Customer Reviews

Devil Child

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I should've seen it coming when I saw the cover proclaiming "As Seen On Geraldo." This book was published back in the days when Geraldo Rivera was on his "Satanism" kick - all sensationalism and no substance just like this book.

For the most part, it was fundamentalist propaganda (any belief besides "mainstream" religion is "evil" to these authors).

I believe that Sean Richard Sellers was a born sociopath. With each passing year, he became more and more adept at hiding his true nature from the world. Sellers' interest in the occult had little to do with his crimes. Many people "dabble" in the occult, play D&D, or check out the Satanic Bible; they don't murder people in cold blood.

On the other hand, how many serial killers and mass murders were raised in "mainstream" or fundamentalist homes?

Yes, Sellers was shunted around, but MANY people have two working parents (out of necessity) and they don't become murderers.

All that aside, the book was just NOT very well written.

I read this book and only recently dug up a copy for my library. Basically Sean Sellers, who murdered a store clerk and later his parents while they slept, claimed to be a satanist and was convicted of the murders and served on Oklahoma's death row until he was executed on Feb. 4, 1999. This book shows an unflattering picture of Sellers, particularly his actions after the murders. However the book has some flaws, including the lack of adjunct research, such as Sellers apparent psycopathology. The purple prose at the beginning and the tone at the first half of the book made me wonder if the authors were sympathetic to Sellers and believed his claims, and there was no detailed interview with Sellers. No Anne Rule methods here, though the case sorely needs it. Friends of Sean Sellers ( an actual group) were not pleased by this book. Either another book on this case needs to be written or this book with an addenum needs to be republished.