Cruel Death
HIGHEST PRAISE FOR M. WILLIAM PHELPS
NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN
“This riveting book examines one of the most horrific murders in recent American history.”
—
New York Post
“Phelps clearly shows how the ugliest crimes can take place in the quietest of suburbs.”
—Library Journal
“Thoroughly reported . . . The book is primarily a police procedural, but it is also a tribute to the four murder victims.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
TOO YOUNG TO KILL
“Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers.”
—Allison Brennan
LOVE HER TO DEATH
“Reading anything by Phelps is always an eye opening experience. His writing reads like a fiction mystery novel. The characters are well researched and well written. We have murder, adultery, obsession, lies and so much more.”
—
Suspense Magazine
“You don’t want to miss
Love Her To Death
by M. William Phelps, a book destined to be one of 2011’s top true crimes!”
—
True Crime Book Reviews
“A chilling crime . . . award-winning author Phelps goes into lustrous and painstaking detail, bringing all the players vividly to life.”
—
Crime Magazine
KILL FOR ME
“Phelps gets into the blood and guts of the story.”
—Gregg Olsen,
New York Times
best-selling author of
Fear Collector
“Phelps infuses his investigative journalism with plenty of energized descriptions.”
—
Publishers Weekly
DEATH TRAP
“A chilling tale of a sociopathic wife and mother willing to sacrifice all those around her to satisfy her boundless narcissism . . . a compelling journey from the inside of this woman’s mind to final justice in a court of law. Fair warning: for three days I did little else but read this book.”
—Harry N. MacLean,
New York Times
best-selling
author of
In Broad Daylight
I’LL BE WATCHING YOU
“Skillfully balances a victim’s story against that of an arrogant killer as it reveals a deviant mind intent on topping the world’s most dangerous criminals. Phelps has an unrelenting sense for detail that affirms his place, book by book, as one of our most engaging crime journalists.”
—Katherine Ramsland
IF LOOKS COULD KILL
“M. William Phelps, one of America’s finest true-crime writers, has written a compelling and gripping book about an intriguing murder mystery. Readers of this genre will thoroughly enjoy this book.”
—Vincent Bugliosi
“Starts quickly and doesn’t slow down.... Phelps consistently ratchets up the dramatic tension, hooking readers before they even know they’ve been hooked. His thorough research and interviews give the book a sense of growing complexity, richness of character, and urgency.”
—Stephen Singular
MURDER IN THE HEARTLAND
“Drawing on interviews with law officers and relatives, the author has done significant research and—demonstrating how modern forensics and the Internet played critical, even unexpected roles in the investigation—his facile writing pulls the reader along.”
—
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Phelps expertly reminds us that when the darkest form of evil invades the quiet and safe outposts of rural America, the tragedy is greatly magnified. Get ready for some sleepless nights.”
—Carlton Stowers
“This is the most disturbing and moving look at murder in rural America since Capote’s
In Cold Blood
.”
—Gregg Olsen
SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE
“An exceptional book by an exceptional true crime writer. Phelps exposes long-hidden secrets and reveals disquieting truths.”
—Kathryn Casey
EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE
“An insightful and fast-paced examination of the inner workings of a good cop and his bad informant, culminating in an unforgettable truth-is-stranger-than-fiction climax.”
—Michael M. Baden, M.D.
“M. William Phelps is the rising star of the nonfiction crime genre, and his true tales of murderers and mayhem are scary-as-hell thrill rides into the dark heart of the inhuman condition.”
—Douglas Clegg
LETHAL GUARDIAN
“An intense roller-coaster of a crime story . . . complex, with a plethora of twists and turns worthy of any great detective mystery, and yet so well-laid out, so crisply written with such detail to character and place that it reads more like a novel than your standard non-fiction crime book.”
—Steve Jackson
—Steve Jackson
PERFECT POISON
“True crime at its best—compelling, gripping, an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Phelps packs wallops of delight with his skillful ability to narrate a suspenseful story and his encyclopedic knowledge of police procedures.”
—Harvey Rachlin
“A compelling account of terror . . . the author dedicates himself to unmasking the psychopath with facts, insight and the other proven methods of journalistic leg work.”
—Lowell Cauffiel
Also By M. William Phelps
Perfect Poison
Lethal Guardian
Every Move You Make
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Murder in the Heartland
Because You Loved Me
If Looks Could Kill
I’ll Be Watching You
Deadly Secrets
Cruel Death
Death Trap
Kill For Me
Failures of the Presidents
(coauthor)
Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy
The Devil’s Rooming House: The True Story of America’s
Deadliest Female Serial Killer
The Devil’s Right Hand: The Tragic Story
of the Colt Family Curse
Love Her to Death
Too Young to Kill
Never See Them Again
The Dead Soul: A Thriller
(available as e-book only)
Murder, New England
Jane Doe No More
Kiss of the She-Devil
C
RUEL
D
EATH
M. W
ILLIAM
P
HELPS
PINNACLE BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
HIGHEST PRAISE FOR M. WILLIAM PHELPS
Also by
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Author’s Note
Part 1 - Memories Are Like Raindrops
1 - Ebb & Flow
2 - Intuition
3 - Backtracking
4 - Moving Forward
5 - New York Born and Bred
6 - Third Wheel
7 - Star Athlete
8 - The Ghost Husband
Part II - Snakes, Crocodiles, Drugs, Murder
9 - Pill Snorter
10 - Everyone Has Secrets
11 - Don’t Shoot
12 - Natural Born Lovers
13 - Hot Tub
14 - Stranded
15 - The 130 Ways to Torture a Person
16 - Control Freaks
17 - “911 . . . ?”
18 - “Guilty Pleasures”
19 - The Abuse Excuse
20 - “I’m Sure in My Brain . . .”
21 - Military Man
22 - The Civilians
23 - “What . . . Did You Do?”
24 - All Jacked Up
25 - The Inconceivable
26 - Dump Site
27 - The Real Me
28 - Killer Wife
29 - Fish Tales
30 - Purse Strings
31 - Guns Don’t Kill People . . .
Part III - Oh, the Mistakes We Made
32 - Missing
33 - Greene Turtle
34 - Busted
35 - Hostages
36 - There Are No Coincidences
37 - Probable Cause
38 - The Robot
39 - The Trade-off
40 - Girls on Film
41 - Fifty-Fifty
42 - Pulling Teeth
43 - Black and White
44 - Lawyer Up
45 - A Picture’s Worth . . .
46 - Let’s Make a Deal
47 - The Great Pretender
48 - Hometown Girl
49 - Hubris
50 - Circumspect
51 - Unfathomable
52 - Just Another Roll of the Dice
53 - Midnight Special
54 - The Search Begins
55 - What Remains
56 - Divine Intervention
57 - The Fighter
58 - No More Tears
59 - The Right Button
60 - Training a SEAL
61 - Hide in Plain Sight
62 - The Test
63 - Door Problems
64 - Truth or Dare
65 - Her (Latest) Story
66 - Snakes on a Plane
67 - Déjà Vu
68 - “People with Diseases”
69 - The First Cut
70 - My Girl
71 - Can It Be True?
72 - Horror Show
73 - Deal’s Off
74 - Technicalities
Part IV - He Said, She Said
75 - Judgment Day
76 - The PI
77 - Letters
78 - Flashbacks
79 - Love (Jail) Birds
80 - Mind Games
81 - Dead Serious Talk
82 - Brutally Honest
83 - Break These Chains
84 - A SEAL Finally Squeaks
85 - The Blame Game
86 - Whose Idea Was It?
87 - Showdown
88 - On the Ropes
89 - The Details of a Crime
90 - Closing One Door
91 - Shock and Awe
92 - Stealing the Spotlight
93 - Her Turn—Again
94 - Pathology
95 - Pain and Loss
96 - The Setup
97 - Subtlety
98 - Daddy’s Turn
99 - The Ring
100 - “Miss Scrapbook”
101 - Circumstances
102 - Judgment Day
103 - The Butcher
104 - The End of Her Humanity
Epilogue
Update 2014
Teaser chapter
Picture Section
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Copyright Page
For Peter Miller, the roaring literary lion.
Acknowledgments
Thank you . . .
Deborah Dawkins, Donna Dudek, Amanda Evans, and everyone else at Jupiter Entertainment. Deb, Donna, and Amanda were extremely helpful to me during the early stages of considering this case for a book, introducing me to the right people, and pointing me in the right direction.
The Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) as a whole was incredibly obliging. Several detectives opened up their lives and made this book truly what it is. I can never thank them enough for their time, input, expertise, and commitment. Scott Bernal and Brett Case were always willing to answer my questions, even when those answers did not suit their own needs; and that, to me, shows immense integrity and honesty. Scott Bernal inspired me in ways I could never explain. He is one of the most candid, passionate, dedicated lawmen I have ever met. Finally, great appreciation to OCPD chief Bernadette DiPino for allowing her detectives to speak with me about this case.
Kensington editor Mike Shohl and copy editor Stephanie Finnegan.
