Clifford L. Linedecker

Clifford Linedecker is an American investigative journalist and author of true crime books.

Biography

Linedecker was born in Plymouth, Indiana and graduated from Plymouth High School in 1950.[1][2] He wrote for the high school paper.[2][1] He joined the Navy in 1952,[1] and found himself stationed on a small island where some officers decided to address a problem with low morale by assigning Linedecker and four other men to start a newspaper.[2]

Linedecker met and married Yang Soon (Junko) Ri in 1957, while stationed in Yokohama, Japan.[1]

He and his wife retired to Lantana, Florida.[1]

Career

Linedecker's first job was as a reporter for the LaPorte Herald-Argus in La Porte, Indiana.[2] He later worked for many years as an editor at the National Examiner.[3] He worked for a series of newspapers, including the Terre Haute Tribune, The Times in Hammond, the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, the Times-Union in Rochester, N.Y., and The Philadelphia Inquirer.[1]

Linedecker's first published book was Psychic Spy,[1] one of three books he wrote before taking up true crime writing.[3] the three included the bestseller, My Live with Elvis, co-authored with Elvis Presley's former secretary.[3]

His first true crime book was The Man Who Killed Boys, an account of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, was published in 1980.[3]

Books

True Crime Books

• The Man Who Killed Boys. 1980.
• Children In Chains. 1981.
• Night Stalker. 1991.
• Smooth Operator: The True Story of Seductive Serial Killer Glen Rogers. New York: St. Martin's Paperbacks. 1997.
• Babyface Killers: Horrifying True Stories of America's Youngest Murderers. 1999.

Other books

• My Life with Elvis, co-authored with Becky Yancey.

References

1. "PHS names distinguished alumnus for 2005; Linedecker was newspaper, magazine journalist". South Bend Tribune. 18 June 2005. ProQuest 417308074.
2. Dukes, Howard (12 March 2006). "Evil personified; True crime author tackles story of serial killer nurse in 'Death Angel'". South Bend Tribune. ProQuest 417425786.
3. Vaughan, Don (22 January 1995). "Death on a Deadline; He Gets Death Threats from the likes of Charles Manson and Recreates Horrifying Crimes, For Author Clifford Linedecker, It's All in a Day's Work". Sun-Sentinel. ProQuest 388688771.