Phelps, M. William 1967(?)-

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Phelps, M. William 1967(?)-

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1967; married; children: three.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Vernon, CT. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, novelist, investigative journalist, lecturer, and crime expert. Frequent guest on television and radio programs and networks, including Court TV, the Discovery Channel, the Biography Channel, the History Channel, the Learning Channel, Fox News, and Radio America.

WRITINGS:

TRUE CRIME

Perfect Poison: A Female Serial Killer's Deadly Medicine, Kensington (New York, NY), 2003.

Lethal Guardian, Pinnacle Books/Kensington (New York, NY), 2004.

Every Move You Make, Kensington (New York, NY), 2005.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Kensington (New York, NY), 2006.

Murder in the Heartland, Kensington (New York, NY), 2006.

Because You Loved Me, Pinnacle (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to periodicals and newspapers, including the Providence Journal, Springfield Journal, Journal Inquirer, Hartford Courant, On the Scene Magazine, Black World Today, Daily Meditations Magazine, and the New London Day. Author of Crimerant.com blog.

ADAPTATIONS:

Murder in the Heartland was optioned for film by Mathis Entertainment.

SIDELIGHTS:

M. William Phelps is an investigative journalist and author of numerous books of investigation and true crime. A consultant, lecturer, and nationally recognized crime expert, Phelps has appeared on numerous television and radio shows and has served as a correspondent on crime and criminal justice issues. In 2003, Phelps delivered a keynote speech to members of the Veteran's Affairs Administration on material from his book Perfect Poison: A Female Serial Killer's Deadly Medicine, explaining how medical professionals could feasibly engage in ongoing serial murder in a hospital setting without being detected for years, if ever.

In Murder in the Heartland, Phelps tells the story of the gruesome 2004 murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett in Skidmore, Missouri. Stinnett was eight months pregnant at the time of her killing, and her slayer carved her unborn child from her womb and took the child away. Suspicion in the case focused on Kansas resident Lisa Montgomery. As the case unfolds, Phelps describes how Montgomery had lied to her family and friends about being pregnant for more than eight months. When she appeared with a newborn baby girl, it seemed as though Montgomery had happily added a new family member, even though the circumstances of the birth might have been a little suspicious. However, despite attempts otherwise, Montgomery's story shortly began to unravel. She claimed to have given birth to the child and been discharged within a matter of hours, which seemed highly unlikely. When a police bulletin was issued for the stolen baby, more doubt was cast on her story. Additional information emerged, such as the fact that Montgomery and Stinnett knew each other through a network of dog breeders. Soon, the police had pieced together enough of the story that they arrested Montgomery on suspicion of Stinnett's murder. Booklist contributor Mike Tribby commented that Phelps's "frothy, urgent style conveys the supermarket-tabloid nature of the story" of murder and kidnap. Reviewer Harriet Klausner, writing on the Harriet Klausner Home Page, observed, "The events of this gruesome murder will fascinate true crime readers in a macabre way."