A Stranger Killed Katy, William D. LaRue
A Stranger Killed Katy, William D. LaRue
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

A Stranger Killed Katy
The True Story of Katherine Hawelka, Her Murder on a New York Campus, and How Her Family Fought Back

Author: William D. LaRue

Narrator: David Marantz

Unabridged: 9 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/17/2021


Synopsis

In the early morning hours of August 29, 1986, Clarkson University sophomore Katy Hawelka—bright, pretty, and full of life—strolled back to her upstate New York campus after a night out. On the dimly lit path beside the university's ice hockey arena, a stranger emerged from the darkness. The brutal sexual assault and strangulation that followed rocked the campus and the local community.

When Katy was declared brain-dead three days later, her family's nightmare had only just begun. Terry Connelly soon learned details about her daughter's death that would make her blood boil. From the bungling campus guards who could have stopped the murder, to mistakes by others that allowed the killer to wander the streets committing violence, Katy's mother became certain of one thing: The criminal justice system only meant "justice for the criminals."

A Stranger Killed Katy is the true story of a life cut tragically short, and of the fight by a grieving mother and others more than thirty years later to ensure that a killer would spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Contains mature themes.

About William D. LaRue

William D. LaRue is an award-winning journalist and former reporter and television critic for the Post-Standard in Syracuse, New York. He recently retired as an online producer for newspaper websites owned by Advance Local. A native of Potsdam, New York, he received a bachelor's degree in English from State University College at Potsdam and a master's degree in communications from Syracuse University. William, a father of two, lives in a suburb of Syracuse with his wife, Kathleen.


Reviews

This was an incredibly difficult book for me to read - as a parent, as a college administrator at a nearby college, and as a person who lives just miles away from where this murder happened. While I was just a kid in 1986 when Katy Hawelka was murdered, this book resonated deeply with me. LaRue’s ex......more

Very good, satisfying true crime This one was very victim-focused, even though the author knew the offender personally. The killer's main contribution to this book was a succession of rambling, self-serving stories about his crime that made him look worse every time he opened his mouth. The victim an......more

Goodreads review by Deana

I received an ARC of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily. After a late night out, college sophomore Katy Hawelka was caught unawares walking back to her dorm by a monster. For three days, Katy hovered between life and death until her family made the impossible decision to remove her from li......more

Awesome true crime story I met the Author who was a local man. He did a wonder job writing this book . Book was very complete and interested me as it happened with 10 miles of my home.......more