Tunnel Vision : A True Story of Multiple Murder and Justice in Chaos at America's Biggest Marine Base

Told in excruciating detail by reporter and author N.P. Simpson and edited by New York Times bestseller and True Crime legend, Jerry Bledsoe, Tunnel Vision is a chilling tale of triple murder like no other. "N. P. Simpson's vivid prose plunges the reader into the politically fraught, self-contained world of a military base. A homicide investigation here is both similar to and completely different from anywhere else."-Linda Landrigan, editor, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine A horrific crime that shook the largest Marine base in America quickly becomes much more than meets the eye in this meticulously researched account from N.P. Simpson. A family's life is in shambles when a mother and two children are found brutally murdered in their home. To make matters worse, the prime suspect is their own relative. Fifteen-year-old Butch Smith was a troubled teen. Despite being kicked out of school for his aggressive behavior, his family was fiercely loyal to him. During visits home while attending a camp for troubled boys, Butch lived a fairly normal life with his mother and two siblings in their duplex at Camp Lejeune. After returning home from a rare trip to New York with his aunt and cousins in tow, tragedy struck this unsuspecting family. In the dark of the night, his aunt, cousin and one of Butch's siblings were found savagely slain. When clashing confessions point to Butch as a suspect, his life is changed forever. From its portrayal of one young man's harrowing past, to the shocking murder that shook the North Carolina Supreme Court, Tunnel Vision is true crime reporting at its most gripping. “Vivid prose plunges the reader into the politically fraught, self-contained world of a military base” and a chilling true case of triple murder (Linda Landrigan, editor of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine). Carlton “Butch” Smith was a troubled teenager who’d been kicked out of school for aggressive behavior. His parents lived at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and when Butch was home with them, his life was fairly normal. But that all changed on August, 24, 1981, when Butch’s sister, aunt, and cousin were found slain in his parents’ house. It was a horrifying crime that shook the Marine base community, not to mention the Smith family—especially when Butch was named the prime suspect. In Tunnel Vision, reporter and true crime author N. P. Simpson delves into this young man’s harrowing past. She also provides a detailed chronicle of the grisly murders and the complex case that followed—a case of conflicting confessions, a mysterious second suspect who was never found, and difficult questions of jurisdiction between military, state, and federal courts. "A horrific crime that shook the largest Marine base in America quickly becomes much more than meets the eye in this meticulously researched account from N.P. Simpson. A family’s life is in shambles when a mother and two children are found brutally murdered in their home. To make matters worse, the prime suspect is their own relative. Fifteen-year-old Butch Smith was a troubled teen. Despite being kicked out of school for his aggressive behavior, his family was fiercely loyal to him. During visits home while attending a camp for troubled boys, Butch lived a fairly normal life with his mother and two siblings in their duplex at Camp Lejeune. After returning home from a rare trip to New York with his aunt and cousins in tow, tragedy struck this unsuspecting family. In the dark of the night, his aunt, cousin and one of Butch's siblings were found savagely slain. When clashing confessions point to Butch as a suspect, his life is changed forever."--Amazon.com Acknowledgements Family Tree 1. Ontario, Oregon 1986 2. Camp Lejeune Monday, August 24, 1981 3. Springville, N.Y. 4. The Investigation 5. Initial Statements 6. Knives and Accusations 7. Interrogation 8. Funeral 9. Errors 10. Eyewitness 11. Second Suspect 12. Second Go-Round 13. Doubts and Psychiatrists 14. More Suspects 15. Lab Results 16. Case Reopened 17. May 30, 1986 18. Polygraph 19. Renewed Interrogation 20. Confession 21. Legal Battle Begins 22. Federal Prosecution 23. State of N.C. vs. Butch Smith 24. The Supreme Court of North Carolina 25. Aftermath 26. Epilogue Afterword: A Son’s Decades-Long Search for Answers Gallery About the Author Connect with Diversion Books **Told in excruciating detail by reporter and author N.P. Simpson and edited by __New York Times__ bestseller and True Crime legend, Jerry Bledsoe, __Tunnel Vision__ is a chilling tale of triple murder like no other.**__Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine____Tunnel Vision__