Defending the Devil
 | |
| Author | Polly Nelson |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Ted Bundy trial; capital punishment |
| Publisher | William Morrow & Company |
Publication date | 1994 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 0688108237 |
| OCLC | 28722570 |
| LC Class | KF224.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
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
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
- ^ "Defending the Devil: My Story as Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer (review)". Publishers Weekly. July 4, 1994.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.