True crime author writes to serial killers

True crime author writes to serial killers

For more than 20 years, Australian true crime author, Amanda Howard (pictured), has peaked into the minds of some the world's most notorious serial killers

For more than 20 years, one author has peaked into the minds of some of the world's most notorious serial killers.

True crime author, Amanda Howard, receives about 40 letters a week from across the globe.

But these handwritten letters don't come from close friends or family, they come from sadistic killers.

Howard writes to murderers as part of the research process for her true crime novels.

'Some of them are grossly pornographic. Some of them start that way and talk about erections and stuff like that,' Howard told News.com.au.

'Sometimes they want to play a game but if I say 'no, don't, I'm not interested in that', I do get an apology,' she said. 

The 43-year-old, who is from Australia, said she received one handwritten letter from Genesee River Killer Arthur Shawcross which read: 'Do you see me at night when you sleep?'

Howard has dubbed herself the 'serial killer whisperer' because she 'can get those little details out of them by asking the right questions'.

She said her ultimate goal is to use her expertise to obtain new clues from the killers she communicates with and in turn help solve crimes.

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Howard said she received one handwritten letter from Genesee River Killer Arthur Shawcross (pictured in 1989) which read: 'Do you see me at night when you sleep?'

Howard has dubbed herself the 'serial killer whisperer'. She communicates with numerous murderers and rapists, including 'Tool Box Killer' Roy Norris (right). Before murderer Richard Ramirez died in 2013, she also wrote and received letters from him

'People like Richard Ramirez, he just kept coming at me, with all of this 'I want to do this to you, I want to do that to you', and that continued until I changed post office boxes,' Howard said. Ramirez is pictured in 2007 

She said her ultimate goal is to use her expertise to obtain new clues from muderers like 'Backpacker Killer' Ivan Milat, whom she communicates with and in turn help solve crimes

'[I want] to bring a family closure, to say, "we got the guy, we got the woman, we got the killer," she told ABC.net.au.

Howard communicates with numerous murderers and rapists, including 'Backpacker Killer' Ivan Milat and 'Tool Box Killer' Roy Norris. She also wrote letters to 'Night Stalker' Richard Ramirez, before he died in 2013 at the age of 53. 

'People like Richard Ramirez, he just kept coming at me, with all of this 'I want to do this to you, I want to do that to you', and that continued until I changed post office boxes.' 

Ramirez was a rapist, burglar, and Satanist who was convicted of 13 murders.  

Howard is the author of more than a dozen true crime and fiction books, including Murder on the Mind

Milat, 72, was arrested in 1994 for the slaying of seven missing young people aged 19 to 22. He is currently serving time seven consecutive life sentences in Australia. 

Norris, 69, of Colorado, was apprehended in 1979 for raping, torturing and murdering five teen girls.

According to Howard, Norris threatened to 'put an ice pick into my ear, which is what he and his partner had done to his victims'.

Howard told the news site that the killers 'all play games' and she 'can't show weakness, otherwise, you're done'. 

'It can be really tough. You have to play the game, and sometimes you're the cat and sometimes you're the mouse. It depends who the killer is,' she added. 

But Milat was actually one of her very first contacts who was 'quite normal'.  

She said that she could even see Milat's home from her own residence.

'I would have bumped into him at the shopping center and not even known. When it's someone local and you can see the cop cars out the front, that creates that link. You go down that rabbit hole,' she said. 

'Ivan wrote to me last week and sent me twelve pages. It's not like he's just answering a question, I'm getting a little bit more from them than that, some of them slip up sometimes â€" that might create more charges,' Howard told News.com.au.   

But it all began when Howard first heard of 'The Granny Killer' John Wayne Glover (left) who killed six elderly women, when she was just a teen in 1989. However, it was David John Birnie, Australia's 'sickest serial killer' (right), who became Howard's very first contact

Howard said that sometimes she receives little trinkets along with letters from the criminals. She even received a lock of hair sent to her by death row inmate Bobby Joe Long (pictured), who abducted, raped, and murdered at least 10 women in Florida

Howard has even added Charles Manson (pictured) to her list of regular correspondents

Howard said that sometimes she receives little trinkets along with letters from the criminals. 

She even received a lock of hair sent to her by death row inmate Bobby Joe Long, who abducted, raped, and murdered at least 10 women in Florida.

But it all began when Howard first heard of 'The Granny Killer,' who killed six elderly women, when she was just a teen in 1989. 

The psychopath turned out to be pie salesman John Wayne Glover, who killed himself in 2005.

However, it was David John Birnie, who became Howard's very first contact. 

Birnie was dubbed Australia's 'sickest serial killer' as he and his wife Catherine murdered four women in their home in the 1908s.  

But since then she's added Charles Manson to her list of regulars. 

Howard is the author of more than a dozen true crime and fiction books.  

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