After 50 years covering cops, courts and crimes, longtime journalist Frank Stanfield says he still finds himself drawn to the stories where life and death intersect — and where the truth is often buried beneath layers of secrecy.

“I’ve been a newspaper reporter and editor for 50 years,” Frank says. “A lot of that has to do with reporting on the cops and courts. The reason I like doing that is because this is real life and death. This is the most dramatic thing you could possibly deal with.”

That career-long focus has shaped Frank’s fourth true-crime book, the latest in a series of works.

Frank’s previous books include Unbroken, which tells the story of Dorothy Lewis, a woman whose faith carried her through an unimaginable crime, as well as investigations into cult violence and bizarre crimes that once made national headlines. Faith, he said, often becomes a defining thread.

“If I have an element of faith,” Frank says, “that just really seals the deal for me.”

His newest book centers on a case that began with a 911 call that immediately stood out.

“This 911 operator answers the phone,” Frank says. “‘I just killed someone. My stepmother. At the cemetery.’ That’s weird, right up my alley.”

Ian Anselmo

From there, the investigation unraveled a deeply disturbing family history, exposing what Frank describes as a pattern of control, secrecy and fear that had gone unchecked for years. As the homicide investigation unfolded, long-buried allegations surfaced, relationships fractured and a community was forced to confront unsettling truths.

“There’s no secrets in a homicide investigation,” Frank says. “All this stuff comes out.”

The victim, Sue Ellen, was at the center of a deeply fractured family dynamic that came into full view only after her death. She left her husband after learning that her adult daughter, Deja, alleged she had been sexually abused by him. Outraged, Sue Ellen removed several of the children from the home and sought safety elsewhere, a decision that intensified tensions within the family.

Sue Ellen

Despite documented threats and fear, she agreed to meet her stepson at Greenwood Cemetery, a place that held significance for the family. There, investigators later determined she was strangled. It was later revealed that she was approximately six weeks pregnant at the time of her death.

The homicide triggered a sweeping investigation that exposed years of control, isolation and secrecy within the household. Testimony detailed strict rules that limited contact with the outside world, communication, media access and independence for the children. Following the killing, conflicts continued to unfold publicly, including confrontations at the cemetery and the eventual removal and cremation of Sue Ellen’s remains.

The case ultimately went to trial, where jurors were tasked with navigating complicated questions of mental health, accountability and responsibility. Frank devotes attention in the book to the challenges of insanity defenses and the conflicting testimony often presented by experts.

“Psychology is a soft science,” Frank says. “There’s going to be disagreement.”

While the trial itself delivered a final verdict, Frank said the deeper story lies in what the case reveals about family dynamics, abuse and the warning signs that can be overlooked.

“It just shows how controlling this was,” he says. “It’s the patriarch to the point of — it’s a family cult. There’s a family code. You cannot tell anybody what happens outside this family.”

Now, with decades of experience behind him, Frank said this book reflects exactly why he continues telling these stories.

“This is the real story,” he says. “You get to deal with the worst human beings on the face of the earth, and the nicest people in the world – the victims and families. It’s an incredible opportunity.”

Frank’s fourth true-crime book is available through Amazon and WildBlue Press.