Sondra London
Encyclopedia
Sondra London is an American true crime
author
who has been dubbed "the Queen of Serial Killer Groupies".
, she dated future serial killer
Gerard John Schaefer
in high school. She earned a bachelor's degree
in literature
at New College of Florida
. In 1989, she contacted Schaefer in prison and worked with him to produce Killer Fiction, which was originally sold by mail order by Media Queen Enterprises, and then later published by Feral House
. Her collection of articles by death row
prisoners Knockin' on Joe: Voices from Death Row was published by Nemesis Books in England
. Her work with Schaefer enabled Florida authorities to close two cold cases, and ended when Schaefer realized she would not represent him as a "framed ex-cop," one of his alternating self-images, as distinguished from his "greatest serial killer of modern times" posture. Not long after that, serial killer Danny Rolling
contacted her to request that she help him tell his story. Her work debriefing Rolling eventually enabled authorities to close a total of eight murders, along with a series of other capital crimes for which he had not been charged.
She collaborated with Rolling in writing The Making of a Serial Killer: The Real Story of the Gainesville Murders, a psychological memoir which included Rolling's confessions to five murders. It was illustrated by 50 pictures hand-drawn by Rolling in prison. The confessions were published in a three-part series appearing in the Globe. London was sued by the State of Florida under the Son of Sam law
, which had been declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. The two eventually became engaged, but their personal relationship ended after Florida authorities made it clear they would never allow visitation between them.
Feral House published her study of vampirism, True Vampires, in 2004. The book is illustrated by Nicolas Claux.
Keith Jesperson, a serial killer known as The Happy Face Killer, sent Sondra London a series of murder confessions, which she posted to her AOL
Home page in 1996. A year later, then-Governor of Wyoming Jim Geringer
called for a boycott of America Online, protesting that he found the items to be offensive. Although London voluntarily removed the pages in question, AOL banned her from the AOL domain, which in turn prompted an outpouring of support from all over the World Wide Web, including multiple offers of free server space. London thanked Geringer on Larry King Live
for catapulting her website into the limelight.
' First Person
television series centered on Sondra London. She has appeared on Dateline
, Turning Point
, Larry King Live, Geraldo, Leeza
, A Current Affair, and Court TV
in the United States; Channel 4
and BBC
in UK; German
and French
cable, and Australia
n ABC. She has been an associate producer for A Current Affair in the United States, and David Monaghan Productions in UK.
True crime (genre)
True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.The crimes most commonly include murder, but true crime works have also touched on other legal cases. Depending on the writer, true crime can adhere strictly to...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
who has been dubbed "the Queen of Serial Killer Groupies".
Biography
Born in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, she dated future serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Gerard John Schaefer
Gerard John Schaefer
Gerard John Schaefer was an American serial killer from Florida. He was imprisoned in 1973 for murders he committed as a Martin County, Florida Sheriff's deputy....
in high school. She earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
at New College of Florida
New College of Florida
New College of Florida is a public liberal arts college located in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded originally as a private institution and is now an autonomous honors college of the State University System of Florida.-History:...
. In 1989, she contacted Schaefer in prison and worked with him to produce Killer Fiction, which was originally sold by mail order by Media Queen Enterprises, and then later published by Feral House
Feral House
Feral House is a book publisher owned and operated by Adam Parfrey. The publisher itself describes the books it sells as "pure information", and says the topics of the books are "forbidden"....
. Her collection of articles by death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
prisoners Knockin' on Joe: Voices from Death Row was published by Nemesis Books in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Her work with Schaefer enabled Florida authorities to close two cold cases, and ended when Schaefer realized she would not represent him as a "framed ex-cop," one of his alternating self-images, as distinguished from his "greatest serial killer of modern times" posture. Not long after that, serial killer Danny Rolling
Danny Rolling
Daniel Harold Rolling , also known as The Gainesville Ripper, was an American serial killer who murdered five students in Gainesville, Florida. Rolling later confessed to raping several of his victims, committing an additional 1989 triple homicide in Shreveport, Louisiana, and attempting to murder...
contacted her to request that she help him tell his story. Her work debriefing Rolling eventually enabled authorities to close a total of eight murders, along with a series of other capital crimes for which he had not been charged.
She collaborated with Rolling in writing The Making of a Serial Killer: The Real Story of the Gainesville Murders, a psychological memoir which included Rolling's confessions to five murders. It was illustrated by 50 pictures hand-drawn by Rolling in prison. The confessions were published in a three-part series appearing in the Globe. London was sued by the State of Florida under the Son of Sam law
Son of Sam law
A Son of Sam Law is any American law designed to keep criminals from profiting from the publicity of their crimes, often by selling their stories to publishers. However, this is not in the same manner of asset forfeiture, which is intended to seize assets acquired directly as a result of criminal...
, which had been declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. The two eventually became engaged, but their personal relationship ended after Florida authorities made it clear they would never allow visitation between them.
Feral House published her study of vampirism, True Vampires, in 2004. The book is illustrated by Nicolas Claux.
Keith Jesperson, a serial killer known as The Happy Face Killer, sent Sondra London a series of murder confessions, which she posted to her AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
Home page in 1996. A year later, then-Governor of Wyoming Jim Geringer
Jim Geringer
James Edward "Jim" Geringer was the 30th Governor of Wyoming.-Early life and education:Geringer was raised on a farm in Wheatland, Wyoming. He attended Kansas State University and was a member of Triangle Fraternity, earning a degree in mechanical engineering. He served for ten years in the...
called for a boycott of America Online, protesting that he found the items to be offensive. Although London voluntarily removed the pages in question, AOL banned her from the AOL domain, which in turn prompted an outpouring of support from all over the World Wide Web, including multiple offers of free server space. London thanked Geringer on Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
for catapulting her website into the limelight.
Television
In 2000, an episode of director Errol MorrisErrol Morris
Errol Mark Morris is an American director. In 2003, The Guardian put him seventh in its list of the world's 40 best directors. Also in 2003, his film The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Early life and...
' First Person
First Person (TV series)
First Person was an American TV series produced and directed by Errol Morris. The show engaged a varied group of individuals from civil advocates to criminals....
television series centered on Sondra London. She has appeared on Dateline
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
, Turning Point
Turning Point
Turning point may refer to:* A a point at which the derivative changes sign. See stationary point, in mathematics* A climax , in narrative structure* A discrimen, one of the two marked points on a cursus or classical-period race-track...
, Larry King Live, Geraldo, Leeza
Leeza
Leeza is a daytime television talk show hosted by Leeza Gibbons. The show ran on NBC between 1994 and 2000, and was also shown on other stations in markets where the local NBC affiliate pre-empted it in favor of other programming...
, A Current Affair, and Court TV
Court TV
truTV is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The network launched as Court TV in 1991, changing to truTV in 2008...
in the United States; Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
and BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in UK; German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
cable, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n ABC. She has been an associate producer for A Current Affair in the United States, and David Monaghan Productions in UK.