Robert Beattie (writer)
Robert Beattie | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert M. Beattie c. 1957 |
| Occupations |
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| Notable work | Nightmare in Wichita |
Political party | Democratic |
| Website | robert-beattie |
Robert M. Beattie (born c. 1957)[1] is an American Wichita-based author, lawyer, and educator, best known for his non-fiction book Nightmare in Wichita.
Career
Beattie attended Wichita West High School.[2] Prior to writing Nightmare in Wichita, he was a writer for Teen Talk, a column in the Wichita Beacon.[1]
Nightmare in Wichita
Nightmare in Wichita is about Dennis Rader, a serial killer in Wichita, Kansas who created the name BTK after his modus operandi, "bind, torture, kill". Rader resumed sending letters to media again after a 13-year hiatus after hearing about the book. Right before he was going to publish it, Dennis Rader was arrested and then convicted as the BTK Killer.[3] As a result, Beattie quickly wrote an epilogue.
Beattie is also known for interviewing serial killer Charles Manson for a class project as a professor at Newman University in Wichita, which stirred controversy and brought media attention to him.[4] Language of Evil is about a murder in Douglas County, Kansas.[5]
Beattie ran unsuccessfully for the office of Kansas Secretary of State in 2006.[6] He testified in front of the Kansas legislature against the reliability of polygraph examinations.[7]
Works
- Nightmare in Wichita, New American Library, 2005, ISBN 978-0-451-21738-7
- Language of Evil. Penguin Group. 2009. ISBN 978-0-451-22530-6.
References
- 1 2 McDermott, Michael (March 2, 2009). "Beattie plugs his newest book at library". The State Journal-Register. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "BTK case unsolved, 30 years later". The Wichita Eagle. March 24, 2004. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ Davey, Monica (March 6, 2005). "Suspect in 10 Kansas Murders Lived an Intensely Ordinary Life". The New York Times.
- ↑ Ellin, Abby (August 1, 1999). "Blackboard: Curricula Esoterica; Doctors, Soldiers, Serial Killers". The New York Times.
- ↑ Leibowitz, Barry (May 5, 2010). "Book 'Em: Language of Evil". CBS News. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ Hrenchir, Tim (2006). "BTK author seeking post as secretary". The Topeka Capital-Journal.
- ↑ "Testimony of Robert M. Beattie on the Kansas Polygraph Protection Act of 2000". Antipolygraph.org. Retrieved 2015-05-21.