The Vampire Killers: A Horrifying True Story of Bloodshed and Murder

by Clifford L. Linedecker

When eighteen-year-old Jennifer Wendorf returned home one evening, she was witness to the most horrific scene she would ever set eyes her own parents' brutally bludgeoned bodies. It was later discovered that both Richard and Naoma Wendorf each received over twenty ferocious blows to the head.

As this atrocious crime came to light, so too did many troubling Who, in a quiet Florida town, could harbor such hatred toward the genial couple? Where was the Wendorfs' troubled fifteen-year-old daughter, Heather? And could this ungodly murder be connected to Heather's friends, a bizarre group of teens who were obsessed with blood drinking and other vampire rituals?

Read with fascination as police track down the renegade teens, extract their startling confessions, and watch as bestselling author Clifford Linedecker uncovers the twisted tale in a true-crime case as shocking as any fiction...

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

296 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 15, 1998

About the author

Clifford L. Linedecker is a former daily newspaper journalist with eighteen years experience on the Philadelphia Inquirer, Rochester (N.Y.) Times-Union, Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, and several other Indiana newspapers. He is an experienced investigative reporter who has covered police and the courts on each of the papers where he was employed. He is a former articles editor for National Features Syndicate in Chicago, and for "County Rambler" magazine. He is the author of numerous true crime titles, including The Man Who Killed Boys, Night Stalker, Killer Kids, Blood in the Sand, and Deadly White Female.

Reviews

[Kelsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.

HOLY SATANIC PANIC, BATMAN.

I wish I could have kept reading this one, but I just couldn’t get past the repetition and obvious judgement placed on any subculture. Not everyone that wears black and dyes their hair is a murderer. I’d say the facts of the case and the psychology behind their decisions would have been more interesting than their wardrobe choices. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

All I can say is - as teenagers we played Dungeons & Dragons on weekends. We all turned out okay. I listen to heavy and death metal to this day and have never wanted to kill people or puppies. When these two things are said to be a big aide to violence I just have to laugh. I’ve had pink hair, gone through an all black stage and been to numerous metal festivals. Rid was a true psychopath with some serious psychological issues who preyed on the weaknesses many teenagers and preteens have. Would they have said the same things if his pastimes included knitting and reading a bible?

[Bill · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was atrocious. The narrative jumps through time and from place to place with little or no indication to the reader; the author inserts bizarre tangential commentary in the work; and there are long stretches that are just boring (the chapter called “The Manhunt” is one-third manhunt and two-thirds account of the extradition of the suspects from Louisiana to Florida).

In one poorly-written tangential comment, Linedecker tries to convey the idea that Department of Social Services employees can be tight-lipped when talking about the results of an internal investigation: “[t]he social workers can be as jealous of the secrecy and inner workings of the public agencies as any fund-raising political hack or highly paid White House legal advisor.”(p.87) These little asides happen fairly frequently and only distract from the narrative that is supposed to be about vampire killers, not political fundraisers.

[beth’s bookshelf]

I am 97% sure that this is the book I’ve been looking for. I can remember being a preteen and checking out my first true crime read at the local library. It was about a group of teens and the “leader” thought he or they all were vampires, and a member’s parents end up being killed. That’s literally all I could remember, but I almost positive this is that book! I’m going to reread to confirm!😂

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprehensive but sensational coverage of the infamous Murray Vampires. My favorite part was an impressionistic description of Murray, KY. The author captured its American Graffiti-esque innocence, its rural charm, and its impoverished hopelessness and crime.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting story, but the writing is dull. The author drags it out too long and can’t manage to keep it engaging.

[X_Amytiville_X]

DNF at page 142. Just couldn’t put up with this author for another 100+ pages.

[Chris Johnson]

Meh… I really wanted to love this but it could have been 150 pages shorter and gotten to the point. So much unnecessary detail about things I didn’t care about. This author is extremely biased as well and he should have been neutral. Give me the facts without a bunch of extra crap that’s meaningless. The movie sucked too but was a lot more entertaining than this. No real update on the criminals either. There was no closure. It just ended. I had to google and go on YouTube to learn the fates of everyone. Blah to this. It’s lucky I gave it 3 stars but that’s only because it had non gruesome crime photos which I appreciated.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes you take a second look at who your children's friends are. Kids like these are someones friend, neighbor, sons and daughters. Kids you invite into your home for sleepovers and family activities. Shows you the power one peer can hold over another. Kids that just want to "Belong" blindly following a sick dark mind that was hidden until the rage took over and innocent people had to die.