Travis Hallden Holt
In 1998 I interviewed an inmate convicted of one of the most brutal and senseless murders in Florida history. Within the sterile, cinder-block walls of a maximum security prison, a baby-faced, 15-year-old boy recounted that gruesome afternoon.
By all appearances, he looked the most unlikely of killers. He sat in my office with prison blues hanging loosely over his petite, lanky frame. He looked like a boy who should be bagging groceries or stumbling through school hallways hunched over by an overstuffed book bag. But that is not what made this case unique. Forty-eight times he had plunged a knife into the chest of a retired teacher, and even more unsettling was his unwavering insistence that those actions had seemed not by his own will.
He calmly recounted that he felt a presence in the room during the murder. He didn’t look directly at it, but he nevertheless felt it standing in the corner as though watching the ordeal. The boy also had an overwhelming sense that the presence took great pleasure in the murder, feeding off the ghastly scene. The boy further stated he didn’t feel in control of his own actions. He described it using the analogy of being in the backseat of his own mind, like an observer, and someone else was behind the controls, someone else was driving. In other words, the boy claimed he was possessed.
Spirit possession has occurred in all cultures throughout history, recorded as long ago as the first century. Even today, there’s no shortage of cases like this, with puzzling behavior that we can’t seem to wrap our minds around, and that generate more questions than answers. Of course, spirit possession isn't a legal defense. The boy’s “supernatural” account never made it to the courtroom, and didn’t have to since the case was not tried. It was what they call a “negotiated plea.” He had pled guilty in exchange for a life sentence without the possibility for parole. He had made no attempt to defend himself, and seemed glad to be forever locked inside a secure facility. What added to the peculiarity of the crime was that the boy had no priors. He wasn’t on drugs. And as far as I could see, he had no motive to commit this murder.
That interview was the initial inspiration behind Unholy Bargain. Based in part on a true event, Unholy Bargain is a work of fiction about spirit possession and explores the invisible, dark influences behind perplexing murders, contract killings negotiated in the spirit realm, and relationships that transcend the physical world.
By all appearances, he looked the most unlikely of killers. He sat in my office with prison blues hanging loosely over his petite, lanky frame. He looked like a boy who should be bagging groceries or stumbling through school hallways hunched over by an overstuffed book bag. But that is not what made this case unique. Forty-eight times he had plunged a knife into the chest of a retired teacher, and even more unsettling was his unwavering insistence that those actions had seemed not by his own will.
He calmly recounted that he felt a presence in the room during the murder. He didn’t look directly at it, but he nevertheless felt it standing in the corner as though watching the ordeal. The boy also had an overwhelming sense that the presence took great pleasure in the murder, feeding off the ghastly scene. The boy further stated he didn’t feel in control of his own actions. He described it using the analogy of being in the backseat of his own mind, like an observer, and someone else was behind the controls, someone else was driving. In other words, the boy claimed he was possessed.
Spirit possession has occurred in all cultures throughout history, recorded as long ago as the first century. Even today, there’s no shortage of cases like this, with puzzling behavior that we can’t seem to wrap our minds around, and that generate more questions than answers. Of course, spirit possession isn't a legal defense. The boy’s “supernatural” account never made it to the courtroom, and didn’t have to since the case was not tried. It was what they call a “negotiated plea.” He had pled guilty in exchange for a life sentence without the possibility for parole. He had made no attempt to defend himself, and seemed glad to be forever locked inside a secure facility. What added to the peculiarity of the crime was that the boy had no priors. He wasn’t on drugs. And as far as I could see, he had no motive to commit this murder.
That interview was the initial inspiration behind Unholy Bargain. Based in part on a true event, Unholy Bargain is a work of fiction about spirit possession and explores the invisible, dark influences behind perplexing murders, contract killings negotiated in the spirit realm, and relationships that transcend the physical world.
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more