Glenn Puit - In Her Prime: The Murder of a Political Star

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Table of Contents

Berkley titles by Glenn Puit

WITCH:
THE TRUE STORY OF LAS VEGASS MOST
NOTORIOUS FEMALE KILLER

FATHER OF THE YEAR:
BILL RUNDLE: ALL-AMERICAN JEKYLL AND HYDE

IN HER PRIME:
THE MURDER OF A POLITICAL STAR

This book is dedicated to
the memory of Kathy Augustine

AUTHORS NOTE

If youve read my books before, you know I make my living as an investigative reporter, and much of my time in the mainstream media was spent at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevadas largest newspaper, where I covered the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Las Vegass most high-profile capital murder cases. Ive pretty much been writingarticles and booksabout crime for my entire professional life. Ive continued to write true crime books because I love doing it, and I believe true crime is the most compelling literary genre out there. There is something about criminal behavior and the human psyche that fascinates me, and it will always fascinate me.

I know it fascinates you, too.

My first book, Witch: The True Story of Las Vegass Most Notorious Female Killer, was a terrifying look into a suspected female serial killers twisted psyche. My second book, Fire in the Desert, is considered the evidentiary handbook for the disturbing murder case against national bodybuilder Craig Titus and his fitness champion wife, Kelly Ryan. My third book, Father of the Year, probed the crimes of convicted Las Vegas killer Bill Rundle.

This book, however, is far different from any other Ive tackled, because this is not only a true crime book, but also a political documentary and a biography of a remarkable American woman all wrapped into one. The book is about the life of Nevadan Kathy Augustine, a mom, a wife, a politician, and, at one point in her career, arguably the most powerful woman in Nevada state politics. This book, Im convinced, will be the definitive account of Kathys life, which included the kind of amazing twists and turns that make for the type of story most nonfiction writers can only dream of chronicling.

In researching this book, I spent several hours with Kathys family (though her daughter, Dallas, and her younger brother, Tony, declined to be interviewed). After meeting Kathys parents and her oldest brother, Phil Jr., I understood why Kathy became so successful: her family members are some of the nicest people Ive ever met. What has happened to Kathys loved ones, and the pain they are suffering as a result of Kathys death, is a terrible injustice. Ive spent most of my career in journalism being reminded of the fact that, on a daily basis, terrible things happen to good people, and what happened to Kathy and her family has only reaffirmed that reality of life once again. I hope that in some small way, this book helps to alleviate the pain Kathys family has endured, because they never deserved it. This book aims to tell the American public who Kathy really wasnot just a politician, but a role model, a loving woman, a good mother, and a murder victim.

I wanted to close this note by tossing out a couple of quick thank-yous. Thanks to my employers at the Michigan Land Use Institute, the greatest nonprofit in America, for allowing me to perform meaningful, investigative journalism. The institute has also allowed me to have a work schedule that gives me a chance to pursue my dream of dominating the American true crime market. Thanks to my mom, Dee, who has offered me her support through some very rough times in my life in recent months. Thanks to my English teacher in high school, Letha Henry, who changed my life forever by being tough on me. Thanks to the Washoe County District Courts and the staff in the clerks office and evidence vault. They are good people who went out of their way to allow me access to thousands of pages of public records.

Most of all, though, I want to thank my children, Garrison, Glenn Jr., and Gracie Lee, who continue to remind me that human beings are inherently good.

Glenn Puit

1... A REMARKABLE MOMENT

The truth always leaves some sort of footprint.

Kathy Augustine, 2004

In February 2004, Kathy Augustine was enjoying what was perhaps the greatest success of her life. The forty-eight-year-old was one step away from becoming treasurer of the United States.

It was a remarkable moment for a remarkable American woman.

Twenty years earlier, Kathy had been a divorced single mom in Southern California, working as a flight scheduler for an airline company and earning a modest salary to support herself and her daughter, Dallas. After marrying for the third time, the tall, blond woman with hazel eyes and an outgoing personality went to school at night to get a masters degree in public administration. In 1991, a friend urged her to run for a seat in Nevadas state assembly. Kathy decided to go for it, despite having no political experienceand that chance foray into politics would become her calling in life. It was the genesis of a remarkable ascent through Nevadas vicious political arena.

Kathy was elected to the Nevada state assembly as a Republican in a strong Democratic district in Las Vegas. In 1994, through sheer will and, some say, dirty tricks, she repeated the feat when she was elected to the Nevada state senate as an underdog. Then Kathys career took a huge leap forward when she ran for and was elected to the position of Nevada state controllera constitutional officer responsible for making sure the state of Nevada spends its money wisely. Kathy succeeded at the job almost immediately, and she was recognized nationally for a program she created to help collect outstanding debts owed to the state. It was clear to anyone who knew Kathy Augustine that she was going places. She was an impressive Republican woman who was on the verge of national politics more than a decade before Sarah Palin became the vice-presidential nominee for the Republican Party and before Democrat Hillary Clinton was on the verge of the presidency.

Kathys political career was skyrocketing. Shed become one of the highest-ranking female politicians on the state level in just over thirteen years. She was on the fringes of true power, and in 2004, there seemed to be no limits to what Kathy might accomplish.

Kathy learned of her nomination for U.S. treasurer that same year. Her name was forwarded to President Bush by two Nevada men she respected: Republican Senator John Ensign and Republican Congressman Jim Gibbons. The two told the Bush administration that Kathy Augustine was someone special, and they knew she would make a great treasurer for America.

Please consider Kathy Augustine for the position of treasurer of the United States, Ensign wrote to the chief of staff of President George W. Bush. The first woman elected Nevada state controller, Ms. Augustine has an exemplary record of public service. She has served as chairman of the Legislative Affairs and Operations Committee and vice chairman of the Human Resources and Facilities Committee in our state. With her numerous experiences, Ms. Augustine has refined the skills of ingenuity that will enable her to excel as treasurer.... [H]er time spent in public service and the business community makes Ms. Augustine more than qualified to serve in the... administration.

Jim Gibbons, a long-term federal congressman who eventually became the governor of Nevada, offered similar sentiments in his pitch to the Bush administration on behalf of Kathy.

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