When a Killer Calls (eBook)

From John Douglasthe legendary FBI criminal profiler, #1New York Timesbestselling author, and inspiration for the Netflix showMindhuntercomes a chilling journey inside the mind and crimes of Larry Gene Bell, one of the most dangerous serial killers Douglas confronted, and the desperate effort to identify andcatch him.On May 31, 1985, two days before her high school graduation, Shari Smith was abducted from the driveway of her family home in South Carolina. Based on the crime scene and the abductors repeated and tauntingcalls to the family, law enforcement quickly realized they were dealing with a sophisticated and highly dangerous criminal. A letter arrived the next day entitled Last Will Testament, in which Shari, knowing she was to be murdered, wrote bravely and achingly of her love for her parents, siblings, and boyfriend, saying that while they would miss her, she knew they would persevere through their faith. The abduction rocked her quiet town, triggering a massive manhunt and bringing in the FBI, which enlisted profiler John Douglas. A few days later, a phone call told the family where they could find Sharis body. Thennine-year-old Debra May Helmick was kidnapped from her yard, confirming the harsh realization that Smiths murder was no random act. A serial killer was evolving, and the only way to stop him would be to use the study of criminal behavior to anticipate hisnext move before he could kill again. Douglas devised a risky and emotionally fraught strategy to use Sharis lookalike older sister Dawn as bait to draw out the unknown subject. Dawn and her parents courageously agreed. One of the most haunting investigations of Douglass storied career, this case details how the eerilyaccurateprofile he createdalongside hiscarefully crafted and stage-managed manipulation of the killers psychologycombined with dedicated police work and cutting-edge forensic science to end a reign of criminal terror. As Sharis family took incredible personal risks to lure her killer from the shadows, Douglas and the FBI pushed criminal profiling to its limits, culminating in one of his most dramatic and effectiveconfrontations with a sadistic and remorseless killer.