Compulsion to Kill


Book Description

In the twisted minds of men who murder again and again, life, sex, pain, and death are fashioned into a terrible compulsion to kill. Otherwise rather ordinary men, serial killers turn to violence and death in search of power over others and to explore their own monstrous sexual identity. That is what their killing is really all about, although it takes many different forms. While their behaviour has been insane, however, they are rarely locked away in mental institutions. To be judged legally insane, one cannot understand the wrongness or consequences of one's crimes. But these men plan and commit not one but a series of premeditated murders and then skillfully elude capture. They may indeed be compelled to kill, but they are not insane in the eyes of the law. When society finally sweeps up such predators, their very cunning ensures them a life behind bars - or a place on death row.




Lemuel Smith and the Compulsion to Kill


Book Description

Rapist, thief, and killer Lemuel Smith brutally murdered five people from 1958 to 1977. Judge John Clyne imposed two consecutive life sentences and labeled him "the poster boy for capital punishment." In 1981, while serving those sentences in Green Haven Correctional Facility, he murdered prison guard Donna Payant.Forensic anthropologist Denis Foley's riveting narrative reads like a novel but is one of the most detailed and well documented accounts ever published on the workings of the mind of a violent, multiple personality serial killer.




A Compulsion to Kill


Book Description

The latest work from acclaimed historical author Robert Cox, A Compulsion to Kill is a dramatic chronological account of 19th-century Tasmanian serial murderers. Never before revealed in such depth, the story is the culmination of extensive research and adept craftsmanship as it probes the essence of both the crimes and the killers themselves. Beginning in 1806 with Australia’s first serial killers, John Brown and Richard Lemon, A Compulsion to Kill recounts the stories of Alexander Pearce, ‘the cannibal convict’; Thomas Jeffrey, a sadist, sexual predator, cannibal, and baby-killer known as ‘the monster’; Charles Routley, who burnt one of his victims alive; cannibal convicts Broughton and McAvoy; Rocky Whelan, who in twenty-four days slew five men in cold blood; and John Haley, who killed three people in fits of rage. The final chapter investigates the still-unsolved Parkmount murders, three killings for which the two probable culprits twice faced court, only to be discharged due to faulty police investigation and neglected evidence. Most of these stories have never been told before, and none has previously been related with such detail and verifiable accuracy. A determined storyteller, Cox delivers a supremely dramatic page-turner in the true crime genre. The book includes extensive references and an index.




Compulsion


Book Description

The basis of the award-winning film starring Orson Welles, Compulsion gives a shocking fictionalized account of the Leopold-Loeb murder case--in which two young graduates of the University of Chicago kidnapped and killed a child for the intellectual challenge. "A graphic and absorbing reconstruction of an infamous crime".--Saturday Review.




Never the Sinner


Book Description

Cast size: medium.




Killer Book of Serial Killers


Book Description

The Killer Book of Serial Killers is the ultimate resource (and gift) for any true crime fan and student of the bizarre world of serial killers. Filled with stories, trivia, quizzes, quotes, photos, and odd facts about the world's most notorious murderers, this is the perfect bathroom reader for anyone fascinated with serial killers. The stories and trivia cover such killers as: John Wayne Gacy Ted Bundy The BTK Killer Jack the Ripper The Green River Killer Serial killers around the world And many more Bathroom readers have enjoyed considerable success as a format, selling millions of copies. The Killer Book series brings this format to the rabid true crime audience. Including more than 40 black & white photos, this is a must for true crime fans.




Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone


Book Description

Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone investigates our profound intrigue with mass-murderers. Exploring existential, ethical and political questions through an examination of real and fictional serial killers, philosophy comes alive via an exploration of grisly death. Presents new philosophical theories about serial killing, and relates new research in cognitive science to the minds of serial killers Includes a philosophical look at real serial killers such as Ian Brady, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and the Zodiac killer, as well as fictional serial killers such as Dexter and Hannibal Lecter Offers a new phenomenological examination of the writings of the Zodiac Killer Contains an account of the disappearance of one of Ted Bundy's victims submitted by the organization Families and Friends of Missing Persons and Violent Crime Victims Integrates the insights of philosophers, academics, crime writers and police officers




Murder in America


Book Description

This revised and updated edition of Murder in America presents a pragmatic examination of both common and unusual acts of homicide in the United States.




Why We Love Serial Killers


Book Description

For decades now, serial killers have taken center stage in the news and entertainment media. The coverage of real-life murderers such as Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer has transformed them into ghoulish celebrities. Similarly, the popularity of fictional characters such as Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter or Dexter demonstrates just how eager the public is to be frightened by these human predators. But why is this so? Could it be that some of us have a gruesome fascination with serial killers for the same reasons we might morbidly stare at a catastrophic automobile accident? Or it is something more? In Why We Love Serial Killers, criminology professor Dr. Scott Bonn explores our powerful appetite for the macabre, while also providing new and unique insights into the world of the serial killer, including those he has gained from his correspondence with two of the world’s most notorious examples, David Berkowitz (“Son of Sam”) and Dennis Rader (“Bind, Torture, Kill”). In addition, Bonn examines the criminal profiling techniques used by law enforcement professionals to identify and apprehend serial predators, he discusses the various behaviors—such as the charisma of the sociopath— that manifest themselves in serial killers, and he explains how and why these killers often become popular cultural figures. Groundbreaking in its approach, Why We Love Serial Killers is a compelling look at how the media, law enforcement agencies, and public perception itself shapes and feeds the “monsters” in our midst.




Someone Has To Die Tonight


Book Description

Lords Of Chaos It was big news in Ft. Myers, Florida when an abandoned historic building was destroyed by vandals in a spectacular blast. Behind it lay the Lords of Chaos, a band of teenage misfits led by Kevin Foster, 18, a vicious hatemonger who idolized Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and was known as "God" to his five-man gang. Vortex Of Violence The explosion was only one episode in a month-long crime spree that began with vandalism and theft, escalating into what a local sheriff later called "a vortex of bloodlust and arson." The rampage culminated in the brutal shotgun murder of high school band director Mark Schwebes, 32. Police busted the gang before they could unleash a planned racist mass murder at Disney World--but their leader wasn't done yet. Compulsion To Kill Author Jim Greenhill conducted extensive interviews with Kevin Foster on Florida's Death Row. In an astounding development, Greenhill was solicited by the prisoner and his mother Ruby Foster to arrange the killings of three witnesses, leading to a new case against Foster in 2002. Here is the chilling inside story of how a pack of teenage losers found a way to succeed--at murder. . . 16 Pages Of Shocking Photos Praise for Jim Greenhill and Someone Has to Die Tonight "Fascinatingly lurid . . . insightful and well written. . . . Greenhill has brought the light of excellent reporting and emotional insight to the brooding darkness that consumes fringe-dwellers at virtually any high school." --Mike Clark, The Durango Herald (Durango, CO) "Recommended reading. . . . True crime in the strictest sense . . . the most factual account possible of the events of that stormy April." --Jay MacDonald, The News-Press (Fort Myers, FL) "Greenhill, a big fan of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, did his hero proud . . . the most detailed true crime you will read." --Sam Cook, The News-Press (Fort Myers, FL) "Meticulously reported and carefully crafted, a major debut." --Gregg Olsen, bestselling author of Abandoned Prayers "Riveting and gut wrenching." --Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, bestselling author of On Killing "A searing look, by a true journalist, behind a sordid tale of murder and deception--a real page-turner." --M. William Phelps, author of Murder in the Heartland "An extraordinary book . . . compelling . . . it accumulates force as it rolls along and winds up flooring you with the sheer power of Greenhill's reporting." --Bob Norman, The Daily Pulp