Jump to content

Defending the Devil

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Defending the Devil: My Story as Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer
AuthorPolly Nelson
LanguageEnglish
SubjectTed Bundy trial; capital punishment
PublisherWilliam Morrow & Company
Publication date
1994
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages336
ISBN0688108237
OCLC28722570
LC ClassKF224.B86 N45

Defending the Devil: My Story as Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer is a 1994 nonfiction book written by American lawyer Polly Nelson, who was a member of serial killer Ted Bundy's legal defense team from 1986 to his execution in 1989. It was published by William Morrow & Company.[1]

Description

[edit]

Nelson was Bundy's final lawyer before his execution in 1989.[2] The book describes her attempts to spare Bundy the death penalty, and gives her impressions of him as a person, calling him, "the very definition of heartless evil".[3]

Court case

[edit]

Nelson sued novelist John Grisham in 1995, alleging his book The Chamber had striking similarities to her work.[4] After Grisham prevailed in a lower court ruling in 1996, the case was dismissed on appeal in 1997.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Defending the Devil: My Story as Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer (review)". Publishers Weekly. July 4, 1994.
  2. ^ Kramer, Victor H. (Spring 1995). "Defending the Devil: My Story as Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer (review)" (PDF). Constitutional Commentary. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Law School: 125–128.
  3. ^ Nelson, Polly (1994). Defending the Devil: My Story as Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer. New York City: William Morrow. p. 319. ISBN 978-0-688-10823-6.
  4. ^ Owens, John B. (August 2001). "Grisham's Legal Tales: A Moral Compass for the Young Lawyer". UCLA Law Review. 48 (6). Los Angeles, California: 1431.
  5. ^ Kelly, Keith J. (October 10, 1997). "Suit Doesn't Fit Grisham". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2011-06-23.