United States of True Crime: Arkansas

Summary

United States of True Crime is an anthology series with books devoted to the most disturbing cases in each of the 50 states. This book focuses on ten of the most chilling crimes in Arkansas history.

The cases included in this book:

Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols, & Jessie Misskelley: Three teenagers who were convicted of murdering three eight-year-old boys. After eighteen years in prison all three men were released after the discovery of new DNA evidence and potential juror misconduct. 

Mary Lee Orsini: While under investigation for the murder of her husband, she hired a hitman to execute her lawyer’s wife.

Travis Lewis: Convicted of murdering two cousins in 1996. Upon his release in 2020 he bludgeoned the daughter of his first victim to death.

Andrew Golden & Mitchell Johnson: Were just eleven and thirteen years old when they ambushed their school in a savage attack that left five dead and ten wounded.

Debra Sue Tuggle: Convicted of suffocating her daughter, and accused of killing four of her sons.

James Williams: Abducted a young mother from her home while her four year old son was in the other room.

Texarkana “Phantom Killer”: Still unsolved case of a killer who targeted couples in 1946. Eight were attacked and five perished at the hands of the elusive murderer. 

Charles Ray Vines: Serial killer who was a well-liked father while he moonlighted as a monster. He raped four women, murdering two of them.

Dorthy Jean Matajke: Nurse who abused, robbed, then fatally poisoned her elderly patients.

Ronald Gene Simmons: Brutally murdered fourteen members of his family. He then continued his rampage, executing two more innocent victims and wounding two others.