Welcome to The Official Websleuths Investigative Book Club !

[justice4joe]

These girls were so cruel! They took her life like it was nothing

 

[tricia]

These girls were so cruel! They took her life like it was nothing

@justice4joe Aphrodite Jones really captures the girl's personalities and it is terrifying.

 

[yardgrl60]

I had never heard of this horrible crime until this book club started…all I can say is that in today’s world with social media there would have been eyes on it from the beginning. And I almost think that it would really could have made a case for cyber bullying on the girls part more so than the sad and horrific crime that I really became. It is just unbelievable to me that so many girls were such followers and not one stepped in to stop one thing.

 

[SensibleCrime]

I just watched the Pamela Smith trial from 1991 on TrialTvLive. It is the first trial nationally televised. She was a 22 yo teacher who manipulated teenage boys to kill her husband. It was called having an “affair” with her 15yo student, now we rightly call her a pedo.

I think maybe you mean Pamela Smart and that's an interesting idea. I'm not done with the book but there has to be some manipulation involved. It's weird that someone as damaged as Melinda could manipulate anyone. Laurie was older than all of them. Maybe she did it for fun and not because she was manipulated.

 

[websleuth2020]

I remembered this case from reading about it many years ago. I didn't really remember the details but reading the first few chapters has given me bad dreams. I don't understand how these girls didn't understand the gravity of what they were doing. To have absolutely zero empathy and casually talk openly with 3 friends about killing a 12 year old girl is just mind boggling! And thinking you could get away with it (or maybe not even considering it) while blabbing to anyone within earshot about what you did. I feel like a lot of people would sort of minimize their culpability because they were so young, but man! This is so much more than just being young and dumb and not understanding consequences. Thinking that you are entitled to take someone else's life because they might steal your girlfriend. This is psychopath territory. Diabolical. Evil. The capacity for humans to be SO cruel to each other seems to have no limits.

 

[tricia]

I remembered this case from reading about it many years ago. I didn't really remember the details but reading the first few chapters has given me bad dreams. I don't understand how these girls didn't understand the gravity of what they were doing. To have absolutely zero empathy and casually talk openly with 3 friends about killing a 12 year old girl is just mind boggling! And thinking you could get away with it (or maybe not even considering it) while blabbing to anyone within earshot about what you did. I feel like a lot of people would sort of minimize their culpability because they were so young, but man! This is so much more than just being young and dumb and not understanding consequences. Thinking that you are entitled to take someone else's life because they might steal your girlfriend. This is psychopath territory. Diabolical. Evil. The capacity for humans to be SO cruel to each other seems to have no limits.

Absolutely right. I wish we could examine these kids brains and see what is happening. They are missing a connection somewhere. Like you said even though they were young and dumb this goes beyond not understanding the consequences.

 

[tricia]

I think maybe you mean Pamela Smart and that's an interesting idea. I'm not done with the book but there has to be some manipulation involved. It's weird that someone as damaged as Melinda could manipulate anyone. Laurie was older than all of them. Maybe she did it for fun and not because she was manipulated.

SensibleCrime that is BRILLIANT. To play armchair shrink for a moment, maybe it was because she realized she herself was manipulated and was so hurt by it that she acted it out on the other girls. WOW. I never thought of that.

 

[tricia]

At 8 PM Eastern tonight (Saturday), we are doing a quick livestream to discuss how you all feel the book club is going.
CLICK RIGHT HERE to join us live at 9 PM Eastern.

 

[SnarkyTreehugger]

Hi all. A new member of WebSleuths and the book club here

 

[Jo_sews]

There’s something to be said about the human brain not being fully developed until 25 years of age. I’m not excusing the behavior, but there’s no thought of consequences…also the girls involved in the crime were all abused in some way. Again, not an excuse but some of them lived in such demented environments, how can they know right from wrong? I find the back stories give some insight into how things can get so crazy.

Looking forward to the zoom! I don’t share much about my true crime interests with people I know…they aren’t as passionate about it as us folks… is passionate the right word? I just always wonder, ‘why’? How did it get to this point?

 

[Jo_sews]

Hi all. A new member of WebSleuths and the book club here

Hi Snarky!

 

[Jo_sews]

I read until page 38, or in my book , “part 2-The Girls”.

I read this a million years ago after it first came out. My friends and I passed it around and were horrified by what we read.

I had been reading True Crime for a while by then, and I was currently in law enforcement and had seen horrible things….yet, this was still horrifying to me.

The contrast between these girls borrowing clothes from Melinda and giggling at the start of this macabre non-sleepover, and what would happen the next morning is mind numbingly terrifying.

I wish Shanda had fought harder-I get the feeling she was just so terrified…but still I so badly wish she just would have went to sleep in her own bed that night.

But for the grace of God, go I….

My new version of this book (the original copy lost decades ago) does not have any pictures in it all-good thing Google is a thing now.

I agree, this is probably one of the most gruesome and horrifying stories I’ve read. I’m glad there weren’t pictures, I’m a visual person and the descriptions created bad enough pictures in my mind.

 

[Jo_sews]

Yes. Also, they were kids. They dont understand reality…sure they knew it was wrong, but they naively thought theyd never be caught, the naively thought they wouldnt be told on, they didnt give any real thought to the repercussions. Instant gratification, grandiose ideas, being “cool”, “fitting in”. Being a teenager sucks.

Yet, there is more to it. These particular girls had to be lacking natural empathy, which is scary.

I did stupid things as a teen but never in a million years would I sit by and allow someone to be killed. Its not in my nature…but it was in theirs. And herewithin lies the question. Whats the difference? Upbringing? Genetics? Brain abnormalities? All put together? Nature Vs Nurture. I dont think we will ever truly know the magic ratio of these variables that go into the making of monsters.

I think their upbringing was a huge factor…

 

[Jo_sews]

Although I have read a lot of true crime books in my life, I usually avoid reading about the murders and abuse of children. I have never read anything by Aphrodite Jones. I started reading it today, and I am already past page 60. I am horrified but I cannot look away. Looking forward to the discussion on this thread. Thanks for choosing this book.

I agree. It was horrible but I couldn’t look away.

 

[Jo_sews]

Hey Everyone.
If you are struggling with how the forum works. CALL ME. I have a phone that I use when I need to post the number publicly. You can call me at 435-647-6896.
Tricia
P.S. I just accidentally almost posted my ex-husband's phone number. Luckily, I caught it before I posted it. Trust me, he would have been so confused getting calls from book club people; he probably would have gone off the grid for the rest of his life because he would be so freaked out. It actually makes me laugh, so maybe I will post his number just for my entertainment later. haha

Tricia has a burner phone!

 

[Ghostwheel]

Again, not an excuse but some of them lived in such demented environments, how can they know right from wrong?

RSBM

I, personally,, have a very hard time understanding how anyone can NOT know right from wrong in some situations, though. How can one NOT know killing someone is wrong? They were exposed to normal society, it's not like they lived in a "killing is just fine" bubble (that I could understand better).

But I have no frame of reference. I can't have you so I'll kill you? You made me feel bad so I'll kill you? I might get closer to having a concept if it was "torture you" instead of "kill you", and maybe that was the actual goal. To inflict pain, and death was just a by product of that goal.

 

[Jo_sews]

RSBM

I, personally,, have a very hard time understanding how anyone can NOT know right from wrong in some situations, though. How can one NOT know killing someone is wrong? They were exposed to normal society, it's not like they lived in a "killing is just fine" bubble (that I could understand better).

But I have no frame of reference. I can't have you so I'll kill you? You made me feel bad so I'll kill you? I might get closer to having a concept if it was "torture you" instead of "kill you", and maybe that was the actual goal. To inflict pain, and death was just a by product of that goal.

I think at one point, one of the girls did state it was just supposed to be a torture thing but it got out of hand…