ANYONE YOU WANT ME TO BE A True Story of Sex and Death on the Internet

Hardback. In Olathe, Kansas, a balding, pudgy father of 4 sat in prison convicted on 3 counts of homicide - 2 of capital murder - and suspected in at least 5 other disappearances. During the last half of the 1990s, John Robinson exploited the Internet's active world of sadomasochism with horrific results. By haunting chat rooms, he pinpointed vulnerable women who were looking for romance and stalked them on-line, nefariously convincing them of his maturity, sensitivity, and financial stability. He seemed like the perfect man. He enticed these women with offers of a solid relationship and a lucrative job, persuading them to move to his hometown. Once they arrived in Kansas, the women invariably disappeared. After a dramatic trial and days of intense jury deliberation, Robinson faced the death penalty. Disturbing as his crimes were, what's most alarming is how he selected and lured his victims and how willingly they responded. John Robinson expanded the hunting ground, the techniques, and the technology of the sexual predator. He was the world's first-known Internet serial killer. Law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and the co-authors have struggled to unravel the enigma that is John Robinson. They reveal what can go wrong in a world where relationships are devoid of physical contact, showing how easily mainstream Americans can be drawn into the dark underground of cybercrime. The Internet has drastically expanded the realm of fantasy - from the limited confines of physical reality to the worldwide stage of virtual reality - and anyone can become involved in an on-line seduction. Erotic fantasies, which were once socially off-limits and extremely private, are now instantly accessible. This rapidly growing community masks a sinister truth: with only a computer, an Internet connection, and a knack for creativity, criminals have the power to reach millions of unsuspecting victims while remaining in complete control of their own - often false - image. John Robinson was a true innovator in this variety of crime. Through interviews with law enforcement specialists, Web experts, and others, the authors illustrate, with this case, a much larger - and more frightening - pattern of Internet sex and violence. With Epilogue, Appendices and Index. 308pp. 8vo. h/back. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. F. in F. dw.