Lemuel Smith and the Compulsion To Kill: The Forensic Story of a Multiple Personality Serial Killer

by Denis Foley

Lemuel Smith and The Compulsion To The Forensic Story of a Multiple Personality Serial Killer by Denis Foley is a true crime shocker about one of New York’s most notorious serial killers. Rapist, thief, and killer Lemuel Smith brutally murdered five people from 1958 to 1977. Judge John Clyne imposed two consecutive life sentences and labeled him "the poster boy for capital punishment." In 1981, while serving those sentences in Green Haven Correctional Facility, he murdered prison guard Donna Payant. Anthropologist Denis Foley’s riveting narrative reads like a novel but is one of the most detailed and well documented accounts ever published on the workings of the mind of a violent, multiple personality serial killer. Forensic psychology exposed in Smith a pathological view of women, religion, and his place in society. That pathology played itself out through the actions of Lemuel’s imagined brother "John," the monster that dwelled within his mind and, according to Smith, committed the rapes and murders.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good read if you can take all the violence. Gives a good picture of how hard it is even for professionals to understand what they're looking at when they're trying to make sense of crime and mental illness at the same time.

[Sabrena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing, but intriguing... very clear that the author did extensive research over many years. If you can stomach the subject matter, it's definitely worth a read!

[Brittney Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time finding details about Lemuel Smith with a regular internet search. This book really helped fill in the gaps for me. I was disappointed by the lack of psychological insight the book was implied to have, but I was able to draw a lot of my own conclusions. I appreciate how the author was graphic in injuries but it didn't seem exploitative in any way. That's a problem I find in a lot of true crime. I softly recommend for true crime fans and those interested in learning more about Lemuel Smith.

[Jenna Hendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was like reading an episode of criminal minds

[Jim Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read, especially for those who know the Capital District area of Albany. I would recommend it to anyone from the area interested in true crime.