The family was seemingly perfect. A loving husband and wife, devoted to each other and to their children. Three young boys, aged twelve, six, and fourteen months. The family was strongly religious and close-knit. And, at the start of our story, they were planning a big barbecue to celebrate Mother's Day.
Within twelve hours, the young boys would be dead at the hands of their own mother—and the town would be rocked by the greatest tragedy in its history. This book details both the murders and the mother's trial, at which she claimed that God had commanded her to sacrifice her sons as he had to Abraham in the Old Testament—communicating through a series of signs she saw throughout the day.
Why would a mother kill the children she is bound by love and biology to protect? And can a person who kills because she truly believes God demanded it be found guilty of murder? This trial created a dramatic legal controversy—that still resonates in the present day.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Katherine Ramsland knows exactly what makes killers tick. A professor of forensic psychology and criminal justice at Pennsylvania's DeSales University, Dr. Ramsland has written and published 38 books and over 1,000 articles providing insight into the psychology of some of the world's most high-profile mass murder and serial killing cases. She holds advanced degrees in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, philosophy, and criminal justice.
ABOUT THE SERIES
A new collection of compelling short nonfiction crime eBooks from leading independent eBook publisher RosettaBooks, Crimescape™ provides riveting storytelling that puts its publications at the top of the true crime genre. Crimescape™ authors are not only the best true crime authors in the business—many of whom have seen their books made into major motion pictures. They're also police detectives, forensic professionals, criminal psychologists, and investigative reporters. Their inside expertise brings readers unique insight into the murderous mind—and some of the world's most mysterious and fascinating cases.
"What makes for a good true-crime story? Interesting characters, an engrossing plot, situations that often teeter between life and death. But here's the MacGuffin about true crime: What you're reading actually happened. Sometimes truth really is more compelling than fiction. And that's why you will enjoy reading Crimescape's true crime series." —Paul Alexander, # 1 bestselling author of the Kindle Singles Accused, Murdered, and Homicial