MURDERS ON FRATERNITY ROW

By Mike Fagan

A veteran reporter, the story’s narrator, covers a mass shooting, a vicious hate crime. The murderer barged into a Jewish fraternity house and slaughtered nine college students.
A law enforcement team, the reporter, and four bloodhounds follow the suspect through a heavily wooded area. After several days, they corner the suspect. The confrontation is so violent that it severely traumatizes the reporter. The story concludes with the journalist’s struggle with PTSD.
Not only is this novella an action-packed crime thriller, it’s also a psychological study of the reporter – how he thinks, feels, and does his job.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 21, 2024
• ISBN: 9798369418635

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Murders On

Fraternity Row

Mike Fagan

Copyright © 2024 by Mike Fagan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 03/21/2024

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

859246

CONTENTS

Dedication

Chapter 1: The Crime

Chapter 2: The Suspects

Chapter 3: The Chase

Chapter 4: The Aftermath

Dedication

This book is dedicated to those law enforcement officers who keep us safe and to the journalists who report the truth.

Chapter One

The Crime

During my 35 years with the Atlanta Star, I covered many violent, grisly crimes – strangling death of a three year-old girl, rape of a 70 year-old nun, two school shootings, the 1996 Olympic bombing, and others. However, the assignment that kept me awake at nights took place late in my career.

On Sunday afternoon, October 16, 2022, I had just finished a hilarious FaceTime call with my four year-old grandson, when my editor, Stan Domsky, phoned. He said, Pat, there’s been a mass shooting at Western Tennessee State University, eight dead, three wounded. Get there ASAP.

I’m on it, I said. What else can you tell me?

This morning about 11:00 some guy barged into the lounge of a fraternity house and opened fire, he said. That’s all I know.

I was familiar with the university and the area. In 2009 I covered the infamous golf course murders; a mad man killed three golfers as they played the Winston Country Club. Law enforcement eventually caught and killed the murderer.

I packed a suitcase and an hour later was driving west on I-40. I listened to NPR hoping to catch more information about the shooting; I learned that one of the wounded students died, bringing the total to nine, but nothing else about the crime.

Fortunately I got through Nashville without any traffic delays and stopped on I-40 for gas and a sandwich. Thirty minutes later my editor called, Pat, although the state, the feds, and campus security are involved, the Winston Police Department is in charge. They want the press to call Lt. Kari Howard, their, Public Information Officer, at 615-372-1493. She’ll get you up to speed.

OK, I answered. I’m only 20 minutes from Winston. I’ll call her after I check in at the motel.

Shortly after Stan’s call, I settled into Room 313 of the Holiday Inn and called Lt. Howard, "This is Pat Gillespie from the Atlanta Star, covering the mass shooting. I was told to call you for instructions."

She replied, Pat, I remember you. Your paper did a good job of covering the Country Club murders, one of the few outlets that didn’t sensationalize the story.

I said, I thought it was you, Lieutenant, but the last name is different.

Got remarried, she said. Found a nice man this time; we have two children.

Congratulations! I said. I often think about the lead detective. How’s Dale doing?

He’s living the good life, she said. Been retired about 10 years, travels with his wife, spoils their grandkids and plays lots of golf. I know you’ll be very busy covering this story, but if you have a pause in the action you might want to give Dale a call. He’d love to see you.

When I get a break, I’ll do that, I said.

Back to business, she announced. There’s a press conference at 8:30 tomorrow morning in our conference room. We’ll share what little information we have.

OK, I said. See you then.

I drove to campus, parked, and walked toward fraternity row. The first house I encountered was cordoned off, surrounded by yellow tape and watched by two officers. I took pictures of the crime scene and hiked around campus. I stopped several students and learned that it was the Psi Alpha Sigma house, home of the only Jewish fraternity of campus. I immediately suspected hate crime. Most of the students I met stopped to talk with me for a few minutes. They all said about the same thing, Western is a friendly campus. I can’t believe this happened here. One of the guys said he knew several of the brothers but didn’t know which ones were shot.

I continued until about 8:30, returned to the motel, fixed myself a bourbon on the rocks, and wrote my notes on what I had observed. I sent my pictures and notes my editor, showered, drank another bourbon, and slept soundly.

I arrived early for the press conference and sat in the front row. Two minutes later Barbara Patenelli, an old friend, from the Baltimore Sun sat next to me. We got caught up on our families and work. At exactly 8:30 Lt. Kari Howard stood behind the podium. I forgot how beautiful she is. Even in her drab, blue uniform, she was stunning.

She addressed the 25 reporters in attendance, Folks, we’re glad you’re here to cover this terrible crime. We ask that you report accurate information and respect the families of the victims. We will do our best to keep you informed. Based on the testimony of one of the wounded students and a security camera, at 11:06 AM yesterday a person dressed in camo pants and a camo hoodie barged into the Psi Alpha Sigma fraternity house and shot 11 students who were watching TV in the lounge. Eight of these victims were fraternity brothers and three were girlfriends. Nine are dead and two critically wounded. The shooter used an AK-47. The perp shouted something before firing, but we can’t make it out. At 11:09 he calmly left the fraternity house. Psi Alpha Sigma is the only Jewish frat on campus.

Lt. Howard paused for a drink of water and continued, "The shooter is about 5’6’’ and slender. Since we didn’t