TRUE CRIME and COKE PRESENTS: THE FIFTH NAIL - THE JOURNALS OF JOSEPH EDWARD DUNCAN - THE INTRODUCTION

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It is rare that we receive an honest look inside the mind of a serial killer. Some of the most infamous of such people are clearly deceptive, attempting to justify or glorify their crimes, or simply refuse to talk at all. Others are incapable of true insight in their behavior. 

Joseph Duncan will be remembered in the public space for his crimes; however, he was more than the serial killer of the news stories and attempts at documenting his life in print media. He was also an intelligent, articulate and sensitive person who endured many brutal and transforming experiences. His actions ruined people's lives, yet during his rampage he would see himself as an instrument of justice against a world that had ruined his own. It was only in the end of his killing spree that he clearly saw his own deception and allowed himself to be captured. 

In The Fifth Nail, with Duncan's reflections, we learn the workings of his mind and a significant amount of his personal history. In his confessions, he relates the transformative brutality of his incarceration and reveals details of the crimes for which he was arrested and sentenced to death. In his dreams, we are shown the depth and symbolism of his subconscious and his interpretations thereof. In his chronicles, we are given a first-person look at life in various jails in America and finally in a federal penitentiary on death row. 

SOURCES USED:

The Fifth Nail

The Journals of Joseph Edward Duncan III

Volume One