Erased: Missing Women, Murdered Wives - Hardcover

Strong, Marilee; Powelson, Mark

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0787996394 ISBN 13: 9780787996390

Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub, 2008

Synopsis

Based on five years of investigative reporting and research intoforensic psychology and criminology, Erased presents anoriginal profile of a widespread and previously unrecognized typeof murder: not a “hot-blooded,” spur-of-the-momentcrime of passion, as domestic homicide is commonly viewed, but acold-blooded, carefully planned and methodically executed form of“erasure.” These crimes are often committed by men withno criminal record or history of violence whatsoever, men leadingfunctional and often successful lives until the moment they killthe women, and sometimes children, they claimed to love. Asurprising number go on to kill a second or even third wife orgirlfriend, often in exactly the same way.

In more than fifty chilling case studies, Marilee Strongexamines the strange and complex psychology that drives thesekillers—from the murder a century ago that inspired the novelAn American Tragedy to Scott Peterson, Mark Hacking, JeffreyMacDonald, Ira Einhorn, Charles Stuart, Robert Durst, MichaelWhite, Barton Corbin, and many others. Erased also looks athow these men manipulate the legal system and exploit loopholes inmissing persons procedures and death investigation, exposing howeasy it can be to get away with murder.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Praise for Marilee Strong's Erased

"Erased defines a new kind of crime and a new, chilling, andvery dangerous kind of criminal."
—Marc Klaas, crime victims' advocate and founder of BeyondMissing

"Finally! An exceptional writer brings a new perspective to theancient crime of domestic homicide. Once many years ago, JeffreyMacDonald, a highly intelligent and physically attractivephysician, was convicted of killing his pregnant wife and two smallchildren. When asked why he committed such a heinous crime, Ianswered 'Because he didn't need them anymore.' This is a verypowerful book, and Ms. Strong deserves high praise indeed!"
—Roy Hazelwood, former FBI profiler and author, The Evil ThatMen Do and Dark Dreams

"Erased is about psychopathic, intensely narcissistic men whonot only get rid of their wives through murder (often to free themen up to be with a new lover) but who make them literallydisappear. More than well written, it is a page-turner and shouldbe required reading for police authorities all around the country.Strong's 'poster child' is Scott Peterson, but she offers plenty ofother poignant examples of this all-too-common phenomenon. Strong'sclinical description of these supremely egotistical 'wife-erasers'is so accurate that women around the country must certainly readher book."
—Michael H. Stone, M.D., professor of clinical psychiatry,Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons

"Erased asks the eternal question concerning the murder of aloved one: 'Who could do such a thing and how could they do it?'The answers are here and need to be read and understood byall."
—Clint Van Zandt, former FBI profiler; NBC TV crime analyst;and author, Facing Down Evil

"Erased combines the scholarly wisdom of The Mask of Sanity andthe true-life horror of In Cold Blood. Marilee Strong hasdiscovered—and understands—the most insidious and perhapsmost evil form of spousal killing."
—J. Reid Meloy, Ph.D., forensic psychologist and author, ThePsychopathic Mind

From the Inside Flap:

Erased

We've heard their stories but haven't understood them until now.We haven't even had the vocabulary to make sense of such a terriblecrime. They are women who have been "erased." Some have simplyvanished, never to be seen again. Others have been found dead undermysterious but seemingly explainable circumstances—theirdeaths attributed to a "tragic" fall, an apparent drowning,suicide, or some senseless street crime. In fact, they weremurdered by a husband or boyfriend, then either made to disappear(their whereabouts left an open-ended mystery) or the crime scenerearranged to point police away from their true killer.

Based on five years of investigative reporting and research intoforensic psychology and criminology, Erased presents an originalprofile of a widespread and previously unrecognized type of murder:not a "hot-blooded," spur-of-the-moment crime of passion, asdomestic homicide is commonly viewed, but a cold-blooded, carefullyplanned and methodically executed form of "erasure." These crimesare often committed by men with no criminal record or history ofviolence whatsoever, men leading functional and often successfullives until the moment they kill the women, and sometimes children,they claimed to love. A surprising number go on to kill a second oreven third wife or girlfriend, often in exactly the same way.

In more than fifty chilling case studies, Marilee Strongexamines the strange and complex psychology that drives thesekillers—from the murder a century ago that inspired the novelAn American Tragedy to Scott Peterson, Mark Hacking, JeffreyMacDonald, Ira Einhorn, Charles Stuart, Robert Durst, MichaelWhite, Barton Corbin, and many others. Erased also looks at howthese men manipulate the legal system and exploit loopholes inmissing persons procedures and death investigation, exposing howeasy it can be to get away with murder.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0787996394
• ISBN 13: 9780787996390
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 337