THE DUMOND AFFAIR: How Lies And Politics Freed A Killer
In THE DUMOND AFFAIR: How Lies And Politics Freed a Killer, author D.R. Bartlette weaves a story of the political corruption and religious zealotry that gave birth to an anti-Bill Clinton conspiracy theory complex that led to the deaths of two women and the birth of an insurrection.
The 1984 kidnapping and rape of a small-town cheerleader in southern Arkansas might seem like a tragic crime that was only notable because the local sheriff displayed her attacker's severed testicles on his desk for months afterward. But when Ashley Stevens came forward to accuse Wayne Dumond, a 35-year-old murderer and serial rapist, she could never have imagined how her case would be thrust into the media spotlight.
An innocent teen, Stevens was attacked first by Dumond, and then by anti-Bill Clinton conspiracy theorists who accused her of lying for political reasons, and themselves lied to push their nefarious cause. Then former conservative Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee used his influence to push for the Dumond's release.
Once freed, Dumond went on to rape and murder two more women. But there's more to this story.
As Bartlette points out, the forces that came together to free Dumond eventually metastasized into the Qanon cult that the National Security Agency labeled one of the biggest national security threats since 9/11. A movement that was at least partly responsible for the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2020.
In THE DUMOND AFFAIR, Bartlette weaves a story of the political corruption and religious zealotry that gave birth to the anti-Clinton conspiracy theory complex that led to the deaths of two women and the birth of an insurrection.
About the Author D. R. Bartlette
As the weird kid who hung out in the library and had my nose in a book all the time, I fell in love with words at an early age. I always knew I was going to be a writer.
Then, when I was about eight, my Nana introduced me to a show called Quincy, M.E., which sparked my fascination with forensic crime shows. The evolution into true crime was a natural progression of my morbid curiosity.
I followed my passion for writing by earning a bachelor’s, then a master’s, in journalism. As a freelancer, I’ve written dozens of articles and essays from topics ranging from school lunches to the study of human decomposition – the weirder, the better. I was a regular writer on Medium.com for a few years, often earning Top Writer status in both the History and True Crime genres.
I never tire of learning and writing about true crime, where I can explore the theme of justice – who gets it and who doesn’t, and why.
I live in my hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas, where I also host a true crime show on YouTube, The Murder Nerd. And still hang out in the library for fun.
