Author John Wesley Anderson
My name is John Wesley Anderson. I am a former homicide detective, turned full-time author after retiring from a 30-year law enforcement career. I hold an MBA, from Regis University, and am the author of seven published books. Â
I began my law enforcement career with the Colorado Springs Police Department in 1972, which is where I first met the legendary Detective Lou Smit. I eventually became one of Lou’s detective partners and we worked major investigations together for over six years. I taught entry-level to advanced criminal investigation courses, was president of two forensic science organizations and became court qualified as an expert in forensics including bloodstain pattern interpretation and crime scene reconstruction. Â
In 1995 I retired from the police department, at the rank of sergeant, when I was elected Sheriff for El Paso County, Colorado. On my first day in office I appointed Lou Smit to be my Captain of Detectives and put him in charge of the unsolved kidnapping-murder investigation of 13-year-old Heather Dawn Church. Within four months, Lou and his team had made an arrest in the 4-year-old cold case. The suspect pled guilty to two counts of 1st Degree Murder and is currently serving two life sentences. Three months after the murder of JonBenét Ramsey, I was asked by Alex Hunter, the Boulder District Attorney, if I would recommend he hire Lou Smit to be a detective with the Boulder DA’s Office Ramsey Task Force. I strongly encouraged DA Hunter to hire Lou and shared that I consider Lou to be the best detective I have ever met. Lou was my best friend and served as best man at my wedding in 1997. Â
In 2003 I retired after a 30-year law enforcement career and was employed for 10 years by the Lockheed Martin Corporation. In 2012 I retired from the corporate world to become a fulltime author. Â
Pictured, left to right, are Linda DuVal (Awards Chairperson, Friends of the PPLD), me, and Rita Jordan (President of the Friends of PPLD).
In 2018 the Historic Preservation Alliance of Colorado Springs presented me with the Literary Award for Excellence and was also honored to receive the Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District 2022 Golden Quill Award
Other Books by John Wesley AndersonÂ
A to Z Colorado’s Nearly Forgotten History 1776-1876 (nonfiction, first printing September 2021, hardcover, 324 pages, over 500 copies sold).
Sherlock Holmes in Little London, 1896 The Missing Year (mystery, first printing October 2020, hardcover, 318 pages, 250-350 copies sold).Â
ZacBox and the Pearls of Pleiades (science fiction, YA, first printing July 2020, softcover, 308 pages, 150-200 copies sold).
R.S. Kelly, A Man of the Territory (historical-fiction, first printing June 2019, softcover, 330 pages, 200-250 copies sold – note: screenplay is available and a 30-minute Rocky Mountain PBS documentary is available for viewing).Â
Native American Prayer Trees of Colorado (non-fiction, first printing 2018, hardcover, 118 pages, 2500-3000 copies sold – note: this is John’s best-selling book and averaged 1 book sold every day on Amazon in August 2021).Â
Rankin Scott Kelly, First Sheriff El Paso County, Colorado Territory (historical nonfiction, first printing 2017, softcover, 166 pages 250-300 copies sold – note: this book provided the backstory for the novel written by this author and a screenplay, Sheriff Kelly, which was coauthored by this author and one other author).
Ute Indian Prayer Trees of the Pikes Peak Region (nonfiction, first printing 2015-2021, hardcover, 172 pages, 2000-2500 copies sold).Â
What are the five most vital pieces of evidence that support Lou Smit’s Intruder Theory?Â
When the Ramsey home was searched, no roll of duct tape matching the tape on JonBenét’s mouth could be found anywhere in the house. Both ends of the duct tape placed over JonBenét’s mouth were torn, not cut. Same with the parachute cord. The parents didn’t own any parachute cord and none could be found […]
The Author’s Two Reasons For Writing LOU AND JONBENÉT
Two things inspired me to write LOU AND JONBENÉT, A Legendary Lawman’s Quest to Solve the Murder of a Child Beauty Queen. First, I wanted to correct the public misperception that someone in the Ramsey family was involved in the murder of six-year-old JonBenét. Second, is to communicate the fact that this case can still […]
John Wesley Anderson Responds To Boulder Police Department’s Recent Internal Investigation
On December 6, 2022, the Boulder Police Department issued a media release which began with the headline, “Internal Audit Discovers Officer Misconduct; Results in Discipline for Five Officers and Policy Changes.” The media release went on to announce: The Boulder Police Department has concluded an internal investigation process that resulted in a determination of officer […]
John Wesley Anderson Tells How His Writing Is Shaped By Conan Doyle and Gene Roddenberry
Ever since I was a little boy, I liked to read. The first book I remember reading cover to cover was Silver Blaze, a Sherlock Holmes short story written by Sir Author Conan Doyle. I think I was probably in the third grade. I was fascinated by the character, Sherlock Holmes, who possessed the investigative […]
In LOU AND JONBENÉT, Author John Wesley Anderson Reveals the Inside Story of the Failed Police Investigation Into the Kidnapping and Murder of JonBenét Ramsey
Coming February 28, 2023 On Christmas Night 1996, six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado. A ransom note was found in the home, but it was hours before her father, John, found her body in the basement. She had been strangled with a garrote and her skull was fractured. The […]
Meet Author John Wesley Anderson
My name is John Wesley Anderson. I am a former homicide detective, turned full-time author after retiring from a 30-year law enforcement career. I hold an MBA, from Regis University, and am the author of seven published books. Â I began my law enforcement career with the Colorado Springs Police Department in 1972, which is […]
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