Defending The Devil

Charged with defending the convicted and unrepentant mass murderer Ted Bundy during the last three years of his life, newly-minted Washington, D. C. attorney Polly Nelson fought to keep him out of the electric chair. In the now-classic Defending the Devil, she recounts with powerful honesty her own challenging role in the drama. Viewing herself as a compassionate humanitarian first, Nelson reveals her struggle to uphold her professional vow to represent her client (and try to save his life) while simultaneously being deeply mortified by the magnitude of his heinous crimes. Bundy's legal proceedings are meticulously recounted here, offering an eye-opening glimpse into the complex judicial appeals system. In addition to her fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the court proceedings, Nelson offers her unique insight into the mind of the killer. She paints a portrait of him as something less-than the diabolical evil genius suggested by his notoriety. While making no excuses for his despicable actions and acknowledging his "absolute misogyny," Nelson explores psychological angles to the case that many previously ignored. Showing a decidedly humanist slant, she brings Bundy's overt mental illness to the fore and makes a compelling case against the use of capital punishment. While ultimately unable to stay Bundy's execution, Nelson found a true calling in the fight to appeal the sentence. With candor and wit, she shares her own personal journey of emotional and intellectual transformation as a lawyer. "I was born to represent Ted Bundy," she writes.

Thirty years after the arrest of Jeffrey Dahmer on July 22, 1991, the then-25-year-old attorney tasked with defending him breaks her silence about the confessed cannibalistic serial killer and the case that would forever define her life, unearthing the contents of her private interviews recorded with her notorious client One year out of law school, Wendy Patrickus, a young woman from rural Northern Wisconsin, found herself defending the most infamous, vile, and beastly man in the world--not just any serial murderer but a combination of cannibal, necrophiliac, and homophobic predator. Jeffrey Dahmer. Having given just one brief interview in the 30 years since she represented Dahmer, Patrickus is breaking her silence and telling all in Defending the Devil--which mines more than 20 hours of previously unreleased private recordings of her conversations with the infamous killer. Defending the Devil offers the most vivid, frightening, and revelatory account yet of how Dahmer chose his victims, his methods of attack, the why and how of his cannibalism, the shrines built of human remains in his apartment, and more. But Patrickus's story goes beyond the true crime account and conveys the tale of a principled young female attorney tasked with representing the world's most notorious criminal, her motivations, the uncomfortable bond she formed with her client, and why she still believes the conviction and sentence (rejecting his insanity plea) were wrong. She also captures in vivid detail the volatile trial backdrop--the national media spotlight shining on her in a way she never asked for; her family, friends, and fellow lawyers turning on her; and an entire community of law enforcement doing the bare minimum to protect her from the mobs of Milwaukeeans who routinely terrorized her for doing her job. The most intimate possible view of Jeffrey Dahmer, his crimes, and his trial, Defending the Devil is also a poignant memoir and insightful look at the criminal justice system.

Polly Nelson accepted Ted Bundy's case as a pro bono project for her prestigious Washington, D.C., law firm, not realizing that she would have to balance her duties as her client's lawyer, her compassion for human life, the inhuman crimes her client had committed, and her own sanity.

In the tradition of bestselling legal memoirs from Johnnie Cochran, F. Lee Bailey, Gerry Spence, and Alan Dershowitz, John Henry Browne's memoir, The Devil's Defender, recounts his tortuous education in what it means to be an advocate—and a human being. For the last four decades, Browne has defended the indefensible. From Facebook folk hero "the Barefoot Bandit" Colton Moore, to Benjamin Ng of the Wah Mee massacre, to Kandahar massacre culprit Sgt. Robert Bales, Browne's unceasing advocacy and the daring to take on some of the most unwinnable cases—and nearly win them all—has led 48 Hours' Peter Van Sant to call him "the most famous lawyer in America." But although the Browne that America has come to know cuts a dashing and confident figure, he has forever been haunted by his job as counsel to Ted Bundy, the most famous serial killer in American history. A drug- and alcohol-addicted (yet wildly successful) defense attorney who could never let go of the case that started it all, Browne here asks of himself the question others have asked him all along: does defending evil make you evil, too?

A Presbyterian minister defends the Harry Potter series from conservatives who denounce the books as paganism, demonstrating how they promote the values of faith and morality, and profiling the main character as a Christ figure.

Publisher Description

THE STORY: Jabez Stone, young farmer, has just been married, and the guests are dancing at his wedding. But Jabez carries a burden, for he knows that, having sold his soul to the Devil, he must, on the stroke of midnight, deliver it up to him. Shortly before twelve Mr. Scratch, lawyer, enters and the company is thunderstruck. Jabez bids his guests begone; he has made his bargain and will pay the price. His bride, however, stands by him, and so will Daniel Webster, who has come for the festivities. Webster takes the case. But Scratch is a lawyer himself and out-argues the statesman. Webster demands a jury of real Americans, living or dead. Very well, agrees the Devil, he shall have them, and ghosts appear. Webster thunders, but to no avail, and at last realizing Scratch can better him on technical grounds, he changes his tactics and appeals to the ghostly jury, men who have retained some love of country. Rising to the height of his powers, Webster performs the miracle of winning a verdict of Not Guilty.

From the legal tactician who has represented such famous clients as Mike Tyson, O.J. Simpson, and Michael Milken, comes a novel that goes far beyond the limits of the courtroom thriller to probe our deepest fears and asks the controversial legal question--What do you do if you are a defense attorney who suspects your client is guilty and dangerous?