Robert Banfelder

"The Long Island Serial Killer Murders Gilgo Beach and Beyond" is based on one of the most notorious serial killer cases of our time. The work is a nonfictional / fictional accounting, synonymous with New Journalism. The novel is an expos uncovering a corrupt group of high-ranking police officials working within one of the largest law enforcement departments in the country; that is, the Suffolk County Police Department. The story shines a light upon a cast of discreditable characters, one of whom is currently under suspicion of murder(s) as well as the unquestionable abuse of power. It is a true-life story of cover-up, conceit, and conspicuously bad behavior by a host of bad actors. It was simply a matter of connecting the dots to arrive at this terrifying conclusion. Those who are familiar with the case will recognize the names of those characters portrayed, their criminal offenses, and the precise locations of where these crimes took place. A good portion of this work was written in real time referencing the outbreak of the coronavirus. Therefore, you will note the progression of the pandemic as the story unfolds.

This work of fiction is an amalgamation of composite sketches concerning battered women whom I have interviewed at considerable length over the course of many years. Its fusion was additionally inspired by one battered woman's jury trial and her subsequent imprisonment for the shooting death of her husband. Therefore, this narrative is based both on fact and inspiration, a roman clef, translated, a novel with a key]; that is, a thinly-guised account of many actual events. The courtroom scenes are virtually verbatim. Back-and-forth bimonthly (in this case meaning twice a month) correspondence with one female inmate over the course of several years is closely transcribed as written; that is, the inmate's misspellings, poor grammar, et cetera, albeit instances of Caitlin Fitzgerald's (pseudonym) syntax have been altered for the sake of clarity. Too, all other names and locations were changed for obvious reasons. Again, this is a factual accounting framed as fiction. Be prepared to enter a dark world of spousal violence, murder, courtroom drama, a prisoner's life behind bars, and Caitlin's eventual freedom. Embellishment is employed in the final chapter and epilogue solely as a tool to sensationalize and carry the story to its conclusion; otherwise, this narrative is as real as it gets. The theme of this work is awareness: awareness of how the criminal courts work as well as how they fail; awareness of how various police departments work to build a case for the district attorney in lieu of endeavoring to ascertain truth; awareness of inept and corrupt law enforcement officers; awareness of how a criminal defense attorney misserved his client; awareness of the discretionary and unlimited powers of seated judges to rule on the admission or rejection as to what they themselves allow into evidence. In essence, this is a story based on the frailties and failures of our criminal justice system. It is a story of supposed truths and half-truths, often concealed between the poles of outright prevarication and distortion. Firstly, it is a book about battered women and what they must do in order to free themselves from the chains of verbal, emotional and physical abuse; admittedly, easier said than done. Lastly, it is a book about one of our so-called freedoms; namely, the perversion of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution -our Freedom of Speech-for the Son of Sam law has prevented me, as well as anonymous sources cloaked within these pages, from telling this story as nonfiction. Keep in mind that there have been trials of battered women who have shot and killed their sleeping husbands and beaten (pun intended) the case against them in criminal court. Such a singular yet sometimes defensible action falls within the parameters of the battered-spousal syndrome and goes to the state of mind of the defendant at the time of the event. A commonplace criminal defense attorney would be far out of his or her league to argue such a case before a jury, let alone a case of self-defense as it applies to this syndrome. The intricacies are complex. A litigator would have to educate then convincingly argue that defense before a judge and jury. The task becomes altogether challenging when a consummate prosecutor attacks the credibility of that syndrome as pure junk science. One must never lose sight of the fact that a court trial, be it civil or criminal, is a contest between two lawyers-period. Win or lose at all cost is the name of the game. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is at best a clich that lies somewhere between the poles of guilt and innocence.

Mark Reid, Editor, NBR. "Robert Banfelder has turned up the suspense content in "The Author", which speaks volumes for his newest work. Malcolm Columba is a mastermind turned serial killer who has placed his agents around the globe, both into terrorist groups and law enforcement agencies with equal success. It has long been thought that genius is next to madness, but could Columba's madness be a diabolical means to an end? "The Author" is filled with twists and unexpected turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seat until past where you think this one will end. But wait, this is just the beginning. Outstanding Unspeakable crimes, a thrilling chase and a mesmerizing tangled plot. What more could you ask for? Banfelder has written another winner "

As the reader peruses these pages, he or she will note pertinent information regarding accused serial killer Rex Heuermann, disgraced former Suffolk County Chief of Police James Burke, disgraced former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota, and his disgraced former Anti-corruption Bureau Chief Christopher McPartland. The four will be presented intermittently throughout the book. This approach will avoid bogging the reader down with too much information at one time as there is much to cover within these pages. Also, specifically related timetables referencing these major characters as well as the murder victims in lieu of lengthy prose will expedite the writing process. For example, trying to encapsulate all relevant information from a 598-page book titled A Criminal Injustice by Richard Firstman and Jay Salpeter referencing the Marty Tankleff murder case is unnecessary when a minimal bulleted synopsis will succinctly suffice in drawing out pertinent data I want to present. Breaking up a specific incident into palatable sections avoids ennui, delivering powerful prose in small doses rather than in prolific mouthfuls of minutiae. The culture of corruption and incompetence referencing Suffolk County Law Enforcement is concisely covered between the years 1979-2022. This period particularly includes a brief history of the Johnny Pius murder case; the Seymour/ Arlene Tankleff murders, the seventeen-year false imprisonment of their adopted son, Marty Tankleff, the misdirection and cover-up by detectives James McCready and Norman Rein, the purported accomplices and/or co-conspirators to those murders: Jerry Steuerman, Joseph Creedon, Peter Kent, Glen Harris; and the Rex Heuermann Gilgo Beach murder case-victims: Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, and possibly Maureen Brainard-Barnes.One cannot begin to understand the culture of corruption in Suffolk County- featuring two of its major players, a young Jimmy Burke and an aspiring middle-aged prosecutor, Thomas Spota-until one goes back in time to the late 70s. The pair went on to become the infamous Suffolk County's chief of police and district attorney, respectively. The duo thwarted and botched several high-profile murder cases along the line until their imprisonment; the last matter resulting in failure to identify serial killer Rex Heuerman, whom law enforcement could have apprehended thirteen years earlier in time This last unfolding leads up to the courageous and competent formation of the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force, set in place by Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison, including cooperating inter-agencies from local, state, and federal governments: Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney's office, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon, Jr.'s office, New York State Police, and the FBI.

Over the course of many years, college students have come to me with serious, sincere statements and/or questions referencing writing: "I want to begin a diary," or "I've started a very short story, and I think I can turn it into a novelette or a novella." "I'd like to write a full-length novel." "I want to write for magazines; therefore, how do I break into freelancing articles for money?" "I want to become a journalist." "I want to be a poet." "I simply want to set down a family history for my children to read one day when I'm old and gray or long gone. I've got some amazing stories to tell." "How do I go about writing a blog for bucks?"Apart from keeping a personal diary, the student who wishes to set down a family history in the form of a journal needs to be trained-formally or otherwise-because he or she is inevitably looking to be published. A diary generally differs from a journal in that the former is private (for your eyes only) while the latter is usually meant to be read by others. Addressing genres such as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, even blogging for fun and/or exposure, are for all eyes to view and, yes, critique. As such, you would want to put your best foot forward. To do less would be to trip over your own two feet, shortchanging yourself in the bargain. Most assuredly, you are not going to be taken seriously by those in the industry (literary agents, editors, publishers, et cetera) if you do not know how to write and write well.Still, there are some folks who will delude themselves into thinking and then believing that there is a more direct route to achieve their goal(s). They eventually realize that alternate paths are made up of detours and dead ends. For example, I have had students who were convinced they could write like they often think; that is, employing a stream-of-consciousness approach (void of virtually any punctuation and proper syntax), assured that they would get their prose published. It would be highly unlikely that they would see their work professionally published, let alone be paid for it. This random form of writing is generally quite difficult to follow; hence, you will undoubtedly lose your reader (agent, editor, or publisher) whom you will likely be querying. It's the end game before you really even begin. Your very query letter will likely reveal shortcomings if you lack the basic writing skills.Composing a cover letter and displaying a sample chapter of your work that exhibits run-on sentences, fragments, and comma splices shows a basic lack of knowledge. Paragraphs that contain the continued use of ambiguous interpretations are doomed to failure. Pages that swing between the poles of reality and fantasy or paragraphs that employ the stream-of-consciousness technique will spell disaster. I can practically promise that you are dead in the water from the onset. I would not recommend this approach to a decent writer let alone a neophyte looking to make his or her mark.If you lack the basic writing skills, or desire to reach beyond your present level of competence, do yourself a big favor and get the required help you need by carefully studying this innovative 12 lesson guidebook. This unique 12-lesson color-coded writing guide maximizes comprehension for both novice and seasoned writers. I take the pain out of learning grammar by employing a strikingly unique approach color coded for unprecedented clarity and comprehension]. Too, I'll teach you the tricks and tools of the trade to put you at the top of your writing game.

A murderous cult is hellbent on creating chaos and the eventual collapse of our government. Richard Geist, the Inner Circle of Friends' charismatic leader, has a hidden agenda no less ambitious than his followers' goals. Richard Geist wants control of a promising author, Robert Redler, and the man's extraordinary gift-the writer's alleged ability to predict the future-which even Redler has trouble understanding and reconciling. Robert Redler's writing talents are also in demand by an unassuming housewife, Barbara Giordano, who hires the wordsmith to pen and expose certain practices of a corrupt state government working hand in hand with the Mafia. A contract has been put out on the woman. Barbara Giordano sees Robert Redler as her insurance policy. Beginning with the brutal murder of a district attorney, in addition to men and women associated with Robert Redler's past, eventually lead police to the author's doorstep. Authorities have ample yet questionable reason to suspect Redler as the killer or accomplice. A maze of intrigue ensues as police vacillate between Redler's uncertain guilt or innocence. A lethal game of cat and mouse unfolds. Is Robert Redler actually Richard Geist's accomplice and pawn? Is the author being falsely accused of crimes he did not commit? Has the writer actually tapped into a supernatural phenomenon with which to combat the forces of evil that surround him? As there is no question of Richard Geist's guilt and evil genius, Robert Redler's gifted powers-a prodigy wielding no more than a pen-are viewed as an enigma. Is Redler's explosive new book the word and work of a higher power yet veiled as fiction, or grounded in rock-solid truth?