M. William Phelps

New York Times bestselling author, television personality, and podcast host M. William Phelps takes readers deep into the murder of Mary Yoder, a popular wife, mother, and healer in Upstate New York -- telling a gripping tale of a family drama, a determined investigation, and a killer with the face of an angel. In July 2015, Mary Yoder fell ill in the chiropractic center she operated with her husband, Bill. Doctors in the ER and ICU were baffled--and unable to save her life. Weeks later, her family received startling news from the medical examiner: Mary had been deliberately poisoned. Another shock followed when the local sheriff received a claim that Adam Yoder had poisoned his mother. But Adam was not the only person of interest . . . Kaitlyn Conley, Adam's ex-girlfriend, worked at the Yoders' clinic and was at Mary's bedside during her last hours. Still, some spoke of her history of rage-fueled behavior. Had Kaitlyn and Adam conspired to kill Mary? Yet another suspect emerged when accusations were hurled at grieving husband Bill Yoder. . . M. William Phelps unravels a twisting trail of evidence to reveal the heartless scheme that tore a family apart, divided a community, and culminated in two gripping, high-profile trials.

From one of America's most celebrated true crime authorities, New York Times bestselling journalist M. William Phelps, the chilling investigation into the mysterious 2015 poisoning of a woman in upstate New York and a family plunged into a nightmare of backstabbing and vengeance... In July 2015, Mary Yoder fell ill in the chiropractic center she operated with her husband, Bill. Doctors in the ER and ICU were baffled--and unable to save her life. Weeks later, her family received startling news from the medical examiner: Mary had been deliberately poisoned. Another shock followed when the local sheriff received a claim that Adam Yoder had poisoned his mother. But Adam was not the only person of interest... Kaitlyn Conley, Adam's ex-girlfriend, worked at the Yoders' clinic and was at Mary's bedside during her last hours. Still, some spoke of her history of rage-fueled behavior. Had Kaitlyn and Adam conspired to kill Mary? Yet another suspect emerged when accusations were hurled at grieving husband Bill Yoder... M. William Phelps unravels a twisting trail of evidence to reveal the heartless scheme that tore a family apart, divided a community, and culminated in two gripping, high-profile trials.

NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS WINNER -- TRUE CRIME Now that articles, podcasts, newsmagazines, and miniseries have had their sensationalistic say, Debra Newell, the one woman who truly knows what it was like to survive "Dirty John" Meehan shares the full story--the reality--with the world for the first time. Debra Newell is nothing if not a survivor. By the time she met John Michael Meehan online, she lived through a near-fatal childhood illness, an attempted rape in her 20s, the traumatic death of her sister at the hands of her brother-in-law, four failed marriages, and a litany of dating disasters. But despite those tragedies, she seemed to have it all: adoring children, a successful business, a fabulous penthouse apartment. But there was something missing: the blinding, all-consuming love she first read about to occupy her time in her childhood sickbed. And she thought she found it with John Meehan. More than a tabloid-ready true-crime expose, Debra's story is one of trauma, denial, and deception. But it is also a relatable, inspirational, and hopeful story of forgiveness and, most of all, love. The lengths to which a woman will go to find--and keep--love; the boundaries children and parents cross to protect and save the people they love; the love one must find for oneself; and the ways the illusion of love can be used to manipulate and hurt. Told in Debra's words with the help of New York Times bestselling author M. William Phelps, this book is filled with exclusive stories about Debra and her family, previously unpublished photos, and the unvarnished, unapologetic, and unbelievable reality of Surviving Dirty John.

The gripping tale of a legendary, century-old murder spree *** A silent, simmering killer terrorized New England in1911. As a terrible heat wave killed more than 2,000 people, another silent killer began her own murderous spree. That year a reporter for the Hartford Courant noticed a sharp rise in the number of obituaries for residents of a rooming house in Windsor, Connecticut, and began to suspect who was responsible: Amy Archer-Gilligan, who’d opened the Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids four years earlier. “Sister Amy” would be accused of murdering both of her husbands and up to sixty-six of her patients with cocktails of lemonade and arsenic; her story inspired the Broadway hit Arsenic and Old Lace. The Devil’s Rooming House is the first book about the life, times, and crimes of America’s most prolific female serial killer. In telling this fascinating story, M. William Phelps also paints a vivid portrait of early-twentieth-century New England.

"Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers." --Allison Brennan Iowa housewife Tracey Pittman Roberts seemed to have it all: natural beauty, three loving children, and a fairy tale second marriage to a wealthy businessman. But beneath the happy fa ade was a woman who used lies, manipulation, sex, ugly allegations, blackmail--and even murder--to serve her own selfish ends. On December 13, 2001, police rushed to Tracey's home after a shooting left her vulnerable young neighbor dead. Tracey claimed it was an act of self-defense. Nine gunshot wounds--and a decades-long trail of extortion, fabrication, fraud, and intimidation--said otherwise. Ten years after the crime, Tracey's case finally went to trial in an explosive courtroom showdown. In a searing exploration of the criminal mind, bestselling investigative journalist M. William Phelps traces the saga of a psychopath who hid in plain sight--until her wicked ways caught up with her. "Phelps dares to tread where few others will: into the mind of a killer." --TV Rage "Phelps is the king of true crime." --Lynda Hirsch, Creators Syndicate columnist "One of our most engaging crime journalists." --Dr. Katherine Ramsland "Phelps treads dangerous ground like an Amazon jungle guide--fearless, compassionate, insightful." --Geoff Fitzpatrick, Executive Producer of Dark Minds "Anything by Phelps is an eye-opening experience." --Suspense Magazine INCLUDES 16 PAGES OF DRAMATIC PHOTOS

When her missing boyfriend is found murdered, his body encased in cement inside a watering trough and dumped in a cattle field, a local sheriff's deputy is arrested and charged with his murder. But as New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist M. William Phelps digs in, the truth leads to questions about her guilt. In his first full-length, original true-crime book for WildBlue Press, Phelps delivers a hard-hitting, unique reading experience, immersing readers in the life of the first female deputy in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, who claims a sexual harassment suit she filed against the sheriff led to a murder charge. Is Tracy Fortson guilty or innocent? You read and decide.

"Phelps is a true-crime veteran." --New York Post Cherry Walker was a devoted, trusting, uncommonly innocent young woman who loved caring for a neighbor's little boy. But when she was asked to testify in court against his abusive mother, Cherry never got the chance. She couldn't lie if her life depended on it--and it did. Cherry's body was found on the side of a Texas road, after being doused with lighter fluid and set aflame. Attractive, manipulative, and violent, mother of four Kim Cargill had a wealth of dirty secrets she'd do anything to keep hidden. This in-depth account by bestselling investigative journalist M. William Phelps takes you inside Cargill's shocking trial--and into the mind of one of the most conniving female psychopaths in recent history--and on death row. "Anything by Phelps is an eye-opening experience." --Suspense Magazine "Phelps dares to tread where few others will: into the mind of a killer." --TV Rage "Phelps is the king of true crime." --Lynda Hirsch, Creators Syndicate columnist "One of our most engaging crime journalists." --Dr. Katherine Ramsland INCLUDES 16 PAGES OF DRAMATIC PHOTOS

Phelps dares to tread where few others will: into the mind of a killer. ""TV Rage"" Phelps is a true-crime veteran. ""New York Post""The missing-persons case of Heather Strong, a young, beautiful suburban mother, baffled Florida detectives. When the file was handed to a veteran investigator, he knew Heather was dead. The challenge was to find her body and whoever killed her. Soon, a sordid triangle of sex, jealousy, and rage came to light. The killers were cunning, manipulative, depraved and they were as close to Heather as a man and a woman could possibly be. Vividly recreated by master investigative journalist M. William Phelps, this riveting account of seething small-town passions is a classic tale of crime and justice. Includes 16 Pages Of Dramatic Photos"

Heather Catterton was a beautiful, beloved seventeen-year-old when her body was found in the brush by a country road in South Carolina. Sweet-natured Randi Saldana s remains were then discovered, charred and unrecognizable, in a wooded area nearby. Bestselling investigative journalist M. William Phelps delves into the lives of Danny Hembree s victims and reconstructs the twisting path from his horrifying crimes to his high-profile trial and conviction. Drawing on interviews with the killer himself, Phelps chillingly brings readers into the mind of a murderer. INCLUDES 16 PAGES OF DRAMATIC PHOTOS"

Few Americans know much more about Nathan Hale than his famous last words: "I only regret that I have one life left to give for my country." But who was the real Nathan Hale? M. William Phelps charts the life of this famed patriot and Connecticut's state hero, following Hale's rural childhood, his education at Yale, and his work as a schoolteacher. Even in his brief career, he distinguished himself by offering formal lessons to young women. Like many young Americans, he was soon drawn into the colonies' war for independence and became a captain in Washington's army. When the general was in need of a spy, Hale willingly rose to the challenge, bravely sacrificing his life for the sake of American liberty. Using Hale's own journals and letters as well as testimonies from his friends and contemporaries, Phelps depicts the Revolution as it was seen from the ground. From the confrontation in Boston to the battle for New York City, readers experience what life was like for an ordinary soldier in the struggling Continental Army. In this impressive, well-researched biography, Phelps separates historical fact from long-standing myth to reveal the truth about Nathan Hale, a young man who deserves to be remembered as an original American patriot.

Bestselling true-crime author M. William Phelps, star of the new investigative television series "Dark Minds," takes readers to his own backyard in these eight bloodcurdling murder cases. Think New England is all bucolic landscapes and Robert Frost poems? Think again. In Murder, New England, Phelps explores different motives, themes, and community reactions to horrific crimes: ** Murder by Blood: The Strange Death of Rebecca Cornwell (1673, Narragansset Bay, RI). A 73-year-old widow burned to death in front of her bedroom fireplace…** William Beadle: Husband, Father, Murderer (1782, Wethersfield, CT). A man murders his wife and kids before taking his own life... ** The Angry Man: Murder in Manchester (1821, Manchester, NH). A poor widow killed in her home by a "ruffian" looking for food and drink...** Better Off in Heaven: John Kemmler Kills His Three Children (1879, Holyoke, MA). After losing his mill job, a man kills his daughters because he fears they will become prostitutes... ** Birth of the "Big Seven": Gaspare Messina's Mafioso (1917, Boston). An ol' fashioned Mafia murder tale...** Electronic Kill Machine: "Forensic Files" Murder (2001, Somerville, MA). Teenage slackers, the show "Forensic Files," and the murder of a grandmother blamed on TV, youth, drugs, sex, money, and rock-n-roll...** Sings of Life (2006, Lanesborough, MA). A woman employs the help of her cocaine-snorting daughter and Goth son to help her get rid of their step-father.** Sesame Street Murder: Death on Big Bird's Estate (2008, Woodstock, CT). A young woman out for a jog murdered by the groundskeeper of an estate owned by the puppeteer who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. [Page Two of spread] A chilling scene unfolds on the Woodstock, Connecticut, estate of the Sesame Street puppeteer who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch: Near the end of the access road was a picnic area with a large pagoda-like structure topped by an A-framed roof. Two paddle boats were stored under the ceiling of the open-air building. The pagoda had that sacred, spiritual look one would expect of a place to relax and meditate. Here was a haven separated from the main living space where one could retreat and disconnect from the world. What upset the serenity of the scene was the trail of blood. It lead from the roadway directly to the pagoda—and yet stopped in the center of the ground under the ceiling. The paddle boats, investigators noticed, had blood spatter and smudge marks on them. But what did it mean that the trail of blood just stopped? As they continued to search, troopers looked above them and spied a set of pull-down stairs. There was a storage area or attic within the pagoda's A-frame. The blood trail had stopped directly beneath the pull-down stairs.

The gripping tale of a legendary, century-old murder spree *** A silent, simmering killer terrorized New England in1911. As a terrible heat wave killed more than 2,000 people, another silent killer began her own murderous spree. That year a reporter for the Hartford Courant noticed a sharp rise in the number of obituaries for residents of a rooming house in Windsor, Connecticut, and began to suspect who was responsible: Amy Archer-Gilligan, who'd opened the Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids four years earlier. "Sister Amy" would be accused of murdering both of her husbands and up to sixty-six of her patients with cocktails of lemonade and arsenic; her story inspired the Broadway hit Arsenic and Old Lace. The Devil's Rooming House is the first book about the life, times, and crimes of America's most prolific female serial killer. In telling this fascinating story, M. William Phelps also paints a vivid portrait of early-twentieth-century New England.