Kill the Ones You Love

September 16, 2013
In this unsettling true crime narrative, Scott (Shattered Innocence) spells out how rage and obsession can become fatally warped. Scott details the national dragnet to capture Gabriel Morris, a young father and former deputy sheriff, after he fatally shoots his mother, Robin Anstey, 62, and her boyfriend, Robert Kennelly, 48, at their coastal Oregon home on Super Bowl Sunday 2010 after stalking them. While Scott paints a horrifying murder scene, he also efficiently shows how such monsters are made, discussing how the troubled young Gabe was physically abused and brainwashed by his father to believe his mother was “the wicked witch.” Following a brief attempt to become a missionary for the Mormon Church, ROTC classes, and finally a failed deputy sheriff stint, Gabe becomes rootless and restless, his mental state in decline, and becomes dependent on drugs and alcohol. After the murders, the subsequent police probe, and the manhunt, Scott vividly describes what happens to Gabe, his wife Jessica, and four-year-old daughter in heart-wrenching detail, as well as the trial and sentencing, with its unexpected shocks and disturbing surprises. 16 pages of photos. Agent: Sharlene Martin, Martin Literary Management.