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Head Shot
A Storm Of Violence
Paul St. Pierre was an alcoholic driven by an urge to kill all the time. He bullied his younger brother, Chris, into committing unspeakable acts. His childhood friend, Andrew Webb, took drugs, talked to skulls, and dreamed about eating human flesh. It was only a matter of time before the trio terrorized a quiet neighborhood near Tacoma, Washington, with the brutal murders of innocent victims caught in a storm of senseless rage. Then the twisted triad turned on each other--over money. Paul shot Andrew in the stomach. Chris called the cops. But with tortured individuals like these, justice opened the doors to more surprising revelations. . .
contains graphic photos.
"True crime at its best." --Jack Olsen
Paul St. Pierre was an alcoholic driven by an urge to kill all the time. He bullied his younger brother, Chris, into committing unspeakable acts. His childhood friend, Andrew Webb, took drugs, talked to skulls, and dreamed about eating human flesh. It was only a matter of time before the trio terrorized a quiet neighborhood near Tacoma, Washington, with the brutal murders of innocent victims caught in a storm of senseless rage. Then the twisted triad turned on each other--over money. Paul shot Andrew in the stomach. Chris called the cops. But with tortured individuals like these, justice opened the doors to more surprising revelations. . .
contains graphic photos.
"True crime at its best." --Jack Olsen
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
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107 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 17, 2013
Burl Barer has a taste for writing about dirtbags, and a real way with words. I cringed many times reading this book because of the horrific freaks that inhabit it's pages, but was also strangely absorbed by his down-to-earth descriptions and subtle witticism. I hope someday to write this way.
November 30, 2019
Normally I like this author but this book was so TEDIOUS. The proportion of courtroom detail was too high. I got tired of hearing about why this lawyer objected to that and why the judge sustained, etc.
March 1, 2022
I believe the typical true crime reader enjoys a book that delves into the perpetrators and their motivations, the suspenseful criminal investigation, and other thrilling aspects. In that regard, this book is ill-suited.
What the author brings to the table, however, is a cohesive picture of the trial and discussions made by the prosecution, defense, and the judge. You will not typically read, in true crime, about the dozens of times the jury is sent out so counsel and the court can come to a decision on an approach. You may even be surprised to learn many objections are planned in advance, and a defense lawyer will often call for a mistrial so they cannot be accused of lack of due diligence.
It appears that many readers of this author's work are not pleased by the long chapters dedicated to trial and counsel. It is my opinion, however, that the author provides an insightful look into the court proceedings of a homicide case in rigorous and fascinating detail.
Many true crime novels hang their hats on the gore they can squeeze from the tragedies they cover. This is no such book.
I would recommend this book, and others by the same author, for readers interested in the court background of homicide cases.
What the author brings to the table, however, is a cohesive picture of the trial and discussions made by the prosecution, defense, and the judge. You will not typically read, in true crime, about the dozens of times the jury is sent out so counsel and the court can come to a decision on an approach. You may even be surprised to learn many objections are planned in advance, and a defense lawyer will often call for a mistrial so they cannot be accused of lack of due diligence.
It appears that many readers of this author's work are not pleased by the long chapters dedicated to trial and counsel. It is my opinion, however, that the author provides an insightful look into the court proceedings of a homicide case in rigorous and fascinating detail.
Many true crime novels hang their hats on the gore they can squeeze from the tragedies they cover. This is no such book.
I would recommend this book, and others by the same author, for readers interested in the court background of homicide cases.
August 20, 2017
True crime is not typically my genre. I know there are plenty of sick people out there--I don't necessarily enjoy reading about them. However this was loaned to me by a friend, so I read it. Barer spends a lot of time discussing the legalities of the trial--that's at least half the book. And this particular trial had some interesting twists. But all in all, I found the book easy to follow. I enjoyed the book, but be warned: these are two brutal murders, and my book contained some extremely graphic pictures in the middle.
March 2, 2020
Worst true crime book I've read. Story line is all over the place the first 4 chapters, and then when it begins to get into the crimes 90 pages into the book it turns into court proceedings the next 200 plus pages. I skimmed the last 75 pages just to end the misery. If you love court this is the book for you, not the actual crime.
December 3, 2018
I found this in a thrift store originally. I had wanted one of his books as I once worked with him on a job. I found the book to be very well written and very enjoyable, but also a bit gruesome, because of the subject matter.
November 5, 2022
A decent book. There is a lot of repetitive information but, overall it is worth reading if you are a fan of True Crime.
September 7, 2015
Head Shot. By Burl Barer.
This book is a true crime story. It is about one of the most infamous murder investigations in my home town of Tacoma, Washington in 1984. The reason I bought the book is because I knew one of the victims in the murder case against Paul St Pierre, Chris St. Pierre, and Anthony Web. The book sat on my shelf for quite a while before I broke down and started reading it. Some of the pictures in the middle of the book were very gruesome. I did not know Damon Wells, one of the victims who was brutally murdered by the three perpetrators and his body moved the next day and buried in a shallow grave near Mt. Rainier. My heart goes out to family and friends of Damon who still deal with their loss today. Johnny Achord was my friend. In fact, I was his Pastor. I was a bi-vocational preacher when I met Johnny. We worked at Tacoma Goodwill Industries. I was Supervisor in the Maintenance Department. Johnny was assigned to my department as a “client” and I worked closely with him. He had been severely injured in a car wreck and was resuscitated at the scene by medics. When he came out of his coma, brain damage was evident and he had to re-learn a lot of things. When Johnny learned that I was a Pastor, he was thrilled. He started attending services where I preached. He gave a good testimony of how God saved his physical life in the car wreck but He was also trusting Christ as his savior and was saved spiritually speaking too. The church authorized me to baptize Johnny and he became a faithful member of the congregation. Later, Opal Bitney, his mother also joined the church and remained a member until her death. Johnny could not carry a tune but was willing to try and I fondly remember his efforts at singing “Amazing Grace” as a special in our services. When Johnny “disappeared” we ALL knew something was wrong. The authorities told us “Lots of kids run away” but they did not know Johnny like we did. Rather than wasting time for the three days before they would even file a missing person report, we printed out a flyer with Johnnies picture on it and saturated the city including the notification of the commanding officer on Ft. Lewis where word was also distributed of Johnnies “disappearance.” Barer does a fine job of setting things in order for the complicate story. With the media blackout and my working a job, I was not aware of a lot of the intrigue in this case. There are statements made by certain characters in the book that are not consistent with what I know about John Achord. Johnnie may have been slow but he knew better than to bring a little pocket knife up against a 45 caliber handgun. The story by some Pierce County Jail inmate about seeing Johnny the night of the Rush Concert is totally out of character. The description of a drug crazed person talking to non-existent people is either a total fabrication or the man did not know street preaching when he saw it. Johnny loved the Lord and was always witnessing for Him everywhere he went. The pockets of his Army Surplus Field Jacket were always filled with gospel tracts. I heard from one source that the night Johnny was killed, Gospel tracts were scattered around the St. Pierre house. I will never forget May 18th – not only because of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, but because of the loss of my faithful brother in Christ, John Achord. I have told flock at the Lord’s Baptist Church on more than one occasion that we have had a modern day martyr in our congregation. That is the way I remember John “The Baptist” Achord. I preached his funeral when we laid his headless body to rest at Mt. View Memorial Park.
This book is a true crime story. It is about one of the most infamous murder investigations in my home town of Tacoma, Washington in 1984. The reason I bought the book is because I knew one of the victims in the murder case against Paul St Pierre, Chris St. Pierre, and Anthony Web. The book sat on my shelf for quite a while before I broke down and started reading it. Some of the pictures in the middle of the book were very gruesome. I did not know Damon Wells, one of the victims who was brutally murdered by the three perpetrators and his body moved the next day and buried in a shallow grave near Mt. Rainier. My heart goes out to family and friends of Damon who still deal with their loss today. Johnny Achord was my friend. In fact, I was his Pastor. I was a bi-vocational preacher when I met Johnny. We worked at Tacoma Goodwill Industries. I was Supervisor in the Maintenance Department. Johnny was assigned to my department as a “client” and I worked closely with him. He had been severely injured in a car wreck and was resuscitated at the scene by medics. When he came out of his coma, brain damage was evident and he had to re-learn a lot of things. When Johnny learned that I was a Pastor, he was thrilled. He started attending services where I preached. He gave a good testimony of how God saved his physical life in the car wreck but He was also trusting Christ as his savior and was saved spiritually speaking too. The church authorized me to baptize Johnny and he became a faithful member of the congregation. Later, Opal Bitney, his mother also joined the church and remained a member until her death. Johnny could not carry a tune but was willing to try and I fondly remember his efforts at singing “Amazing Grace” as a special in our services. When Johnny “disappeared” we ALL knew something was wrong. The authorities told us “Lots of kids run away” but they did not know Johnny like we did. Rather than wasting time for the three days before they would even file a missing person report, we printed out a flyer with Johnnies picture on it and saturated the city including the notification of the commanding officer on Ft. Lewis where word was also distributed of Johnnies “disappearance.” Barer does a fine job of setting things in order for the complicate story. With the media blackout and my working a job, I was not aware of a lot of the intrigue in this case. There are statements made by certain characters in the book that are not consistent with what I know about John Achord. Johnnie may have been slow but he knew better than to bring a little pocket knife up against a 45 caliber handgun. The story by some Pierce County Jail inmate about seeing Johnny the night of the Rush Concert is totally out of character. The description of a drug crazed person talking to non-existent people is either a total fabrication or the man did not know street preaching when he saw it. Johnny loved the Lord and was always witnessing for Him everywhere he went. The pockets of his Army Surplus Field Jacket were always filled with gospel tracts. I heard from one source that the night Johnny was killed, Gospel tracts were scattered around the St. Pierre house. I will never forget May 18th – not only because of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, but because of the loss of my faithful brother in Christ, John Achord. I have told flock at the Lord’s Baptist Church on more than one occasion that we have had a modern day martyr in our congregation. That is the way I remember John “The Baptist” Achord. I preached his funeral when we laid his headless body to rest at Mt. View Memorial Park.
January 3, 2015
I have lived in Tacoma all my life, and had no idea these horrific events happened just miles from my house. Probably because I was 12 at the time! Maybe because the Green River Killer dominated the news for so many years. If you enjoy true crime books, you'll appreciate this one. Be warned, though, there are some very graphic photos of the victims' bodies (in the kindle version, they are at the very, very end - so easy to skip).
January 29, 2015
This book was very boring for me. I am not one who likes to hear too much about the court case. The crime was interesting but it just didn't do it for me. I am entitled to my opinion. others may think otherwise.
August 4, 2014
It is a really hard book to read, but if you can follow what is going on, it is interesting. I just hope his books get better. I only got about a 1/4 way through this one and had to put it down because it was hard to follow.
June 21, 2025
This book just drug on and on until I almost threw it out the window. Horrific crimes but the court section of this book just became boring.
April 1, 2017
Rather than true crime, this should be classified as true court room drama. It was very bizarre, if I had to deliver the most guilty verdict, I would choose the prosecutor team. But maybe that was because, I believed, Mr. Barer felt the same.
One interesting line describing one of the perpetrator was: "He wants it, and he wants it now. He's going to do anything to get it, no matter who stands in the way." These words describe a lot of people I know, although none of them killed anybody.... so far. When chance presents itself.... who knows....
At the end, Mr. Barer said that a true crime book that doesn't offer any explanation why these people do such despicable things, are the same as pornography. I said, it's ok, a lot of people like porn. And just like porn ranges from soft to hard-core to disgusting, I think the photos of the victims, raw fleshed, headless, showing the stab wound up-close, were a little too much for lay persons.
One interesting line describing one of the perpetrator was: "He wants it, and he wants it now. He's going to do anything to get it, no matter who stands in the way." These words describe a lot of people I know, although none of them killed anybody.... so far. When chance presents itself.... who knows....
At the end, Mr. Barer said that a true crime book that doesn't offer any explanation why these people do such despicable things, are the same as pornography. I said, it's ok, a lot of people like porn. And just like porn ranges from soft to hard-core to disgusting, I think the photos of the victims, raw fleshed, headless, showing the stab wound up-close, were a little too much for lay persons.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews