The true story of Theresa Knorr, the twisted child abuser who murdered her daughters–with the help of her sons–told by a former New York Times reporter. In June 1985, Theresa Cross Knorr dumped her daughter Sheila’s body in California’s desolate High Sierra. She had beaten Sheila unconscious in their Sacramento apartment days earlier, then locked her in a closet to die. But this wasn’t the … die. But this wasn’t the first horrific crime she’d committed against her own children.
The previous summer, Knorr had shot Sheila’s sister Suesan, then ordered her son to dig the bullet out of the girl’s back with a knife to hide the evidence. The infection that resulted led to delirium–at which point Knorr and her two sons drove Suesan into the mountains, doused her with gasoline, and set her on fire.
It would be almost a decade before her youngest daughter, Terry Knorr Graves, revealed her mother’s history of unfathomable violence. At first, she was met with disbelief by law enforcement and even her own therapist. But eventually, the truth about her monstrous abuse emerged–and here, an award-winning journalist details the jealousy, rage, and domineering behavior that escalated into homicide and shattered a family.
A former reporter for the New York Times and Los AngelesTimes and the author of true-crime classics including Angel of Darkness, about serial killer Randy Kroft, and Blood Cold, about Robert Blake and Bonny Lee Bakley, Dennis McDougal reveals the shocking depths of depravity behind a case that made headlines across the nation.
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Sad sad true story. Abusive mother. Difficult to understand why a mother would be like she was. Very detailed so be prepared.
This is a true story but it’s hard to believe a mother could do such awful things to her children.
I read the book written by the surviving daughter Terry but this book delved deeper into the background of Theresa and the family as a whole. The family was the poster child for dysfuntion. I wonder how these children could have turned out if not influenced by such a woman. the book was well written and the author was able to keep personal opinions to a miminal and just offer facts from interviews and reports.
It takes a sick individual…….
Good read, if you can tolerate how messed up a seemingly normal member of society can turn out to be a complete sicko. It’s scary to know that people like this have and do just go about their craziness and carry on their lives as if it’s all completely normal. As a father I’m appalled by what this creature (because she’s not worthy of being considered a person) did to her children, both the ones she physically harmed and the others who she manipulated into doing her sick biddings. Read if you dare
took too long to get to the point. awful description of a damaged woman’s behavior toward her own flesh and blood.
Evil throughout !
mcdougal does best research. Can’t understand how people like this exist in today’s society. Glad I don’t live in that area!
Could not follow the story, too disjointed. Did not finish reading