 12:3
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
A Different Kind of Killer
Read About the First Deaf Person Who Fit the
Serial Profile
Gallaudet University Press announces its first true crime title
Deadly Charm:
The Story of a Deaf Serial Killer by McCay and Marie Vernon. The Vernons
note: “So far as can be determined, Patrick McCullough was the first and only
deaf man ever to be identified as a serial killer. Ironically, one of the most
intriguing aspects of Patrick’s personality was that, in spite of his deafness,
his lack of education, and his limited prospects, he exerted a magnetic appeal
for women of all types. But beneath this man’s engaging surface there lurked a
darker, more dangerous side, a volcanic anger that would erupt without warning.
As a result, Patrick left behind a trail of violence, arson, stalking, and,
ultimately, three brutal murders.”
The Vernons point out that many serial killers achieved sexual pleasure from
torturing and killing their victims. Patrick McCullough does not fit that
sadistic mold: “his killings sprang
not from lust, but from his uncontrollable anger and his total inability to
accept rejection. Whereas narratives focusing on the lives of serial killers
usually evoke only horror and revulsion in the minds of readers, Patrick
McCullough’s story, while it contains extremely disturbing elements, will also
elicit feelings of empathy and compassion for a young man who spent his entire
life fighting to overcome his inner demons. Patrick committed the crimes
described in this book, but he was also a victim in many respects, stricken at
birth with profound deafness and possible neurological damage that later
precipitated severe mental and emotional problems.”
Deadly Charm depicts a deaf serial killer driven by frustration and
violence and leaves much to consider. Did McCullough’s deafness exacerbate his
lethally violent nature? Perhaps his vicious impulses could have been
constrained if his time in mental institutions had been more productive than his
time in prison.
Read more about McCullough’s story in chapter three,
“July 1979 to February
1980: Man About Town”, and order Deadly Charm now for
a 20% savings off the regular price. For
online
orders, type “MAR2010” in the box
labeled “use promo code” located next to the “checkout” button, or you can
order by
mail.
 The
American deaf community is celebrating Edmund Booth’s 200th birthday this
year. Booth was a student and teaching colleague of Laurent Clerc and Thomas H.
Gallaudet at the American School for the Deaf. He was also one of the three
co-founders of the National Association of the Deaf in 1880. Library groups in
the deaf community recently endorsed the book,
Edmund Booth:
Deaf Pioneer, written by Harry G. Lang, for Deaf America Reads. An
initiative of the National Literary Society of the Deaf promotes deaf culture,
books, and literacy through library programs and exhibits, particularly at
public libraries. In Edmund Booth: Deaf Pioneer, Lang follows the amazing
career of Edmund Booth and his equally amazing wife, Mary Ann Walworth Booth, in
fascinating detail. Learn more about this American original and the pioneer days
as seen through Deaf eyes in chapter five,
“The Making of a Forty-Niner”, and
order
Edmund Booth.
 In
its current issue, the
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
gives high marks to Carolyn E. Williamson’s
Black Deaf
Students: A Model for Educational Success: “Although this book focuses on
African-American deaf [or] hard-of-hearing students’ successful academic achievement, the content is applicable and
beneficial to all students. This is a great read for all educators, school
personnel, community stakeholders, parents, and anyone involved in the education
and mental health preparation programs. It also has potential application for
future researchers.”
In Black Deaf Students, Williamson interviews nine
successful deaf and hard of hearing African Americans to create a formula for
success for other black, deaf students. Learn more about this fascinating study in chapter nine,
“A Resilience Program
Model”, and
order
your copy today.
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