Death by Cannibal

Book excerpt: Peter Davidson, the author of Homicide Miami, the true crime story that inspired the film Pain and Gain, compiles the true stories of some of America's most notorious cannibal murderers. They violated one of civilized society’s most sacred taboos, and they’re anathema even in the twisted world of serial murder. Most frighteningly, the cannibal killer hides behind a mask of normalcy, as documented in the vivid profiles of American murderers who ate their victims. Drawn from revealing interviews with family members, authorities, and the killers themselves, Death by Cannibal exposes the secrets behind the most fiendish compulsion of them all. Gary Heidnik, the financial wizard whose Philadelphia home was a dungeon of sexual slavery, torture, and diabolical feasts. Albert Fentress, a mild-mannered schoolteacher who lured a teenage boy into the inescapable darkness of his secret obsessions. John Weber, a country boy who found an outlet for his sick fantasies when he ate his teenage sister-in-law for dinner. Nathaniel Bar-Jonah, a gourmand and aspiring chef who allegedly shared the remains of his prey with unsuspecting friends. Marc Sappington, a high school dropout who aimed to outdo his idol, Jeffrey Dahmer, by embarking on a three-day feeding frenzy. But where does gruesome desire end and true crime begin? The book includes new details on the unprecedented case of “Cannibal Cop” Gilberto Valle, the former NYPD officer who used online forums to describe his fantasies of kidnapping up to a hundred women and of eating “girl meat.” Includes photographs.