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Defending Donald Harvey: The Case of America's Most Notorious Angel-of-Death Serial Killer
Over the course of eighteen years, Donald Harvey murdered at least fifty-nine people while working as a nursing assistant in Ohio and Kentucky hospitals. His crimes shocked the nation; even today, Harvey's name is invoked whenever those we trust in the medical system commit horrendous crimes. Now for the first time, Harvey's court-appointed defense attorney, William Whalen, and co-author Bruce Martin, reveal facts formerly protected by attorney-client privilege in Defending Donald Harvey. With Harvey's full cooperation, Whalen and Martin provide frightful insights into the mind of the cherub-faced killer. They detail his abused childhood; the confused search for identity that plunged him into Satanism and Nazism; the bizarre behavior reported by his coworkers but ignored by his employers; and of course his heartbreaking, brutal crimes. The book also includes an afterward by award-winning journalist Pat Minarcin, who broke the story that opened a Pandora's box of multiple killings.
- GenresTrue Crime
240 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 29, 2016
In its own way, this is one of the strangest books I've ever read.
William Whalen was a defense attorney, appointed by the court to defend Donald Harvey, a nursing assistant accused of murdering one of his patients in what could very plausibly be called a mercy killing. Except that when Whalen asked Harvey if he'd killed other people, Harvey said yes. When asked how many, he said he didn't know. When asked to give an estimate of the top limit, the number he knew he hadn't killed more than, he said seventy.
Whalen was now the defense attorney for a serial killer--and the police didn't know it.
I don't know that I agree with all of Whalen's choices, but I admire him very much. He made the best, most ethical decision he could under the circumstances, and he stuck with it. He found a way to use the revelation of the full extent of Harvey's crimes to save Harvey from the death penalty and he ensured that he would never have the opportunity to kill again.
I use the word "opportunity" advisedly, because Harvey was one of the most opportunistic murderers I've yet read about, matched only by Marcel Petiot, the subject of Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris. Both of them killed based simply on who was available to them, age, sex, race, class, all matters of complete indifference. And Harvey, very clearly from the evidence presented in this book, had a kind of weird disconnect, a short circuit, where he skipped straight from I'm annoyed with you to poisoning. Boyfriend behaving like an asshole? Sprinkle arsenic in his food. Boyfriend's friend trying to break up your relationship? Give her hepatitis--you work in a hospital, you've got access to all kinds of nasty shit. Nosy neighbor asking too many questions? Give her your poisoned leftovers. So he not only killed on the job, he killed (and poisoned without killing) on an almost random basis at home. And he didn't get caught and didn't get caught and didn't get caught, mostly because poisoning! is just not what people think of, even when they're exhibiting all the symptoms of arsenic poisoning (Harvey is not the only serial killer who's used this to his advantage). And the hospitals where he worked were so much more concerned about their image and their vulnerability to lawsuits that they essentially taught him he could kill with impunity. The hospital where he was working when he got unlucky, and the cyanide-poisoned corpse of his last victim happened to cross paths with a forensic pathologist who was an expert on cyanide, comes off particularly badly, since their reaction to staff coming forward with concerns was to tell them to shut up if they wanted to keep their jobs.
This book is fascinating for the inside view it gives of the defense side of criminal law, and for Whalen's very careful portrayal of Harvey. (Harvey cooperated fully and read and commented on the manuscript.) Whalen is very protective of Harvey and fond of him in a weird way, but he never forgets that although Harvey is charming, and is certainly very attached to Whalen, he's not capable of friendship. He's manipulative and a liar and willing to do whatever is necessary to get what he wants. (Whalen is lawyer-careful and accurate about noting inconsistencies in what Harvey says about himself.) Harvey also apparently functions extremely well within the closed world of the prison--that "productive member of society" tagline that gets trotted out. Harvey is a productive member of the limited and artificial world of the penitentiary, even though he could never be trusted outside.
He gets superb performance evaluations.
William Whalen was a defense attorney, appointed by the court to defend Donald Harvey, a nursing assistant accused of murdering one of his patients in what could very plausibly be called a mercy killing. Except that when Whalen asked Harvey if he'd killed other people, Harvey said yes. When asked how many, he said he didn't know. When asked to give an estimate of the top limit, the number he knew he hadn't killed more than, he said seventy.
Whalen was now the defense attorney for a serial killer--and the police didn't know it.
I don't know that I agree with all of Whalen's choices, but I admire him very much. He made the best, most ethical decision he could under the circumstances, and he stuck with it. He found a way to use the revelation of the full extent of Harvey's crimes to save Harvey from the death penalty and he ensured that he would never have the opportunity to kill again.
I use the word "opportunity" advisedly, because Harvey was one of the most opportunistic murderers I've yet read about, matched only by Marcel Petiot, the subject of Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris. Both of them killed based simply on who was available to them, age, sex, race, class, all matters of complete indifference. And Harvey, very clearly from the evidence presented in this book, had a kind of weird disconnect, a short circuit, where he skipped straight from I'm annoyed with you to poisoning. Boyfriend behaving like an asshole? Sprinkle arsenic in his food. Boyfriend's friend trying to break up your relationship? Give her hepatitis--you work in a hospital, you've got access to all kinds of nasty shit. Nosy neighbor asking too many questions? Give her your poisoned leftovers. So he not only killed on the job, he killed (and poisoned without killing) on an almost random basis at home. And he didn't get caught and didn't get caught and didn't get caught, mostly because poisoning! is just not what people think of, even when they're exhibiting all the symptoms of arsenic poisoning (Harvey is not the only serial killer who's used this to his advantage). And the hospitals where he worked were so much more concerned about their image and their vulnerability to lawsuits that they essentially taught him he could kill with impunity. The hospital where he was working when he got unlucky, and the cyanide-poisoned corpse of his last victim happened to cross paths with a forensic pathologist who was an expert on cyanide, comes off particularly badly, since their reaction to staff coming forward with concerns was to tell them to shut up if they wanted to keep their jobs.
This book is fascinating for the inside view it gives of the defense side of criminal law, and for Whalen's very careful portrayal of Harvey. (Harvey cooperated fully and read and commented on the manuscript.) Whalen is very protective of Harvey and fond of him in a weird way, but he never forgets that although Harvey is charming, and is certainly very attached to Whalen, he's not capable of friendship. He's manipulative and a liar and willing to do whatever is necessary to get what he wants. (Whalen is lawyer-careful and accurate about noting inconsistencies in what Harvey says about himself.) Harvey also apparently functions extremely well within the closed world of the prison--that "productive member of society" tagline that gets trotted out. Harvey is a productive member of the limited and artificial world of the penitentiary, even though he could never be trusted outside.
He gets superb performance evaluations.
February 23, 2018
4.5/5 Stars
Reading this book felt a little surreal at times. I didn't know it existed until recently when I attended the My Favorite Murder show at the Ohio Theater. Reading this was intense because this man killed my Great-Great Aunt and her name and the story of her death was within the book's pages. It was also surreal to read about people and places that I know or have heard of. If you're from Butler County or Hamilton County, Ohio or Laurel County, Kentucky - you will definitely recognize a lot of the characters and scenes. If you're an attorney, like me, who works in the criminal law field, this book will also be of interest to you. Donald Harvey was a monster. Since he met his end last year, in what appears to be an unsolved prison murder, I am wondering if the author will come out with a new edition with a forward about his death, since this book speaks of him in present terms.
Reading this book felt a little surreal at times. I didn't know it existed until recently when I attended the My Favorite Murder show at the Ohio Theater. Reading this was intense because this man killed my Great-Great Aunt and her name and the story of her death was within the book's pages. It was also surreal to read about people and places that I know or have heard of. If you're from Butler County or Hamilton County, Ohio or Laurel County, Kentucky - you will definitely recognize a lot of the characters and scenes. If you're an attorney, like me, who works in the criminal law field, this book will also be of interest to you. Donald Harvey was a monster. Since he met his end last year, in what appears to be an unsolved prison murder, I am wondering if the author will come out with a new edition with a forward about his death, since this book speaks of him in present terms.
May 8, 2022
I found this book to be very interesting since I am a citizen of Laurel Co and was actually born at Marymount Hospital not long after Harvey had been caught for his actions in Ohio. It was also interesting to see the public defenders view of the case and how he found a way to defend his client while also protecting the greater good.
September 4, 2019
horrific and local case co-written by Finneytown's Bruce Martin
August 25, 2011
It was OK. I thought it was a bit too self-serving to the attorney/author. It seemed as if he were defending his actions in handling this case. The killer is very creepy though.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews