A Fatal Lie: A True Story of Betrayal and Murder in the New South

by Sally Chew

A lesbian love triangle explodes into bloody murder...

Richmond, Virginia, July 1997. A brick row-house in the city's gay Carytown district, home of 18-year-old Kelley "Turtle" Tibbs, legendary ringleader of the teenage lesbian scene. Walk inside and you'd be likely to find Melissa Etheridge blasting on the stereo, lots of beer, a clutch of shaven-headed young women-- and Turtle's tall possessive girlfriend, Tracy Bitner.

Enter 18-year-old Stacey Hanna, a new roommate who moved east from Lynchburg and, from the beginning, openly carried a torch for Turtle. Stacey's attempts to drive a wedge between Turtle and Tracy backfired-- badly. And one night, Turtle, Tracy and two friends literally dragged Stacey to a wooded area and kicked, slashed, and stabbed her to death in a scene straight out of a horror movie.

Was this a crime of passion-- a frenzy of the heart? Was it calculated retribution for disrupting a bond between two lovers? Or was it, as one of the girls told a detective, "just one of those times...when somebody had to die?" Learn the fascinating truth in a riveting story of obsession, betrayal, and murder...

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History

273 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 15, 1999

Reviews

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was OK, but only OK. The tragic story of 1 young woman being beaten, slashed and drowned by 4 others for no really solid reason was marred by writing so clumsy I had to go back sometimes and re-read to figure out what the author was trying to say. It felt like a real slog until about halfway through when it started to drag me along as the horror commenced. The trials were compressed to the bare essentials without a lot of repetition. Some very gnarly legal knots in here.Worth reading overall.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not one that I would usually read. However, I am happy I found it in a box when I was bored at a friends one day. It stayed with me long after reading and I researched the case afterwards. It's an easy read and finished it in a day. H
If you've ever seen the film "Bully" from 2001, which is also a true story and is of the same premise, you would appreciate this story. It's shocking that a group of people could be led down this path, yet it has happened time and time again in the history of true crime. Bully really affected me after watching the film and it was one of the first cases I researched heavily online, devouring everything I could find. It's when I learned that any individual can see almost any prisoner in the United States justice system. See when they were incarcerated, their pictures, if they were released, when and where they'd been paroled to...I was only twenty and was fascinated by it all.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a lot of years ago and it's usually very much a chore to remember something from that long ago, even other books that I've loved. It normally takes a lot of effort on my part. No so with this one. Thinking back to the book just now when I spotted this listing, I'm still amazed that these teen girls were able to do this. What kind of evil has to be in a person to actually lie and lure another teen, a harmless teen at that, out into a wooded area to do what they did? And then to leave, go home, and return to their lives.
This is the definition of frightening.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story suffers from having a few too many characters, many of whom have similar names and are often indistinguishable from each other. A sad, unnecessary situation, but no real need for detective work or great trial work, so if that's what you are looking for in your true crime, move along. Includes a brief reference to Judge Melvin Hughes who I interned with while in law school.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I really enjoyed this book. I also remember that not everyone agreed with me/ Wish i had not released it then I could re-read it.

[Susan Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, Sally Chew's writing style is mediocre at best. The book was written blindly and her information gathering skills leave much to be desired. Secondly, the only partial truth that is in the book is the storyline. Many of the things in the book were blatant lies and assumptions. She did very little interview, if any, with many of the key players in this very sad story. She worked tirelessly with the victim's mother who, of course and understandably, wanted vengeance against all involved. If you decide to read this please remember that much of the book is fiction.

[Stacy Simpson · Rating 1 out of 5]

It took me a long time to read this but struggled through the last few days. I'm not holding anyone up but I do not care for gays.

I think the sentences they all received were more then fair. The fact that they don't recognize their own parts in the murder is just terrifying.

Maybe a few years down the road if they haven't already by now they will get that through those pigheaded brains of theirs.

Also I hope the mother of Stacey has found some sort of solice and can also accept her short comings with her daughters death.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was haunting. It showed the LGBT community in a light that allowed opressors to understand the complexities of love and lust is the same throughout all groups in society. It was also so hard to read that leaders in the community would allow jealousy to bring them to make horribly misguided decisions.

[Megan]

It's hard, for me, to imagine killing anybody for any reason, though I have two relatives incarcerated for such crimes. But this story is about just that. 4 young girls kill a girl based on her fantasy world. She lied, so they felt the need to show her, bu killing her.
I had a difficult time, at first, getting into the story, but within 20 pages, I was hooked. Very sad.

[Unraveling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointingly shallow. I don't feel like I understand the deeper motivations of the killers - reading this book was like reading a newspaper article. There was some discussion about the "evil lesbian" stereotype, but there wasn't any depth to it.

[Tanquera Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was amazing an a thrill beyond this economy.if i had to recomend this book i would .this book will tell you the what nots to in a situation.

[Shawnna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was heartbreaking