San Diego State University Writers' Conference

This past weekend, January 25-26th, I went to the "2014" San Diego State University Writer's Conference to shop The Rainy Day Murders around and see if I could generate some professional interest in it. 

This annual event matches writers with editors and agents, not so much to provide an active marketplace, but more to educate writers about the very complicated and evolving book business. It's impossible to be successful in publishing if you don't understand the rules of the business.

At one time, new authors could directly approach a publishing house with an unsolicited manuscript. In today's market, without the help of a literary agent, that door is closed to all but a few proven cash cows. Now, writers must query agents and/or editors to inspire them enough to take a chance on you. 

That's not as easy as it sounds because they all seem to be "Looking for the next new thing." Agents don't get paid by the writer; they work on a 15% book contract commission, so the competition is cutthroat.

I signed up for two Advanced Readings of the first ten pages of my newly completed manuscript in its first full, unedited form. One of the readings was with an editor and the other with an agent. 

The agent suggested that I redo my beginning to strengthen my personal connection to the John Norman Collins story. This was counter-intuitive to me as non-fiction should strive to be as objective as possible. "Not necessarily anymore," she said. After I gave her remark further thought, she may have helped me solve a narrative problem that's been troubling me.

My second reading was with an editor who was more positive and encouraging. Of all the submissions he reviewed over the weekend, he said he liked mine the best and recommended me for an editor's "Choice" award. The award is not meant to be a publishing offer of any kind; it is meant to encourage writers to stick with it.

After I make a complete revision and edit, I look forward to entering the marketplace and attracting some professional interest in The Rainy Day Murders. 

If I am unsuccessful in attracting a publisher, my true crime book will see the light of day, even if I have to self-publish it. This is a story that has waited a long time to be told. Too long!

Guest Post - John Philip Chapman - John Norman Collins' Canadian Cousin

University of Toronto graduate, John Philip Chapman

Finally, I've finished the first complete draft of The Rainy Day Murders, my true crime treatment of the Washtenaw County Murders. In the coming weeks, I need to revise and finish the supplemental material and take it to the marketplace. 

Once I get an agent and a publisher, I'll have a better idea of a publication date. My grateful thanks to those many people who helped me tell the most complete account of these cases to date. You know who you are.

John Norman Collins' Canadian cousin, John Philip Chapman wanted to explain his involvement with this project in a guest post. Here it what he had to say.

*** 

My name is John Philip Chapman, and I live in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.  I am now 41 years old, an only child and the Canadian cousin of John Norman Collins.  Thirty-two years ago, I was introduced to my cousin – John Norman Collins for the first time.  

It was in early March of 1982, just a week before my 10^th birthday.  At the time and because of my age – my parents only told me that I had a cousin who was in prison and that he wanted to correspond with me.  Given my young age and inability to comprehend the nature of his crimes, I was never told what they were nor the details of his actions.  Some would say that ignorance is bliss.  At this point, nothing was further from the truth.  

From Day One, both my cousin and I had informally adopted the “Don’t Ask..Don’t Tell” policy concerning the crime for which he was accused and found guilty of.  I was curious to know the truth, but, yet afraid of what I might find out.  

At the beginning, through our letters and phone calls back and forth, I came to know this man as a kind, considerate and thoughtful person who dispensed great advice and was very understanding of the trials and tribulations that come with being a teenager and with all the new discoveries that come with that right of passage.  

A whole new world of opportunities was opening up for me – first job, first girlfriend, first examinations, first drink, first attempt at driving. However, with all these opportunities, I found myself being comforted in talking about these things with someone who regarded me as his proverbial “little brother” and who imparted on me words of wisdom and many comical anecdotes.  As a teenager, this was someone that I respected and cared for – he was family.  

In the years that followed, however, things began to change and something seemed “off” where my cousin was concerned, but I made the mistake of ignoring those warning signs and I continued to communicate with him – if anything because I felt a familial obligation to do so, and partially because I was an introverted person with no siblings. My cousin “appeared” to be understanding and compassionate.  I would soon come to realize that my suspicions were well founded

In May of 2013, as I casually browsed through the internet, I was overcome with the innate curiosity to look up my cousin’s name via Google and see what I could discover.  After all, what harm could that do? Looking back on that day, I could not, at the time, have ever imagined what I would find.  I spent the next four hours reading information and articles concerning my cousin – nicknamed “The Co-Ed Killer”.  

However, I had come across the name of a gentleman who was writing a book called “The Rainy Day Murders” and who was looking for information concerning my cousin.  Because I was confused and perplexed with what I had read about him, I decided to send this person an e-mail; then, we decided to meet in person.

In meeting with Greg Fournier and his associate, Ryan Place, I was convinced that their work was an honorable thing to do in paying not only tribute to those women who lost their lives but to those who remained behind – those mothers and fathers, brothers, sisters, and relatives and friends who were left to pick up the pieces after their traumatic losses. 

The book they are just finishing promises to be the most accurate, detailed, and honest account concerning the circumstances surrounding the deaths of seven young women and the life of John Norman Collins. Over the next several months, I continued to write my cousin and correspond via e-mail with him in an attempt to obtain his side of the Karen Sue Beineman issue and to gain perspective into the mind of John Norman Collins – all for the benefit of this book. What I found was truly disturbing on so many levels.

Over the next several months, I learned a great deal about the crime that my cousin was charged with and found guilty of.  Never in my wildest imagination could I have ever thought that such violent, horrendous, and despicable actions could possibly be committed by someone I am related to.  Over these months, I came to understand the delusional reality that my cousin lives in and thrives on daily. 

I saw, for the first time in thirty years, that my cousin was and still is a master manipulator – a true Machiavellian in every sense of the term.  As long as the end justifies the means for John – he does it.  His attitude today towards women and womanhood are absolutely misogynistic, despicable, and clearly the words of someone who still has a great deal of anger towards women in general.  

John looks out for one person and that is himself, and he routinely uses emotional blackmail to obtain his desired result.  John shows zero remorse towards the lives of these young women and for his part in these crimes. He shows a callous disregard for his participation in these events.  

For my cousin John to admit any guilt and/or accept any responsibility for his actions would be a sign of weakness to him.  My cousin has a typical alpha-male personality that clearly shows through his many letters and e-mails over the past year.

With that in mind, I want to take this opportunity to thank both Greg Fournier and Ryan Place for helping me to realize and come to terms with the monster that is my cousin, John Norman Collins. 

The disgust and contempt that I felt for my cousin was not enough to dissuade me from communicating with him because I knew in the end that any information I would obtain, would only benefit "The Rainy Day Murders”.  

Helping them turned out to be a real pleasure for me and an experience that I feel very proud to have been a part of.  In the end, I lost a cousin but gained two friends who have shown a great deal of integrity in dealing with the sensitive nature of this book.  It is to them and this book that I wish all the best for. 

For the families of the seven young women, whose lives ended far too soon – I can only express my sincere and heartfelt sympathy and apologies for what happened to your daughters, sisters, and nieces. These women had their whole lives ahead of them, and bright futures – sadly futures that would never come to be – all because of the violent madman that is my cousin – John Norman Collins.  

To those who were left behind, I wish that I could  take away your pain and suffering, but sadly I am not able to do that.  However, my heart goes out to you all for your courage and strength in dealing with the loss of your loved ones.  It's impossible to get over such a deep loss, especially under these circumstances. It is my hope that this book will offer you some measure of peace.

Neither myself or any member of my family has ever condoned the actions of my cousin and we do not support him in any way, shape, or form.  

Speaking for myself, my cousin is a disgusting, psychologically disturbed pervert that I am, in no way, afraid of.  To be afraid of him would be to allow him to have that kind of power over me, and I simply refuse to allow that to happen.  

John Norman Collins is a monster - straight up!  Because of this, I have taken every legal avenue at my disposal to ensure that my cousin never ever will be able to transfer to a Canadian prison and thus ensure an early release.  

As of January 10, 2014, I am proud and happy to say that after three months of addressing and taking care of this important legal matter (at some personal expense to myself) the case is now closed and John Norman Collins WILL spend the rest of his natural life in Marquette Branch Prison where he belongs.  If anything, I hope this fact will offer people out there some added measure of comfort and security.

John Norman Collins on the Prowl

The court of public opinion has long held that John Norman Collins (JNC) is culpable in the murders of seven young women in Washtenaw County, Michigan from 1967-1969. 

To be precise, six of the girls were from Michigan and one was from Milwaukie, Oregon. Roxie Ann Phillips was visiting a family friend in California when she crossed paths with JNC. One of the original seven victims, Jane Mixer, was found in 2005 to have been murdered by someone else, Gary Earl Leiterman.

It is well-known and documented that JNC prowled the streets of Ypsilanti. Five women testified that he tried to pick them up, all within a forty-five minute window before he picked up Karen Sue Beineman. Collins gave her a ride to a wig shop before he brutally killed her in his uncle's basement. So said The People of Washtenaw County.

But did JNC ever pose the same threat to young men? Although that isn't the subject of The Rainy Day Murders, several men have come forward with stories about their brushes with Collins. Without corroboration, their anecdotes have no evidentiary value, yet that doesn't mean that their stories are untrue. To date, it is unknown if JNC had any young male victims.

One of the men who contacted me was clearly more disturbed about his brush with Collins than the others. I placed a call to this person who went by the handle of Atlanta Tom. He didn't want to reveal his true identity to me at first. His memory of the incident stills haunts him after forty-four years, and he had difficulty telling his story.

When JNC was arrested and his perp walk photograph appeared all over the television news and front page reports, Tom finally knew the name of the man who tried to assault him five months earlier.

I was skeptical at first because he couldn't express his story and his feelings coherently. We were both getting frustrated, but I could sense he was uncomfortable and having trouble collecting his thoughts. 

Then we began talking about Eastern Michigan University's 
campus during the late Sixties and discovered that we had mutual acquaintances and ran in the same circle of people we loosely called "freaks." I was a few years ahead if him at Eastern.

When Atlanta Tom finally settled down, I asked him to tell his story again from the beginning. Now, I was able to stitch my initial notes together and discover his story. 

In a subsequent phone call interview, he allowed me to tell his story though he confessed he was uncomfortable about it. He always felt "guilty" because he didn't report the incident to the police. In the month after his incident, another young women was brutally slaughtered in the area. By July, four more had lost their lives.

"You were young and afraid," I reassured him. "Maybe you could have changed history and saved those girls, maybe not. Besides, you couldn't identify him by name at the time."

"That's not all," he said. "My name is Tom Zarski. I'm the guy who called 'Uncle Russ' on the radio with the 'Is Paul (McCartney) Dead?' story, which quickly became the 'Paul Is Dead!' story. That was in February of 1969. I didn't think anyone would believe me after that."

Here is Tom's story as told to me. Believe it or not!

***

"While hitchhiking home to Bloomfield Hills from EMU on a late Friday afternoon in February, I was picked up by a person who told me to get in, and then he asked me for my name. 'Tom,' I said, hopping into his car with my laundry bag in tow.

Tom described himself as very unsure of himself and a very immature eighteen year old freshman, both physically and socially. He didn't feel comfortable at EMU and spent as much time home as he could.

Tom Zarski related to me that the person who picked him up in front of the Ypsilanti Police Department on Michigan Avenue looked three or four years older than he was. The driver's upper body build made him look like a college quarterback type with clean cut short haircut which wasn't popular in 1969. He looked out of place for the times. What Zarski remembered most about his benefactor was that he looked like a fraternity guy.

But something bothered him from the start. The driver "eyeballed" him and it made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. Then, when the driver started to speak, he was a quick talker and very slick. 

Tom remembered being offered a free ticket to a Bob Seger concert at Eastern Michigan's Bowen Field House if he wanted to go. The guy said he had an extra ticket and would fix the shy freshman up with his sister who liked young guys. 

I was at this concert that night.

This was all too much and too fast for the socially immature young man to process. "Why is this guy bothering with me, a scrawny, immature kid? All I could think of was that he wanted something. I told him that my father was waiting for me to come home for the weekend, and I couldn't change my plans. But thanks anyway."

"Within ten minutes of being picked up, his friendly attitude abruptly changed as he slammed on the brakes before dumping me off on the shoulder of Interstate 94 east, just before the Rawsonville exit. 'Go ahead! Get out!' he commanded as he spun his wheels leaving me in a cloud of blue exhaust.

"He took off and I stuck out my thumb trying to get a ride hitchhiking, walking backwards towards Detroit's Metropolitan Airport. When I got there, I thought, I would call my father and tell him I'd be late. Then I could catch an airport shuttle to Bloomfield Hills. That was my plan.

"As I continued to walk east, I heard someone yelling my name from an overpass. 'Tom! Tom! Tom!' By now, it was dark and I couldn't make out who it was. But nobody knew me around there, and it struck me that I had told the guy who picked me up my name. 'What's he want now?' I thought. Trying not to panic, I ignored him and kept walking with my thumb out having no success getting a ride. 

"As I approached the next freeway exit, I noticed a car was parked with it's headlights on and pulled over on the exit's right shoulder. The car's trunk was open, but the high beams were so bright that I couldn't recognize the car or anything else in the darkness.

"The next thing I knew, I heard the trunk slam and a lanky figure began running me down swinging a tire iron at me. It was the same guy who was now trying to attack me. I saw a panel truck pull over about fifty yards up the freeway from where I had just come. Fueled by fear, I outran my stalker. 

Three farm workers hauling potatoes had stopped and congregated around the truck's front right tire to take a bathroom break so they wouldn't be seen by oncoming traffic.

"I ran up to them with my laundry bag slung over my shoulder and asked if I could have a ride. Someone was trying to attack me. They looked and saw a shadowy figure walking towards the freeway entrance ahead.There is safety in numbers and they said 'Sure.' All four of us squeezed onto the front bench seat. 

"Clinging to my laundry bag, I saw the guy standing on the shoulder as we went by giving me a crazed look and shaking his head slowly with his arms crossed over his chest. The crow bar must have been hidden behind his back.

"My rescuers dropped me off at Merriman Rd., and I walked the rest of the way to Metro Airport looking over my shoulder the whole way scared to death. By the time I made it home, I was a nervous wreck. Shaking, I told my father, 'Someone tried to kill me tonight.'

"Two days later on the following Monday, I was hanging out in the McKenny Union snack bar, a recent addition to the newly remodeled Student Union building. It had large, modern window panels on three sides of the addition for natural lighting. A sidewalk ran between these large windows and Welch Hall next door that formed a bottleneck for students walking during class change.

"I saw some sort of fraternity demonstration going on outside, so I went up to the large window to get a better look. Much to my stark terror, there he was, the same guy who tried to attack me Friday night. He was leading the parade, cavorting, and goosestepping in rubber boots.

"He looked into the snack bar window and our eyes locked. I saw an expression of horror on his face. He recognized me right away and did a 180 degree turn and ran towards W. Cross St. He was probably afraid I would call the police on the spot."

"Why didn't you?" I prompted.

"My father wanted me to make out a police report, but I let my friend talk me out of it. She told me, 'Why get further involved?' Now, I wish I had."

Keeping Serial Killers Alive in Los Angeles County Jail - Dr. Vonda Pelto, Ph.D

In addition to spending untold hours reading and doing field research for The Rainy Day Murders, my researcher and I have also conducted hundreds of phone and in-person interviews with people who have had some connection with the John Norman Collins case or who have worked in the field of forensics and have some clinical psychology background with serial killers. It's been quite a learning experience.

Last September, I met with Dr. Vonda Pelto at the train station in San Juan Capistrano. I drove up from San Diego, and she drove down from Long Beach, so we could meet and discuss serial killers over lunch. Although this topic doesn't make for good dining conversation generally, she and I had a lively and spirited visit.

Dr. Pelto's job for three years in the 1980s was to keep Los Angeles County Jail's serial killer population alive so they could stand trial. It was a unique job nobody wanted, but she was a single mother of two with a new psych degree who needed a job desperately.

The back story of the job was that "In the late part of 1980, one of the Freeway Killers, Vernon Butts, was arrested and confessed that he and William Bonin had used various knives, ice picks, acid, and chloral hydrate in the commission of six murders. Butts later admitted that he was there but contended that Bonin actually committed the crimes."

LA County prosecutor, John Van de Kamp, offered a plea bargain to Butts rather than the death penalty. Van de Kamp offered Butts life in prison if he would roll over on his partner, William Bonin.

Dr. Kline, head of the Forensic Outpatient Unit at the mens jail, explained to Dr. Pelto at her job interview,

"Butts was poised to testify against his friend, when he became despondent and tired of incarceration. He made the choice to end his life. Hanged himself!

"The District Attorney was mad as hell at us, the press had a field day, and we got a lot of heat over it. Believe me, we can't ever let that happen again.

"Dr. Pelto, after Butts' suicide, we decided to create a new position in the jail's forensic team. We want someone to see the high profile inmates, the men whose names and faces are featured predominately in the news media. That's the job we're offering you....

"The main thing is we have to keep these guys alive during their incarcerations. The State wants the opportunity to extract its own revenge."

***

For seven years prior to this job, Dr. Pelto had worked with

Dr. Vonda Pelto, Ph.D

sexually molested victims and their perpetrators for Orange County Mental Health. She couldn't imagine that the felons in jail could be much worse. So she reluctantly took the job.

After thirty-some years away from that traumatic environment, Dr. Vonda Pelto was finally able to collect her thoughts and write a memoir of her experiences called Without Remorse, published in 2012. 

Pelto writes about the Hillside Stranglers, Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono; the Freeway Killers, Jim Munro and William Bonin; the Sunset Strip Killer, Doug Clark; the Trash Bag Murderers, Elihua Komerchero, Joseph Zakaria, and Yehunda Avital; Arthur Jackson, attempted murder of Theresa Saldana; and wild card, John (The Wadd) Holmes, implicated in the Wonderland Murders.

Dr. Pelto would meet with these men in her office, a converted 8'x10' cell that was retrofitted with a Dutch door. Her work space was situated near the prisoners' phone bank. A barbers' chair was bolted to the floor, and the inmates would be handcuffed to the chair whenever they came in to see her. Usually, inmates were brought in one at a time to be evaluated but not always.

Dr. Pelto's book not only tells her stories of interacting with these psychotic men, but it also tells her story of being a single mother working to raise two daughters. It tells of her long struggle to pass the California State Boards to become a clinical psychologist and go into private practice. Vonda reveals much about her self-doubt and her personal history with men that readers will find deeply revealing. 

Dr. Pelto has sold the movie rights to Without Remorse and a screenplay is in development. I'll be anxious to see the movie when it comes out.

Check out this five minute video link of Dr. Vonda Pelto discussing Without Remorse.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qOojVCekAs

Link to Without Remorse:  http://www.amazon.com/Without-Remorse-Angeles-Serial-Killers/dp/0979585287

John Norman Collins' Last Wish, "I Want To Die on Canadian Soil"

In a recent letter to a Canadian Immigration official, John Norman Collins (JNC) expressed his desire to attempt another International Prisoner Exchange Treaty bid with the country of his birth.

In 1981, Collins was one signature away from being transferred to a prison in Ontario near Toronto when a Marquette Prison inmate blew the whistle on him. 

A letter fell on the desk of the night city desk editor at The Detroit Free Press, William Hart, who ran a story about it after intrepid reporter, Marianne Rzepka, corroborated the details. The story "Transfer to Canada For Killer" was run in the evening edition of the paper, and by morning, the Michigan Associated Press sent the story far and wide throughout the state's media network. 

***

JNC took the words of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to heart when he made a public statement about there being too many people in Michigan's prisons because of minor drug offenses and an aging prison population. He was sixty-six and one of the oldest inmates at Marquette Branch Prison.

In several prison letters to his cousin, JNC moans about his aches and pains, the indifferent medical staff, and the inadequate services available to him. What he doesn't mention to his cousin is that he often refuses to ante up his co-pay for medical services. I have several prison Administration Hearing documents that detail how JNC refuses to pay, and then he makes an issue of it.

Collins writes that he is a physical wreck from "too much weightlifting and playing hockey," though he still plays handball and basketball whenever he can. He complains about his bad knees, bum hip, and arthritic back, the simple ravages of the aging process many of us Baby Boomers suffer from.

Of a more serious nature was an incident that occurred in May of 2012, which he details in a September 7, 2013 letter to his cousin:

"I did have a scary moment last year. I was going to the Chow Hall with my friend, Big Mike and we just got outside the unit and I CRASHED to the concrete FACE FIRST. I thought I woke right up, BUTT, Big Mike told me I was out for a couple of minutes. I tried getting up but the guards told me to stay down. My face was a bloody mess.

"They took me to Health Care and there was a doctor there and he sent me immediately to the hospital in Marquette. At first they thought I had a heart attack or a stroke. They did over $100,000 of tests on me for a day and a half and found no bleeding in my brain, so they were CORNfused and couldn't find a cause."

JNC now hoped he could parley his private health concerns to portray himself as an old-timer who is a shadow of his former self and a danger to no one. 

If he could only convince a sitting Michigan governor to pardon him or override the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) revocation of his 1981 transfer application, he could be "home" in the country of his birth awaiting a work release program. Of course, JNC needed his Canadian cousin's help with a commitment to sponsor him, to provide a home for him, and to supervise his "reintegration into society." In short, to be responsible for him.

***

In the same letter, JNC asked Chapman to visit him in Marquette Branch Prison which he had never done before. 

Shortly afterwards in an email to me, Chapman wrote:

"He does want to see me face to face for the first time and he wants my help, as he said neither (his brother or sister) have ever offered to 'put him up.' However, I am not sure what to do.

"I know who John is to me, regardless of what he has done in the past... however, never at any time, have I ever found myself afraid of him and I think I would be safe if I had him here. After all, his victims were all women, not men. 

"But with that in mind, I am worried that if I was miraculously able to get him to Canada, I would worry that he might hurt some woman, and I just don't want that on my conscience.

"As well, I am aware of the relationship that he has with some of his "friends" in prison, and I use the term "friends" very loosely. I may be naive, but I am not stupid. So that concerns me. Would he try something on me? I am not being paranoid, just trying to protect myself and my mom.

"Let's say (hypothetically), if John did get back to Canada and I did sponsor him, do you honestly think that my Mom and I would be in danger? I am conflicted now"

My immediate response to John Philip Chapman was:

"John, your cousin is a hardened criminal. Straight up! His own mother had discipline problems with him. He has a self-professed anger management problem. Factor in forty-five years of pent up frustration and rage. I wouldn't take a chance."

John Philip Chapman's quick reply was:

"I will take your advice seriously and be very cautious moving forward with communications with my cousin. The interesting thing about all this is that if this were anyone else, Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, or any other serial killer, I would not even waste any time on the issue.

"I have been writing to him since I was ten years old and obviously too young to understand the kind of person he was then. As the years went by, I suppose I never outgrew that vision I saw of him in my head... but then the facts are what they are. John is NOT where he is by accident or a corrupt legal system... he deserves to be where he is. This is for society's protection and, I suppose, even for him.

"Greg and Ryan, THANK YOU VERY MUCH for not judging me or regarding me in the same circle as my cousin. I am who I am and John is who he is."

***

After nixing the trip to Marquette Prison, Chapman received an unexpected collect call from JNC. Collins needed to strengthen his grip on his wavering cousin and synchronize "their" strategy. 

On September 13, 2013, JNC wrote to Chapman:

"I was so pleased with our phone call. I must admit that I was (a) bit nervous at first. I didn't know what to say. You sound so grown up now. Anyway, it was finally great to break the ice after so many months. You are the most important person in my life right now. I also consider you my best friend."

The message soon shifted into drawing Chapman into JNC's transfer conspiracy:

"We have to watch what we say about Frank (Collins' contact at the Canadian Consulate). I don't know how the process works over there, BUTT it is so easy for the MDOC to simply say no to everything. Hopefully a higher power (the governor) will take over and over-ride the MDOC (VETO)."

***

Early in October, Chapman wrote Collins saying he had been reading internet articles about him and didn't feel comfortable sponsoring him. This must have hit Collins like a punch in the face. 

In an email dated October 7th, JNC began to panic and show desperation:

"I HOPE YOU HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO THINK OVER YOUR DECISION. WHATEVER THEY SAID WAS A LIE JUST LIKE IT WAS 32 YEARS AGO WITH DELHEY (Washtenaw County Prosecutor). THEY USED THEIR EMAILS TO SCARE YOU. WHO IS IT THAT CONTACTED YOU? 

"YOU HAVE WORKED TOO HARD AND TOO LONG TO LET THEM KEEP US FROM EACH OTHER. YOU HAVE KNOWN ME FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS AND THEM ZERO. THEY MADE YOU OVERACT BECAUSE THEY KNOW YOU ARE A VERY GOOD AND SENSITIVE PERSON. I NEVER HURT(my nephew), AND I WOULD NEVER HURT YOU OR YOUR MOTHER. NEVER!!!

"I WANT TO CALL YOU TOMORROW IF I CAN. PLEASE DON'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL YOU RECEIVE MY NEXT LETTER. YOU WILL RECEIVE ONE THIS WEEK AND ANOTHER ONE THE WEEK AFTER. PLEASE READ THEM BOTH BEFORE MAKING YOUR FINAL DECISION. 

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO PROTECT ME... NOT SELL ME DOWN THE RIVER. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY SENT YOU, BUT IT IS A LIE AND THEY WANT TO SCARE YOU INTO THINKING THAT I WOULD HURT YOU JUST LIKE THEY DID 32 YEARS AGO.

"PLEASE DON'T FALL FOR THIS PLOY. I'M OUT OF TIME. I LOVE YOU, JOHN, WITH ALL MY HEART. I KNOW THAT WE CAN BE A REAL FAMILY. BYE FOR NOW. LOVE ALWAYS."

In an October 17th email that John Philip Chapman sent me, the Canadian transfer saga came to an abrupt end:

"Greg, I really want this man out of my life for good, and I seriously want to cut all ties with him. There was a time in my life up until recently that I did care about my cousin. After all, he is family, and I believe that family needs to stick together and support each other, but that has its limitations.

"For over 30 years, I believed my cousin and thought what he was telling me was the truth. It was complete and total bullshit. John tells half-truths and is an excellent manipulator, that is for sure. All I got to see over those years was a side of John that he wanted me to see and not who he really is.... However, I just do not want to communicate with him anymore, and I see no value in doing so."

When JNC tried to call Chapman back at his home, John Philip decided to block all future phone calls from his infamous relative. With that, the Canadian International Prisoner Exchange became an impossible reality for Collins. JNC had exhausted all of his appeals and every avenue for an early release. 

My advice for Mr. Collins is that he make an application to the Make a Wish Foundation and see how that goes.

But the Story Goes On!

Background on JNC's first attempt at a Canadian Prisoner Exchange: http://fornology.blogspot.com/2013/06/john-norman-collins-and-canadian-prison.html

John Norman Collins' Canadian Border Bid

On Wednesday, August 7, 2013, John Norman Collins (JNC) finally got around to asking his Canadian first-cousin what he had been edging towards for months, sponsorship for an international prisoner exchange.

In letter after letter, JNC stresses in elevated and maudlin detail the close personal and emotional ties that bind him and John Philip Chapman together. "I love you, Little Brother" is the most common refrain in  his letters. JNC repeatedly plays the "happy family card" and John Philip quietly accedes. 

For his part, Chapman did little to discourage Collins' line of thinking because it kept the door open for his older cousin to reveal more details about his complicity in some of the other murders he is thought to have committed but was never charged with. 

Chapman was secure in the thought that this "sponsorship" ploy was pure delusion on the part of his cousin. After all, Cousin John had attempted the same thing in 1981 to circumvent the Life Sentence decreed by The People of The State of Michigan, and he had failed. 

So you can imagine how Chapman felt when JNC sent him a copy of a letter he had written to a Canadian Immigration official in Ontario, Canada, a mere month after he had approached Chapman for his help.
__________

Marquette Branch Prison
John Collins/Chapman 126833
Sunday, September 8, 2013

Honorable Frank Dale:

First of all, I'd like to thank you for your much needed participation and support in my transfer effort to get back home to Canada. Perhaps my cousin, John, has already told you that I tried transferring back to Canada in 1981, under the Prisoner Exchange Treaty between the USA & Canada. That turned out to be a real disaster for me.

Back in 1980, I applied for a transfer and Mr. Douglas Frame was the Canadian Consul at the time. I explained to him that I had a "HIGH PROFILE" case and that it was important for him to move quickly in an attempt to keep my transfer from becoming a "MEDIA CIRCUS." 

Mr. Frame assured me that there wouldn't be any problems and that all of his previous transfers went without a hitch. Once again, I explained my position to Mr. Frame and he assured me once again that there wouldn't be any problems.

Instead of processing my paperwork immediately, Mr. Frame chose to wait several months before coming to visit me. He told me that he and his son were coming up here on a fishing trip and he would visit me then. Those EXTRA COUPLE OF MONTHS cost me my transfer.

Initially, Michigan approved my transfer and so did Washington, who forwarded the paperwork to Canada (Ottawa) for final approval. The paperwork sat on the desk of the person that was supposed to sign the papers for another month because he was off in a foreign country trying to get a relative transferred back to Canada on drug charges.

During that time, the MEDIA learned about my transfer and the victim's family contacted their State Representatives who applied pressure on the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC). At that point, I had already been transferred near Detroit for my Verification Hearing and appointed an attorney to represent me.

I thought I was on my way Home. Instead, Michigan rescinded my transfer on the grounds that Canada had not FINALIZED my paperwork yet. Needless to say, I was devastated as was my family over in Canada.

On the "POSITIVE SIDE" right now is the fact that the Attorney General (of the United States), Eric Holder, and the Michigan Governor, Rick Snyder, have BOTH come out vocally and said that we have too many people in prison. They spoke about releasing those with Minor Drug cases and the Elderly inmates that are costing the taxpayer way too much money. Hopefully, that will play into our hands this time around.

The MDOC will simply say that LIFERS will not be transferred because of me. If we get Governor Snyder to APPROVE my transfer, then it is out of MDOC's hands. The USA only honor treaties when it is convenient for them....

In closing, I would once again like to thank you for your support. Hopefully, I'll be able to one day "SHAKE YOUR HAND" in person. My dream is to die on Canadian Soil!

Respectfully,
John Collins/Chapman
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The conclusions of the above letter bear closer examination. 

JNC's Canadian family was not "devastated" about Collins being refused his transfer to Canada in 1981. In point of fact, both his birth father and his uncle declined to sponsor John for the international transfer. 

And although it is true that a delay did occur in the processing of JNC's transfer application, the official reason for the MDOC veto was sent to John Norman Collins on January 20, 1982. Then Deputy Director of MDOC, Robert Brown, Jr. wrote: 

"I recently learned through diplomatic channels that you would have minimal family contact if in Canada since most of your family lives here in the States. Further, you spent the majority of your life here in the States.

"Since the main purpose of the treaty is to provide for re-integration into society and since this re-integration would not be possible in Canada, I am revoking our consideration of your transfer request."
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Detroit/Windsor Tunnel

One common trait of serial killers is that they learn from their mistakes. Had John Norman Collins gotten any smarter in forty-two years?

For more background on JNC's former border bid, view this link:
http://fornology.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-canadian-dream-of-john-norman.html