Dead by Sunset: Perfect Husband, Perfect Killer?

by Ann Rule

  In this complicated legal marathon, it helped to have fellow journalists to compare notes with, and we covered for each other when one of us couldn’t be in court: Fiona Ortiz, Margie Ramirez, and Robin Franzen of the Orego nian, Laurie Smith, Bill Wagner, and Greg Ebersole of Longview, Washington’s Daily News, and Eric Apalategui of The Hillsboro Argus.

  The law firm of Garvey, Schubert and Barer refused to let the murder of their senior partner, Cheryl Keeton, go unpunished. I commend them, and I thank especially Greg Dallaire, Eric Lindenauer, and Kerry Radcliffe for their memories of Cheryl and their fight to avenge her.

  Dr. Ron Turco helped me a great deal with his psychological profile of the kind of killer who would have carried out the brutal murder in September 1986. And to my old friend and mentor, Retired Deputy Chief Rod Englert of the Multnomah Sheriff’s office, thanks again for your expertise on the more arcane aspects of crime-scene investigation.

  Although I do all my own research, I always seek backup and second opinions on how I have perceived the events as they occurred, and on the way I wrote it all down. Thanks for a tremendous amount of wisdom and sensitivity go to Donna Anders, Ozzie Carlson, and Gerry Brittingham.

  My gratitude to Neil Wilburn of Limelight Video for providing tapes of legal proceedings that took place when I could not be present.

  I am grateful to the Commons at Creekside and the Hallmark Inn in Hillsboro, and to the people of Hillsboro and Washington County, Oregon, who were such gracious hosts for the months I lived there.

  I am a lucky woman to have the continuing support of a solid foundation of friends: Anne Jaeger, Haleigh Jaeger, Jim Bosley, Mary Starrett, Sue and Joe Beckner, Verne Carver, Maureen and Bill Woodcock, Bill and Shirley Hickman, Ione and Jack Kniskern, Hank Gruber, Bill Hoppe, Jim Stovall, Verne Shangle, Joyce and Pierce Brooks, Austin and Charlotte Seth, Barbara Easton, Clarene Shelley, Millie Yoacham, Mike O’Donnell, Vern and Ruth Cornelius, Peter Modde, Jennifer and Siebrand Heimstra, Ginger and Julian Carlson, Cheri Luxa, Bill and Ginger Clinton, Hope Yenko, Bill and Joyce Johnson, Bill and Connie Meloy, Jim Byrnes, Nils and Judith Seth, Erik Seth and Denise Watson. To my children, Laura, Leslie, Andy, Mike, and Bruce, and my grandchildren, Rebecca and Matthew. And to my brother and sister of the heart, Luke and Nancy Fiorante, and, of course, Lucas Saverio Fiorante.

  As always, I thank my literary agents, Joan and Joe Foley, and my theatrical agents, Mary Alice Kier and Anna Cottle of Cine/Lit. Without them, there would be no books and no movies!

  The best is last. I am an author who really likes her editors, Fred Hills and Burton Beals, and their enthusiastic assistant, Hilary Black. They absolutely refused to allow me the luxury of writer’s block, and even as they were cracking the whip, they were also cheering me on. No author could ask for more. Thanks too to Leslie Ellen and Ann Marlowe, and, as always, my vigilant literary lawyer, Emily Remes.