Have you ever thought what you would say to a murderer? What do you talk about knowing they have taken the life of someone else? Where do you even start?
For Tony Ciaglia, it was obvious: you talk about their crimes, their motivations, and their remorse (or lack of it) for the horrifying acts they’ve committed. After suffering a traumatic brain injury from a WaveRunner accident, Ciaglia found himself fascinated with serial killers and began writing to them.
The story of Ciaglia’s correspondence forms the crux of my dad’s newest book, The Serial Killer Whisperer, just recently released last week.
And now I’m excited to announce a new webpage all about the book where you can read an excerpt, reviews, and even pick up your own copy.
As the administrator of PeteEarley.com, I’ve watched Pete’s site evolve over the years and experience amazing growth thanks to his blog. But recently, the books section of this website has played second fiddle to the great posts Pete puts up each week.
So, for his newest true crime offering, I wanted to launch something special.
The result is SerialKillerWhisperer.net — a standalone site that introduces you to the story of the book, the characters in it, and offers you a chance to become engrossed in a 6,000 word excerpt before you decide to buy a copy.
The subject matter isn’t for everyone (as Pete has pointed out), but it’s a fascinating look at how some can walk the line on the edge of darkness while others can’t.
Visit The Serial Killer Whisperer by Pete Earley Website
The book was a good read. Details unsettling & upsetting. The only thing I think i would have wished for is dates. The only dates in the book were the date of Tony’s accident, a letter from len Rogers & various dates of certain murders. The actual timeline for when Tony started his correspondence or made his trips to visit the killers, for me, would have been appreciated. As I read, I wondered when Tony travelled to ……, I wondered how long it had been since he contacted Alaskan authorities. If Tony had contacted them 5 years ago, I would certainly wonder at the outcome of info provided to the ALERT investigators (especially as Murphy told Al that with 1 more piece of info he felt they’d find Emenick’s body). The same goes for the new ‘quest’ Tony is on for more info from Tommy Lynn Sells. I also wondered about whatever happened to the ashes of Arthur Shawcross. He mentioned in a letter he wanted Tony to take possession of them. The book states Shawcross died of an apparent heart attack – and that Tony spoke to a family member – but no mention of if Shawcross’ wishes were fulfilled. So many questions arrived out of the reading of this book. Is the snitch for info on Hansen’s cabin in the wilderness still safely held in the lower 48? Did David Gore ever send any info (exact location of trophies) to Tony thru a lawyers’ office? I suppose we’ll never know the answers to these questions…. Will you post updates to the Serial Killer Whisperer website to keep us informed?
Pete’s right that getting intervention requires knowing the laws of the state in question. The Civil Commitment Laws page of the Treatment Advocacy Center provides state-by-state information on (1) each state’s criteria for involuntary treatment (whether in a hospital or the community); (2) each state’s standards for emergency hospitalization for a psych evaluation (sometimes called “emergency hold” or “pick-up”); (3) each state’s laws on who can start the process (e.g., family, police, hospital, etc.). Good or bad, in a crisis, state laws set the rules, and family members need to know them to be effective.
http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/legal-resources/state-standards
What is diagnostic? :
“A
device or substance used for the
analysis or detection of diseases or other medical conditions”. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diagnostic
These ‘disorders’, such as ADHD, Bipolar,
etc., are neither diseases nor medical conditions.
They are labels. These so called ‘diagnoses’
are based only on labels. Labels that are descriptive of human
behaviors, characteristics that humans exhibit at given times in response to
given situations, and are voted in,
or out, of the DSM, by
psychiatrists, as ‘disorders’.
Not very much is known about the
brain. Psychotropic drugs are interfering
with the normal functions of the brain.
There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance. The SSRIs are promoted to balance
serotonin. Serotonin fluctuates from moment to moment. The best analogy I’ve read is from a book by
Bob Fiddaman; The Evidence, However, is Clear.
http://www.amazon.com/Evidence-However-Clear-Seroxat-Scandal/dp/1849914141/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328568826&sr=1-1#reader_B003E35ZJG
Dr. Joseph M. Carver replied to Mr.
Fiddamans’ inquiry about chemical imbalance.
He said “It’s similar to trying to
estimate the “normal” level of muscle tension when muscle tension is a factor
of what we are doing at the time such as relaxing, lifting weights, etc.”
These psychiatrists are ‘diagnosing’ and
drugging babies. 1,000s of American
babies under the age of 1 are taking more than 5 of these drugs at a time.
Senator Grassley ordered a study of 5 states to see if
foster children were being given more psychotropics than children in the outer
population. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-270T
Here is a chart of one of their findings:
Medicaid – Foster Children
Age
FL
TX
OR
MI
MA
>5 meds
0.11%
1.05%
0.13%
0.29%
1.33%
> max dose
1.50%
3.27%
1.12%
1.67%
2.21%
5 meds
0.03%
0.02%
0.01%
0.02%
1.33%
>max dose
0.44%
0.37%
0.16%
0.49%
0.56%
<1 year old
1.20%
1.00%
0.10%
0.30%
0.70%
http://1boringoldman.com/
Rebecca Riley, a girl who died at the age of 4, from psychotropic
drugs, was ‘diagnosed’ as bipolar at the age of 2. Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Riley
When you watch shows like “Intervention”, you know that the
adults go into rehab centers to withdraw from, and get off of, drugs.
Yet, behavioral treatment centers for teenagers are being
funded by charitable arms of drug companies such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
(Johnson and Johnson – funds Acadia Hospital Corp. http://www.rwjf.org/grants/search.jsp?name=GRANTS&q=acadia&x=17&y=7&src=gr&isgrant=&isprod=&search_options=GRANTS
), they are ‘diagnosing’ the teens’ behaviors as mental ‘disorders’, and to a
number are drugging them with psychotropics.
Even the teens who are there specifically with substance abuse
problems. The parents are told and
convinced that their child has 1 or more mental ‘disorders’ and needs to have
these ‘medicines’ for their best interest.
The teens then leave the center addicted to dangerous drugs and the
pharmaceutical companies have another customer for life.
These drugs, like antidepressants, are most assuredly
addictive. This was known at one
time. Eli Lilly in 1996, sponsored a symposium
and voilà
, the antidepressants were no
longer addictive, what had been antidepressant withdrawal was now “discontinuation
syndrome”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRI_discontinuation_syndrome
Allowing this is crazy.
I just finished reading “The Serial Killer Whisperer”, and I want to commend you for this outstanding journalistic effort. Although the letters from the killers were deeply disturbing and truly horrifying, they needed to be read to understand Tony Ciaglia’s own journey – his purpose. Tony and his family personify what is good in this world – family, support, faith – they were the light in this murderous darkness. I greatly admire Tony and his family for the strength and commitment they maintained down the incredibly difficult path that they traveled together. Some of the details contained in the letters from the killers haunted my dreams, and at times I had to put the book down and distance myself from that kind of horror…but I always came back, because I knew that in the details of those horrific acts there might be just enough information to bring closure to a family who desperately needed to know what happened to their missing loved one – and there was. They brought closure, they brought long-delayed justice, and they brought peace to many people. Of that I have no doubt, and that is a great thing. Tony Ciaglia and family – thank you for your compassion, courage and commitment. Mr. Early – thank you for sharing the story of this amazing and admirable family with us in such an unusual and fascinating way. I live in North Texas, and it caught my interest when I read in a review that Tony’s accident occurred at Possum Kingdom Lake, where I have spent wonderful days camping and swimming. That familiar location, combined with my lifelong interest in true crime, was enough to make me purchase the book. Little did I know what a fascinating journey was in store for me between the covers of that book. Everyone involved has my sincerest admiration and gratitude. Kudos, Mr. Early, for this fascinating book!
Just finished reading this book. From the time I started reading it off the shelf in the public library till completion only took me 8 hours. First time ever I had finished a book in such short time. Captivating topic. Good systematic read in terms of organising between Tony’s TBI torment and serial killers’ confessions. I really have great deal of respect for the Ciaglia household. This is the first book I read that is written by Earley, certainly will not be the last.
My ex girlfriend is still bedbound today due to a TBI from an automobile accident 9 1/2 years ago. Part of me is asking myself if I did enough in her recovery process during these times whilst reading this book. I guess we all have our own demons that keep coming back…