Serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells left a path of destruction across the U.S. from 1979 through 1999. It is believed he murdered 22 people, including several children (although he puts the figure at 70). A steady pursuit of self-gratification and self-preservation characterized him. Sells’ teetered precariously between periods of working, staying sober, and having a relationship with a woman, to (when things boiled over in his life), abusing alcohol and cocaine, getting fired or quitting his job, committing petty crimes, and killing people. This cycle repeated itself year after year. A Study in Crime speaks with crime writer and author Diane Fanning.
Diane Fanning is the Edgar Award-nominated, best-selling author of 15 true crime books and 11 mysteries. And recipient of the Innocence Project’s, Defender of Innocence Award. She has appeared on the Today Show, 20/20, Forensic Files, Snapped, The Biography Channel, Investigation Discovery, E!, and the BBC, and served as a consultant on 48 Hours and 14 seasons of Deadly Women. HBO Max and Lifetime, each optioned one of her books for a limited series and a movie. A former resident of South Texas, Diane now lives in the shadow of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in Bedford, Virginia.
Find her here: Website, Facebook, (Main) Facebook (True Crime), Facebook (Lucinda Pierce), Facebook (Scandal in the Secret City), X, and Instagram.
NOTES: This episode contains subject matter that may be inappropriate for some audiences. Listener discretion is advised.
Diane Fanning’s books include one anthology: Red Boots & Attitude (2002), and 11 fiction titles:
- Bite the Moon (2007)
- The Trophy Exchange (2008)
- Punish the Deed (2009)
- Mistaken Identity (2010)
- Twisted Reason (2011)
- False Front (2012)
- Wrong Turn (2013)
- Chain Reaction (2014)
- Scandal in the Secret City (2014)
- Treason in the Secret City (2016)
- Sabotage in the Secret City (2018)
And 15 non-fiction titles:
- Through the Window (2003)
- Into the Water (2004)
- Written in Blood (2005) Edgar Award finalist
- Gone Forever (2006)
- Baby Be Mine (2006)
- Under the Knife (2007)
- Out There (2007)
- The Pastor’s Wife (2008)
- A Poisoned Passion (2009)
- Mommy’s Little Girl (2009)
- Her Deadly Web (2012)
- Sleep My Darlings (2013)
- Under Cover of the Night (2014)
- Bitter Remains (2016)
- Death on the River (2019)
Sources for this episode include: Through the Window: The Terrifying True Story of Cross-Country Killer Tommy Lynn Sells by Diane Fanning.
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A Study in Crime™ is written and produced by private investigator Scott Fulmer. He is the author of the true-crime memoir, Confessions of a Private Eye, and a decorated Gulf War veteran. A nationally known private eye, he has conducted investigations throughout the U.S.; everything from fraud, theft, and cheating spouses, to murder, kidnapping, and missing persons. Scott lives in the Texas hill country near San Antonio.
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