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  HIGHEST PRAISE FOR M. WILLIAM PHELPS

  THE KILLING KIND

  “In this true crime book, Phelps focuses on unrepentant killer Danny Hembree . . . [who] seizes the chance to take center stage with lurid confessions of a decades-long career of violent robbery, assault, rape, and murder.... Fans of the author’s Discovery TV series, Dark Minds, will be rewarded.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  OBSESSED

  “True-crime junkies will be sated by the latest thriller from Phelps, which focuses on a fatal love triangle that definitely proved to be stranger than fiction. The police work undertaken to solve the case is recounted with the right amount of detail, and readers will be rewarded with shocking television-worthy twists in a story with inherent drama.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  BAD GIRLS

  “Fascinating, gripping ... Phelps’s sharp investigative skills and questioning mind resonate. Whether or not you agree with the author’s suspicions that an innocent is behind bars, you won’t regret going along for the ride with such an accomplished reporter.”

  —Sue Russell

  NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN

  “This riveting book examines one of the most horrific murders in recent American history.”

  —New York Post

  “Phelps clearly shows how the ugliest crimes can take place in the quietest of suburbs.”

  —Library Journal

  “Thoroughly reported ... The book is primarily a police procedural, but it is also a tribute to the four murder victims.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  TOO YOUNG TO KILL

  “Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers.”

  —Allison Brennan

  LOVE HER TO DEATH

  “Reading anything by Phelps is always an eye opening experience. The characters are well researched and well written. We have murder, adultery, obsession, lies and so much more.”

  —Suspense Magazine

  “You don’t want to miss Love Her To Death by M. William Phelps, a book destined to be one of 2011’s top true crimes!”

  —True Crime Book Reviews

  “A chilling crime ... Award-winning author Phelps goes into lustrous and painstaking detail, bringing all the players vividly to life.”

  —Crime Magazine

  KILL FOR ME

  “Phelps gets into the blood and guts of the story.”

  —Gregg Olsen,

  New York Times best-selling

  author of Fear Collector

  “Phelps infuses his investigative journalism with plenty of energized descriptions.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  DEATH TRAP

  “A chilling tale of a sociopathic wife and mother ... a compelling journey from the inside of this woman’s mind to final justice in a court of law. For three days I did little else but read this book.”

  —Harry N. MacLean,

  New York Times best-selling

  author of In Broad Daylight

  I’LL BE WATCHING YOU

  “Phelps has an unrelenting sense for detail that affirms his place, book by book, as one of our most engaging crime journalists.”

  —Katherine Ramsland

  IF LOOKS COULD KILL

  “M. William Phelps, one of America’s finest true-crime writers, has written a compelling and gripping book about an intriguing murder mystery. Readers of this genre will thoroughly enjoy this book.”

  —Vincent Bugliosi

  “Starts quickly and doesn’t slow down.... Phelps consistently ratchets up the dramatic tension, hooking readers. His thorough research and interviews give the book complexity, richness of character, and urgency.”

  —Stephen Singular

  MURDER IN THE HEARTLAND

  “Drawing on interviews with law officers and relatives, the author has done significant research. His facile writing pulls the reader along.”

  —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

  “Phelps expertly reminds us that when the darkest form of evil invades the quiet and safe outposts of rural America, the tragedy is greatly magnified. Get ready for some sleepless nights.”

  —Carlton Stowers

  “This is the most disturbing and moving look at murder in rural America since Capote’s In Cold Blood.”

  —Gregg Olsen

  SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE

  “An exceptional book by an exceptional true crime writer. Phelps exposes long-hidden secrets and reveals disquieting truths.”

  —Kathryn Casey

  EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE

  “An insightful and fast-paced examination of the inner workings of a good cop and his bad informant, culminating in an unforgettable truth-is-stranger-than-fiction climax.”

  —Michael M. Baden, M.D.

  “M. William Phelps is the rising star of the nonfiction crime genre, and his true tales of murder are scary-as-hell thrill rides into the dark heart of the inhuman condition.”

  —Douglas Clegg

  LETHAL GUARDIAN

  “An intense roller-coaster of a crime story ... complex, with twists and turns worthy of any great detective mystery ... reads more like a novel than your standard non-fiction crime book.”

  —Steve Jackson

  PERFECT POISON

  “True crime at its best—compelling, gripping, an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Phelps packs wallops of delight with his skillful ability to narrate a suspenseful story.”

  —Harvey Rachlin

  “A compelling account of terror . . . The author dedicates himself to unmasking the psychopath with facts, insight and the other proven methods of journalistic leg work.”

  —Lowell Cauffiel

  Also By M. William Phelps

  Perfect Poison

  Lethal Guardian

  Every Move You Make

  Sleep in Heavenly Peace

  Murder in the Heartland

  Because You Loved Me

  If Looks Could Kill

  I’ll Be Watching You

  Deadly Secrets

  Cruel Death

  Death Trap

  Kill For Me

  Love Her to Death

  Too Young to Kill

  Never See Them Again

  Failures of the Presidents (coauthor)

  Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy

  The Devil’s Rooming House: The True Story of America’s

  Deadliest Female Serial Killer

  The Devil’s Right Hand: The Tragic Story

  of the Colt Family Curse

  The Dead Soul: A Thriller (available as e-book only)

  Murder, New England

  Jane Doe No More

  Kiss of the She-Devil

  Bad Girls

  Obsessed

  The Killing Kind

  She Survived: Melissa (e-book)

  She Survived: Jane (e-book)

  I’D KILL FOR YOU

  M. WILLIAM PHELPS

  PINNACLE BOOKS

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  HIGHEST PRAISE FOR M. WILLIAM PHELPS

  Also By M. William Phelps

  Title Page

  Dedication

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18
r />   CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  CHAPTER 43

  CHAPTER 44

  CHAPTER 45

  CHAPTER 46

  CHAPTER 47

  CHAPTER 48

  CHAPTER 49

  CHAPTER 50

  CHAPTER 51

  CHAPTER 52

  CHAPTER 53

  CHAPTER 54

  CHAPTER 55

  CHAPTER 56

  CHAPTER 57

  CHAPTER 58

  CHAPTER 59

  CHAPTER 60

  CHAPTER 61

  CHAPTER 62

  CHAPTER 63

  CHAPTER 64

  CHAPTER 65

  CHAPTER 66

  CHAPTER 67

  CHAPTER 68

  CHAPTER 69

  CHAPTER 70

  CHAPTER 71

  CHAPTER 72

  CHAPTER 73

  CHAPTER 74

  CHAPTER 75

  CHAPTER 76

  CHAPTER 77

  CHAPTER 78

  CHAPTER 79

  CHAPTER 80

  CHAPTER 81

  CHAPTER 82

  CHAPTER 83

  CHAPTER 84

  CHAPTER 85

  CHAPTER 86

  CHAPTER 87

  CHAPTER 88

  CHAPTER 89

  CHAPTER 90

  CHAPTER 91

  CHAPTER 92

  CHAPTER 93

  CHAPTER 94

  CHAPTER 95

  CHAPTER 96

  CHAPTER 97

  AFTERWORD

  CLOSING REMARKS

  THANKS

  Teaser chapter

  Copyright Page

  Notes

  This book is dedicated to my longtime editor

  at Kensington Publishing Corp., Michaela Hamilton,

  who has been by my side for every true crime title I’ve written.

  This is our twentieth book together!

  What an incredible milestone.

  Michaela has done more for the world of true crime

  than anyone else I know. She is an expert editor and

  true friend and colleague.

  I am grateful to have met her

  and humbled by the opportunity to work with her.

  “Behold, in example I grieve my heart out for that so sweet young girl; I give my blood for her.... I give my time, my skill, my sleep; I let my other sufferers want that so she may have all.”

  —Bram Stoker, Dracula

  CHAPTER 1

  TO FEEL THAT sun on his back for the first time a free man: Oh, how warm and liberating.

  He took a breath. A deep one.

  In through the nose, out through the mouth.

  Life on the outside.

  It had a ring to it.

  On September 4, 2001, a glorious Tuesday afternoon, exactly one week before terrorists would attack New York and the world would change forever, eighteen-year-old Kyle Hulbert found himself standing in court. Not the criminal kind, but probate. On this day, Kyle was set to be released.

  “He’s turned eighteen,” Kyle’s social worker explained to the judge. Kyle sat quietly, listening; his eyes, like his mind, darted back and forth, a million miles a second. “He’s not showing any signs of psychosis. We want to have him released. Declare him an adult.”

  Emancipation.

  Kyle said the word to himself.

  “Emancipation.”

  It sounded so historical and unassociated with his life. Yet here he was.

  The state spoke, claiming its position was that they didn’t think Kyle was well enough to leave the facility just yet.

  The judge heard the evidence and sat back to think about it.

  Kyle stood and thought, Come on . . . let me go.

  “Release him,” the judge uttered.

  Kyle had been a ward of the state.

  Not anymore.

  Funny, he didn’t feel that much different when the doors of the courthouse closed behind him and Kyle found himself exiting the courthouse, now his own “man,” breathing that fresh Virginia air into his lungs as a free young adult for the first time. It was a day he had looked forward to over the past year, especially. With all of the problems Kyle had gotten himself into at the foster homes where he’d lived, in school, and within his community, Kyle viewed this day as a new beginning. Now here he was, walking out the door an independent man, dependent upon nobody but himself.

  “They gave me a bus ticket,” Kyle said of the court, “and cut me loose.”

  Emancipation. Stepping onto the concrete outside the courthouse, looking back one last time, Kyle considered what was in front of him. This was it. He was on his own. He’d have to fend for himself from this point forward. Think for himself. Feed and clothe himself.

  Survive.

  More important (or maybe most important), he’d have to medicate himself. It was up to Kyle now. No one would be asking if he had taken his meds. Or hand him a little paper cup with the day’s rations inside, making sure he swallowed every last bit. It would be Kyle’s decision. His alone. The state had given him a three-month supply of the psychiatric prescriptions he needed to feel right; yet it was going to be up to Kyle to go to the pharmacy, actually pick up the drugs, and then ingest each pill.

  Every. Single. Day.

  “I didn’t stay on them very long,” Kyle explained. “It’s a bad cycle. A minor manic phase will set in and I’ll forget to take the medication.”

  And then the Catch-22 effect: Because he was not on his meds, he didn’t feel he needed them.

  Kyle was a boy in a man’s body. Truly. The state of Virginia, however, by law, claimed he was old enough (sane enough) now to make adult decisions on his own. Average height, quite skinny—“lanky” or “scrawny” is what they’d call him—with dark, silken black hair, slick like oil, Kyle had a gaunt look to him. He had chiseled and bulimic-like weight-loss facial features: pointed cheekbones, sunken eyes, and the somewhat obvious, cerebral wiriness of a hyped-up meth addict—although Kyle claimed he never dabbled in the drug. He didn’t need it. Kyle was amped-up enough already by what were voices and characters stirring in his head like a thousand whispers. This, mind you, even with a dozen years of psychiatric treatment and medications behind him.

  Kyle had what some may view as a strange look on life. His birthday, for example, was not a day like most: cake and ice cream and feeling special. Kyle never did feel special—not in the traditional sense of a kid wearing a pointed cardboard birthday hat, which was tethered by a too-tight rubber band pinching his neckline, ready to blow out candles, with his family and friends surrounding him, did. Kyle called it—the day he was born, that is—his “hatching day,” as if he had emerged from a cocoon, slimy and gooey and ready to take on the world, born out of some sort of metamorphosis. And yet, as he thought about it while walking toward the bus stop on that emancipation day—on his own for this first time, no counselor over his shoulder, no psychiatrist telling him what he should do or how he should think anymore—this was Kyle’s true hatching day. His rebirth. A time for Kyle to take on life by himself and make decisions based on the tools he had been given.

  “I am constantly struggling with a question,” Kyle observed. “Psychology teaches us that a person’s personality and psychological makeup is a composite of past experiences . . . and I am suffering from a complex network of fantastical memories of things that never actually happe
ned.”

  Despite his often volatile and strange behavior while in mental hospitals and in group and foster homes, along with Kyle’s biological father’s request that his son be continually detained and treated, the state had to cut Kyle loose. In fact, Kyle’s father, who had given up custody of Kyle when Kyle was twelve (“I was too much to handle. . . .”), had always kept in contact and, as Kyle had said, “He kept tabs on me and my entire life, and he knew about my behavioral problems. And he knew, which is why he fought against me being emancipated, that letting me off the leash was not a good idea at the time, because it was not going to end well. In fact, he told them: ‘You let Kyle out and he is going to kill somebody.’”

  The judge decided, however, it was time. Kyle Hulbert was eighteen. And Kyle, as it were, was not going to argue with being given a free pass for starting a life.

  “Kyle Hulbert,” one law enforcement source later analyzed, “has been, since he was six years old, in and out of mental institutions. Kyle’s world includes a number of darker characters . . . demons or presences . . . that live in his head.”

  And now this “man” was free to roam the world and do what he wished. Thus, on September 4, 2001, Kyle found himself on the street, walking, with literally nowhere to go.

  No home.

  No friends.

  No family.

  There was a certain “high,” Kyle recalled, about being freed from the structured, routine life inside an institution. It felt good. It felt right. It felt redemptive.

  “I was happy that I was free! No more leashes. No more having to worry about institutions. I was ... free. Those are the only three words that I can say describe how I was feeling.”

  Kyle had been told to have a plan. And he did. Kyle said his “plan” on this day, as he walked down the street in front of the courthouse toward the bus stop, was to go and find a girl he could “fuck senseless.”

  After that, well, whatever came his way, he would roll with it.

  CHAPTER 2

  KYLE HAD WHAT he called “half-baked” plans as he broke from those ward-of-the-state chains holding him down. Just out and free to do what he wanted, Kyle thought about going to college, studying, maybe taking up a career of some sort. That thought came and went rather quickly, however, as Kyle realized he first had to find some money to live off. Moreover, a lifelong dream of his to become a published writer would have to take a backseat to surviving on his own.

  “My main concern was filling out the Social Security paperwork and getting that going,” he said. “I had already been approved for it.”