What do you think?
Rate this book
Death on the Devil's Teeth: The Strange Murder That Shocked Suburban New Jersey
Rumors, witchcraft, and murder in this true crime account of one of New Jersey’s most notorious cold cases—from two Weird N.J. magazine contributors. As Springfield residents decorated for Halloween in September 1972, the crime rate in the affluent New Jersey township was at its lowest in years. That mood was shattered when the body of sixteen-year-old Jeannette DePalma was discovered in the woods, allegedly surrounded by strange objects. Some feared witchcraft was to blame, while others believed a serial killer was on the loose. Rumors of a police coverup ran rampant, and the case went unsolved—along with the murders of several other young women. Including extensive interviews with DePalma’s friends and family, new evidence, and theories about who could have committed this horrible crime, Death on the Devil’s Teeth provides the definitive account of this shocking cold case more that remains a mystery more than four decades later.
211 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 20, 2015
195 people are currently reading
951 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
September 21, 2015
If you grew up in Jersey, this book is A MUST READ! That’s not to say that I wouldn’t recommend it to others, it only means that those of us from Jersey would appreciate it a bit more. New Jersey has always been known for its weird goings on, hence the publication, Weird NJ. I grew up in Jersey hearing the strange stories regarding witch covens and satanic cults up in the Watchung Reservations, but I didn’t know it was so prevalent throughout Union County.
Death on the Devils Teeth grabs the reader from the opening, and keeps you enthralled until the very end. I’m not going to go into the story, because that would ruin it for the reader, but the book does a very good job not to sway the reader one way or another regarding the cases. Instead, it lays out what is known about the crimes, and allows the reader to make up their own mind. The book has lots of pictures of those involved, and numerous maps of the locations. It’s a very fast read. But, be warned, you might find yourself wondering about those noises outside your window. It might also make you think twice about ever hiking the Watchung Reservation again.
Union County plays a very big role in the mystery. Springfield, Elizabeth, Westfield, Mountainside and other surrounding towns, are also players in the story. I also found myself using Google and Google Maps to follow up on the places and people in the book. It truly is a interactive read! Highly recommend.
Raymond Fundora
9/21/2015
Death on the Devils Teeth grabs the reader from the opening, and keeps you enthralled until the very end. I’m not going to go into the story, because that would ruin it for the reader, but the book does a very good job not to sway the reader one way or another regarding the cases. Instead, it lays out what is known about the crimes, and allows the reader to make up their own mind. The book has lots of pictures of those involved, and numerous maps of the locations. It’s a very fast read. But, be warned, you might find yourself wondering about those noises outside your window. It might also make you think twice about ever hiking the Watchung Reservation again.
Union County plays a very big role in the mystery. Springfield, Elizabeth, Westfield, Mountainside and other surrounding towns, are also players in the story. I also found myself using Google and Google Maps to follow up on the places and people in the book. It truly is a interactive read! Highly recommend.
Raymond Fundora
9/21/2015
December 12, 2015
I'm a New Jersey native and have been a huge fan of Weird NJ for years. When I heard that the writers of Weird NJ wrote a book I had to read it, sadly I didn't like it as much as I had hoped to.
The book is well researched but it is lacking in focus. It's like they couldn't decide if the book was about the murder of Jeanette DePalma, a string of strange murders that plagued northern NJ suburbs in the early 70's, or about the story of the writers who took on the daunting task of solving a cold case. While it is made abundantly clear that the murder would be next to impossible to solve the book itself doesn't make a clear statement of the books overall message. Is it about a loss of innocence in beginning with the murder, is it an autopsy of how a case goes cold, is it about the unreliability of memory and the attributes people want to assign to the victims of terrible crimes? There is no clear thesis. I feel that without the book presenting a clear solution to the case, there need to at least be a clear message about what it is trying to say.
The book was poorly organized in my opinion. Information that would have been very helpful in supporting theories in the beginning of the book are saved until the final chapter on the trial. The book does not go in a straight chronological order, and at least one of the crimes in covered in detail in the book have absolutely zero connection to the DePalma murder. Again this would have been okay if the book had committed to telling a story about the perfect image of suburbia being ripped apart by a string of grisly murders, but it isn't.
Still enjoyed reading this book, I just felt the information could have been presented in a better manner. They could have done this in an academic style by presenting one theory at a time and all the evidence that supports or goes against it. Or the book could have taken on a much more into a more captivating emotional narrative by either presenting the friends of victims and how the murders changed the cultural landscape or North Jersey, or by telling about the struggles and frustrations of the authors trying to unravel this mystery.
The book is well researched but it is lacking in focus. It's like they couldn't decide if the book was about the murder of Jeanette DePalma, a string of strange murders that plagued northern NJ suburbs in the early 70's, or about the story of the writers who took on the daunting task of solving a cold case. While it is made abundantly clear that the murder would be next to impossible to solve the book itself doesn't make a clear statement of the books overall message. Is it about a loss of innocence in beginning with the murder, is it an autopsy of how a case goes cold, is it about the unreliability of memory and the attributes people want to assign to the victims of terrible crimes? There is no clear thesis. I feel that without the book presenting a clear solution to the case, there need to at least be a clear message about what it is trying to say.
The book was poorly organized in my opinion. Information that would have been very helpful in supporting theories in the beginning of the book are saved until the final chapter on the trial. The book does not go in a straight chronological order, and at least one of the crimes in covered in detail in the book have absolutely zero connection to the DePalma murder. Again this would have been okay if the book had committed to telling a story about the perfect image of suburbia being ripped apart by a string of grisly murders, but it isn't.
Still enjoyed reading this book, I just felt the information could have been presented in a better manner. They could have done this in an academic style by presenting one theory at a time and all the evidence that supports or goes against it. Or the book could have taken on a much more into a more captivating emotional narrative by either presenting the friends of victims and how the murders changed the cultural landscape or North Jersey, or by telling about the struggles and frustrations of the authors trying to unravel this mystery.
September 30, 2017
A gripping study of an assortment of unresolved, possibly-related murders in New Jersey in the 1970s. The whole book idea got started when a single person sent a short letter to the editors of "Weird New Jersey" magazine...and oh, the questions they uncovered! The only piece missing from this book -- apart from the name and sentence of a convicted killer (or killers) -- would have been a map of the occurrences. Not being from NJ myself, I had a hard time picturing where things happened and was startled over and over when they'd say "this crime happened only about 3 miles from that one." It's an eye-opening book that asks a lot of great questions.
April 10, 2016
Reading Death on the Devil's Teeth: The Strange Murder That Shocked Suburban New Jersey is akin to opting to pluck oneself down into the center of an intricate and endlessly perplexing maze. The book begins with a difficult task to explore and report on a 1972 cold case. However, the authors then muddle the mixture by tracking several other, in their mind similar cases. In the process the central narrative is often lost amid a sea of other vaguely similar crimes and the book’s stated purpose trying to solve the murder of Jeannette DePalma becomes lost in the mass of details and crimes.
Admittedly, Jesse P. Pollack and Marc Moran wrote the book for incredibly laudable reasons. They penned it in the hopes that by telling the story someone will come forward to solve the murder of a 17 year old girl in 1972. And to their credit they produce an exhaustive list of witness, suspects and happenstance linked to the crime. In a sense their willingness to follow any lead becomes the books undoing. The book begins to feel much like 1980’s campfire where the authors seemingly introduce any possible suspect with ever more outlandish motives.
Pollack and Moran introduce any number of suspects and witnesses all of whom seem less and less plausible. And for every theory they’ve tracked down a friend or relative of the victim who swears she knows the real story. The problem is the sheet number of theories overwhelms the book and it becomes almost impossible to evaluate the witness’ claims.
Making matters worse is the author’s decision to introduce other in their mind similar murders. In particular introducing the murder of Patricia List just muddies the narrative. List’s murder has no connection or similarity with DePalma’s and her murderer was captured and imprisoned. She’s introduced simply to further the author’s theory that New Jersey denizens were caught in a climate of Satanic witchcraft fears. Patricia List was killed because her father was a sociopath who decided he needed to save his family. Including the List killing only further derails the stated purpose of the work finding the killer of DePalma.
While the authors did exhaustive research on DePalma and may have indeed produced the definitive account of the case… What they failed to do was actually craft a sensible narrative. Their willingness to explore literally any theory, coupled with their paranoid conviction the police are engaged in some cover up-which occupies pages and pages… slowly overwhelms the narrative and weakens the book.
Admittedly, Jesse P. Pollack and Marc Moran wrote the book for incredibly laudable reasons. They penned it in the hopes that by telling the story someone will come forward to solve the murder of a 17 year old girl in 1972. And to their credit they produce an exhaustive list of witness, suspects and happenstance linked to the crime. In a sense their willingness to follow any lead becomes the books undoing. The book begins to feel much like 1980’s campfire where the authors seemingly introduce any possible suspect with ever more outlandish motives.
Pollack and Moran introduce any number of suspects and witnesses all of whom seem less and less plausible. And for every theory they’ve tracked down a friend or relative of the victim who swears she knows the real story. The problem is the sheet number of theories overwhelms the book and it becomes almost impossible to evaluate the witness’ claims.
Making matters worse is the author’s decision to introduce other in their mind similar murders. In particular introducing the murder of Patricia List just muddies the narrative. List’s murder has no connection or similarity with DePalma’s and her murderer was captured and imprisoned. She’s introduced simply to further the author’s theory that New Jersey denizens were caught in a climate of Satanic witchcraft fears. Patricia List was killed because her father was a sociopath who decided he needed to save his family. Including the List killing only further derails the stated purpose of the work finding the killer of DePalma.
While the authors did exhaustive research on DePalma and may have indeed produced the definitive account of the case… What they failed to do was actually craft a sensible narrative. Their willingness to explore literally any theory, coupled with their paranoid conviction the police are engaged in some cover up-which occupies pages and pages… slowly overwhelms the narrative and weakens the book.
August 18, 2016
I'm related to Jeanette and do not know a lot about my maternal side of the family. definitely interesting to learn about them.
April 29, 2020
New Jersey hippie era murder of a frisky teenage girl
Legend has it was a satanic sacrifice and it is still talked about in the region to this day.
Legend has it was a satanic sacrifice and it is still talked about in the region to this day.
June 17, 2025
While the beginning was a bit repetitive, it got interesting toward the end. I hope her case gets solve so she can eventually Rest In Peace.
April 26, 2021
It's like 3.5 stars. This book is sad for more than just being about a young girl that was murdered. It's really sad and fairly gross how some of the people interviewed seem to almost gleefully want to paint the victim as a bad person, calling her a wild child, drug user, promiscuous, etc. One supposed friend talks about how she (the friend) was too much of a good girl to hang out with Jeanette outside of school so she basically went home while Jeanette went out getting in trouble. The pastor at her church came across like a character for a badly written TV show with how excited he was to paint her as a bad person. Even more disgusting is the police officer who seems really willing to throw this victim under the bus, despite statements he made at the time of her death that are completely contradictory. I guess that's to be expected though since the Springfield Police department sounds like it was complete amateur hour. I was horrified at the interview with one former officer who laughed about what a poor job they did and how half of them probably couldn't even read or write. Ummm, you're being interviewed about investigating a murder. I find this a weird time for levity about how your department bungled the investigation.
One thing I didn't understand was the controversy over the way her body was found and the conflicting accounts of what was placed around her, if anything. Were there no crime scene photos taken before they removed her? I thought I recalled the book talking about a photographer arriving at the scene and taking photos, and I thought I recalled them mentioning sending 18 rolls of film to be developed. It kept bothering me that, certainly it should be fairly easy to resolve a simple question such as, what did the scene look like. I find it odd that the authors chose not to discuss the reason until the Epilogue: supposedly the files were destroyed during flooding from Hurricane Floyd.
I did find it a little weird towards the end of the book that there just seemed to be a desire to go through every terrible murder in the area. John List murdering his whole family and fleeing to Colorado.. A teenager who killed his parents and then committed suicide, for instance. This had no connection to the murder that was the subject of the story. There were also two teenage girls who were found murdered that the authors kept saying had so many similarities to Jeanette's murder, but none of the information provided seemed similar at all. The only one that seemed to have any similarity was Joan Kramer.
I don’t know that I buy the cover up theory. It just sounds like a highly incompetent police department that was in way over their heads. I feel very sad for this girl and her family.
One thing I didn't understand was the controversy over the way her body was found and the conflicting accounts of what was placed around her, if anything. Were there no crime scene photos taken before they removed her? I thought I recalled the book talking about a photographer arriving at the scene and taking photos, and I thought I recalled them mentioning sending 18 rolls of film to be developed. It kept bothering me that, certainly it should be fairly easy to resolve a simple question such as, what did the scene look like. I find it odd that the authors chose not to discuss the reason until the Epilogue: supposedly the files were destroyed during flooding from Hurricane Floyd.
I did find it a little weird towards the end of the book that there just seemed to be a desire to go through every terrible murder in the area. John List murdering his whole family and fleeing to Colorado.. A teenager who killed his parents and then committed suicide, for instance. This had no connection to the murder that was the subject of the story. There were also two teenage girls who were found murdered that the authors kept saying had so many similarities to Jeanette's murder, but none of the information provided seemed similar at all. The only one that seemed to have any similarity was Joan Kramer.
I don’t know that I buy the cover up theory. It just sounds like a highly incompetent police department that was in way over their heads. I feel very sad for this girl and her family.
December 1, 2018
Fascinating, if somewhat weirdly structured, read for locals; not sure how much folks not from Union County would get out of it, but if you like Weird NJ but wanted a better copyedited version of the usual, this is solid.
October 21, 2020
Múlt héten kezdtem el az egyik szerző, Mark Moran által készített Devil's Teeth című podcastet hallgatni, azonban kénytelen voltam három rész után félbehagyni, mert sajnos az epizódokba ékelt nagyszámú telefoninterjúk olyan borzalmas minőségűek, hogy sok esetben azt sem hallottam, miről is van szó pontosan. Viszont a harmadik részre kb. megszállottja lettem az ügynek és nagyon érdekelt, hogy mi történt Jeannette DePalma-val, így egyértelmű volt, hogy el fogom olvasni ezt a könyvet.
1972. augusztus 7-én a békés New Jersey-beli városkában, Springfield-ben élő Jeannette DePalma gyakorlatilag nyomtalanul eltűnt. A 16 éves lány az egyik barátja házához igyekezett, azonban soha nem érkezett meg, és nagyjából attól a pillanattól kezdve, hogy kilépett a DePalma-család otthonának ajtaján, csak találgatni lehet, hogy pontosan mi történt vele, de egy biztos, számára az az este halállal végződött.
Jeannette DePalma holttestét szeptember 19-én fedezték fel, elég horrorisztikus körülmények között, ugyanis egy kutya megtalálta a lány jobb alkarját és büszkén hazavitte a gazdája gyepére. Az illető rögtön értesítette a rendőrséget, akik először azt gondolták, hogy átverés az egész, biztos csak néhány helyi tinédzser viccelte meg a nőt. A helyszínen azonban kiderült, hogy egyáltalán nem átverés az egész és a kar egy emberhez tartozik. Persze megindult a keresés, melynek eredményeképpen a helyi kőbánya, az ún. Houdaille Quarry területén lévő Devil's Teeth nevű szirt tetején megtalálták a 16 éves lány már igencsak bomlásban lévő holttestét. És nagyjából ezek a tények, ezen kívül nincs olyan, amit Jeannette DePalma halálával kapcsolatban biztosan ki lehet jelenteni.Például magának a holttestnek a pontos pozíciója is vita tárgyát képezi, de még az is, hogy pontosan mi okozta az áldozat halálát. Az sem eldöntött tény, hogy hol látták utoljára élve a lányt, és furcsa módon a különböző vallomások is eltérnek a lány személyiségét illetően.
Talán az egyik legérdekesebb eltérés a holttest mellett talált okkult tárgyak, melyekről szintén nem született konszenzus, mármint, hogy egyáltalán ott voltak-e. Ugyanis állítólag Jeannette DePalma holtteste mellett kis méretű fakeresztek sokasága volt elhelyezve, illetve a két oszlopból egy nagyobb kereszt is a holttest mellé volt állítva. Na, most azt hagyjuk, hogy néhány kereszt mennyire számít okkult tárgynak, szerintem semennyire. Nyilván úgy összességében a helyszín, a holttesttel és a keresztekkel elég hátborzongató, de szerintem attól még a keresztek nem minősülnek okkult tárgynak. Persze ebből a keresztes dologból nőtte ki magát a legnépszerűbb elmélet, hogy tudniillik Jeannette DePalma vagy egy sátánista szekta vagy néhány boszorkány szertartásának áldozatául esett. Ebből is több változat került a köztudatba, az egyik hogy a lány nagyon vallásos volt és ezért őt áldozták fel, illetve, hogy nem is volt vallásos, ő maga is sátánista vagy boszorkány volt. Ezzel az egész sátánista dologgal elég sokat foglalkoznak a könyvben, több helyi lakos is állítja, hogy abban az időben a környéken igenis volt egy sátánista szekta, akik pl. a Watchung rezervátumban és a Houdaille Quarry-ban is áldoztak fel állatokat különböző szertartásokon. Ezzel nekem az a bajom, hogy ez az egész dolog pont az ún. Satanic Panic hajnalán zajlott le és szerintem ennél az ügynél még csak érintőlegesen sem találtak semmi olyat, ami ilyesfajta tevékenységre utalt volna. Teljesen biztos vagyok abban, hogy néhány kereszt nem sátánista szimbólum, hiszen nem voltak fejjel lefelé fordítva vagy ilyesmi. Más meg nem nagyon volt, amit bármilyen szinten is kapcsolatba lehetne hozni a vallással, sőt, mint mondtam a keresztek jelenléte sem biztos. Konkrétan a rendőrök vallomása is teljesen eltér ebben (is).
A másik elmélet szerint egy sorozatgyilkos tevékenykedett a hetvenes évek elején Springfield közelében. Ezzel kapcsolatban hoz is néhány lehetséges áldozatot, de meggyőzve itt sem voltam igazán. Mármint azt nem vitatom, hogy sorozatgyilkosok áldozatai lehettek azok a lányok, akikről szó esik, azt viszont kétlem, hogy egy személy felelős mindannyiuk haláláért.
A könyv ezen felül utal még egy csomó mindenre, mint pl. fura egyházakra vagy arra, hogy esetleg a rendőrség szándékosan nem erőltette meg magát az ügyben*, és szó esik még néhány lehetséges gyanúsítottról, de túl messzire ezek a szálak sem vezetnek.
Amit még fontosnak tartok megemlíteni az az, hogy a szerzők állítása szerint a környéken élők a mai napig nem szívesen beszélnek a DePalma-gyilkosságról, sokan csak álnévvel voltak hajlandók interjút adni, mások még erre sem vállalkoztak. Azért ez sem egy mindennapi dolog.
A szerzőpáros erőfeszítéseinek ellenére - bár nagyon dicséretes, amit csinálnak - nem hiszem, hogy valaha fény fog derülni az elkövető(k) kilétére. Sajnos ez is egy olyan ügy, ami örökre megoldatlan marad.
* Itt emelném ki a rendőrök egymásnak ellentmondó vallomásait, illetve azt, hogy az ügy nyomozati iratai pont áldozatául estek egy árvíznek. Milyen furcsa…
1972. augusztus 7-én a békés New Jersey-beli városkában, Springfield-ben élő Jeannette DePalma gyakorlatilag nyomtalanul eltűnt. A 16 éves lány az egyik barátja házához igyekezett, azonban soha nem érkezett meg, és nagyjából attól a pillanattól kezdve, hogy kilépett a DePalma-család otthonának ajtaján, csak találgatni lehet, hogy pontosan mi történt vele, de egy biztos, számára az az este halállal végződött.
Jeannette DePalma holttestét szeptember 19-én fedezték fel, elég horrorisztikus körülmények között, ugyanis egy kutya megtalálta a lány jobb alkarját és büszkén hazavitte a gazdája gyepére. Az illető rögtön értesítette a rendőrséget, akik először azt gondolták, hogy átverés az egész, biztos csak néhány helyi tinédzser viccelte meg a nőt. A helyszínen azonban kiderült, hogy egyáltalán nem átverés az egész és a kar egy emberhez tartozik. Persze megindult a keresés, melynek eredményeképpen a helyi kőbánya, az ún. Houdaille Quarry területén lévő Devil's Teeth nevű szirt tetején megtalálták a 16 éves lány már igencsak bomlásban lévő holttestét. És nagyjából ezek a tények, ezen kívül nincs olyan, amit Jeannette DePalma halálával kapcsolatban biztosan ki lehet jelenteni.Például magának a holttestnek a pontos pozíciója is vita tárgyát képezi, de még az is, hogy pontosan mi okozta az áldozat halálát. Az sem eldöntött tény, hogy hol látták utoljára élve a lányt, és furcsa módon a különböző vallomások is eltérnek a lány személyiségét illetően.
Talán az egyik legérdekesebb eltérés a holttest mellett talált okkult tárgyak, melyekről szintén nem született konszenzus, mármint, hogy egyáltalán ott voltak-e. Ugyanis állítólag Jeannette DePalma holtteste mellett kis méretű fakeresztek sokasága volt elhelyezve, illetve a két oszlopból egy nagyobb kereszt is a holttest mellé volt állítva. Na, most azt hagyjuk, hogy néhány kereszt mennyire számít okkult tárgynak, szerintem semennyire. Nyilván úgy összességében a helyszín, a holttesttel és a keresztekkel elég hátborzongató, de szerintem attól még a keresztek nem minősülnek okkult tárgynak. Persze ebből a keresztes dologból nőtte ki magát a legnépszerűbb elmélet, hogy tudniillik Jeannette DePalma vagy egy sátánista szekta vagy néhány boszorkány szertartásának áldozatául esett. Ebből is több változat került a köztudatba, az egyik hogy a lány nagyon vallásos volt és ezért őt áldozták fel, illetve, hogy nem is volt vallásos, ő maga is sátánista vagy boszorkány volt. Ezzel az egész sátánista dologgal elég sokat foglalkoznak a könyvben, több helyi lakos is állítja, hogy abban az időben a környéken igenis volt egy sátánista szekta, akik pl. a Watchung rezervátumban és a Houdaille Quarry-ban is áldoztak fel állatokat különböző szertartásokon. Ezzel nekem az a bajom, hogy ez az egész dolog pont az ún. Satanic Panic hajnalán zajlott le és szerintem ennél az ügynél még csak érintőlegesen sem találtak semmi olyat, ami ilyesfajta tevékenységre utalt volna. Teljesen biztos vagyok abban, hogy néhány kereszt nem sátánista szimbólum, hiszen nem voltak fejjel lefelé fordítva vagy ilyesmi. Más meg nem nagyon volt, amit bármilyen szinten is kapcsolatba lehetne hozni a vallással, sőt, mint mondtam a keresztek jelenléte sem biztos. Konkrétan a rendőrök vallomása is teljesen eltér ebben (is).
A másik elmélet szerint egy sorozatgyilkos tevékenykedett a hetvenes évek elején Springfield közelében. Ezzel kapcsolatban hoz is néhány lehetséges áldozatot, de meggyőzve itt sem voltam igazán. Mármint azt nem vitatom, hogy sorozatgyilkosok áldozatai lehettek azok a lányok, akikről szó esik, azt viszont kétlem, hogy egy személy felelős mindannyiuk haláláért.
A könyv ezen felül utal még egy csomó mindenre, mint pl. fura egyházakra vagy arra, hogy esetleg a rendőrség szándékosan nem erőltette meg magát az ügyben*, és szó esik még néhány lehetséges gyanúsítottról, de túl messzire ezek a szálak sem vezetnek.
Amit még fontosnak tartok megemlíteni az az, hogy a szerzők állítása szerint a környéken élők a mai napig nem szívesen beszélnek a DePalma-gyilkosságról, sokan csak álnévvel voltak hajlandók interjút adni, mások még erre sem vállalkoztak. Azért ez sem egy mindennapi dolog.
A szerzőpáros erőfeszítéseinek ellenére - bár nagyon dicséretes, amit csinálnak - nem hiszem, hogy valaha fény fog derülni az elkövető(k) kilétére. Sajnos ez is egy olyan ügy, ami örökre megoldatlan marad.
* Itt emelném ki a rendőrök egymásnak ellentmondó vallomásait, illetve azt, hogy az ügy nyomozati iratai pont áldozatául estek egy árvíznek. Milyen furcsa…
October 7, 2020
This book veered off into other murders in a way I didn't expect and it was all around pretty good. Well structured, easy to read, v. interesting.
February 11, 2020
True Crime Stories from the Garden State.
It’s true that ‘New Jersey’ ends up as the punchline to quite a few state jokes. But the little state (where full-service gas stations are the law!) can also do a bit of boasting about being home to one of the nation’s best magazines of historical footnotes, forgotten folklore and outright oddities: Weird NJ. With Death on the Devil’s Teeth, Weird NJ co-creator Mark Moran and contributing writer Jesse P. Pollack do a deep dive into one of the mysteries that typify the magazine’s staple content — in this case, a tragic murder with occult overtones — moving from myth-busters to amateur detectives as they build the case for a 1970s serial killer.
Roughly the first half of the book reconstructs the investigation into the death of teenager Jeannette DePalma, whose body was found at the top of a cliff overlooking an abandoned rock quarry. The tone is vintage Weird NJ as Pollack and Moran rely heavily on interviews from first (or second-hand) witnesses to piece together the forty-plus year-old mystery. Unfortunately, time (and hearsay) have dulled (or deluded) a lot of folks memories. The recollections are often hazy, contradictory or rambling. The authors do good detective work, but I was a bit concerned — as with a lot of true crime books where the real life cases remain officially unsolved — that this narrative might simply be treading water.
Fortunately, Pollack and Moran quickly tighten the storyline, profiling a number of grisly cases which occurred within the same neighborhoods as the DePalma murder, collecting evidence as they go to bolster their claim that several of these violent events may have had a common perpetrator. This ‘survey of crime’ makes for compelling reading and while critics may point out that the authors’ conclusions are just speculation, Pollack and Moran make the ending to this book ultimately satisfying by offering a logically deduced and well-reasoned suspect prime.
True crime or Garden State history buffs should give this one a go. The narrative might feel a bit diffuse out of the gate, but it it quickly finds its footing by the middle to offer a morbidly disturbing glimpse of the dark side of 1970s New Jersey suburbia.
October 25, 2015
Repetitive telling of a mysterious murder of a 16 year old girl in 1972 in suburban NJ. The authors have a very yawn inducing habit of writing the entire answers to their questions to people involved with the case, even IF that interview is full of repeating comments and facts. Also, included are several cases of solved or unsolved murder that occurred around the same time and which they try to connect to this unsolved case. There is no answer to this cold case and their supposed supposition to what may have happened is never really supported fully. They do create an atmosphere of eerie feeling as the book begins (a dog actually brings a severed arm from the victim back into town from the wooded area where the body is found), but finally this is a bit of a meandering repeating story that would better served in an article written for a magazine.
December 16, 2015
Ostensibly about an unsolved 1972 murder in New Jersey, but the book includes information about similar cases from the same area and era. Better than most such works from self-described 'researchers,' I guess because the authors have been writing (for Weird NJ Magazine) for years.
April 10, 2016
Such a sad case, or cases, rather. I hope that someday there will be answers, and the families can at least have some kind of closure.
The authors did a very good job investigating and writing about these cold cases.
The authors did a very good job investigating and writing about these cold cases.
April 9, 2016
An interesting take on a cold case. Several other cases in the same area around the same time are discussed. Sadly this case is so old that the families will most likely never see justice. It makes you wonder who was telling the truth, and who was stretching it?
June 15, 2016
Really a dumb
Awful.book. fairy tale story with no proof of anything.. I hope the author liked it. If police were really like tHat we would be in deep voodoo. Can't believe I read part of this trash.
Awful.book. fairy tale story with no proof of anything.. I hope the author liked it. If police were really like tHat we would be in deep voodoo. Can't believe I read part of this trash.
October 31, 2018
Today’s Nonfiction post is on Death on the Devil's Teeth: The Strange Murder That Shocked Suburban New Jersey by Jesse P. Pollack and Mark Moran. It is 211 pages long and is published by The History Press. The cover has a picture of the murder victim Jeanette DePamla and where she was found. The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime, weird stories, and weird New Jersey. There is some foul language, no sex, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- As Springfield residents decorated for Halloween in September 1972, the crime rate in the quiet, affluent township was at its lowest in years. That mood was shattered when the body of sixteen-year-old Jeannette DePalma was discovered in the local woods, allegedly surrounded by strange objects. Some feared witchcraft was to blame, while others believed a serial killer was on the loose. Rumors of a police coverup ran rampant, and the case went unsolved--along with the murders of several other young women. Now, four decades after Jeannette DePalma's tragic death, authors Jesse P. Pollack and Mark Moran present the definitive account of this shocking cold case.
Review- An interesting story that goes nowhere in the end because of many reasons. The authors write a magazine called Weird New Jersey and they love the weird stories that their state in abundance. So they come to this story with great love and interest in the weird. The story itself is very weird with Jeannette being missing for a few weeks then she is found and has been dead for most of that time and the death is strange. The body was found in an odd place and was surrounded by stones placed around the body in some kind of pattern. But that not the only strange things about the murder, her family was strange, and then more strange things happen, like more murders and no ideas about how they happened. The story ends up feeling very disjointed as we move from strange and creepy murder to another creepy and strange event. The writing is good with a lots of details into the crimes, the families, and the theories but not much on resolution. That maybe because there is not real resolution to the main case, the killer is still unknown and the murder still haunts the community.
I give this book a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
From the back of the book- As Springfield residents decorated for Halloween in September 1972, the crime rate in the quiet, affluent township was at its lowest in years. That mood was shattered when the body of sixteen-year-old Jeannette DePalma was discovered in the local woods, allegedly surrounded by strange objects. Some feared witchcraft was to blame, while others believed a serial killer was on the loose. Rumors of a police coverup ran rampant, and the case went unsolved--along with the murders of several other young women. Now, four decades after Jeannette DePalma's tragic death, authors Jesse P. Pollack and Mark Moran present the definitive account of this shocking cold case.
Review- An interesting story that goes nowhere in the end because of many reasons. The authors write a magazine called Weird New Jersey and they love the weird stories that their state in abundance. So they come to this story with great love and interest in the weird. The story itself is very weird with Jeannette being missing for a few weeks then she is found and has been dead for most of that time and the death is strange. The body was found in an odd place and was surrounded by stones placed around the body in some kind of pattern. But that not the only strange things about the murder, her family was strange, and then more strange things happen, like more murders and no ideas about how they happened. The story ends up feeling very disjointed as we move from strange and creepy murder to another creepy and strange event. The writing is good with a lots of details into the crimes, the families, and the theories but not much on resolution. That maybe because there is not real resolution to the main case, the killer is still unknown and the murder still haunts the community.
I give this book a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
June 30, 2020
I rarely read true crime books and I don't know why this one caught my eye, a teenage girl who was probably strangled, her clothed body then carried to the top of a steep mound in a New Jersey quarry and found after it had decayed to the point that identification was possible only through dental records. It is incredible to think how primitive investigative tools and techniques were less than fifty years ago. The "medical examiner," a local doctor, had the body taken to a funeral home because the home had more room for an autopsy. Her jacket was hung on an air conditioner to air out because, of course, it stank. The body was x-rayed for evidence of broken bones or or bullet wounds or knife penetrations. The detectives hurried to the scene after the patrolmen called it in because they wanted to secure the scene; patrolmen apparently didn't know to do that. I suspect this crime would have been quickly solved today. Unfortunately, it might as well have been the dark ages. Moreover, as an unsolved crime, it raised all kinds of rumors, from satanic involvement to unliked neighbors to a police cover-up. Pollack and Moran do a good job of presenting the known facts, reviewing some similar crimes that apparently were never considered in connection with Jeannette DePalma's death, and sharing the lack of police cooperation without insisting on police culpability. This is a frustrating book if you need a resolution, but it is an instructive book on how far crime detection has come in five decades.
July 16, 2023
The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness. —Joseph Conrad, Under Western Eyes
This quote is used in the book and I am complete agreement with Joseph Conrad. It is appropriately used here as the suspicious death of teenager Jeannette DePalma brought all kinds of superstitious BS involving Satan and witchcraft as the cause of her possible murder.
I was reminded of the film Rashomon, where several witnesses give widely varying accounts of the rape of a woman. The authors interviewed people who lived in the area in 1972 at the time of the mystery and their memories of the dead girl are all over the map.
The supposed cross made from tree branches were recalled by two of the responding cops as just random tree limbs, one on top of the other.
The autopsy was performed by a doctor with no expertise in pathology and the cause of death was never determined after the badly decomposed body was discovered at the top of a hill. The name " Devil's Teeth" made for a number of nefarious theories involving devil worship.
Union County, NJ has had a few memorable crimes and the John List murders are covered, along with the unsolved murders of three other young women not far from the Jeannette DePalma mystery.
The 1972 case remains open and the many suspects in the book only left me wondering who killed the girl. Read it and ponder this baffling whodunnit..
This quote is used in the book and I am complete agreement with Joseph Conrad. It is appropriately used here as the suspicious death of teenager Jeannette DePalma brought all kinds of superstitious BS involving Satan and witchcraft as the cause of her possible murder.
I was reminded of the film Rashomon, where several witnesses give widely varying accounts of the rape of a woman. The authors interviewed people who lived in the area in 1972 at the time of the mystery and their memories of the dead girl are all over the map.
The supposed cross made from tree branches were recalled by two of the responding cops as just random tree limbs, one on top of the other.
The autopsy was performed by a doctor with no expertise in pathology and the cause of death was never determined after the badly decomposed body was discovered at the top of a hill. The name " Devil's Teeth" made for a number of nefarious theories involving devil worship.
Union County, NJ has had a few memorable crimes and the John List murders are covered, along with the unsolved murders of three other young women not far from the Jeannette DePalma mystery.
The 1972 case remains open and the many suspects in the book only left me wondering who killed the girl. Read it and ponder this baffling whodunnit..
October 4, 2018
The real life people and stories make this so highly rated - the actual writing leaves much to be desired. Penned by the Weird New Jersey creators, it reads like a 200 page article, but with awkward placement of photos and no real flow to narrative on a micro level. There is a direction to it on the larger level, and they manage to turn in multiple twists as they reveal strange connections and turns of fate. But in the end it is the quotes from their interviews and research themselves that put the book above.
The "story" itself of Jeanette DePalma is fascinating. Where did she work? How did she die? No one can even conclusively say if she had a boyfriend or not, despite friends, family, and more being interviewed. In most cases, there's at least a baseline, but here there is a tantalizing mystery that, sadly, may never be solved.
In the end, I think this is valuable, if clunky, reporting. It's not on the level of I'll Be Gone in the Dark or In Cold Blood, no, but it doesn't have to be.
The "story" itself of Jeanette DePalma is fascinating. Where did she work? How did she die? No one can even conclusively say if she had a boyfriend or not, despite friends, family, and more being interviewed. In most cases, there's at least a baseline, but here there is a tantalizing mystery that, sadly, may never be solved.
In the end, I think this is valuable, if clunky, reporting. It's not on the level of I'll Be Gone in the Dark or In Cold Blood, no, but it doesn't have to be.
September 25, 2016
I have no idea what to rate this book. I was leaning toward three stars, but when I think about it, there are books that I solidly enjoyed that I've only given three stars and this wasn't one of them. Two stars feels a little low, because it wasn't an absolutely horrendous reading experience, but it was a frustrating one.
I have heard people say that you shouldn't criticize a book for what you wanted it to be instead of measuring it for what it is. That is something I am guilty of doing and I am trying to curb the habit. However, I feel justified when I don't feel a book lived up to what it told me it would be and I think this is the case here. This would have been better titled something along the lines of Murders of Union County or the like. Poor Jeanette DePalma was definitely sitting in the back seat of her own title. She becomes quickly over shadowed by everything else the authors wanted to include in their book.
I wish this book had better editing to focus the writing. It wasn't awful, but there were several instances where the authors try to make their point by contradicting or back tracking what they have told us earlier in the book.
In the end, this feels like a book written by two individuals who run a magazine called Weird N.J. I haven't read it, but I will be looking into it, because it sounds like something that is right up my alley. However, in this format it doesn't really work. It feels like two guys that found out lots of interesting facts and stories and their central one didn't really have enough meat, so they threw in these others to flesh it out. It just ended up a muddled mess.
I have heard people say that you shouldn't criticize a book for what you wanted it to be instead of measuring it for what it is. That is something I am guilty of doing and I am trying to curb the habit. However, I feel justified when I don't feel a book lived up to what it told me it would be and I think this is the case here. This would have been better titled something along the lines of Murders of Union County or the like. Poor Jeanette DePalma was definitely sitting in the back seat of her own title. She becomes quickly over shadowed by everything else the authors wanted to include in their book.
I wish this book had better editing to focus the writing. It wasn't awful, but there were several instances where the authors try to make their point by contradicting or back tracking what they have told us earlier in the book.
In the end, this feels like a book written by two individuals who run a magazine called Weird N.J. I haven't read it, but I will be looking into it, because it sounds like something that is right up my alley. However, in this format it doesn't really work. It feels like two guys that found out lots of interesting facts and stories and their central one didn't really have enough meat, so they threw in these others to flesh it out. It just ended up a muddled mess.
February 16, 2024
Im not even going to lie, i was confused for like the first half of this book. Its insane how much there wasnt really known about Jeanette DePalma. The way that people had such contradicting views about her was both insane and a bit unbelievable. And also, the police really didnt help their own image at all throughout the book. Not only did the retired officers/current ones contradict each other but they also showed a lot of incompetence when it came to simple things such as the integrity of the evidence. For them to leave DePalma’s clothes outside on an ac unit for days was absolutely insane for one and the fact that their medical examiner wasn’t even a medical examiner but he also couldn’t determine a cause of death? He just said “oh yeah, it’s strangulation, I guess?” Like hello??? But this was an interesting book in the end and very tragic for the families of all the victims involved. 4 stars. ⭐️
November 17, 2017
This book is a nice compilation of information, evidence, and theories revolving this case. I've been interested in the mystery surrounding DePalma for a long time, and there was a lot of information presented in this book that I did not already know.
I have seen a lot of people express issues that this book offers too many theories and not enough answers, but I feel like that's the point. If you're picking up the book expecting it to solve the case, then you are going to be disappointed. However, I do appreciate that the book gives us different perspectives. It adds to the mystery, which is frustrating, but at the same time, it gives the reader a different perspective.
At least, I certainly came out of it learning something new.
I have seen a lot of people express issues that this book offers too many theories and not enough answers, but I feel like that's the point. If you're picking up the book expecting it to solve the case, then you are going to be disappointed. However, I do appreciate that the book gives us different perspectives. It adds to the mystery, which is frustrating, but at the same time, it gives the reader a different perspective.
At least, I certainly came out of it learning something new.
July 20, 2020
Overall, it was an enjoyable read. It is a bit misleading though. While it starts off centered around the death of DePalma, they end up diving into quite a few other cases. (Including one that was not even similar, it just happened around the same time frame and place.) The other cases had similarities and were worth looking into (I won't spoil anyone and say anymore than that). I just wish this was known before going into it. Again, still an enjoyable read, but I was definitely confused for a good portion when they change course and brought in the other cases.
I would still consider this a must read for anyone from NJ, especially if you are just now getting into true crime novels! They certainly give you plenty of other cases to read up on.
I would still consider this a must read for anyone from NJ, especially if you are just now getting into true crime novels! They certainly give you plenty of other cases to read up on.
February 15, 2021
This was NOT what I expected. True crime done...wrong is all I can say. A lot of interviews and many conflicting accounts. But the problem is the authors didn't make it into a cohesive story. The interviews had little introduction and there were paragraphs of paragraphs of paragraphs of interview quotes. It got tedious.
The authors jumped from point A to point G then back to point C. It made it confusing. And the last half of the book had little to nothing to do with the original murder the authors spoke about.
A lot of conjecture, which could have been summed up in a quarter of the space, or a lengthy article. Not impressed.
The authors jumped from point A to point G then back to point C. It made it confusing. And the last half of the book had little to nothing to do with the original murder the authors spoke about.
A lot of conjecture, which could have been summed up in a quarter of the space, or a lengthy article. Not impressed.
August 20, 2024
Most of the book was information I learned from the connecting podcast but still worth it for the added updates. It’s sad how conflicting neighborhood gossip and police bungling might relegate this crime to being forever unsolved. It also highlights the just how powerful the satanic panic of the 70’s and 80’s really was on public opinion (and newspaper sales). I agree that the book at times lost focus especially when adding other murder cases from the area and time. I think the crimes and their possible connections to the Depalma death were important to the story but could have been set up more intentionally. Still a book I would recommend to people interested in NJ local true crime.
January 23, 2025
It took me a while to get around to finishing this book. It lays out some compelling theories for what may have happened to this unfortunate young woman, and is very respectful to her memory, having interviewed friends and family and shared their stories. I think the authors might not have been around for the 60s-70s, or perhaps memory fails them in some lights, because they make some weird assertions about the Satanic Panic that aren’t true. (Which started eight years after Jeannette’s murder). The Rolling Stones were never associated with the occult or the devil. They were more about sex appeal. It would have made more sense to talk about rock groups that actually used various occult symbols in the spectacle of their shows and freaked out suburban parents, like Black Sabbath. I think the research on Jeannette’s case and others were fine but they got some things about the culture of the time wrong.
November 21, 2022
I will say I was very intrigued by this cold case prior to starting. I firmly believe the police and upper white collar of the town knew something which is why they (then and now) worked so hard to cover certain details about the case up and completely ignore others. I will say that I think the focus was taken away from Jeannette as they tried really hard to push their belief that the killing was connected to other cold cases meaning their was a potential serial killer. This book should have focused solely on Jeannette and another follow up book could have focused on greater detail on the other murders and the potential serial killer.
December 24, 2024
The history was interesting to me as a resident of the area, however, the writing lacked clear direction and the overall storytelling was bad. The whole book felt like a self-promo for the authors, mentioning their magazine at least once every other page. The book left me with more questions than answers and it was frustrating how many times they would go back and forth, constantly bringing up new evidence just to contradict it 2 pages later.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews