Bøger af David Pietras

Bonnie and Clyde were meant for each other. And they clung to each other while they fought back against the elements. These elements were destitution and a government they took for its face value. They were children of a nationwide economic depression that not unlike France in the late 1700s had its upheavals and those who tried to keep small the size and impact of the upheavals. Anger dwelt within Clyde, having been born ragged and made more ragged by the Depression. He sometimes killed in cold blood, and always tried to justify the murders as if he had a right to pull that trigger, thus releasing somehow the seething that built up like a volcano deep inside him. Perhaps he actually believed in his own special privilege. As the fame of Bonnie and Clyde grew, they shot their way out of police loops, each time growing tighter and tighter, and claimed that the "laws" they killed just happened to get in the way between their fiery outcry and the rest of the country. Their killings were not personal, they contended. But, the government took them personal. And Bonnie and her man were marked for death.

On July 4, 1954, Marilyn Sheppard, the wife of a handsome thirty-year-old doctor, Sam Sheppard, was brutally murdered in the bedroom of their home in Bay Village, Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie. Sam Sheppard denied any involvement in the murder and described his own battle with the killer he described as "bushy-haired." Did Sam do it? It's rare for a murder mystery to endure for over half a century. Almost always, if the the mystery is not fully resolved at the trial, subsequent admissions, previously uncovered clues, or more sophisticated forensic tests reveal what the trial did not. Not so with the Sam Sheppard case. Facing two different juries, twelve years apart, Sam Sheppard was found guilty by one jury, not guilty by the next. Even over the past decade, partisans continued the debate. A third jury in 2000, asked to consider awarding the Sheppard family damages for wrongful imprisonment, sided with county prosecutors. In 2001, a book on the Sheppard case concluded that Sam was clearly innocent. Two years later, another book on the case argued just as forcefully that the first jury got it right: Sam was guilty as charged. We will look at the case and the surrounding facts and leave the judgement up to you, the reader. Apart from the large unanswered question of guilt, the Sheppard case deserves to be considered among the nation's most famous because it produced a landmark U. S. Supreme Court decision on fair trial rights and launched the career of a flamboyant young defense attorney named F. Lee Bailey. The case is also is remarkable for the unlikely collection of notable figures that touched the case, including columnist and quiz show star Dorothy Kilgallen, Cleveland Browns quarterback and NFL Hall-of-Fame member Otto Graham, and chief Nazi propagandist, Joesph Goebbels. The case also was widely associated with a popular early 60s' television show, The Fugitive.

Cultist groups have permeated society ever since people could chat and share ideas en masse, although modern cult experts today often clash about what, exactly, makes a group of people a cult. What's a loony or eccentric organization to one expert is often seen by others as a religion or sect, which are terms loaded with less cultural stigma. Whatever the best working definition might be, here we present four of popular culture's craziest cults of our time. One thing that baffles society is the fact that so many people choose to follow a single man and look to him as a messiah. Cult members usually refer to their leader as the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and obey his every command. Some cults focus on doing good for society and the world in general yet others choose a more sinister path of murder and mayhem. And the ultimate cult following consists of mass suicides. Whatever the reasoning of these followers or the mindset of their leaders, one thing is definite. When deadly faith is your guide and destruction is your gospel, your own soul is your ultimate sacrifice.

When we hear the name "Godfather" we usually think of the characters in the 1972 masterpiece "The Godfather" by Francis Ford Coppola. With the role of the Godfather played by Marlon Brando and then Al Pacino in the later movies. For the younger generation they associate the role of the Godfather to James Gandolfini for his role as Tony Soprano, an American Mafia boss in the HBO series The Sopranos. Many would say that these portrayals of the Boss of the Mafia family known as "The Don" and not the Godfather is just a TV version and does not represent the real underworld of the Mafia. We will look at the five Mafia Families of New York City and trace their histories back to their roots in the early days of the 1900's, up to the current day Families. We will look at each Family and follow them through the tough streets of New York, through civil wars and assassinations. And in some cases to the court rooms and the gravesides. We will explore "History of The Godfathers"

Serial killers are people who, on multiple occasions spread over time, murder victims who are generally unknown to them beforehand. Their crimes are committed as a result of a compulsion that, in many but not all cases, has roots in the killer's (often dysfunctional) youth, as opposed to those who are motivated by financial gain or ideological/political motivations Many times this compulsion is linked to the individual's sexual drive. We will focus on the five most infamous serial killers that hunted down victims in the sunshine State of Florida. We will look at their crimes, the investigations and trials of these five killers. "BE WARNED" Some of the crime scene photos depicted here are very graphic.

Throughout history we have been confronted with criminal cases that just can't seem to get solved. In some cases a trial is held and a defendant is found guilty. In the rarest of cases the guilty party is ultimately put to death for the crime that they were convicted of. In a perfect world that would be the ideal judicial system. A fair trial and a righteous sentencing: But in the real world we often don't see that. We will look at five cases from the time before DNA evidence and hi-tech investigating tools. These cases have been a thorn in the side of the judicial system due to them not being solved, or of new evidence that may point to a different perpetrator than the one that was convicted. We will turn back the clock and look at these cases and see if we can find the unanswered evidence.

Darlie Routier is on death row in Texas, convicted of the murder of one of her two sons, who were killed in the early morning of June 6, 1996. The media coverage of the investigation into the murders of Devon and Damon Routier depicted the crime as another heartless mother whose children were getting in the way of her lifestyle, so she killed them. After a jury trial in Kerrville Texas, Darlie was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. Most found it believable in the aftermath of the Susan Smith case two years earlier. But the prosecutor withheld very crucial evidence. After the trial numerous jurors stated that had they seen the evidence that was withheld they would of never found Darlie guilty. Since her conviction, Darlie and her family have learned a lot more about the legal system. They have presented a far different picture than was originally shown by the press. Read both sides and decide for yourself if this young woman is the she-devil portrayed by the prosecutors and press, or a woman naive of the inner workings of the legal system.

This book covers all the recipes of good old down south cooking. From Biscuits and gravy to good old fried chicken. It also includes an extra chapter on "A dozen ways to cook gator". This book is a "must have" for all the southern cooking lovers out there.

Sit back and enjoy this magnificent journey as we follow the footsteps of retired General David H. Petraeus. From his early days at West Point, where he met his future wife: Hollister "Holly" Knowlton. Then throughout his Military career: from Second Lieutenant to 4 Star General. From the battlefields of the Middle East to the Congressional meetings in Washington D.C. We will also look at his life after the CIA. As you go through this journey you will come to realize that you are walking "In The Footsteps of a Hero".

Serial killers have tested out a number of excuses for their behavior. Henry Lee Lucas blamed his upbringing; others like Jeffrey Dahmer say that they were born with a "part" of them missing. Ted Bundy claimed pornography made him do it. Herbert Mullin, Santa Cruz killer of thirteen, blamed the voices in his head that told him it was time to "sing the die song." The ruthless Carl Panzram swore that prison turned him into a monster, while Bobby Joe Long said a motorcycle accident made him hypersexual and eventually a serial lust killer. The most psychopathic, like John Wayne Gacy, turned the blame around and boasted that the victims deserved to die. They must be insane - what normal person could slaughter another human, for the sheer pleasure of it? Yet the most chilling fact about serial killers is that they are rational and calculating. As the "British Jeffrey Dahmer" Dennis Nilsen put it, "a mind can be evil without being abnormal." We will journey into the lives and crimes of some of America's most notorious serial killers. We will look at their lives and the horrific crimes that they committed that made them "America's Monsters".

The tan, dark haired young man sat and watched the made-for-TV miniseries. The miniseries, based on real life events, told the story of a group of young men from Beverly Hills who planned and carried out two murders, including the killing of the father of one of the members of the group. As the young man watched the movie, he called to his older brother who joined him and together they watched the "Billionaire Boys Club." Later, they began to discuss killing their father. Each brother complained to the other about how domineering and controlling their father was, how impossible it was for either brother to please him, how he planned to disinherit both brothers from his will and how poorly he treated their mother. The brothers rationalized that if they killed their father, they would have to kill their mother because she could not survive emotionally without their father. She could also be a living witness to the crime they were about to commit. The older brother wanted to plan the murders so that they would be as "perfect as could be," but the younger brother could not wait and insisted that the murders take place as soon as possible. The miniseries was shown over two nights, July 30 and 31, 1989, and the murders occurred on the night of August 20, 1989.

The question often posed when we are confronted with such senseless acts of violence as these, is what causes medical professionals to kill individuals for which they have a fiduciary duty to protect? Are there contributing factors shared among them which predispose them to murder? When the implicit trust relationship between doctors and nurses and the patients they care for is exploited for their own perverse deviant gain, what can we do? Betrayal by those we believe in chips away at the fundamental core of our society, weakening social mores and values in such a way that may prove beyond repair. It is not enough to sit back and wait for another tragedy to occur. We must strive as a society to stop the violence before it happens by implementing more stringent background checks and encouraging facilities to provide psychological testing for all employees. In the meantime, doctors and nurses who kill live on even after they are imprisoned or executed -- sometimes through exploitation of their crimes by the media, but more importantly, in the memory of the victims who are left behind.

Whether you are looking for information on castles, or if you more interested in the paranormal activities and manifestations from the other side, you have come to the right place. Learn about the apparitions and specters which walk abroad including the reasons for their hauntings, along with confirmed sightings, cases of witchcraft and much more in the towers, mansions, and dungeons in the north of the United Kingdom. Here you will find the history of haunted locations in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, along with the stories of the ghosts and spooks which haunt these fortifications and palaces.

From Gotti to Gigante, the names atop today's Mafia organizational charts are old ones. But the times have certainly changed for New York's biggest families-and not for the better. In this book we will look at New York City's Five Families. All have bookmaking, loan-sharking, and extortion rackets. The Genovese family and, to a lesser degree, the Lucchese family (like the Gambinos) also have viable labor-racketeering endeavors that let them invest and launder their ill-gotten gains in "legitimate" industries. Every Family has declined as of late, some more than others.

Living in Central Florida at the time of the Casey Anthony trial, I was able to really get a feel for the energy that surrounded it. I remember the searches and the day that they found her body in the woods in Orlando. Every day the only conversations you heard where about Casey Anthony and the speculation that she killed her daughter Caylee. Like all cases that are tried in the media there is a lot of information that is misrepresented or just down right lied about. In this book we will go through the entire case and sit in the courtroom and study the case from the inside out. And when the day is done we can determine the Guilt or innocence in our hearts based on the actual facts.

Charles Manson is a convicted serial killer who has become an icon of evil. In the late 1960s, Manson founded a hippie cult group known as "the Family" whom he manipulated into brutally killing others on his behalf. Charles Manson was good at manipulating people. He took pieces from various religions to form his own philosophy. When the Beatles released their White Album in 1968, Manson believed their song "Helter Skelter" predicted an upcoming race war. "Helter skelter," Manson believed, was going to occur in the summer of 1969 when blacks were going to rise up and slaughter all the white people. He told his followers that they would be saved because they would go underground, literally, by traveling to an underground city of gold located in Death Valley. However, when the Armageddon that Manson had predicted did not occur, he said he and his followers must show the blacks how to do it. Manson told four of his followers to go to 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles and kill the people inside. This house once belonged to Terry Melcher, the man who had not helped Manson with his music career. However, Melcher no longer lived there; actress Sharon Tate and her husband, director Roman Polanski, had rented the house. On August 9, 1969, four of Manson's followers brutally murdered Tate, her unborn baby, and four others who were visiting her. The following night, Manson's followers brutally killed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in their home. It took the police several months to determine who was responsible. In December 1969, Manson and several of his followers were arrested. The trial began on July 24, 1970. On January 25, Manson was found guilty of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. On March 29, 1971, Manson was sentenced to death. Manson was reprieved from the death penalty in 1972 when the California Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty. Charles Manson now serves a lifetime sentence and periodically comes up for parole. We will revisit the crime scenes and journey through the police investigations and courtrooms of Los Angeles California. We will see where Charlie and the family are today. Sit back and prepare for "The Manson Family Journey 1969 - 2014"

For years, the mainstream media and tabloids put John and Patsy Ramsey on trial in the press for the murder of their daughter. Evidence of their involvement in JonBenet's death was not really necessary, the thinking went; any parent who would promote her daughter's participation in something as politically incorrect as a beauty contest was capable of well, anything. Rumor and innuendo snowballed, becoming increasingly absurd as the media frenzy fed upon the story: The Ramseys must be guilty because they had a lawyer advising them. Patsy's "motive" for killing her daughter was that she wet the bed. JonBenet had been sexually abused. The behavior of the Boulder law enforcement community did nothing to inject common sense into that runaway news story. They steadfastly kept the Ramseys "under the umbrella of suspicion" and insisted that there had been no intruder in the Ramsey household. In 1999, Colorado Governor Bill Owens claimed the Ramseys were hiding behind their lawyers. We will look at the case and study the evidence, and try to answer the one question that is still not answered. "Who killed JonBenet Ramsey"?

John Gotti was the last great leader of the Gambino crime family, the dominant Sicilian mafia family of New York. Gotti's boys had their fingers in everything from gambling houses, to drug trafficking, prostitution, to weapons dealing. Gotti originally came to lead the organization in 1985, but had been an enforcer for the mob since the early 70's. Originally, Gotti made a name for himself by helping avenge the death of Manny Gambino, nephew of the notorious leader of the family, Carlo Gambino. Gotti and two accomplices gunned down one of Manny's killers in a bar on Staten Island. Gotti did a long stint in Prison for this crime. When he was released, the Gambino family rewarded his loyalty by giving Gotti a position of power within the family. But with this power came the desire to one day become the Don of this great criminal empire. In this book we will look at the life of John Gotti. From the days of the Fulton-Rockaway Boys in the late 50's, to his death on June 10, 2002. We will look at the man. The myth and the legend that is John Gotti. The King of New York and "The True Godfather."

Everyone loves a good dirty joke now and then. And you have come to the right place. This book is full of over 1000 dirty jokes that will have you laughing for years to come. From Jews to Mexicans and Rednecks to retards we have them all here in one book. We even have a section dedicated to Gays and Lesbians. "Hey equal rights here!" So sit back crack the top of your favorite beer and enjoy some of the best dirty jokes that you have ever heard.

Jesse James, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Alvin Karpis, Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy "Floyd, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Bonnie and Clyde, These 10 names will live throughout time; some will be remembered as heroes and others as villains. Each one made an impact on society that will not soon be forgotten. They are legends in American folklore. They are the topics of many campfires and nightly bedtime stories. They are The Good, The Bad and the Gunslingers.

If you were a black man growing up in the south during the 50's and 60's you would know the true meaning of the title of this book. It was a time of segregation and hatred. It was a time when a man was judged by the color of his skin and not by the person that he truly was. The Ku Klux Klan ran rampant throughout the southern states of America. The law stood side by side with the hooded vigilantes and refused to uphold the law in many small southern communities. As we look back on the lives and deaths of three men in the height of the racially divided south of the 1950s and 60s. Let's keep in mind that with these three deaths so many learned how to live. The world sees these men as victims, but in these pages they are Martyrs.

This cookbook contains the most delicious copycat recipes from the world's most popular Theme Park--Walt Disney World Resort. We gathered the most popular recipes from all four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, even some from the old Disney-MGM Studios. We even added over 80 mouthwatering delights from the world famous Epcot Food & Wine Festival. The recipes here are fairly basic, and the directions are easy to follow. So if you have a favorite meal from your recent visit or just want to taste the magic from Disney World you have come to the right place. The recipes are organized by the exact park and in most cases even the restaurant that the dish is served at. And for a special treat we even have "The Grey Stuff."

When we look back at the crimes of the 20th century we see a century of pure evil. It is amazing what one human being could do to another. For some of the people in this book the victims were their very own loved ones, from husbands and wives to their own children. We may never know what makes people like Ted Bundy or The Son of Sam do the things that they did. And we can only hope that we don't ever come face to face with the next monster who as taking their place. We will journey throughout the 20th century and look at some of the most heineous murderers of our time. We will look at the unsolved cases that still baffle the experts to this day. And we will look at the horrifying crime scene photos and the evidence that was left behind. We will follow the trail from the crime scene to the courtroom and for some right up to the execution chamber. We will look at some of the centuries most infamous killers like Charles Manson and "The Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez. And we will look at the unsolved cases like Jonbenet Ramsey and The Black Dahlia.

Having discussed women who kill their children in another book (From Mommy to Monster), I feel it only fair to look at the other side. Fathers who kill their children, and frequently their wives as well, are known as "Family Annihilators" to criminal psychologists or psychiatrists, and to law enforcement. They are not mentally ill, but coldly calculating, and often spend months planning their crimes. Because they often kill themselves too, these crimes don't always make the news in media-friendly trials, but in the United States, there are 10 murder-suicides each week. Fathers who kill their children do so for many reasons. While some are truly tragic cases, others are either overly egotistic in their sense of ownership of their families or clearly just eliminating burdens to get a new lease on life. The major factors leading men to kill their families include impending divorce, male sexual jealousy, an obsession with control, and possessiveness, according to criminal psychology experts worldwide. They also claim that there are definite differences between men and women who kill or harm their children. They say that women tend to be mentally ill, frequently suffering from post-partum depression. Men, on the other hand, feel rage, jealousy, hatred, and revenge when they kill their families.

In 1997, a court found Darlie Lynn Routier guilty of probably the worst of human crimes: killing two of her natural children in cold-blood. Motive is still a mystery, but the prosecution painted her as a shrewish, materialistic young woman who, sensing her lavish lifestyle crumbling, slew her two sons Damon and Devon in a mad attempt to resuscitate her and her husband's personal economy. The following story relates the events of the murder and those leading up to her sensational trial, resulting in her conveyance to death row in Dallas, where she awaits death through lethal injection. The evidence against Darlie was damaging and, in retrospect, her defending counsel had little hope for her acquittal. But had the prosecutor revealed all of the evidence some people feel Darlie would have been a free woman. But, recent findings in her case have cast a doubt over her guilt at least over the legalities that brought her to death row. And had the prosecutor revealed all of the evidence some people feel Darlie would have been a free woman. Therefore, the final chapter in this book is dedicated to the most recent controversy that may result in a new trial for Darlie Lynn Routier. And to finally prove that Darlie Lynn Routier was a victim of a "Texas Style Witch Hunt".

No one can explain the strength of a mother's love. A woman who carries a child inside her for 9 months and nurtures them as infants..... Only to one day become their killer. Diane Downs, Andrea Yates, Marybeth Tinning and Susan Smith are mothers who crossed that line of love and killed their own children. We will explore their lives and their crimes and journey through the courtrooms, as we try to find out what made these mothers turn into MOMSTERS.

When Harriet Douglas visited her Uncle Sir William Douglas' residence, Gelston Castle, in Scotland as a young girl she vowed to one day build a replica of her own. As members of her family died, Harriett gained possession of the Henderson land in Jordanville N.Y. and resolved to make her lifelong dream a reality and had a stone mansion built next to her mother's cottage in 1833. To accomplish her unusual and unique design she insisted it be built with stone blocks to resemble the houses of Scotland, and had them carried all the way from Little Falls, "fourteen miles in the snow". It was published that Gelston Castle contained over 20 rooms, including ten bedrooms and three sitting rooms. They used the large hall as a dining room and the basement had five rooms, a kitchen and sitting room. The castle was adorned with fireplaces throughout. At some point in time, an inspiration struck the grande dame: Her heart - and the rest of her too - could remain at the Henderson House forever. She ordered granite from Scotland for a grandiose sarcophagus. It was duly carved and installed in readiness for Harriet's demise and her instructions were spelled out in her will. It is thought that the "frustration of her spirit" may have been caused by the change in her plan for burial. Harriett was felled by her heirs. When the eighty-two-year old Douglas died in 1872, her family broke her will and gave her a thoroughly conventional burial at the family plot in a New York City churchyard. It was wondered what to do with the sarcophagus? Some practical soul had it hauled out of the cellar and installed outside, where it became a water trough for horses. Eventually the sarcophagus disintegrated. Some say years of freezing split the granite into pieces, while others report its destruction was due to a bolt of lightning. Harriett Douglas would have, no doubt, preferred the latter explanation. After her death, "Aunt Harriet" became a renowned poltergeist of the Mohawk Valley. Today the castle may not stand on its foundation any longer, but the ghost of Aunt Harriet still roams the grounds. And some believe she is accompanied by other spirits with a sinister plan.

Ripped from the headlines of small town America a mother kills her innocent children. It is a story that is repeated all too often and a mystery for the ages. We can all ask ourselves, "What makes a mother kill her own children"? This question has been asked too often. And unfortunately the answers are unknown. We will look at 3 mothers who killed the very children that they should have been protecting. We will look at the stories of Andrea Yates, Susan Smith and Diane Downs. In search of the answer to the question "What makes a mother kill her own children"?

What makes a police officer disregard his oath and cross the Thin Blue Line. Some say that it may be caused by the stress of the job. While others say that they are just criminals themselves. We will take a look at four police officers, Richard Crafts, Drew Peterson, Lawrencia "Laurie" Bembenek, and Gerard Schaefer. We will try to figure out what caused them to murder and cross that Thin Blue Line.

David Berkowitz, who became infamously known as the 'Son of Sam', first struck on the morning of 29 July 1976. It was the beginning of many brutal attacks that were to terrorize New York City's citizens over a one-year period. During the summer of 1977 at the height of the killer's notoriety and with the city in a collective panic over who was going to be his next victim, bars and nightclubs were deserted. It seemed that the efforts of the NYPD and special task teams couldn't bring the serial killer, who indiscriminately shot his victims with a 44-caliber handgun, to justice. Today, Berkowitz, former Son of Sam and now devout Christian, languishes behind bars and is unlikely ever to be released.