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Cruel Death
"Phelps is one of America's finest true-crime writers." --Vincent Bugliosi
"Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers." –Allison Brennan
It was Memorial Day weekend, the start of the summer season. Thousands headed to Ocean City, Maryland, to enjoy its scenic beaches, lively boardwalk, and trendy nightclubs. Among the bright-spirited vacationers was a couple with a much darker idea of fun. Erica Sifrit, a former honor student, was packing a gun in her Coach bag. Her husband, B.J., an ex-Navy SEAL, was trained in violence. What started as a chance encounter with another couple ended with two dismembered victims buried in a Delaware landfill. M. William Phelps updates this modern-day "Bonnie and Clyde" saga to create a haunting account of money, madness, sex, and murder. . .
Praise for M. William Phelps
"Phelps's writing reads like a mystery novel." --Suspense Magazine
"One of our most engaging crime journalists." --Katherine Ramsland
Includes 16 Pages Of Dramatic Photos
449 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2009
510 people are currently reading
1399 people want to read
About the author
M. William Phelps
88 books1,158 followersCrime, murder and serial killer expert, creator/producer/writer and former host of the Investigation Discovery series DARK MINDS, acclaimed, award-winning investigative journalist M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 30 books and winner of the 2013 Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award and the 2008 New England Book Festival Award. A highly sought-after pundit, Phelps has made over 100 media-related television appearances: Early Show, The Today Show, The View, Fox & Friends, truTV, Discovery Channel, Fox News Channel, Good Morning America, TLC, BIO, History, Oxygen, OWN, on top of over 100 additional media appearances: USA Radio Network, Catholic Radio, Mancow, Wall Street Journal Radio, Zac Daniel, Ave Maria Radio, Catholic Channel, EWTN Radio, ABC News Radio, and many more.
Phelps is also a member of the Multidisciplinary Collaborative on Sexual Crime and Violence (MCSCV), also known as the Atypical Homicide Research Group (AHRG) at Northeastern University, maintained by NU alumni Enzo Yaksic.
Phelps is one of the regular and recurring experts frequently appearing on two long-running series, Deadly Women and Snapped. Radio America calls Phelps “the nation’s leading authority on the mind of the female murderer,” and TV Rage says, “M. William Phelps dares to tread where few others will: into the mind of a killer.” A respected journalist, beyond his book writing Phelps has written for numerous publications—including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant—and consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter.
Phelps grew up in East Hartford, CT, moved to Vernon, CT, at age 12, where he lived for 25 years. He now lives in a reclusive Connecticut farming community north of Hartford.
Beyond crime, Phelps has also written several history books, including the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling NATHAN HALE: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy, THE DEVIL’S ROOMING HOUSE, THE DEVIL’S RIGHT HAND, MURDER, NEW ENGLAND, and more.
Phelps is also a member of the Multidisciplinary Collaborative on Sexual Crime and Violence (MCSCV), also known as the Atypical Homicide Research Group (AHRG) at Northeastern University, maintained by NU alumni Enzo Yaksic.
Phelps is one of the regular and recurring experts frequently appearing on two long-running series, Deadly Women and Snapped. Radio America calls Phelps “the nation’s leading authority on the mind of the female murderer,” and TV Rage says, “M. William Phelps dares to tread where few others will: into the mind of a killer.” A respected journalist, beyond his book writing Phelps has written for numerous publications—including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant—and consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter.
Phelps grew up in East Hartford, CT, moved to Vernon, CT, at age 12, where he lived for 25 years. He now lives in a reclusive Connecticut farming community north of Hartford.
Beyond crime, Phelps has also written several history books, including the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling NATHAN HALE: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy, THE DEVIL’S ROOMING HOUSE, THE DEVIL’S RIGHT HAND, MURDER, NEW ENGLAND, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
December 15, 2021
Erica and B.J. Sifrit liked to play a game. They would bring couples back to their timeshare in Ocean City, Maryland, then accuse them of stealing items. When the items don't turn up things go downhill very fast. Sadly for one couple, Joshua and Geney, the game ended with their death and dismemberment. Phelps gives a very clear timeline from beginning to end of this horrible case. Well researched and put together. If you need any other convincing I will leave you with this passage from the book:
She explained later that she stood in front of her naked husband, who was now holding Joshua’s head out to one side in one hand, and Geney’s head out to his other side in the other hand. He was painted with their blood like a warrior. Smiling. “Take my picture, Lainey,”
🐱🐱🐱🐱
She explained later that she stood in front of her naked husband, who was now holding Joshua’s head out to one side in one hand, and Geney’s head out to his other side in the other hand. He was painted with their blood like a warrior. Smiling. “Take my picture, Lainey,”
🐱🐱🐱🐱
June 15, 2017
This is a very interesting case, but the writing style of this book kills it. The author seems to ramble on and on about details that don't seem very pertinent to the case at all. Details can make a books stronger but there is a limit to when it becomes too much, and this is it.
March 31, 2011
Another winner from M.William Phelps! I thought when I read about the murder of a couple who were tied to an anchor and tossed overboard a boat was the worst that I had read but Cruel Death wins hands down! I can not fathom what happens in a persons brain to even cause them to think about murdering innocent people but dismembering them? As if cutting up a person is not enough read this quote from Erika:
"...and my family will end up exactly like those people. Cut to pieces and him jerking off to the body parts..."
Can it be any sicker? Personally I don't care whose idea it was or who was the leader, in my opinion both of these people are monsters who need not see the light of day again.
Mr. Phelps is one of my favorite true crime authors. Cruel Death like his other books reads more like a horror novel than a nonfiction book. He gives us the background on these two sickies and honestly, it's proof to me that good families have bad kids regardless of how well they are raised. We can not always blame the family life for how people turn out.
I think the author did a tremendous job of showing the unconditional love of Erika's parents, especially her father Mitch. My heart goes out to him. He was so proud of his daughter and had such high hopes for her. Now he has to live with knowing what she was involved in and/or guilty of.
I thought the book was very well researched. I enjoyed reading about their trials even though I was shocked at the light sentence BJ received. I do not agree with it but the author did a good job of explaining the reasons why the jury reached their decision based on what was presented to them.
Yes, I am a true crime addict and M. William Phelps is always high on my list. While this was one of the most disgusting cases that I have read about the overall way the story was told was top notch.
"...and my family will end up exactly like those people. Cut to pieces and him jerking off to the body parts..."
Can it be any sicker? Personally I don't care whose idea it was or who was the leader, in my opinion both of these people are monsters who need not see the light of day again.
Mr. Phelps is one of my favorite true crime authors. Cruel Death like his other books reads more like a horror novel than a nonfiction book. He gives us the background on these two sickies and honestly, it's proof to me that good families have bad kids regardless of how well they are raised. We can not always blame the family life for how people turn out.
I think the author did a tremendous job of showing the unconditional love of Erika's parents, especially her father Mitch. My heart goes out to him. He was so proud of his daughter and had such high hopes for her. Now he has to live with knowing what she was involved in and/or guilty of.
I thought the book was very well researched. I enjoyed reading about their trials even though I was shocked at the light sentence BJ received. I do not agree with it but the author did a good job of explaining the reasons why the jury reached their decision based on what was presented to them.
Yes, I am a true crime addict and M. William Phelps is always high on my list. While this was one of the most disgusting cases that I have read about the overall way the story was told was top notch.
January 30, 2013
This case has been featured on TruTV, it has either been on more than one show or I have watched the same show multiple times, which is possible. This is a case where the details were hard to discover, one where you are left shaking your head.
Erika and B.J. seemed to have it all together, she a beloved daughter, he was a navy seal, somewhere it all went wrong. There is no way to know exactly what happened, or why Erika and B.J. started killing, what was behind the little game they played, but Phelps does his normal excellent job of bringing out the facts of this case in an engaging and interesting way.
I recommend this book to true crime fans.
Erika and B.J. seemed to have it all together, she a beloved daughter, he was a navy seal, somewhere it all went wrong. There is no way to know exactly what happened, or why Erika and B.J. started killing, what was behind the little game they played, but Phelps does his normal excellent job of bringing out the facts of this case in an engaging and interesting way.
I recommend this book to true crime fans.
January 3, 2018
One of my guilty pleasures is true crime stories. I can watch shows like "48 Hours" all day. I'm fascinated by the forensics and the investigation process.
Recently, I was watching "Forensic Files" and thought that the subject matter was familiar. Then, crime writer M. William Phelps started speaking and giving his take on the murder involved. It was then that I figured it out: I had downloaded this particular book (by this particular author) for free. The case was interesting enough ("Forensic Files" focuses mainly on the science of solving and doesn't say so much about the perpetrators and victims), so I decided to go ahead and read the book.
Wow. This might be the most gruesome crime that I've ever known anything about.
The book centers around a young married couple (Ben and Erika Shifrit) that are arrested while breaking into a Hooters retail shop. When apprehended, police officers find in Erika's purse, the driver's licenses of a couple that had recently gone missing. Turns out that Ben and Erika were the last ones to see this couple alive.
Forensics can tell you what happened, but it doesn't necessarily tell authorities who did what. That's where this book becomes the most interesting. Both parties claim that the other did it and that they were along for the ride (Erika claiming that she was afraid of Ben and Ben claiming that he was protecting Erika). This book delves into both possible scenarios. Neither one is any less stomach churning.
If you're a fan of true crime books, then I recommend this particular crime highly. Phelps' writing, though, leaves a lot to be desired. His style is engaging. His facts are straight. But he delves a lot into "opinion territory" and needs an editor to help him correct phrasing that is just...wrong (The phrase "she could have cared less" is used at least three times).
This is, I warn, one of the most disgustingly gruesome murders I've ever read about, made all the more gruesome by the story being true.
Recently, I was watching "Forensic Files" and thought that the subject matter was familiar. Then, crime writer M. William Phelps started speaking and giving his take on the murder involved. It was then that I figured it out: I had downloaded this particular book (by this particular author) for free. The case was interesting enough ("Forensic Files" focuses mainly on the science of solving and doesn't say so much about the perpetrators and victims), so I decided to go ahead and read the book.
Wow. This might be the most gruesome crime that I've ever known anything about.
The book centers around a young married couple (Ben and Erika Shifrit) that are arrested while breaking into a Hooters retail shop. When apprehended, police officers find in Erika's purse, the driver's licenses of a couple that had recently gone missing. Turns out that Ben and Erika were the last ones to see this couple alive.
Forensics can tell you what happened, but it doesn't necessarily tell authorities who did what. That's where this book becomes the most interesting. Both parties claim that the other did it and that they were along for the ride (Erika claiming that she was afraid of Ben and Ben claiming that he was protecting Erika). This book delves into both possible scenarios. Neither one is any less stomach churning.
If you're a fan of true crime books, then I recommend this particular crime highly. Phelps' writing, though, leaves a lot to be desired. His style is engaging. His facts are straight. But he delves a lot into "opinion territory" and needs an editor to help him correct phrasing that is just...wrong (The phrase "she could have cared less" is used at least three times).
This is, I warn, one of the most disgustingly gruesome murders I've ever read about, made all the more gruesome by the story being true.
November 27, 2014
This will be my final time of reading books by M William Phelps, I reckon. I have never picked one up yet without mistakes in and remember I'm paying for these and I'm fed up with it now. He needs to pay more attention to detail instead of numbers if you ask me.
Again in this book he did all that jumping around with dates which always make his books pretty confusing at times. We learned very little about the victims in this terrible case and the promised photos weren't even included so this time I had to Google to see who I'd been reading about.I had to wonder why all of the bodies weren't recovered. This was never explained and I found that quite the oversight....and I was baffled about the retained bullets and who they were taken from as well.
The mistakes throughout kicked off with missing words again like to/of/a then rogue hyphens or spaces added or missed-like in sur veil-lance or gan-ister or for ward, then we could've added a space in anyway when it was needed, we had apostrophe errors and at one point he mentioned Mitch testifying at his daughter's murder trial as opposed to her trial for murder !! There's a difference. There's also quite the difference between a witness spanking or speaking !! Finally, in the 2014 update the author refers to Carrie Campbell, who till then was Carri. Just extraordinarily sloppy with little regard for the paying customer.
Both BJ and Erika were clearly a couple of mentalists enabled by rich parents once again. We hear of this a lot with thrill killers both here and in the USA. Given way too much and totally over-indulged they think they're untouchable and can do just as they please to whoever they please all their lives. I am pleased they ended up how they did.
Again in this book he did all that jumping around with dates which always make his books pretty confusing at times. We learned very little about the victims in this terrible case and the promised photos weren't even included so this time I had to Google to see who I'd been reading about.I had to wonder why all of the bodies weren't recovered. This was never explained and I found that quite the oversight....and I was baffled about the retained bullets and who they were taken from as well.
The mistakes throughout kicked off with missing words again like to/of/a then rogue hyphens or spaces added or missed-like in sur veil-lance or gan-ister or for ward, then we could've added a space in anyway when it was needed, we had apostrophe errors and at one point he mentioned Mitch testifying at his daughter's murder trial as opposed to her trial for murder !! There's a difference. There's also quite the difference between a witness spanking or speaking !! Finally, in the 2014 update the author refers to Carrie Campbell, who till then was Carri. Just extraordinarily sloppy with little regard for the paying customer.
Both BJ and Erika were clearly a couple of mentalists enabled by rich parents once again. We hear of this a lot with thrill killers both here and in the USA. Given way too much and totally over-indulged they think they're untouchable and can do just as they please to whoever they please all their lives. I am pleased they ended up how they did.
January 2, 2016
Loved it. Wish had immediately after reading it written my review because what a case this was. I had never heard about this case before.
Very good book. 4.5
Very good book. 4.5
September 8, 2018
M. William Phelps is one of my favorite TC authors. I like his style of writing and the way he pulls you into the story. He does a great job with Cruel Death and the crazy lovers known as B.J. and Erika Siffrit. Erika and B.J. land in a seaside town looking for fun, drugs and mayhem. They find all three and add murder to the mix. While in a bar they befriend a couple known as Joshua Ford and Geney Crutchley. They ask the couple to continue the party back at their condo but when Joshua and Geney arrive, they soon find out that they are trapped with a pair of psycho's hell bent on murder. The story gets stranger and stranger until B.J. and Erika are finally caught. A true crime must read.
March 9, 2010
Believe it or not, I know Erika. I attended a neighboring school to her high school. My extended family is very close with her extended family in business. I remember reading about this horror story in our local papers and hearing the coverage on our local news stations. With every detail, I lost touch more and more with reality… how could someone my age, with a similar upbringing as me, and living in the same town (practically) as me commit such a horrific crime? I vaguely knew of BJ, too. It’s borderline surreal and completely insane.
I have never purposefully picked up murder mystery or a thriller... let alone one that is actually a biography… but I had to choose this one. I want to know, why and how could Erika ever be a part of this.
SPOILER ALERT
Is it normal to have your heart race the first time you pick up a thriller? I’ve never read this genre before, so I’m not sure if the cold sweats and heart palpitations as I cracked open the cover are normal ;-)?! I decided to take it slowly and read the entire introduction and forward. I almost choked when Phelps said, “there are parts of this book the victim’s families should not read,” and then nearly fainted when he mentioned that parts were “too gruesome” for him to even continue, requiring him to “walk away” and even wonder if he could “ever finish”. Deep breath, time to reflect on Part I: “Memories Are Like Rain Drops”…
The introduction of Geney, Joshua, Erika, BJ, and the detectives of the OCPD was well done, I thought. I was able to relate to all and even build a relational sympathy for each of the first four… a little tougher to build the same for Detective Bernal, but still enjoyed reading how his passion for the crime started as an almost ethereal occurrence. Perhaps there is more on Bernal later, as Phelps peppered us with “The case that eventually cost him his job.” Interesting to see how that progresses.
I’m not quite sure how I can “take sides” at this point. Phelps has done a masterful job spreading the wonderment of who-done-it or who’s-to-blame evenly between Erika and Beej. With our home town media during the trials, the same was true. Local papers and television stations would take turns hanging each in crude effigy, repeatedly, and as often as they could. To this day, I’m not sure what or who to believe… neither does all of Altoona.
Speaking of Altoona, it was almost surreal reading in a published novel the places I frequent often when I am home. The Logan Valley Mall, Memory Laine, the apartment building and even the local Hooters all gave me a tiny chill as I understand more and more that this was my back yard… a mind game let me forget, for awhile, but the book is rushing it back with a tidal force.
Speaking of mind games, I wish Phelps would shed a deeper light on the mental illness that he only alludes to in the passages. I strongly feel that our society is undereducated on the ripple effect of mental illness and how it is the fuel for many criminal fires. I’m not taking the stance that, “Erika & BJ were sick, so they shouldn’t be blamed.” I’m taking the stance that, “Erika & BJ are to blame, and they are both mentally sick. Let’s understand this illness so that others that are diagnosed with the same mental afflictions can be helped before another ‘Geney & Josh’ need to pay the price.” Phelps oozed a sexy story of Xanax snorting and macho Military Dissociative Disorder, but didn’t expound upon it much. I’d love just a slice of, “Experts say these are the marking of early criminal behavior and recommend … intervention … treatment … blah blah blah” but perhaps there’s more to follow on this during the trial section of the book?
Time to reflect on Part II: “Snakes, Crocodiles, Drugs, Murder”…
It’s definitely time for me to point out the obvious white elephant in the room. I had given Phelps the benefit of the doubt throughout Part I, but now, it’s time to admit: his writing technique is subpar. Ugh, painful at times. I know it must be difficult to balance creating a story through actual facts, but come on, this is high school essay caliber. At first I thought, “maybe he’s having trouble with incorporating court testimony within his fictionalized filler.” As the paragraphs trudged on, it was evident that he has an extremely limited vocabulary, particularly when it comes to adjectives, and he has the worst continuity of timing (perhaps he shouldn’t have “walked away from writing” the passages, as he references in his Forward). I counted 3 sentences, alone, in “Fish tales” where he ended with prepositions. I know I’m far from a perfect writer, but if you are publishing a book, I’d somewhat expect there to be an editing team within your publishing house that makes a few content suggestions. This is petty, yes, but it is truly distracting me. He’s redundant and shocking in the most inappropriate ways.
For example, during “The Inconceivable”, I was shell-shocked when I blatantly read that BJ was “having sex with Geney’s torso”, “he was butt-ass naked”, “masturbating”. There was no build-up to these horrific acts at all. I was riding the crescendo of the purse incident, and even felt a climax with the murder scene, but these aftershocks were gruesome and didn’t seem grounded. I’d like to rely on the Flosser experiences with thrillers and be open to the possibility that there just isn’t any other way to write a thriller. Is this the case? How does Steven King, Thomas Farris, and others balance this horror with appropriate fit within context? I’m not saying Phelps should have, literally, “spared the gory details,” I just wonder if he could have made these details more relevant to the intensity of the moment? Help me, Flosser thriller fans, what is the answer(s)?
Now, after venting, I think I should mention that there were excellent moments in the story during Part II. I really appreciated the addition of Erika’s quote during the opening paragraphs of “The Real Me”. In my book, it is p. 31 where she states, “Because I didn’t think anyone else would want me.” Erika was a behemoth whale in the tiny puddle of Blair County (home of Altoona, Holidaysburg). She was the beauty queen, the Olympic medalist, the fashionista, the rich girl, the ever loved. When she left for college, realty set-in and there was a realization that she is a guppy in the Atlantic Ocean. How crushing to have your performance equal your entire worth for the first 18 years of your life and then have it vaporize in the course of a few university semesters. The book hasn’t addressed it, but I feel this could truly explain her mental instability, her propensity to hyper-control her situations. It’s no wonder she was riddled with anxiety, her entire worth, in her opinion, was gone. To BJ, this blood in the waters and he was the shark. Just like he was broken in the Navy, he wanted to break and control something, too. To complete his SEAL cycle, to be what he always wanted, to be a killer. Now, he had a companion that would not only understand, but never leave as long as he gave her worth, though twisted worth it was. Could this also explain the three-week courtship leading to marriage? They both desperately needed each other to feel whole again, why not race to Vegas? What a mess.
Finally, my pulse was accelerating as I read “Killer Wife” through “Guns Don’t Kill People…” (chapters 28-31). I know I gave Phelps a ton of grief in the beginning of this email, and my opinion has not changed… his technical skills are awful… but his ability to suck me into these chapters is a mystery. I was impressed that, even though I knew there wasn’t another set of murders, he kept me turning the pages with increased intensity as I wondered what would happen to Karen and Todd! How sinister to think that Lainey and Beej were setting up yet another couple in almost the identical way.
Who’s with me that Erika hid her purse in the dryer/washing machine when she & BJ brought home Karen & Todd?
Onto Part III and IV...
Erika is simply absurd. Clearly, she is mentally incapacitated on so many different levels. When we arrived to the section in Part III where she was communicating with male inmate, Jimmy, I was appalled by her behavior. She completely disassociated with her criminal actions, not to mention showed zero remorse for anything she has done (from petty theft all the way up to slaughtering Geney and Josh). Then, to take it to the next level and engage in “paper sex”? Absurd.
Wait, my mistake, that was only half-way absurd… MITCH GIVING MR. CHOCOLATE $50 MONEY ORDERS EACH WEEK, now that’s 100%, full blown, asinine absurdity.
This book should be mandatory reading by all Altoona residents. Here we were, bombarded with Erika stories that depicted a meek upper-class girl that simply got with the wrong man, at the wrong time, with the wrong drugs, with the sweetest parents. Granted, Mitch and Cookie didn’t have the best reputation around Blair County, but they were far more tolerable than other heavy weights with cash. Thankfully, this book helps us all to understand Erika was severely mentally ill. I even began to take BJ’s side a bit…
Then, I took his side A LOT when Erika entered the room to take her polygraph. I couldn’t believe what she was saying. I went from thinking, before the book, “Isn’t it odd that she got the bulk of the charges?” to starting to read the book and thinking, “Hum, quite the Bonnie & Clyde/Sid & Nancy/Mickey & Malory thing happening here” to now thinking, “That little murderer was more in control of this situation than anyone ever thought!” Cutting Geney? Suggesting that she was the one that assisted in the decapitations? Forcing her friends to rehearse lies on her behalf? Just when I thought my stomach couldn’t curl, swirl, churn, or flip more… it did a complete somersault as Part III drew me closer to BJ and further away from certifiable Erika.
He was either a criminal mastermind or a controlled puppet… either way, lawyer-ing-up and claiming, “Talk to my wife” has put BJ in ultimate control over the outcome of this situation. As my father would say, Erika suffers from “diarrhea of the mouth and constipation of the brain!”
By the end of the book, I grew more desensitized to Phelps’ writing style. Wish I could say the same for the crime...
I have never purposefully picked up murder mystery or a thriller... let alone one that is actually a biography… but I had to choose this one. I want to know, why and how could Erika ever be a part of this.
SPOILER ALERT
Is it normal to have your heart race the first time you pick up a thriller? I’ve never read this genre before, so I’m not sure if the cold sweats and heart palpitations as I cracked open the cover are normal ;-)?! I decided to take it slowly and read the entire introduction and forward. I almost choked when Phelps said, “there are parts of this book the victim’s families should not read,” and then nearly fainted when he mentioned that parts were “too gruesome” for him to even continue, requiring him to “walk away” and even wonder if he could “ever finish”. Deep breath, time to reflect on Part I: “Memories Are Like Rain Drops”…
The introduction of Geney, Joshua, Erika, BJ, and the detectives of the OCPD was well done, I thought. I was able to relate to all and even build a relational sympathy for each of the first four… a little tougher to build the same for Detective Bernal, but still enjoyed reading how his passion for the crime started as an almost ethereal occurrence. Perhaps there is more on Bernal later, as Phelps peppered us with “The case that eventually cost him his job.” Interesting to see how that progresses.
I’m not quite sure how I can “take sides” at this point. Phelps has done a masterful job spreading the wonderment of who-done-it or who’s-to-blame evenly between Erika and Beej. With our home town media during the trials, the same was true. Local papers and television stations would take turns hanging each in crude effigy, repeatedly, and as often as they could. To this day, I’m not sure what or who to believe… neither does all of Altoona.
Speaking of Altoona, it was almost surreal reading in a published novel the places I frequent often when I am home. The Logan Valley Mall, Memory Laine, the apartment building and even the local Hooters all gave me a tiny chill as I understand more and more that this was my back yard… a mind game let me forget, for awhile, but the book is rushing it back with a tidal force.
Speaking of mind games, I wish Phelps would shed a deeper light on the mental illness that he only alludes to in the passages. I strongly feel that our society is undereducated on the ripple effect of mental illness and how it is the fuel for many criminal fires. I’m not taking the stance that, “Erika & BJ were sick, so they shouldn’t be blamed.” I’m taking the stance that, “Erika & BJ are to blame, and they are both mentally sick. Let’s understand this illness so that others that are diagnosed with the same mental afflictions can be helped before another ‘Geney & Josh’ need to pay the price.” Phelps oozed a sexy story of Xanax snorting and macho Military Dissociative Disorder, but didn’t expound upon it much. I’d love just a slice of, “Experts say these are the marking of early criminal behavior and recommend … intervention … treatment … blah blah blah” but perhaps there’s more to follow on this during the trial section of the book?
Time to reflect on Part II: “Snakes, Crocodiles, Drugs, Murder”…
It’s definitely time for me to point out the obvious white elephant in the room. I had given Phelps the benefit of the doubt throughout Part I, but now, it’s time to admit: his writing technique is subpar. Ugh, painful at times. I know it must be difficult to balance creating a story through actual facts, but come on, this is high school essay caliber. At first I thought, “maybe he’s having trouble with incorporating court testimony within his fictionalized filler.” As the paragraphs trudged on, it was evident that he has an extremely limited vocabulary, particularly when it comes to adjectives, and he has the worst continuity of timing (perhaps he shouldn’t have “walked away from writing” the passages, as he references in his Forward). I counted 3 sentences, alone, in “Fish tales” where he ended with prepositions. I know I’m far from a perfect writer, but if you are publishing a book, I’d somewhat expect there to be an editing team within your publishing house that makes a few content suggestions. This is petty, yes, but it is truly distracting me. He’s redundant and shocking in the most inappropriate ways.
For example, during “The Inconceivable”, I was shell-shocked when I blatantly read that BJ was “having sex with Geney’s torso”, “he was butt-ass naked”, “masturbating”. There was no build-up to these horrific acts at all. I was riding the crescendo of the purse incident, and even felt a climax with the murder scene, but these aftershocks were gruesome and didn’t seem grounded. I’d like to rely on the Flosser experiences with thrillers and be open to the possibility that there just isn’t any other way to write a thriller. Is this the case? How does Steven King, Thomas Farris, and others balance this horror with appropriate fit within context? I’m not saying Phelps should have, literally, “spared the gory details,” I just wonder if he could have made these details more relevant to the intensity of the moment? Help me, Flosser thriller fans, what is the answer(s)?
Now, after venting, I think I should mention that there were excellent moments in the story during Part II. I really appreciated the addition of Erika’s quote during the opening paragraphs of “The Real Me”. In my book, it is p. 31 where she states, “Because I didn’t think anyone else would want me.” Erika was a behemoth whale in the tiny puddle of Blair County (home of Altoona, Holidaysburg). She was the beauty queen, the Olympic medalist, the fashionista, the rich girl, the ever loved. When she left for college, realty set-in and there was a realization that she is a guppy in the Atlantic Ocean. How crushing to have your performance equal your entire worth for the first 18 years of your life and then have it vaporize in the course of a few university semesters. The book hasn’t addressed it, but I feel this could truly explain her mental instability, her propensity to hyper-control her situations. It’s no wonder she was riddled with anxiety, her entire worth, in her opinion, was gone. To BJ, this blood in the waters and he was the shark. Just like he was broken in the Navy, he wanted to break and control something, too. To complete his SEAL cycle, to be what he always wanted, to be a killer. Now, he had a companion that would not only understand, but never leave as long as he gave her worth, though twisted worth it was. Could this also explain the three-week courtship leading to marriage? They both desperately needed each other to feel whole again, why not race to Vegas? What a mess.
Finally, my pulse was accelerating as I read “Killer Wife” through “Guns Don’t Kill People…” (chapters 28-31). I know I gave Phelps a ton of grief in the beginning of this email, and my opinion has not changed… his technical skills are awful… but his ability to suck me into these chapters is a mystery. I was impressed that, even though I knew there wasn’t another set of murders, he kept me turning the pages with increased intensity as I wondered what would happen to Karen and Todd! How sinister to think that Lainey and Beej were setting up yet another couple in almost the identical way.
Who’s with me that Erika hid her purse in the dryer/washing machine when she & BJ brought home Karen & Todd?
Onto Part III and IV...
Erika is simply absurd. Clearly, she is mentally incapacitated on so many different levels. When we arrived to the section in Part III where she was communicating with male inmate, Jimmy, I was appalled by her behavior. She completely disassociated with her criminal actions, not to mention showed zero remorse for anything she has done (from petty theft all the way up to slaughtering Geney and Josh). Then, to take it to the next level and engage in “paper sex”? Absurd.
Wait, my mistake, that was only half-way absurd… MITCH GIVING MR. CHOCOLATE $50 MONEY ORDERS EACH WEEK, now that’s 100%, full blown, asinine absurdity.
This book should be mandatory reading by all Altoona residents. Here we were, bombarded with Erika stories that depicted a meek upper-class girl that simply got with the wrong man, at the wrong time, with the wrong drugs, with the sweetest parents. Granted, Mitch and Cookie didn’t have the best reputation around Blair County, but they were far more tolerable than other heavy weights with cash. Thankfully, this book helps us all to understand Erika was severely mentally ill. I even began to take BJ’s side a bit…
Then, I took his side A LOT when Erika entered the room to take her polygraph. I couldn’t believe what she was saying. I went from thinking, before the book, “Isn’t it odd that she got the bulk of the charges?” to starting to read the book and thinking, “Hum, quite the Bonnie & Clyde/Sid & Nancy/Mickey & Malory thing happening here” to now thinking, “That little murderer was more in control of this situation than anyone ever thought!” Cutting Geney? Suggesting that she was the one that assisted in the decapitations? Forcing her friends to rehearse lies on her behalf? Just when I thought my stomach couldn’t curl, swirl, churn, or flip more… it did a complete somersault as Part III drew me closer to BJ and further away from certifiable Erika.
He was either a criminal mastermind or a controlled puppet… either way, lawyer-ing-up and claiming, “Talk to my wife” has put BJ in ultimate control over the outcome of this situation. As my father would say, Erika suffers from “diarrhea of the mouth and constipation of the brain!”
By the end of the book, I grew more desensitized to Phelps’ writing style. Wish I could say the same for the crime...
February 1, 2021
I watch a lot of murder TV. Dateline, Forensic Files, 48 Hours, anything on ID...I enjoy true life crime television. It's rare that a case from any of those shows sticks with me once it's over. Yet, this case has for years. Featured on Forensic Files several years ago, the case of how an innocent couple from Fairfax, VA, Joseph and Geney, met up with 24-year-old, married scrapbook store owners, Erika and BJ Sifrit, from Pennsylvania while on a long weekend in Ocean City, MA resulting in death and dismemberment still gives me the creeps. I had must moved to Fairfax as this case was ending in 2004, and it made a big impression. The 30 minute Forensic Files segment doesn't do justice to this horrifying tale which may mean I never talk to another stranger while on vacation ever again. If written for fiction, this tale would seem unbelievable. Phelps presents the facts well, and I appreciated the background detail on all the investigators and lawyers. I don't think this is particularly well written, though, and wondered several times at facts presented that we never heard from again. i.e. Phelps throws out that it's possible the Sifrits killed more people but this is never explored or followed up on in any meaningful way. I also felt the victims, Joseph and Geney, needed more exploration for a full story. The scariest part? 2021 is the year BJ Sifrit is first eligible for parole.
Side note: My friend, who is an attorney, insists that the only words that should ever leave my mouth if taken to a police station are "I want an attorney." Doesn't matter the reason or how innocent I am, just keep asking for a lawyer. This case/resulting conviction is the perfect example of why to keep your mouth shut.
Side note: My friend, who is an attorney, insists that the only words that should ever leave my mouth if taken to a police station are "I want an attorney." Doesn't matter the reason or how innocent I am, just keep asking for a lawyer. This case/resulting conviction is the perfect example of why to keep your mouth shut.
September 27, 2025
"I suspect if she’d never met him, she’d [have] been fine; and if he’d never met her, he’d be fine. But somehow the combination of the two of them was just”— and he stopped for a moment and thought about how to phrase it, searching for just the right words, finally settling on—“. . . just awful.”
Awful doesn't even begin to describe this case, and while I do believe that the combination of two sociopaths/psychopaths is even deadlier, I am not entirely sure that if they had not met either one of these , (whatever they are), would have been " fine".
Joshua Ford and Geney Crutchley were guilty of two things, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and being blind to the presence of evil right in front of them, how many of us would have been able to see it in the same situation?
This is a horrible case, one of the goriest I have ever read, and at times repetitive and a bit too long as a lot of true crime books tend to be, but overall ok. One thing the author wrote stayed with me and I will share it because I believe it to be true.
"What remains clear to me is that the horror Erika and BJ perpetrated against two wonderful, kind, caring, and loving human beings in Ocean City on that Saturday night before Memorial Day is, at its core, an immorality of such gargantuan proportions that the true nature behind these crimes can never be fully explained, understood, or accessed emotionally."
Awful doesn't even begin to describe this case, and while I do believe that the combination of two sociopaths/psychopaths is even deadlier, I am not entirely sure that if they had not met either one of these , (whatever they are), would have been " fine".
Joshua Ford and Geney Crutchley were guilty of two things, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and being blind to the presence of evil right in front of them, how many of us would have been able to see it in the same situation?
This is a horrible case, one of the goriest I have ever read, and at times repetitive and a bit too long as a lot of true crime books tend to be, but overall ok. One thing the author wrote stayed with me and I will share it because I believe it to be true.
"What remains clear to me is that the horror Erika and BJ perpetrated against two wonderful, kind, caring, and loving human beings in Ocean City on that Saturday night before Memorial Day is, at its core, an immorality of such gargantuan proportions that the true nature behind these crimes can never be fully explained, understood, or accessed emotionally."
July 16, 2022
This made for pretty grim reading. The author did have a disclosure at the start of the book that he had trouble writing this and he states this is not a book to be read by families of the victims. He is skilled at storytelling- being that these are true stories. He brings out the characters and tells the story with fluidity in a way that feels real and true. I always feel that he is trying to tell the facts and bring the victims story to light. He delves into the upbringing and psychology of perpetrators which is often very interesting. Although in this particular book, I found the first half more readable than the second of which the format felt a little unkempt. It was also compounded by the fact that the suspects were so awful and the evidence against them was so completely compelling from early on, I wasn’t eager to read every detail about the police investigation or trial. It was just a throw away the key scenario. I did find it interesting reading about her personality and character during this as it was very revealing.
June 1, 2025
A history of starkly ... empty people. The couple at the center of this case, Erika and BJ Sifrit are just such strange, disjointed people. Phelps focuses on Erika and her many, cracked facets - the spoiled, hometown basketball star, the obsessive partner, the jewelry maven, the woman who robbed Hooters for the thrill of it, and wound her husband up to the point where he murdered and dismembered a vacationing couple in the bathroom, the abused wife who was too terrified to do anything.
The defendant who can't just keep her mouth shut.
So many sides to this woman, and this hideous, horrible crime.
Phelps has made his career finding and telling some of the most gruesome stories we have, and this one certainly is not for the faint of heart. However, for those who can stomach it, there is a fascinating psychological portrait here.
The defendant who can't just keep her mouth shut.
So many sides to this woman, and this hideous, horrible crime.
Phelps has made his career finding and telling some of the most gruesome stories we have, and this one certainly is not for the faint of heart. However, for those who can stomach it, there is a fascinating psychological portrait here.
March 23, 2018
I am on a true-crime reading kick and I would have to say that this book was written about two of the most gruesome murders that could ever be imagined. The author didn't hold back so be warned that this story is graphic. And it really needs to be told in a graphic way or you would not comprehend the depravity of the murderous couple and their acts of violence. Phelps is becoming my "go-to" author for true crime books and this one does not disappoint!
September 24, 2019
Whaaaaat. So crazy, I could not stop reading. This is very well written and was fascinating hearing about the town I live in from an outside perspective.
November 7, 2020
I've read this before, but it's shocking to me every time. It's hard to wrap my head around someone from this small part of Pennsylvania making national news for murder. It is very well written.
May 6, 2019
Loved it
Great exploration of two deplorable people. Phelps has great access to the case and great background knowledge. I just hope these two never see the light of day.
Great exploration of two deplorable people. Phelps has great access to the case and great background knowledge. I just hope these two never see the light of day.
October 21, 2017
I had a hard time getting through the first few pages of nothing but descriptions.
August 7, 2015
The couple killed in this story happened by chance to meet up and momentarily befriend a sadistic pair of lovers who killed them and dumped their bodies in a landfill. The unsuspecting, innocent couple didn’t have an inkling of the danger they put themselves in until it was too late.
I am glad the murderous lovers were caught and brought to justice for their gruesome acts.
The book might conjure up graphic images that could keep you awake at night.
Jeannie Walker (Award-Winning Author) Jeannie Walker
Fighting the Devil: A True Story of Consuming Passion, Deadly Poison, and Murder
I Saw the Light - A True Story of a Near-Death Experience
Forever in My Heart - A True Story of Coincidence and Destiny
Thomas, The Friendly Ghost
The Rain Snake
I am glad the murderous lovers were caught and brought to justice for their gruesome acts.
The book might conjure up graphic images that could keep you awake at night.
Jeannie Walker (Award-Winning Author) Jeannie Walker
Fighting the Devil: A True Story of Consuming Passion, Deadly Poison, and Murder
I Saw the Light - A True Story of a Near-Death Experience
Forever in My Heart - A True Story of Coincidence and Destiny
Thomas, The Friendly Ghost
The Rain Snake
May 4, 2016
I used to read true crime stories all the time but lately I just can't get into them like I used to. This particular story I watched on Forensic Files (I'm a little addicted to that show) and on a whim looked to see if I could find the book written about the case.
This one is interesting, with details well told. The crime is horrific and perpetrated by seemingly normal people which is always creepy. The author does a good job but there is a real need for an editor. It is very distracting to read errors in a finished book - "she could care less" GAH!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
This one is interesting, with details well told. The crime is horrific and perpetrated by seemingly normal people which is always creepy. The author does a good job but there is a real need for an editor. It is very distracting to read errors in a finished book - "she could care less" GAH!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
October 23, 2014
Another true crime story, my guilty pleasure -- a palate cleanser, if you will, between serious books. This one, however, was almost too gruesome for me. It's hard to imagine two more vicious individuals than Benjamin and Erika Sifrit, who could give Hannibal Lecter a run for his money. Phelps' attention to detail is remarkable; however I think he could use a better editor. (The third time I read "she could have cared less" made me cringe.)
November 26, 2014
A reader from Maryland
I lived in Salisbury which is about a 45 minute drive from Ocean City(without summer traffic) and remembered when this murder happened. It was worse than horrific. As a resident at the time, it seemed to me that the media pointed some of the blame on the victims for being crazy and wild tourists. It was enlightening to learn more about these people and am now sorry I didn't dig deeper into what the media was saying at the time.
I lived in Salisbury which is about a 45 minute drive from Ocean City(without summer traffic) and remembered when this murder happened. It was worse than horrific. As a resident at the time, it seemed to me that the media pointed some of the blame on the victims for being crazy and wild tourists. It was enlightening to learn more about these people and am now sorry I didn't dig deeper into what the media was saying at the time.
January 24, 2011
True crime books are very scarey, these are REAL people, not fictionalized. This book almost made me sick in some places, the things these people did were horrific. A very well written true crime book.
October 13, 2020
DNF. The author repeated certain points over and over. The story, as it was written in this book, was just not interesting. I kept trying to push to the end, but couldn't do it. This story could have been told in half the pages.
February 22, 2017
This book definitely shows that some people should never meet. The crime is senseless and horrifying all so people can have a "thrilling feeling" to have sex and feel alive in general.
June 10, 2019
Another great reenactment of a horrible real life event by Mr. Phelps.
May 29, 2022
I don’t know why I was thinking about Geney this weekend. We took yoga classes together and after I returned from a vacation and discovered what had happened to her, I was distraught. I followed the case closely at the time but haven’t thought about her in years. Then she suddenly popped into my head and I did some research and was very pleased to see BJ Sifrit was recently denied parole. I also ran across this book and debated reading it since I had known Geney, but I decided to give it a try. What I still don’t understand after reading it is HOW these 2 seemingly great young adults turned into sadistic killers. I know it’s hard to figure this out without interviewing them, but you don’t go from good kid to sadistic killer just because you met someone and married them. There had to be signs along the way that something was off. I feel like this needed to be explored more. But otherwise, I think the author is fair and doing his best to tell the true story.
August 10, 2023
The Depths of Depravity
The shear variety of cases Mr Phelps chooses to write about keeps me intrigued and coming back. After not finishing, or sometimes barely starting, crime books I just can't stomach the bad writing, I seek out the satisfaction of yet another book by William Phelps. He combines great writing skill of a good novelist with the satisfaction of real cases, with twists and turns nobody can make up. That said, this is the most depravity I've seen portrayed by the perpetrator(s) in any of his true crime novels that I've read. The villainess Erika Sifrit's total narcissism and absolute shallowness, usually observed in celebrities, makes her as uncomfortably familiar as a celebrity online or tv interview. The settings of monolithicly similiar vacation resorts and mundane everyday life makes this uncomfortable. As it should. A drug addicted, xanax fueled, botox faced scrapbooking wife is not necessarily an anomoly. Eeeek!
The shear variety of cases Mr Phelps chooses to write about keeps me intrigued and coming back. After not finishing, or sometimes barely starting, crime books I just can't stomach the bad writing, I seek out the satisfaction of yet another book by William Phelps. He combines great writing skill of a good novelist with the satisfaction of real cases, with twists and turns nobody can make up. That said, this is the most depravity I've seen portrayed by the perpetrator(s) in any of his true crime novels that I've read. The villainess Erika Sifrit's total narcissism and absolute shallowness, usually observed in celebrities, makes her as uncomfortably familiar as a celebrity online or tv interview. The settings of monolithicly similiar vacation resorts and mundane everyday life makes this uncomfortable. As it should. A drug addicted, xanax fueled, botox faced scrapbooking wife is not necessarily an anomoly. Eeeek!
December 6, 2017
3.5 stars. I saw this story on Forensic Files and was shocked that I didn't remember this happening, so I decided to read further.
This was my first "True Crime" novel (unless you count In Cold Blood, which is in its own category) and while it was an intriguing story, I was not a huge fan of the writing. It had too much opinion interspersed with facts. Sometimes the names seemed as though they were switched and if they weren't, it didn't make sense. There was just too much back and forth with what seemed like little organization in the story.
However, I found his description of Erika to be very realistic - you could really get a good visual of her. Except for the fact that there were no photos which is strange to me.... But God, this book definitely drives home that there are truly evil people in this world.
This was my first "True Crime" novel (unless you count In Cold Blood, which is in its own category) and while it was an intriguing story, I was not a huge fan of the writing. It had too much opinion interspersed with facts. Sometimes the names seemed as though they were switched and if they weren't, it didn't make sense. There was just too much back and forth with what seemed like little organization in the story.
However, I found his description of Erika to be very realistic - you could really get a good visual of her. Except for the fact that there were no photos which is strange to me.... But God, this book definitely drives home that there are truly evil people in this world.
February 23, 2025
His writing style is overblown and lacks context continuity. It's tangent after tangent and it is up to you the reader to decide which to grasp in relation to the case.
This could have been covered better in half the pages. Therefore I won't do reads on the others of his. Silly me, thought he might get better.
This is one of those cases that is chilling beyond norms of any most common homicide. Stranger annihilations with this planning are horrific. Seeing this particular duo before on a TV (it was 48 hours or Dateline or one of those years ago)- it was much more crux detail with pertinent visuals upon the endeavors of law enforcement to stop this duo. It might have been on Killer Couples?
For as many books as this author has completed, you would think he would have improved or gotten a better editor for sequence- that especially.
This could have been covered better in half the pages. Therefore I won't do reads on the others of his. Silly me, thought he might get better.
This is one of those cases that is chilling beyond norms of any most common homicide. Stranger annihilations with this planning are horrific. Seeing this particular duo before on a TV (it was 48 hours or Dateline or one of those years ago)- it was much more crux detail with pertinent visuals upon the endeavors of law enforcement to stop this duo. It might have been on Killer Couples?
For as many books as this author has completed, you would think he would have improved or gotten a better editor for sequence- that especially.
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