Bad Girls

HIGHEST PRAISE FOR M. WILLIAM PHELPS

NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN

“This riveting book examines one of the most horrific murders in recent American history.”

—New York Post

“Phelps clearly shows how the ugliest crimes can take place in the quietest of suburbs.”

—
Library Journal

“Thoroughly reported . . . The book is primarily a police procedural, but it is also a tribute to the four murder victims.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

TOO YOUNG TO KILL

“Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers.”

—Allison Brennan

LOVE HER TO DEATH

“Reading anything by Phelps is always an eye opening experience. His writing reads like a fiction mystery novel. The characters are well researched and well written. We have murder, adultery, obsession, lies and so much more.”

—
Suspense Magazine

“You don’t want to miss
Love Her To Death
by M. William Phelps, a book destined to be one of 2011’s top true crimes!”

—
True Crime Book Reviews

“A chilling crime . . . award-winning author Phelps goes into lustrous and painstaking detail, bringing all the players vividly to life.”

—
Crime Magazine

KILL FOR ME

“Pelps gets into the blood and guts of the story.”

—Gregg Olsen,
New York Times
best-selling author of
Fear Collector

“Phelps infuses his investigative journalism with plenty of energized descriptions.”

—
Publishers Weekly

DEATH TRAP

“A chilling tale of a sociopathic wife and mother willing to sacrifice all those around her to satisfy her boundless narcissism . . . a compelling journey from the inside of this woman’s mind to final justice in a court of law. Fair warning: for three days I did little else but read this book.”

—Harry N. MacLean,
New York Times
best-selling author of
In Broad Daylight

I’LL BE WATCHING YOU

“Skillfully balances a victim’s story against that of an arrogant killer as it reveals a deviant mind intent on topping the world’s most dangerous criminals. Phelps has an unrelenting sense for detail that affirms his place, book by book, as one of our most engaging crime journalists.”

—Katherine Ramsland

IF LOOKS COULD KILL

“M. William Phelps, one of America’s finest true-crime writers, has written a compelling and gripping book about an intriguing murder mystery. Readers of this genre will thoroughly enjoy this book.”

—Vincent Bugliosi

“Starts quickly and doesn’t slow down.... Phelps consistently ratchets up the dramatic tension, hooking readers before they even know they’ve been hooked. His thorough research and interviews give the book a sense of growing complexity, richness of character, and urgency.”

—Stephen Singular

MURDER IN THE HEARTLAND

“Drawing on interviews with law officers and relatives, the author has done significant research and—demonstrating how modern forensics and the Internet played critical, even unexpected roles in the investigation—his facile writing pulls the reader along.”

—
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Phelps expertly reminds us that when the darkest form of evil invades the quiet and safe outposts of rural America, the tragedy is greatly magnified. Get ready for some sleepless nights.”

—Carlton Stowers

“This is the most disturbing and moving look at murder in rural America since Capote’s
In Cold Blood
.”

—Gregg Olsen

SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE

“An exceptional book by an exceptional true crime writer. Phelps exposes long-hidden secrets and reveals disquieting truths.”

—Kathryn Casey

EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE

“An insightful and fast-paced examination of the inner workings of a good cop and his bad informant, culminating in an unforgettable truth-is-stranger-than-fiction climax.”

—Michael M. Baden, M.D.

“M. William Phelps is the rising star of the nonfiction crime genre, and his true tales of murderers and mayhem are scary-as-hell thrill rides into the dark heart of the inhuman condition.”

—Douglas Clegg

LETHAL GUARDIAN

“An intense roller-coaster of a crime story . . . complex, with a plethora of twists and turns worthy of any great detective mystery, and yet so well-laid out, so crisply written with such detail to character and place that it reads more like a novel than your standard non-fiction crime book.”

—Steve Jackson

PERFECT POISON

“True crime at its best—compelling, gripping, an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Phelps packs wallops of delight with his skillful ability to narrate a suspenseful story and his encyclopedic knowledge of police procedures.”

—Harvey Rachlin

“A compelling account of terror . . . the author dedicates himself to unmasking the psychopath with facts, insight and the other proven methods of journalistic leg work.”

—Lowell Cauffiel

Also By M. William Phelps

Perfect Poison
Lethal Guardian
Every Move You Make
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Murder in the Heartland
Because You Loved Me
If Looks Could Kill
I’ll Be Watching You
Deadly Secrets
Cruel Death
Death Trap
Kill For Me
Failures of the Presidents
(coauthor)
Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy
The Devil’s Rooming House: The True Story of America’s
Deadliest Female Serial Killer
The Devil’s Right Hand: The Tragic Story
of the Colt Family Curse
Love Her to Death
Too Young to Kill
Never See Them Again
The Dead Soul: A Thriller
(available as e-book only)
Murder, New England
Jane Doe No More
Kiss of the She-Devil

BAD GIRLS

M. WILLIAM PHELPS

PINNACLE BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

Table of Contents

HIGHEST PRAISE FOR M. WILLIAM PHELPS
Also by
Title Page
Dedication
AUTHOR’S NOTE
PROLOGUE
PART ONE - LOVE IS BLIND

CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13

PART TWO - THE SECRET AGONY OF THEIR SOULS

CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30

PART THREE - SO MANY STORIES

CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39

PART FOUR - MIND READERS

CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 64

EPILOGUE
AFTERWORD
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Teaser chapter
Copyright Page

This book is dedicated to any child who has been abused and not allowed the grace of growing up in a loving, caring, healthy environment.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

On the surface, this
might seem like any other sensational true-crime tale. Girl meets girl. Girl falls head over heels. Drugs and sex and staying up partying for days at a time ensue. With that narrative playing as a background theme, fantasy and role-playing “fun,” along with a bit of amateur porn filmmaking tossed in, become the norm. When the rush of the drugs and living on the edge subsides, darkness settles; their lives go from petty shoplifting (zero) to—finally—murder (one hundred). Add to that a
Thelma & Louise
jaunt through the southwestern countryside, packing booze and drugs and guns and gusto. Along the way, there is some frolicking, and even a mock wedding. A confrontation with police happens. A few courtroom dramas. Betrayal. Then a she said/she said moment of derision—or, rather, division—occurs. And, for the hell of it, toss in a bit of what some described as black magic and witchcraft.

Okay, so maybe it’s not your
typical
true-crime story.

Beyond that scandalous, drama-inviting headline, however, this book is the story of two young women caught in a whirlwind of dysfunction and chronic drug use, drifting closer together, until one day they collide in an avalanche of lust, craziness, and murder. What starts out as an unexpected affair—one of the girls was dating males at the time; the other had a child with a man—turns into a case of who killed whom, why, and how an overly aggressive sexual appetite is sometimes confused with love. More important, it is a cautionary tale of teens growing up in a world brimming with very little adult supervision and chaos. Their lives were on a crash course, with no one there to direct or steer them away from imminent disaster. It doesn’t excuse the behavior or the terrible crimes committed along the way, but it does explain that all-important, ubiquitous question I get asked more than any other: “Why does someone commit murder?” Here, in this case, you’re going to hear from one of the girls involved—and her story will eventually produce answers you likely did not expect.

I would ask that, as you read this book and become familiar with the wild and crazy lives these girls led, try to keep from judging Bobbi, especially, on what she has done and where her addictions have brought her. It’s going to be easy not to like Bobbi Jo Smith. Be mindful of that. Because we cannot convict someone of murder based on feelings. A guilty verdict has to be about the evidence against the accused.