J T Hunter - Devil in The Darkness: True Story of Serial Killer ISRAEL KEYES

DEVIL IN THE DARKNESS

The True Story of Serial Killer Israel Keyes

by

JT HUNTER

Copyright and Published by

RJ Parker Publishing, Inc.

2016

ISBN-13: 978-1532727986
ISBN-10:1532727984

http://RJParkerPublishing.com/

Published in the United States of America

Copyrights

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written authorization from the author and RJ Parker Publishing, Inc . The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.

While the Publisher is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of a book, it is the author's obligation to ensure the accuracy of facts.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to George Murtie of the Essex Police Department (and his wife) for their assistance in recreating the facts of the Currier investigation and for sharing how the case so deeply affected them.

I am grateful to Tammie Hawkins for speaking with me candidly about her romantic relationship with Israel Keyes. She has been through a lot and is continuing to deal with the aftermath of that relationship.

James Koenigs willingness to revisit and share painful memories is also greatly appreciated. I hope that telling his daughters story helps in some way in bringing him peace. In honor of Samantha, James administers a Facebook page called Seeking Alaskas Missing (SAM) that aids in finding missing persons.

My appreciation also goes to Heather Andrews, Duane Tortolani, Tammie Counts, and Christopher Bird, as well as others who experienced the events of this story first-hand, some of whom spoke to me on the condition that their real names not be used.

Many thanks again to my publisher, RJ Parker, for his continuing support.

I owe a belated thank you to E.C. who, once upon a time, kept me from descending too far into the darkness.

As always, thank you to my friends and family for all that they do, especially J.B.W., who was once again an excellent sounding board and proofreader. This has been another labor of love.

Preface

Out of respect for their privacy, the names of some of the individuals involved in this story have been changed.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of this book will be donated to Seeking Alaskas Missing, a non-profit organization established to honor Samantha Koenig and dedicated to helping find missing persons.

https://www.facebook.com/SeekingAlaskasMissing

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PART ONE: SPIRITUS IMMUNDUS

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light

2 Corinthians 11:14 (New Intl Version)

Israel Keyes

Chapter 1: Hemispheres of Darkness and Light

(June 9, 2011 Essex, Vermont)

On a warm, windy morning heralding the hotter weather of the Vermont summer to come, Detective George Murtie sat hunched over his chair, his face contorted in a frown of concentration as he fought another losing battle against the never-ending paperwork that always seemed to find its way to his desk. During his 28 years with the Essex Police Department, Murtie had learned the importance of setting aside time to chip away at the continually rising pile of reports and other documents that would otherwise grow to overwhelm him. It was a tedious task and one that Murtie never enjoyed, but as his career had progressed, he had come to accept the dreaded desk work as a necessary evil.

As Murtie leaned forward to finish another case report, the shrill sound of his phone shattered the silence, startling him with its resounding tone. Although usually annoyed by interruptions, Murtie welcomed this particular distraction as a temporary reprieve from the mind-numbing monotony of writing. He lifted the phone to his ear and found EPD Detective Morgan Lawton on the other end of the line.

Little did Murtie know that this apparently unremarkable call on an otherwise mundane Thursday morning would launch the most unusual case of his career, and one of the most extraordinary investigations in Vermont history.

*****

Though he had nearly three decades of service as a police officer at the EPD, Murtie had not always known that law enforcement would end up being his lifes calling. As a teenager, Murtie had demonstrated considerable talent playing the guitar, and he aspired to be a musician. He briefly attended Berklee College of Music in Boston in pursuit of a career in music, but in the early 1980s, he became a born-again Christian and studied for the ministry while attending a small, interdenominational Bible College in Florence, South Carolina. Rather than wasting his musical ability, he joined a gospel music group, performing at church revivals and playing concerts at area prisons. He also served as an associate pastor, ministering in churches and prisons through music.

However, his lifes path changed again in 1983 after his wife, Linda, became pregnant with their second child and started having trouble sleeping at night. While out for a drive with her late one night, Murtie noticed a police car sitting in a darkened parking lot. In the silvery illumination of the cruisers interior lights, he could see a solitary policeman sitting behind the wheel, talking on his CB radio. He had never considered becoming a police officer before, but the more he thought about it, the more the idea of being a cop intrigued him. He believed that it would provide opportunities for helping people, something that had originally attracted him to the ministry as well.

After being hired by the Essex Police Department, he was sent to the police academy to prepare for his new career. During his subsequent tenure at the department, Murtie worked his way up through the ranks to become a Detective Lieutenant and head of the EPDs homicide division. He worked long shifts and often worked overtime, the extra hours necessitated by his status as sole breadwinner for his family. In July 2005, he was selected to attend a special three-month program of study at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Although it was an intense program of study, when Linda needed emergency surgery for a colon resection, George came home every weekend during the three-month program to be with her.

Throughout it all, Murties Christian roots kept him grounded. Despite dealing with illicit acts or coming into contact with criminals virtually every day, Murtie never wavered in his Christian faith, a deep-seated belief system that forged his identity and shaped his daily actions. His faith governed how he treated people, exercising empathy for victims of violent crimes, but also being emphatic for the human condition itself, adhering to the belief that even suspects and those convicted of crimes deserve compassion and fair treatment.

George and Linda were both just fifteen years old when they met in August 1972 in Burlington, a short drive from Essex. Linda was immediately smitten by Georges genuineness and humility, and she could not help falling in love with his kind, gentle, caring personality. Although George had developed a drug habit during his days in a rock band, after they dated for several months, Linda gave him an ultimatum: he had to choose her or the drugs. He chose her and proposed on Christmas Eve, 1974, telling Linda that he wanted to grow old with her. They married in a small Catholic church in Williston, Vermont, on March 8, 1975, Lindas eighteenth birthday.