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Deadly Intentions
To the world, Christina Henry's husband seemed a dedicated young doctor and perfect family man. Only Christina knew the terrifying truth about the man she wed: his rages, his maniacal fantasies, his sadistic tortures, his hoard of weapons, his murder threats. Here, written by the prosecutor who fought desperately to put Dr. Patrick Henry behind bars before he could murder Christina, is the bizarre and nightmarish story of a woman stalked by a man brilliant and twisted enough to conceive and carry out the perfect crime. --- from book's back cover
303 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 24, 2019
This is an unbelievable true crime story that is so frightening because of the bizarre personality and actions that were carried out by the perpetrator!!
February 25, 2019
Chilling. If your spouse was to one day come home and after resting he sits down and starts telling you a story. But, when you sit down to listen, you realize that what he is saying are not stories but his own fantasies. He tells you how he wonderful it would be to torture somebody. Says he would use pins to to pierce eyes. Then he would put his finger in his victims eyes and crash his eyeballs. Then he would use the pins to pierce under his victims fingernails. The pain. Firecrackers, he would use by inserting in the ass and vagina of his victim and watch as it explodes. Chilling, that was Dr. Patrick Henry's way of expressing himself to his wife.
He would psychologically torture his wife with such horrors. Unfortunately, that was not enough. He would find her weaknesses and fears and use them against her. If she fears spiders, he would collect as many as he can. If they were alligators he would get one to chase her. He enjoyed it immensely. Seeing the fear in his wife's face was his idea of heaven. Okay, that was his wife. His child he hated so much and on several occasions had attempted to kill it. Eventually he was convicted while on his way to commit the murder he has been dreaming of for the better part of his life. Thanks to the hard work of Prosecutor Stevens.
He would psychologically torture his wife with such horrors. Unfortunately, that was not enough. He would find her weaknesses and fears and use them against her. If she fears spiders, he would collect as many as he can. If they were alligators he would get one to chase her. He enjoyed it immensely. Seeing the fear in his wife's face was his idea of heaven. Okay, that was his wife. His child he hated so much and on several occasions had attempted to kill it. Eventually he was convicted while on his way to commit the murder he has been dreaming of for the better part of his life. Thanks to the hard work of Prosecutor Stevens.
July 14, 2020
I LOVED getting to see building a case from within - especially such a bizarre case!
July 5, 2026
More like 3.5 stars
What a chilling account of how Patrick Henry orchestrated the elaborate plot
I was curious about what happened to him after his release and googled around.
Apparently, his second wife reported him to the authorities.
https://medium.com/true-crime-road-tr...
"After the couple had watched a rerun of the first TV movie, Pat began spending his evenings sharpening a large hunting knife. He told Nancy he would exact revenge on Christina and the others who incarcerated him. He would concoct a reason to get Christina, Stevens, and the trial judge into a room and explode a bomb. Though Christina was now sheltered in the witness protection program, Pat thought he’d located her
He’d collected publications that described how to kill people and how to construct a bomb. In their search of a room Pat kept locked, FBI agents discovered a vial of the AIDS virus and another containing ricin. They also found marijuana and a gun, and those are what got him imprisoned again. The U.S. Attorney who prosecuted him was not widely known at the time. His name was Jeff Sessions, and thirty years later, he would become the U.S. Attorney General. Pat Henry was sentenced to another 15 years in prison."
What a chilling account of how Patrick Henry orchestrated the elaborate plot
I was curious about what happened to him after his release and googled around.
Apparently, his second wife reported him to the authorities.
https://medium.com/true-crime-road-tr...
"After the couple had watched a rerun of the first TV movie, Pat began spending his evenings sharpening a large hunting knife. He told Nancy he would exact revenge on Christina and the others who incarcerated him. He would concoct a reason to get Christina, Stevens, and the trial judge into a room and explode a bomb. Though Christina was now sheltered in the witness protection program, Pat thought he’d located her
He’d collected publications that described how to kill people and how to construct a bomb. In their search of a room Pat kept locked, FBI agents discovered a vial of the AIDS virus and another containing ricin. They also found marijuana and a gun, and those are what got him imprisoned again. The U.S. Attorney who prosecuted him was not widely known at the time. His name was Jeff Sessions, and thirty years later, he would become the U.S. Attorney General. Pat Henry was sentenced to another 15 years in prison."
May 30, 2023
A gripping, weird, and (I hope) unique crime story. There can't be another guy on the planet like this, can there? It makes my heart sink to think this all went down before there were any meaningful laws against this kind of behavior in my home country. They're really not that much better even now. Certainly not good enough to protect this man's victims. Sometimes all you can do is change your name and move where you can't be found. This is one of those stories that's unforgettable because you know it isn't over.
April 8, 2019
I live inTucson, Arizona. I still remember this case. The place for the daycare center is still here. This happened the year after my family moved here. I am still amazed that he was hired to work at the VA. He shouldn’t have gotten that job after this. He is and always will be one sick person.
January 8, 2023
Crazy good true story.
July 9, 2022
Ok book, easy read. I watched the made for TV movies back in the 80's, otherwise probably would not have thought it was so good. Decent true crime.
January 10, 2012
The Ex-husband from Hell
The story begins with a passenger dressed in a ridiculous disguise and carrying a suspicious briefcase boarding an airplane on Dec. 6, 1977. He is Dr. Patrick Henry, bound for Tucson to murder is ex-wife. He promised her during the two years they were married that he would kill her in a horrific manner if she ever left him.
The murder attempt failed, but the preparation behind the attempt combined with Dr. Henry's sadistic personality convinced William Randolph Steven, the Chief Criminal Prosecutor of Pima County, Arizona, that the doctor would try again. Conviction of Dr. Henry for the crime of attempted murder was vital to secure the safety and survival of Christina.
The book is organized into four parts: the revelation of the strange and incriminating contents of Dr. Henry's briefcase at the Tucson airport, the marriage of Patrick Henry and Christina Bellios, the investigation of the attempted murder of Christina, and the trial of Dr. Henry.
The second section in which Christina relates her marital history with Patrick is sad, terrifying and profoundly ugly. Truly her husband was a sadistic sociopath. I found myself emotionally engaged from the beginning. Christina had to be protected.
The third section dealing with the investigation reads quickly - each piece of evidence brings into focus the sinister plot.
The final section deals with the trial. Much of the proceedings are related verbatim. Stevens is an excellent writer - as precise in his account of the crime as he is in his legal arguments. The fact that the events really happened resonates long after the final page.
The story begins with a passenger dressed in a ridiculous disguise and carrying a suspicious briefcase boarding an airplane on Dec. 6, 1977. He is Dr. Patrick Henry, bound for Tucson to murder is ex-wife. He promised her during the two years they were married that he would kill her in a horrific manner if she ever left him.
The murder attempt failed, but the preparation behind the attempt combined with Dr. Henry's sadistic personality convinced William Randolph Steven, the Chief Criminal Prosecutor of Pima County, Arizona, that the doctor would try again. Conviction of Dr. Henry for the crime of attempted murder was vital to secure the safety and survival of Christina.
The book is organized into four parts: the revelation of the strange and incriminating contents of Dr. Henry's briefcase at the Tucson airport, the marriage of Patrick Henry and Christina Bellios, the investigation of the attempted murder of Christina, and the trial of Dr. Henry.
The second section in which Christina relates her marital history with Patrick is sad, terrifying and profoundly ugly. Truly her husband was a sadistic sociopath. I found myself emotionally engaged from the beginning. Christina had to be protected.
The third section dealing with the investigation reads quickly - each piece of evidence brings into focus the sinister plot.
The final section deals with the trial. Much of the proceedings are related verbatim. Stevens is an excellent writer - as precise in his account of the crime as he is in his legal arguments. The fact that the events really happened resonates long after the final page.
January 14, 2021
Creepy doctor stalks his ex-wife with the intention of killing her. Standard true crime fare.
March 29, 2011
I used to work with the author...good book and movie.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews