Kiss Me, Kill Me and Other True Cases Read online

  PRAISE FOR THE BRILLIANT

  NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERS FROM “AMERICA’S BEST TRUE-CRIME WRITER”

  (Kirkus Reviews)

  ANN RULE

  HEART FULL OF LIES

  “A convincing portrait of a meticulous criminal mind.”

  —The Washington Post

  “Rule knows a good drama when she finds one. . . . A real-life soap opera. . . . [It will] keep readers turning pages.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Fascinating and strange. . . . The sheer weight of [Ann Rule’s] investigative technique places her at the forefront of true-crime writers.”

  —Booklist

  EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE

  “Affecting, tense, and smart true-crime. . . . A case study of the classic American con man crossed with the more exotic strains of the sociopath.”

  —Washington Post Book World

  “Ann Rule has outdone herself.”

  —The Orlando Sentinel (FL)

  “Rule, in classic form, meticulously re-creates the. . . lives of her characters.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Troubling but absolutely riveting. . . . A sober, nonsensational account. . . . As usual, Rule excels at painting psychologically perceptive portraits of all the characters in this stranger-than-fiction but nevertheless real-life drama.”

  —Booklist

  Kiss Me, Kill Me is also available as an eBook

  . . . AND NEVER LET HER GO

  “Most people like to think they recognize evil when they see it. But as this gripping story makes clear, most people are wrong. Much more than the profile of a handsome, insidious killer and the young woman he murdered, . . . And Never Let Her Go is also the story of three close-knit families and how thirty-year-old Anne Marie Fahey’s death strengthened or destroyed them. . . . In Rule’s capable hands, [this is] the raw material for a modern-day tragedy.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “Truly creepy. . . . This portrait of an evil prince needs no embellishment.”

  —People

  “In her selection and treatment of the Fahey murder, [Rule] might have created her masterpiece.”

  —The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

  “Even crime buffs who followed the case closely [will] gain new insights. . . . The courtroom scenes of Capano are especially compelling.”

  —The Orlando Sentinel (FL)

  “[Rule] tell[s] the sad story with authority, flair, and pace.”

  —The Washington Post

  BITTER HARVEST

  “A must-read story of the ’90s American dream turned, tragically, to self-absorbed ashes.”

  —People

  “Impossible to put down. . . . A tour de force from America’s best true-crime writer.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “[A] tension-filled, page-turning chronology and analysis of a psychopath in action. . . . It is Rule’s expert attention to detail that makes this Medea-incarnate story so compelling. . . . [A] gripping saga of sin and murder most foul.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  LAST DANCE, LAST CHANCE

  And Other True Cases

  Ann Rule’s Crime Files: Vol. 8

  “For spine-tingling true crime stories, no one tops Ann Rule. . . . Rule’s portrait of Dr. Anthony Pignataro, a diabolical cosmetic surgeon, could win a place in any insomniac’s heart.”

  —Barnesandnoble.com

  EMPTY PROMISES

  And Other True Cases

  Ann Rule’s Crime Files: Vol. 7

  “Fascinating, unsettling tales. . . . Among the very small group of top-notch true-crime writers, Rule just may be the best of the bunch.”

  —Booklist

  A RAGE TO KILL

  And Other True Cases

  Ann Rule’s Crime Files: Vol. 6

  “Gripping tales. . . . Fans of true crime know they can rely on Ann Rule to deliver the dead-level best.”

  —The Hartford Courant (CT)

  Thank you for purchasing this Pocket Books eBook.

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  Contents

  Introduction

  Kiss Me, Kill Me

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  The Postman Only Killed Once

  What’s Love Got to Do with It?

  Old Flames Can Burn

  The Lonely Hearts Killer

  The Captive Bride

  Bad Blind Date

  The Highway Accident

  You Kill Me—Or I’ll Kill You

  “Where Is Julie?”

  Photographs

  Although it is long overdue,

  this book is dedicated to the memory of Pierce R. Brooks,

  a cops’ cop, a superior detective, an innovator,

  and a wonderfully kind man.

  Pierce saved more lives in his long career

  than any law enforcement officer I ever met.

  Acknowledgments

  Over three decades, any number of detectives have shared their experiences with me, along with their thoughts on the cause and prevention of criminal behavior. Had they not been willing to talk about both their triumphs and their mistakes, and their own emotions as they faced seemingly impenetrable puzzles and tragic loss, I would never have learned what I have about the psychopathology of the criminal mind. And I thank them all.

  When I first became the Northwest correspondent for five fact-detective magazines and the New York Daily News Justice Stories, I hadn’t been out of college very long. The homicide detectives in the Seattle Police Department used to tease me, saying: “Ann, we’ll all be retired someday, and you’ll probably still be coming down here to get cases to write about. Our grandsons will be the detectives then.”

  And we laughed. They were older than I was, and that first crew of seventeen detectives are all retired now, and many of my best detective friends are deceased. Then, there was a period when the homicide detectives were the same age I was. And most of them are retired. I’m happy to say that, so far, there are no third generation detectives! But the world does move on and it would be easy to forget old unsolved cases. That has not happened, and it has been gratifying to see the second platoon of investigators in many Northwest police departments closing cases and catching killers.

  I wish to thank scores of detectives who worked on the homicide cases in Kiss Me, Kill Me from the following departments: Seattle Police Department; King County Sheriff’s Office; University of Washington Police Department; Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office; Thurston County Sheriff’s Office; Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office; Spokane County Sheriff’s Office; Salem, Oregon, Police Department; Marion County, Oregon, Sheriff’s Office; Silverton Police Department; Mount Angel Police Department; Oregon State Police; Los Angeles Police Department; Orange County, California, Sheriff’s Office; and the Lee County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office.

  Special thanks to
Detectives Greg Mixsell and Richard Gagnon of the Seattle Police Department’s “Cold Case Squad,” and Sergeant Dan Brooks, West Covina, California, Police Department, and to Joyce Brooks.

  When Pocket Books suggested the concept of a series of books called “Ann Rule’s Crime Files” a dozen years ago, none of us knew if there would be more than the first edition. Happily, readers look forward to these original paperbacks. Kiss Me, Kill Me is Volume Nine, and there are many more in the works.

  I am one of those peculiar authors who never met an editor she didn’t like, and I particularly enjoy working with Mitchell Ivers at Pocket Books. He is always encouraging and slow to criticize. His assistant, Josh Martino, is more efficient than it’s possible to be, and I appreciate that a great deal.

  Once a manuscript leaves my hands, I know that a capable and enthusiastic team at Pocket Books will see that it gets into print in record time. My grateful thanks go to Louise Burke, Donna O’Neill, Stephen Llano, Paolo Pepe, Felice Javit, Linda Dingler, Joy O’Meara, Jaime Putorti, Victor Cataldo, Nancy Inglis, Rodger Weinfeld, and also to copy editor David Chesanow.

  As always, I thank my literary agents, who have been in my corner for thirty-five years. I’ve never had any others because I picked the best the first time out: Joan and Joe Foley of The Foley Agency in New York City. I also appreciate my theatrical agent, Ron Bernstein of International Creative Management in Beverly Hills, California.

  And, of course, I thank my readers! Without you, there wouldn’t be books at all, and I appreciate you. I hope to meet many of you when I’m signing books this year. My website pages will have my schedule and lots of updates and other information.

  Come and visit at www.annrules.com.

  Introduction

  While it is true that serial murder cases often tend to draw the biggest headlines—perhaps because that phenomenon was recognized and acknowledged only two decades ago—homicides resulting from interpersonal relationships can be more dramatic and mesmerizing. In this volume of my true crime files series, I have chosen cases from both categories. They all evolved from what began initially out of attraction, but some murders came about through undiluted lust on the part of the killers. Others started with love—or what passed for love.

  If I had to sum up the cases I have selected for this book, I would say that the tragic women victims all hoped for something positive from the men they encountered: a conversation with someone who seemed trustworthy, friendship, companionship, a kiss, or a hug—and in many cases, a kiss, romance, and perhaps even a lifetime commitment. Some of the lost women soon had reason to be uncomfortable—even frightened—while others faced death suddenly and with no warning at all. If there are lessons here, I hope that my readers will learn to react to even the first small niggling of doubt and protect themselves from danger before it is too late.

  “Kiss Me, Kill Me,” the title case in this book, began and ended with pure lust, although there was a strange interlude where a killer and the woman he abducted actually seemed to care for each other. This long section also explores the encouraging phenomenon of “Cold Case Squads,” now mobilizing in police departments around the United States, with clever detectives who use the latest technology in forensic science to track down murder suspects who believed they were home free decades ago.

  “The Postman Only Killed Once” isn’t about “going postal” as it’s come to be known after workers for the U.S. Postal Service have faced mass murderers among their fellow employees. This sex-mad killer was ultimately selfish, a glutton who wanted any number of women in his life, and a man who fantasized a crazy plot to free himself of the bonds of marriage while blaming murder on a phantom serial killer. He just happened to be a mailman.

  Neither kisses nor passion last forever; ordinary life settles in and truly good marriages and relationships are based on shared interests, common experiences, trust, and mutual support through both the good and bad times. Of course there will be high points over the years, but no one can live full-time on roller coasters or a diet of ice cream sundaes. And they can’t devote every waking thought to someone else’s needs and desires.

  “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” began with an attractive couple who wanted to live a life filled with pleasure, without having to work to pay for it. It would have worked in a movie. It was hard to tell which of them was more attractive, but I suspect she was the one who loved the most. The question remains, “Did she love the wrong man too much and pay far too heavy a price for believing in him?” Or was she just as guilty as he was in their plans to have a wonderful life?

  That life was Las Vegas, convertibles, drinking and drugging, and cocktail lounges, as empty of substance as a mall theater after the last show. And they were, of course, doomed to fail. Sadly, they took another life in a stupid attempt to fulfill their impossible dreams.

  Some of the cruelest murders have been perpetrated by those who promised undying love when what they really meant was that the love object now belonged to them. Ownership of another human being is not love.

  Jealousy is not love, either. When men or women fail to trust their partner and allow them to live freely, real love cannot exist. It is inevitable that the object of jealousy will try to break free at some point. Some partners let that happen, and some destroy those they have sworn they will cherish forever. I get letters and emails every day from both men and women who live in fear because an estranged spouse or lover is stalking them and threatening to kill them.

  It is important that they realize this is not their doing. Those who have not been there can’t understand why trapped victims of misplaced “love” couldn’t detect the danger behind protestations of affection and caring before they exchanged vows or promises with the person they have come to fear so much. And yet it is rarely the fault of the one who is being stalked. Sometimes, yes, there were signs that their lovers were too possessive. More often, the warning signs came when it was too late to run away.

  “The Captive Bride” is about the fear that many women—and some men—live with day by day. I wish that I did have the answers for them, but I don’t. The best I can do is urge them to go online and enter “Domestic Violence” in the slot in search engines.

  “Bad Blind Date” is exactly what the title suggests, but, tragically, it takes the concept far beyond an uncomfortable evening with someone who turned out to be a major disappointment. We have all accepted dates with someone we didn’t really know. This case illustrates graphically the worst possible result if we allow ourselves to be pushed into spending time alone with a complete stranger.

  “The Lonely Hearts Killer” who found his victims in the Personal and “Model Wanted” ads of Los Angeles newspapers was, arguably, the first serial killer ever identified by that phrase. His horrifying crimes fit within the parameters of the description of the definition, as chilling today as it was when it happened. His victims were ultimately vulnerable, women seeking love or a way to make a living in Hollywood.

  Some of the cases I picked with some hesitation—because they deal with sexual aberration that few of us, thankfully, ever encounter or even read about. “Old Flames Can Burn” and “You Kill Me—Or I’ll Kill You” fall within that category. The men who were convicted in these crimes were handsome, much more than presentable socially, and ultimately frightening.

  “The Highway Accident” is a case that some of you may have read before. Still, after reading the massive media coverage of both the Lori and Mark Hacking case in Utah and the Laci and Scott Peterson case in California, I felt I had to include it. This case is almost a blueprint for the current cases—particularly the Hacking tragedy—although it goes several steps beyond. It does seem impossible for a wife to be so trusting of her husband, only to find out that she has lived in a lie. But it happens. It happened in “The Highway Accident” in Oregon, and I think you will be as startled as I was to see the similarities with the cases in today’s headlines.

  “Where Is Julie?” is one of the thousand or more m
ysteries I have chronicled in the past three decades, and one of perhaps a dozen that I cannot get out of my mind. In this last story, we come back to the sadness of the loss of “Kiss Me, Kill Me,” ’s Sandy Bowman—the perfect marriage that ended because someone outside the couple fixated on the lovely wife. As long as I live, I will never forget Julie Weflen or give up hope that the answer to her disappearance will be disclosed. Someone fixated on Julie, and it was probably the death of her. Instant attraction is more likely to be sexual than an arrow in the heart from Cupid. I think the most frightening stories I ever have to tell are cases where someone waits and watches in the shadows because he has become obsessed with a complete stranger. This kind of killer isn’t looking for romance or happy ever after; he wants instant sexual gratification or the thrill of capturing someone he finds attractive but unattainable without the use of force. I sincerely hope that some reader may hold the clue that will let those who still love her know what happened to Julie.

  All of the cases in this book retrace the cataclysmic events that began with a kiss, a hug, or some other manifestation of affection or physical longing. Tragically, the time between kissing and killing wasn’t very long in many of these true stories. Some of the killers were maddened by love, some by lust, and some appear to have been just plain crazy.

  I must admit that when I finished Kiss Me, Kill Me, I was feeling sad. And then I thought, Why not? Who wouldn’t feel this way after thinking about all of these tragedies?

  These cases are interesting, yes, but they are also cautionary tales that every reader should take to heart, and use to arm herself against danger. Often, readers jokingly ask me to sign a book: “I hope I never have to write about you!” And I always refuse because it seems unlucky to say that. So please pay heed.

  Kiss Me, Kill Me

  Author’s Note

  Never is there greater need for rapid results than in a homicide investigation. If a murder is not solved within the first forty-eight hours, the chance that it will ever be solved diminishes in direct proportion to the time that passes. That is why detectives often work around the clock when they are called to a murder scene. It doesn’t matter to them if it is day or night; they don’t leave that scene unguarded for any reason until it has been thoroughly processed, right down to the most minuscule fleck of blood or hair that seems out of place. Although they might have to wait until sunrise to detect everything that might be there, they know they are working against an invisible stopwatch, mocking them as it tick-ticks the time away while the killer gains an advantage.