A Need to Kill: Final Justice

I have spent years covering the crimes of Nebraska Serial Child killer John Joubert--and have written what I believe to be the definitive book on his case.xa0 In the spirit of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood my book is written as a non-fiction novel, telling the story from all angles.In a series of face-to-face interviews, Joubert explains to me in detail what drove his "need to kill."This book is a must-read for those who follow true-crime history. From the Inside Flap Back in his own world, John Joubert lay on the bed. Over and over again, he relived the crime.xa0 Once more he saw the paperboy lying bound in the weeds, listened to his pleas for mercy, felt the knife cutting into the young flesh.Over and over.It had been perfect.xa0 Everything had gone as planned.xa0 He lay back on the bed pleasantly tired and listened to his heart hammering in his chest.xa0 This morning, he had taken his fantasies a step further, and he found that he liked the feeling of power it gave him.Now, drowsy and satisfied, the airman drifted off to sleep, his ears still ringing with the shouts: "Please don't kill me.xa0 Please." Justice is finally served in the case of a young man who confused pain with pleasure and became obsessed with death. For 116 days he terrorized the metro area of Omaha, Nebraska, killing two young boys and leading lawmen on a massive manhunt. What drove the scoutmaster and United States Airman to kill? Was Nebraska the second stop on his killing spree? This is the chilling true story of John Joubert, chronicled by the writer who has come closest to finding the truth. Mark Pettit is the author of A Need to Kill. The book chronicles the life and crimes of John Joubert Nebraska's most notorious serial child killer. Joubert pled guilty to killing two young boys in Nebraska in 1983 and was executed for his crimes in 1996. Pettit was the first reporter to interview Joubert and held a number of face-to-face meetings with Joubert, during which time the former Eagle Scout and Air Force airman admitted to a string of violent crimes including a third murder in Maine. Pettit is a former TV anchorman and investigative reporter (CNN,WXIA-TV,KMTV-3) and has won three Emmy awards for his work. Read more