Drifting Into Darkness: Murders, Madness, Suicide, and a Death "Under Suspicious Circumstances"

by Mark I. Pinsky

A tangled web of family dysfunction, fatal attraction, and greed wends its way from the elegant Southern mansions of old Montgomery, Alabama, to the New Age salons of Boulder and rural, windswept Wyoming in Drifting Into Darkness , a true saga of bloodshed and betrayal.

Two grisly murders―a brutal double parricide―a suicide, and a fourth death under suspicious circumstances. Drifting Into Darkness is a tangled tale of family dysfunction, fatal attraction, and greed, a saga that wends its way from the elegant Southern mansions of Montgomery, Alabama, to the New Age salons of Boulder, Colorado, to rural, windswept Wyoming.

On Thanksgiving weekend in 2004, philanthropists Charlotte and Brent Springford Sr.?a wealthy, socially prominent Montgomery couple?were brutally beaten to death with an ax handle, echoing the infamous case of Lizzie Borden. Suspicion quickly fell on the Springfords' gifted but troubled son Brent Jr., who would be tried and sentenced to life without parole. But a mystery Who was the mysterious, elusive woman who claimed to be a Native American shaman that investigators believed manipulated Brent into this murder?

Journalists solving murders is a time-tested trope in movies, mysteries, and on television. But cops and cop reporters know that rarely happens in real life. Except when it does. Veteran crime reporter Mark I. Pinsky, who covered the sensational cases of serial killer Ted Bundy and Green Beret Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, broke the cardinal rule of journalism by involving himself in the story. Pinsky’s extensive research prompted investigators to invite him to join their dogged pursuit of justice. His access to unique and heart-breaking behind-the-scenes material enables him to take readers with him into the troubled, tortured minds of the case's main players.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

380 pages, Paperback

Published May 24, 2022

About the author

A former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times and Orlando Sentinel, Mark Pinsky holds degrees from Duke University and Columbia University. As an investigative journalist specializing in capital murder cases around the Southeast, he has written for the Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

Although Met Her On The Mountain is his first true-crime work, he has previously published four religion books.

Reviews

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't typically read true crime books, however, I read this one because a large part of it happens in Newcastle, Wyoming. I live in Newcastle, Wyoming and knew one of the victims. It is very well written and is a gripping story, but I had a hard time reading it because I could "see the train wreck coming". I also knew the eventual outcome of the story, so that made it harder as well.

I have always liked studies on psychology, so that part of the story appealed to me, but it was so easy to see the spiral from early on. From the book, to me, it seems that the parents were part of the problem, but I am not blaming them, a lot of parents will do whatever they can to try to help their children.

It is a very gripping story and if you like true crime, you will probably enjoy it.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this book down. The way Pinsky unpacks the Springford murders and the family dynamics is chilling yet compelling. I appreciated the behind-the-scenes access and it made the story feel immediate and real. The exploration of the shaman’s role adds a fascinating, almost surreal layer. A dark, unforgettable read.

[Ryan D Deininger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular story. Impeccably researched. And expertly delivered.

This is one of the better true crime books I've read (and I read them for my job). It has everything I'm looking for - including an ultra-high density of case detail that is both relevant and fascinating.

[Rebecca Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but unbelievably disturbing.

[Hannah Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real true crime, murder, mental health, money, control, Alabama, corruption in the justice system

[Bill Tyroler · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 4-star rating notwithstanding, I've got serious qualms. Pinsky's a very capable researcher and writer, and he doggedly pursued a riveting story. He gets a lot of credit for those attributes. Still. As he says in his end notes, "a good crime story" requires that "the inexplicable must be, to some degree, explained." I'm not sure he passed that test.

The inexplicable at the heart of this story -- I don't think this spoils the suspense -- is how Caroline Scoutt managed to manipulate so many people for decades, leaving death, destruction and financial ruin in her wake. I don't think Pinsky managed an explanation. More: his ideological blinkers inhibited that task. He takes pains to note several times that he's an unreconstructed 60s lefty; though he doesn't say so explicitly, he sees issues and events through that "filter." Thus, he solipsistically admits: "I am troubled that my quarry was a woman of color, either a Native American shaman or, more likely, a Latina." Why her “color” would trouble him, he leaves unsaid. But it is ironically possible that therein lies the elusive explanation: I rather suspect that the victims she criminally duped saw her in such categorical terms as well, and that that helps explain why she was able to create so much havoc for so many years.

[vickie wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I like it up to the last few chapter
r it got more bore when he start talking about all the law stuff. But the last chapter was good talking about what happen to his wife.

[GORDON SPRINGFORD · Rating 5 out of 5]

I followed the case at the time This book was gripping, fascinating and written with the benefit of insider information. Much more to the story than I expected. I now view the young man convicted of this crime as a victim along with his parents.