The Locktops Radio

You are now listening to True Murder, the most shocking killers in true crime history

and the authors that have written about them. Gasey, Bundy, Dahmer, The Nightstocker,

BTK, every week, another fascinating author talking about the most shocking and infamous

killers in true crime history. True Murder, with your host, journalist and author, Dan Zufansky.

Good evening. Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his

family members for insurance money in the 70s. With the help of the savvy lawyer, he escaped

justice for years until the relative shot him dead at the funeral of his last victim.

Despite hundreds of witnesses, Maxwell's murderer was acquitted, thanks to the same attorney

who had previously defended the reverend. Sitting in the audience during the vigilante's trial

was Harper Lee, who had traveled from New York City to her native Alabama with the idea of

writing her own in cold blood. The true crime classic she had helped her friend Truman

Capote research 17 years earlier. Lee spent a year in town reporting and many more years working

on her own version of the case. Now, Casey SEPT brings this story to life from the shocking murders

to the courtroom drama to the racial politics of the deep south. At the same time, she offers a

deeply moving portrait of one of the country's most beloved writers and her struggle with fame,

success, and the mystery of artistic creativity. The book that we're featuring this evening is

Furious Hours, Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee with my special guest journalist

and author, Casey SEPT. Welcome to the program and thank you very much for this interview, Casey SEPT.

Yeah, thanks so much, Dan. It's an honor to talk with you. It's an absolute pleasure. This is a

already released last year, a big, big bestseller and rave reviews. Let's start off

immediately here with just your journalism background and what brought you to this story.

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