Dark Minds Blog

M. William Phelps is the national bestselling author/investigative journalist of over 20 nonfiction books, five of which focus on serial murderers, and star of "Dark Minds." His latest book is NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN.

The Perfect Victims
When you're a Yankee in a small southern town, there to hunt a serial killer (who is still at large, mind you) of eight women, and most of the locals you've spoken to insist the case hasn't been solved because the perp is likely a cop, you begin to wonder what the hell you've gotten yourself into.

'DOUBLE INITIAL MURDER' or Media Hype?
There's no doubt the one pockmark on the face of Rochester is the "Double Initial Murders," a series of unspeakable crimes that took place here back in the early 1970s.

Behind the Scenes of THE WOODSMAN Episode
John Kelly and his S.T.A.L.K. team members came up with"The Woodsman" name for the serial killer preying on these helpless, hopeless women, many of whom had one or two bad stumbles in life and wound up caught out.

There Are Always More Bodies
Part of that emotional high a serial killer craves after being caught and facing the iron fist of justice is taking pleasure in the fact that he — alone — knows there are more bodies out there with his mark on them.

The Serial Killer: Born Bad, Evil, or Deceased?
Some theorize that the perfect psychological storm needed to be present for a child to grow into a serial murderer. Experts believe this starts at birth and continues into early childhood when sexual violence and psychological trauma become a daily part of his or her norm.

Fantasy and Fact -- Inside the Dark Mind of a Killer
It's one of the most brutal murder cases of the past twenty years (maybe longer), mirroring the grotesque crimes of Thomas Harris's blockbuster novel, Silence of the Lambs. Experts agree that had this killer not been stopped, this particular individual would have gone on to become a prolific serial killer the likes of which history has never seen.