Les MacDonald

 Here are a few reviews for Hell Hath No Fury 2: More Women Who Kill.

 

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Hoping for a volume 3 soon 5 Feb. 2015

By Conda V. Douglas - Verified Purchase Format:Kindle Edition

 "I read volume 2 after reading and enjoying volume 1 and enjoyed 2 even more so. Why? Because I'd never read about the huge majority of these women who kill cases before. Volume one had more famous cases, but was well worth the read as the stories were well researched and well edited and written. One caveat: even though I'm an avid reader of true crime, I made sure to be in a "correct" true crime mood when reading this book. Some of the stories are about women killing their kids and that can be a depressing read if I'm not in the right mood."

 

 

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed this book 22 Feb. 2015

By Gail - Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

 "This is the second book I've read by Les and Tristan MacDonald. I enjoyed them both. Easy read and flows smoothly. I'll be reading more of their books."

 

 

 

Here is the chapter list for Hell Hath No Fury 2: More Women Who Kill

 

 

Part I: Women Who Kill Children

 

1.) Lois Jurgens

2.) Shaquan Duley

3.) Lillie Mae Curtis

4.) Deanna Laney

5.) Sharon Flanagan

6.) Jessica Tata

7.) Maggie Young

8.) Claudette Kibble

9.) Christine Falling

10.) Jessica Dutro

11.) Tiffany Hall

12.) Amanda Ham

13.) Dora Luz Buenrostro

14.) Kiana Barker

15.) Martha Johnson

16.) Christine Adewunmi

17.) Catherine Murch

18.) Lisa Cochran

19.) Eryn Allegra

20.) Brenda Cutro

21.) Debra Jenner-Tyler

22.) Cathy Sarinana

23.) Charlene Dorcy

24.) Lyndsey Fiddler

25.) Connie Villa

26.) Maria del Rosio Alfaro

27.) Tonya Hawks

28.) Andrea Giesbrecht

29.) Megan Huntsman

30.) Lindsey Lowe

31.) Dianne O’Dell

32.) Naomi Gaines

33.) Khoua Her

 

Part II: Women Who Kill Their Husbands

 

34.) Susan Grund

35.) Shari Tobyne

36.) Della Dante Sutorius

37.) Marissa DeVault

38.) Judith Hawkey

 

Part III: Assorted Women Who Kill

 

39.) LaTosha Cunningham

40.) Ma Duncan

41.) Sheila LaBarre

42.) Anna Mansdotter

43.) Irina Gaidamachuk

 

 

  This is the chapter on Deanna Laney

 

                                         

 

New Chapel Hill, Texas 2003: In the spring of 2003 there were signs that all might not be quite right with Deanna Laney. Her sister would later say Deanna was losing weight and constantly reading her Bible. Still, there were no real red flags that could prepare anyone for the events of May 9, 2003 in New Chapel Hill.

 

  Keith and Deanna Laney had three sons. Joshua was eight years old, Luke was six and Aaron was 14 months old. The couple was known to be “deeply religious” and both were devout members of the Assembly of God church. Deanna did not have a history of mental illness but there were those early signs that something was wrong. When the baby had an abnormal bowel movement, Deanna took it to mean that she was not properly digesting the word of God. Later, she smelled sulfur and took that to mean that Satan was in the general vicinity. Meanwhile, Keith did not notice anything wrong with his wife. No mood swings – nothing that would indicate the tragedy that was to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                    The Laney family: Keith, Deanna, Joshua and Luke

 

 

    One day in early May, Deanna’s delusions became worse. When she saw Aaron playing with a toy spear, she took it as a sign from God that she was to stab her children to death. She resisted the orders from above but on May 9 she saw Aaron squeezing a frog. To Deanna, this was another message from God. This time God was telling her to strangle the children. She resisted yet again. Finally, the baby was playing with a small rock. Now, God was telling the mother of three to stone her kids to death.  This time Deanna did not resist. Fourteen month old Aaron cried out when his mother smashed his head with a rock. His cries woke Keith who got out of bed to check on the baby. When Keith got to Aaron’s room, he found his wife standing over the crib blocking his view. Deanna assured her husband that everything was alright. Keith went back to bed but everything was not alright. Deanna then held a pillow over Aaron’s head in an attempt to finish him off. She then left the room. There was still much to do. Six year old Luke was next. She took the half awake boy outside in his underwear and smashed his head in with a rock. She then dragged the boy over to a darker corner of the yard. Next, she brought Joshua outside and did exactly the same thing to the eight year old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                              Deanna’s mugshot

 

  

Deanna then calmly walked back into the house and called 911. In a voice that showed no emotion, she told the operator. “I killed my boys.” When the first responders arrived, they found Aaron still alive in his crib. He would survive but would be severely impaired for the rest of his life. The police found Joshua and Luke covered with large rocks that Deanna had placed on top of them. Deanna was standing alone in blood-soaked clothes. Keith woke up to the horrific scene as his wife was being arrested.

 

   Many drew parallels between Deanna and Andrea Yates who had drowned her five children in Houston just two years previous. Both women were deeply involved with their churches. Yates had said that it was Satan who ordered her to murder her children while Deanna was claiming that she was acting on God’s orders. Despite suffering from severe post-partum depression/psychosis, Yates was found to be sane and was sentenced to life in prison. It would be a very different verdict in Deanna’s case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                            Deanna in the courtroom

 

 

  There was never any question as to who had committed the murders. The only question to be debated during the 2004 trial was Deanna’s sanity. If found sane Deanna, like Andrea Yates, would spend most of the rest of her life in prison. Five experts examined Deanna. The prosecution hired two. The defence hired two and the judge himself hired one. All five experts agreed and testified that, in their opinion, Deanna Laney was suffering from a “severe mental illness” on the day of the murders. In his closing argument, District Attorney Bingham spoke about the brutality of the crimes. Bingham: “It was graphic, it was horrific and it was brutal. Speaking about Joshua’s death, he said that “he got strike after strike after strike on his head to the point that his brains were coming out of his head like liquid.” Tonda Curry spoke for the defence: “There was no crying. She was insane. There is no other answer.”

  

The jury deliberated for seven hours before returning with a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. Deanna would be treated for her mental illness in the maximum security Vernon State Hospital and, in 2005, was transferred to the minimum security Kerrville State Hospital. Just over a year after her trial, Deanna was getting day passes to leave the hospital grounds. In 2011 during a closed door hearing, four mental health experts testified that she was no longer mentally ill. In May 2012, she was released. It was almost exactly nine years to the day that Deanna had murdered her two sons and left a third severely handicapped.

 

  There were those who were very upset with Deanna’s release. Sheriff J.B. Smith: “I believe that most of us in law enforcement were under the impression that Deanna Laney would be hospitalized for the rest of her life.” District Attorney Bingham wanted the public to know that his office was not responsible for Deanna’s release. He also said that Judge Christy Kennedy “did what she had to do and followed the law.” Judge Kennedy: “Witnesses testified that Deanna Laney was not likely to cause harm to herself… that she was not likely to cause serious harm to others and that she was not experiencing substantial mental deterioration of her ability to function independently. All witnesses testified that there was no further need for Deanna Laney to continue in-patient treatment.”

 

  The last words go to Keith Laney who has divorced Deanna and now lives with and cares for Aaron who is now 12 years old.  “I wouldn’t want anyone to have to go through what I went through. It is very difficult – every day. You don’t get up and just forget it. It’s on your mind every day…24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It never leaves. You never forget it. You miss your boys every day.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                    © Copyright by Les MacDonald and Tristan MacDonald