In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption

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People probably wouldn't understand the mounting pressure, that kettle's ready to boil over at any time, ya know, and it just felt good to unload on the guy," James Keene told Dateline. "I'm disappointed I didn't wait another day or two at least. I should have waited a few more days." However, Keene pointed out that the confessions and information he got from Hall led to the reopening of several cold cases that may have involved the alleged serial killer. "I did a good deed, and I did a lot of good things. And that's where I feel the redemption comes in. I've done something good for the things that I did wrong." The information Keene got out of Hall was instrumental in Hall losing his appeal and remaining in prison. Levin's research really revealed how Hall's meek doughboy facade belied a cunning intelligence capable of the terrible crimes of which he was accused. I couldn't stop thinking that the "wannabe" role he played with the local cops allowed him to hide in plain sight. For Keene's part, he's definitely a flawed hero but one that seems genuine in seeing the error of his ways. You definitely root for him.

After managing to get Hall's confession regarding Roach, Keene waited a short time before asking him about Reitler. When he did, Hall allegedly confessed that he did kidnap and kill the victim. While Jessica Roach's case was closed, the disappearance of 19-year-old Tricia Reitler remained unsolved. To give her parents some semblance of peace, prosecutor Beaumont hatched a plan. Jimmy nonchalantly grabbed it with his cuffed hands and lifted up the flap, putting on his best poker face to mask his reaction to whatever he saw inside. Still, nothing could have prepared him for the first glossy photograph he pulled from the folder. This was not a picture of a drug dealer or local big shot. Instead, he saw the battered naked body of a young woman, sprawled between rows of standing corn. Her skin was torn and discolored. As best he could with the cuffs, Jim turned over photo after photo of the grisly scene, first thinking, “Are they trying to pin this on me, too?”The novel follows young Jimmy Keene in the marijuana business. However, the business was undoubtedly dangerous. The job included surviving street shootings, brawls, and other dangerous situations. Do you recall any specific situations in which your life was in danger? My advice is don’t get involved. I know it’s easier said than done. I know it is extremely hard from concerns and needs of financial survival and extreme peer pressure, but in the end it is just not worth it. As a young man I never had a clue as to how extremely draconian the drug laws are. It never even was a thought and I suspect that most young people who get caught up in the drug business out there also do not realize how draconian the drug laws are, especially conspiracy laws. Now, in April 2023, James Keene just published his third book in the autobiographical franchise and titled it ‘The Chicago Phoenix: Jimmy Keene’s Untold Story’, which follows him prior to going to prison. Comic Years had an amazing opportunity to receive exclusive information about James Keene’s latest novel. James Keene about The Chicago Phoenix Keene – who now works as a consultant helping authorities profile serial offenders – was released from Springfield in 1999. But he was deeply affected by his time in Springfield, surrounded by the worst or most insane offenders in America, men with “no soul left” and no hope of release, unpredictable and violent. In a letter to his sister, Keene wrote: “The inhuman screams of the patients around me sounded like something straight out of Dante’s Inferno.”

Initially, Keene did not want to take part in the sting. But he changed his mind after his father Big Jim (played by Liotta) had a stroke that threatened his life. The thematic link between the two becomes explicit. Does Levin believe that the FBI made a similar connection between the men? “For Jimmy to somehow be able to communicate with him,” says Levin, “it has to touch on some of those similar nerves... he has to seem sympathetic with him, before Larry would confess. And that was the button that he could push. My parents divorced when I was 10 years old with 4 years of a prior crossfire hurricane between them. During the separation and after their divorce my Dad was gone and not present in the family home any longer. My Mom had a new huge pressuring responsibility to now raise us kids on her own. Unfortunately the pressure was too great for her alone by herself that she succumbed to it all. Reitler's body has still not been found and her family told Dateline that they were frustrated Keene had failed to find out where she was allegedly buried by Hall. Lol, way too many to count. One particular life or death situation I got caught up in is described in chapter 5 “The Heat is On” in my new book. The country was completely dry, no marijuana could be found. I got a call from a close friend in Arizona who said that he had a connection that could get us all the marijuana we could handle. I flew to Arizona, and met the guy who ran a notorious biker gang.Levin believes that Hall’s relationship with his twin is what’s “absolutely key to understanding him” – how “abandoned” he felt when the brother left the house to live with a girlfriend. “He had lost not just his best friend, but a huge part of his life – almost like a part of himself – and no surprise, a lot of the women killed looked a lot like that first girlfriend the brother had.” Jimmy Keene grew up outside of Chicago. Although he was the son of a policeman and rubbed shoulders with the city's elite, he ended up on the wrong side of the law and was sentenced to ten years with no chance of parole. And I just reached over and I kind of slapped him on the shoulder and I said, 'Thanks a lot. I appreciate that from a cool guy like you.'" The U.S. Attorney and FBI rewarded Keene’s efforts in 1996 with early release and a completely clean record. Officials have been unable to find the remains of any of Hall’s additional victims. However, based on the new evidence Keene uncovered, Larry Hall's appeal was denied. Hall remains in prison and has confessed to over twenty murders during his incarceration. [9] He is serving a life sentence without parole in Butner, North Carolina, [12] and officials believe he may be responsible for up to 40 murders. [6] Media coverage [ edit ]

He decided to finally let out the disgust and anger toward Hall that he had been bottling up ever since Hall had opened up about some of his brutal crimes against young women. "I went across to his cell over there," recalled Keene. "The repulsiveness I felt about him throughout the whole time I had to stay being his friend and the disdain and dislike I had for him, that I thought it was good for me to unload on him and tell him what I really thought of him and who he really was. I said, 'You know, I'm gonna be going home tomorrow, Larry,' and I said, 'You're a crazy killer,' and I started calling him everything you can think of." a b Keene, James & Hillel Levin (2010). In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781429965590. I did a good deed, and I did a lot of good things," he said in the TV interview. "That's where I feel the redemption comes in. I've done something good for the things that I did wrong." Lastly, do you plan on writing more novels in the near future? I think that fans across the world sympathize with everything you’ve gone through. They admire the empire you built with your bare hands. Do you agree that your books serve as a reminder that anyone can pave the way for themselves, no matter how difficult their lives get?All I can really say about this is that I enjoyed the Apple+ series much, much more than I did the book on which it's based. That's unusual for me, although it's also kind of rare for me to still seek out the source material after I've watched a movie or series, but I loved the screen adaptation so much I thought I'd like to dig deeper.