT IF? Golden State Killer-Zodiac Solved-Anne Penn

The true account of the man who murdered his family in their New Jersey mansion—and eluded a nationwide manhunt for eighteen years.Until 1971, life was good for mild-mannered accountant John List. He was vice president of a Jersey City bank and had moved his mother, wife, and three teenage children into a nineteen-room home in Westfield, New Jersey. But all that changed when he lost his job. Raised by his Lutheran father to believe success meant being a good provider, List saw himself as an utter failure. Straining under financial burdens, the stress of hiding his unemployment, as well as the fear that the free-spirited 1970s would corrupt the souls of his children, List came to a shattering conclusion. “It was my belief that if you kill yourself, you won’t go to heaven,” List told Connie Chung in a television interview. “So eventually I got to the point where I felt that I could kill them. Hopefully they would go to heaven, and then maybe I would have a chance to later confess my sins to God and get forgiveness.” List methodically shot his entire family in their home, managing to conceal the deaths for weeks with a carefully orchestrated plan of deception. Then he vanished and started over as Robert P. Clark. Chronicling List’s life before and after the grisly crime, Death Sentence exposes the truth about the accountant-turned-killer, including his revealing letter to his pastor, his years as a fugitive with a new name—and a new wife—his eventual arrest, and the details of his high-profile trial. Revised and updated.DEATH SENTENCE: The Inside Story of the John List Murders-Joe Sharkey

Whispers in the Willows is an anthology style, true crime book that chronicles three unsolved murders, a series of Death Row executions, and the harrowing stories of two Holocaust survivors. A 22-year-old college student, Rebekah Gould, vanished from a friend’s house Sept. 20, 2004, near the town of Melbourne, Arkansas. Her partially clothed, bludgeoned body was found near a rural road not far from the house a week later. Her case has never been solved. It’s been profiled on The Dr. Oz show, and was featured on the Hell and Gone podcast in 2018. Jared has written about her case since the day she vanished. There’s a glaring amount of evidence in the case that points in several directions, and he has dedicated another chapter about her in his newest work. Amanda Tusing, a 20-year-old aspiring veterinarian, left her fiancée’ home on a rain soaked night. A few hours later she would be dead, and her case has baffled law officers for almost 20 years. Karen Johnson Swift was a mother of four that vanished just before Halloween, 2011, in Dyersburg Tennessee. Her body was found in a cemetery a couple of months later. Her killer remains free. Four men who committed unspeakable acts of violence and torture were set to die on Death Row in April, 2017. Jared was there for the planned executions and gives a detailed look into one the darkest places on earth. The book also includes two Holocaust survivors and their tales of survival. The murders they witnessed cannot be imagined. Jared has also written two other true crime books, Witches in West Memphis and The Creek Sides Bones. Those books included chapters about the internationally famous West Memphis Three case. Jared wrote more stories about the WM3 case than any other journalist in the world and includes Death Row interviews with Damien Echols. WHISPERS IN THE WILLOWS: Who Killed Rebekah Gould? Who killed Amanda Tusing? And Why?-George Jared.

In 1977, four teenagers were kidnapped and attacked near and on Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Only one survived. This book is written by the first responder to the call, Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper J.B. King. He goes back in time to tell it how it was from the moment of the crime until the conviction of Military Police Game Warden Johnny Lee Thornton.His purpose is to tell the story of Pulaski County Missouri's ‘Crime of the Century’ in detail and with clarity. From the first minutes after this attack was reported, the United States Army, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command (CID), and the United States Attorney’s office worked together to bring the killer to justice. This book is a first-hand, comprehensive look into the investigation--and the shocking story. FROZEN TEARS:The Fort Leonard Wood MP Murders-J.B.KIng

In 1968, a budding New York City entrepreneur who provided immigrants with jobs takes a Florida vacation with his family. Meanwhile, his relative, an employee, is murdered on Long Island.Upon returning to New York, Sam Sommer learns the fate of his wife’s uncle, Irving Silver, when he doesn’t show up to carpool to work. Three days pass with no clues about his death. Then a recent contractor at Sam’s deli sets up a meeting to share news on the investigation. Within moments after pulling into a donut shop parking lot to meet, Sam is kidnapped by detectives with the engine still running. While held in custody, he is beaten and allegedly confesses to the murder. Court proceedings amount to do-overs, appellate victories and overturns, and mysterious documents. Sam is found guilty of murder in 1971. Within short order, his case is highlighted in college law courses. After surviving years of power-hungry guards and moving often from prison to prison for good behavior, Sam is released on parole in 1991. Justice continued to railroad him until 2015 when he finds an eerie document in the police archives that proves his innocence. That discovery triggered the re-opening of his case and free legal assistance. What will a momentous turn of events bring next? RAILROADED: Framed For Murder, Fighting For Justice-Christopher Jossart

How does a high school valedictorian, former member of the famed 101st Airborne, respected church deacon, husband and father of three end up with a first-degree murder conviction and serving life without parole? Deacon’s Crossbow is a bone-chilling and compelling work of true crime — about fate, fear, facts and personality, especially that of convict Donald S. Graham.Donald and his wife were driving home from dance lessons when they happened upon two men on Interstate 95 in Massachusetts. When Donald reached for his crossbow, all hell broke loose. The end result: the male driver is dead and the deacon is in prison for the rest of his life. You will follow a labyrinth of events from the incident all the way to the present. The story is unique because it includes Mr. Graham’s views and sentiments from within the walls of incarceration, as well as perspectives from a free man, the author.Was justice served? Or was the driver the aggressor and the deacon the victim? DEACON'S CROSSBOW: The True Story of a Crossbow Killing on Interstate 95-David G. Brown

Over two grim nights in Los Angeles, the young followers of Charles Manson murdered seven people, including the actress Sharon Tate, then eight months pregnant. With no mercy and seemingly no motive, the Manson Family followed their leader's every order-their crimes lit a flame of paranoia across the nation, spelling the end of the sixties. Manson became one of history's most infamous criminals, his name forever attached to an era when charlatans mixed with prodigies, free love was as possible as brainwashing, and utopia-or dystopia-was just an acid trip away. Twenty years ago, when journalist Tom O'Neill was reporting a magazine piece about the murders, he worried there was nothing new to say. Then he unearthed shocking evidence of a cover-up behind the "official" story, including police carelessness, legal misconduct, and potential surveillance by intelligence agents. When a tense interview with Vincent Bugliosi-prosecutor of the Manson Family, and author of Helter Skelter-turned a friendly source into a nemesis, O'Neill knew he was onto something. But every discovery brought more questions.O'Neill's quest for the truth led him from reclusive celebrities to seasoned spies, from San Francisco's summer of love to the shadowy sites of the CIA's mind-control experiments, on a trail rife with shady cover-ups and suspicious coincidences. The product of two decades of reporting, hundreds of new interviews, and dozens of never-before-seen documents from the LAPD, the FBI, and the CIA, CHAOS mounts an argument that could be, according to Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Steven Kay, strong enough to overturn the verdicts on the Manson murders. This is a book that overturns our understanding of a pivotal time in American history. CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA and the Secret History of the 60's-Tom O'Neill

San Francisco, a city founded in part by criminals, was once one of the most dangerous cities in America. Its Barbary coast was called “a unique criminal district that was the scene of more viciousness and depravity, but it possessed more glamour, than any other area on the American continent.” “San Francisco Notorious” brings back the glamorous depravity and noir atmosphere that made it the premier location for murder thrillers like “The Maltese Falcon,” “Vertigo,” and “Zodiac.” This book contains more than 20 compelling tales of serial killers, deadly women, con-men, masters of escape, and unsolved mysteries. San Franciscan criminals were as colorful as the city they inhabited. Take William Thoreson, a murderous millionaire who hid the nation’s largest private armory in his Pacific Heights mansion. Then there’s Isabella Martin, the murderous “Queen of Grudges” who tried to poison an entire town, or Ethan McNabb and Lloyd Sampsell, the “Yacht Bandits,” who used a luxurious sloop as a getaway vehicle for their dozens of bank robberies. Most of these unusual cases are largely unknown and have never appeared in book form. Included are cases that are still mysteries today, including the mysterious tale of the Zodiac Killer, complete with a new analysis and a startling new theory on the murder. NOTORIOUS SAN FRANCISCO: True Tales of Crime, Murder and Passion-Paul Drexler

Like a real-life Hannibal Lecter--the psychopathic murderer from Thomas Harris' "Silence of the Lambs"--Charles Hatcher was cunning, sadistic and totally remorseless. He was a man with no conscience. He killed sixteen people, three of them children. Hatcher was also responsible for a different kind of tragedy--the conviction and imprisonment of an innocent man who was mercilessly hounded by the police, the prosecutor and the community for a brutal murder that Hatcher himself committed. A nomadic Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde who manipulated the legal system with gruesome skill, Charles Hatcher was the embodiment of evil, the devil's emissary on Earth. His nemesis was the lone FBI-man in St. Joseph, Missouri who risked his career to end Hatcher's reign of terror. "Innocent Blood" is the true story of Charles Hatcher and his life of crime--a powerful, and blood-chilling glimpse into the darkness between sanity and madness. It also chronicles a justice system gone wrong. Throughout his criminal career Hatcher was able to fool dozens of psychiatrists, who repeatedly failed to identify him as a multiple murderer. Hatcher's astonishing skill was not just in his ability to murder and escape imprisonment. He became an expert at manipulating the criminal justice system; overall, he outwitted police, prosecutors, psychiatrists and judges in twelve cities and eight states.Terry Ganey first covered this story as a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Later, he spent four years researching the material for this book, interviewing over seventy-five people and reviewing thousands of documents, court transcripts, prison files, police reports and mental health records.What emerges is a fascinating and horrifying portrait of a mass murderer at large in America. INNOCENT BLOOD: A True Story of Obsession and Serial Murder-Terry Ganey

Truth and Honour explores the 2011 murder of Saint John businessman Richard Oland, of the prominent family that owns Moosehead Breweries, the ensuing police investigation and the arrest, trial, and conviction of the victim's son, Dennis Oland, for second­ degree murder.Oland's trial would be the most publicized in New Brunswick history. What the trial judge called "a family tragedy of Shakespearian proportions," this real ­life murder mystery included adultery, family dysfunction, largely circumstantial evidence, allegations of police incompetence, a high-powered legal defence, and a verdict that shocked the community.Today, the Oland family maintains Dennis Oland's innocence. Author Greg Marquis, a professor of Canadian history at the University of New Brunswick Saint John, leads readers through the case, from the discovery of the crime to the conviction and sentencing of the defendant. Offering multiple perspectives, Truth and Honour explores this question: was Dennis Oland responsible for the death of his father? TRUTH AND HONOUR: The Death of Richard Oland and the Trial of Dennis Oland-Greg Marquis

Was Jason the monster who bludgeoned his beautiful wife to death, leaving his toddler alone for hours to walk through her blood? If so--would he get away with it?To the outside world, Jason and Michelle Young lived a storybook life--an attractive couple with great jobs, a beautiful home, a precocious two-year-old daughter, and a baby boy on the way.Soon after the 29-year-old pregnant mother's brutally beaten body was discovered on their bedroom floor, a very different picture emerged. Of a marriage crumbling at its foundation. Of a meddlesome New York mother-in-law whose running critique left Jason frustrated and angry. Of a 32-year-old man who behaved like a frat boy rebelling against adult responsibilities.MURDER ON BIRCHLEAF DRIVE documents the gripping tale of a family's marathon quest for justice, confounding crime scene evidence, persistence of law enforcement officers, and riveting courtroom combat. MURDER ON BIRCHLEAF DRIVE: The True Story of the Michelle Young Murder Case-Steven B. Epstein