Letter to a Suspected Serial Killer.

Back in May, I decided to write a letter to Lance, the person of interest in these cases. I sent it certified so I would know that either he or his wife, Pat, had in fact received it. Why would I write a letter to a suspected serial killer? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First, it was the ethical thing to do. I wanted to invite him to be on the show. To give his side of the story. To tell his truth as he saw it. To, at the very least, attempt to clear his name. Of course, I did not expect a response, but I knew it was important to me as a quasi-journalist to do my due diligence. Second, I thought maybe he would decline being on the show, but that he might write me back, that he might engage. But alas, as of now, I have heard nothing back. I also emailed his wife to see if she would be willing to be on the show. Crickets there, too.

I also knew that this letter would put my show on his radar, for better or worse. I cannot tell you how long I debated about whether or not I should include my return address on the envelope (I did). Not that I think he would fly across the country and threaten me, or worse. But I would be lying if I didn't say the possibility crossed my mind. And while I won't paste the whole letter into this post, I will say that I tried to appeal to the aspects of his personality I have come to learn about through interviews with people who knew him and lived with him. He is egotistical. He leans into the melodramatic and macabre. He fancies himself something of an arm-chair intellectual. He reads a lot. He writes (or used to) letters to the local papers. He likes technology. I thought maybe an appeal to his "intellect" would elicit a response. But not so much.

That said, the trailer is out and the first two Episodes drop Monday, so who knows? Maybe he'll listen and write back. And while I will not be holding my breath, I will be looking over my shoulder.