Chapter 8 Staging: Pattern of Deceit Summary and Analysis

Sometimes criminals intentionally try to fool the police by "staging" the crime scene. They try to throw the police off the scent by indicating that something other than what actually happened. Most of the time the staging is crude and the police see right through it, but sometimes, it is not that easy to detect the staging and it takes an expert eye like that of Ressler to be able to see through the masquerade. One example of just such an attempt at elaborate staging by a criminal was in Columbus, Georgia in 1978. Several older women had been killed, strangled by their own nylons, and the city was awash in fear. The police were unable to find any meaningful clues about the killer, however, and the public became restless. The police received a...