Excerpt: The Unknown Darkness
Former FBI agent Gregg McCrary has tackled hundreds of tough criminal cases for more than 25 years.
At the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., McCrary analyzed crimes and crime scenes, constructed behavioral profiles and provided threat assessments of criminal offenders.
He conducted research regarding violent offenders and their crimes and continues to provide training in these matters throughout the world.
He has provided expert witness testimony in homicide and rape trials, and has consulted on thousands of cases. In addition, he has provided training regarding violence-related issues to state, local, federal and international agencies.
His work in violent crime has also been highlighted in several television documentaries, including PBS' "The Mind of a Serial Killer," which was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1992.
Since retiring from the FBI in 1995, McCrary has provided expert testimony in civil and criminal litigation. He also provides expert commentary to NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, The Discovery Channel and The Arts and Entertainment Network.
McCrary is an adjunct professor of forensic psychology at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and at Marymount University in Arlington, Va.
Read excerpts from Gregg McClary's first book, "The Unknown Darkness: Profiling the Predators Among Us."
The descriptions were vague of a rapist who stalked women as they got off the bus at night to go home. It was difficult for investigators to get a good lead. They weren't even sure they had a single offender, but several victims had described a man with light brown hair, a solid build, and a young voice. Most of them placed him in his early twenties, although one woman believed he was only eighteen. He'd started with fondling and vulgar talk, which were frightening enough, but within a year, he'd escalated to more serious offenses. As we looked over the cases, we had reason to worry.
Who murdered Marilyn Sheppard? Was it a "bushy-haired stranger," as many people believe, or perhaps a pair of killers? Did she bite her attacker? Did her killer bleed at the scene? Was she raped or just posed to make the police think so? Was it a drug crime, a burglary that broke bad, or an affair that went sour?
These are among the questions and controversies swirling around one of America's most enduring murder mysteries – one in which I was to become totally immersed, playing an entirely different role.
In the continuing struggle to understand the complicated pathology of violence, every avenue must be explored. Law enforcement, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, geneticists, criminologists, sociologists, forensic scientists, and members of society at large are all stakeholders in the results. By working interdependently, the light from each of these unique perspectives becomes a splendid torch illuminating the unknown darkness and offering the best hope for deliberative action and meaningful interventions. We need to make it burn as brightly as possible before passing this light on to future generations.