Eye of the beholder : the almost perfect murder of anchorwoman Diane Newton King

Eye of the Beholder is not a “fictionalized” version of the Diane King murder case, but isbased on court and police records, more than 300 hours of interviews with keyparticipants, eighteen months of research and other proven methods of journalisticdiscovery. Sections entitled “From the View of Bradford King” are King’s own words,compiled from six months of taped prison interviews. They represent Mr. King’s versionof his case and his personal history. Several individuals in this story, in consideration oftheir privacy, have been assigned pseudonyms. Their names appear in italics in firstreference. “A fascinating psychological study of an unrepentant murderer” from a New York Times –bestselling author ( Library Journal ). Battle Creek, Michigan, is famous as the birthplace of breakfast cereal, and the nearby suburb of Marshall is as wholesome as shredded wheat. Well-known for its colorful Victorian mansions, this stately slice of nineteenth-century Americana became infamous on a frigid night in February of 1991. Newscaster Diane Newton King was stepping out of her car, her children strapped into the backseat, when a sniper’s bullet cut her down. The police assumed that the killer was her stalker—a crazed fan who had been terrorizing King for weeks. But as their investigation ground to a standstill, the police turned to another suspect—one much closer to home. In this gripping retelling of the crime and its aftermath, journalist Lowell Cauffiel re-creates the atmosphere of terror that marked King’s last days, giving us a story of celebrity, obsession, and what it means to kill. A grisly murder upends life in a charming midwestern hamlet Battle Creek, Michigan, is famous as the birthplace of breakfast cereal, and the nearby suburb of Marshall is as wholesome as shredded wheat. Well-known for its colorful Victorian mansions, this stately slice of nineteenth-century Americana became infamous on a frigid night in February of 1991. Newscaster Diane Newton King was stepping out of her car, her children strapped into the backseat, when a sniper's bullet cut her down. The police assumed that the killer was her stalker--a crazed fan who had been terrorizing King for weeks. But as their investigation ground to a standstill, the police turned to another suspect--one much closer to home. In this gripping retelling of the crime and its aftermath, journalist Lowell Cauffiel re-creates the atmosphere of terror that marked King's last days, giving us a story of celebrity, obsession, and what it means to kill Eye of the Beholder is thoroughly researched and a very well written true crime novel. Lowell Cauffiel tells of the investigation and prosecution of Brad King for the murder of his wife and TV news anchorwoman, Diane King, in a way that makes you really understand the human failings in the investigation which are made up for only with dogged determination and some wonderful strokes of luck. As a former law enforcement officer and current prosecutor, I found it to be a fair telling of the investigation, warts and all, as well as an accurate portrayal of the interaction between many law enforcement agencies. Proof once again that human beings investigate crimes and do make mistakes; but that mistakes made, if recognized and admitted, can be remedied.