By: DeAnna Janes: Remember Florida Man? It was the Twitter feed that launched a thousand memes—and thousands of bizarre headlines about real-life crimes involving male subjects who live in the good old state of Florida.
Well, if there’s anything to be learned from Mr. Man, it’s that nobody does crazy like a Floridian. Which is why we curated a reading list featuring true crimes committed by—you guessed it—Florida crazies. Warning: Florida Man’s got nuthin’ on this madness.
1. "Flesh Collectors", by Fred Rosen
Dubbed a “true crime classic” by Blog Talk Radio’s Dan Zupansky, legendary true crime author Fred Rosen’s book covers the dirty deeds done by a couple of Redneck Riviera men, Jeremiah Rodgers and Jonathan Lawrence, whose friendship bloomed while locked up in a Florida institution for the criminally insane. Their misdeeds? Rape, murder, and cannibalism, which fleshed out their mostly petty-crime rap sheet. Painting the penal system in a more positive light, Flesh Collectors details how one detective brought justice to those affected by two of the most ghoulish thrill killers of the 20th century.
2. "The Prince of Paradise", by John Glatt
Its name epitomizes luxury and glitterati, but in true crime craftsman John Glatt’s The Prince of Paradise, Miami’s famed Fontainebleau becomes synonymous with murder and perversion. Glatt details the night Fontainebleau Hotel heir Ben Novack Jr. was found duct-taped to a chair, his eye gouged out, in the penthouse of a Hilton in Rye Brook, New York. He’d been suffocated. It was foul play that triggered a connection to similar acts—including the possible murder of Novack Jr.’s mother committed months prior—all leading back to one person: Novack’s stripper ex-wife.
3. "The Mad Chopper", by Fred Rosen
Meet Larry Singleton, the man who spent eight short years in prison for raping and mutilating a Modesto, California, teenager back in 1978, an act that earned him the nickname “The Mad Chopper.” Fast-forward some 20 years later, and Mr. Chopper once again finds himself in cuffs, though this time it’s for beating and murdering a Florida prostitute. In an effort to shed light on how a monster fell through the cracks of the U.S. judicial system, Rosen’s Mad Chopper retraces the blood-soaked path of a serial killer and the legal tug-of-war that will leave you shaking your head. Hold on; it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
4. "Vulgar Favors", by Maureen Orth
Andrew Cunanan was the California native whose three-month killing spree took him pretty much from sea to shining sea and landed him on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list. So it’s no wonder that he caught the investigative eye of Maureen Orth, an award-winning journalist and Vanity Fair contributor. Assigned to write a story about the senseless killings, Orth began investigating Cunanan two months before he would take the life of fashion designer Gianni Versace on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion. Vulgar Favors, a compendium of more than 400 interviews and stacks of police reports, is that story.
5. "I Would Find a Girl Walking", by Diana Montane and Kathy Kelly
It’s the one question that always follows an act of brutality: Why? And, through interviews and interaction with the culprit himself, that’s exactly what investigative journalist Diana Montane and police reporter Kathy Kelly try to answer in I Would Find a Girl Walking. The titular I: Gerald Eugene Stano, the Florida lady killer who was executed in 1998 for murdering at least 41 women.
6. "Deacon of Death", by Fred Rosen
Here are some words you never see printed together: ax-wielding church deacon serial killer. But that’s precisely the subject of Rosen’s Deacon of Death. Rosen, a former columnist for the Arts & Leisure section of The New York Times, introduces readers to Sam Smithers, a family man originally from Tennessee, who made his home in Plant City as a man of god. Though underneath that holy charade, he was harboring a sinister secret: the undeniable urge to rape and kill prostitutes. We’ll let Rosen take care of the details.
7. "Deadly Lust", by McCay Vernon and Marie Vernon
Set off the northeast coast of Florida—and heralded as the country’s oldest city—St. Augustine has succeeded at covering up its checkered past with touristy attractions and Spanish colonial resorts. But back in the day, circa 1980, Crack Head Corner was still a thing, and it was the hunting ground that attracted family men aplenty to anonymously satisfy their carnal desires. Including those of William Darrel Lindsey. Better known as Crazy Bill, the serial killer responsible for murdering seven women. Heads up: This one has several pages of images that go way beyond the yellow tape.
This story was originally featured on The-Line-Up.com. The Lineup is the premier digital destination for fans of true crime, horror, the mysterious, and the paranormal.