Georgetown, South Carolina is one of the oldest – and prettiest – little cities in the United States. Not the place to come if you’re looking for excitement. So when smooth-talking Stephen Stanko showed up at the nearby Public Library – he became a knight in shining armor to the elderly patrons. But Stanko was a man with a shady past… and a very bloody future.
There were many people Stephen Stanko latched onto at the library, but his strongest connection was with Christina Ling’s mother – Laura. After a couple of months, he told Christina’s mom that he had to move out of his apartment, asking if he could move in with them. And even when it came to light that Stanko had a criminal past, Laura was understanding - whatever he had done, it was behind him.
Time passed and Stanko’s claims that he could provide some of the library’s patrons with assistance - for a fee, were beginning to wear thin when no results were forthcoming. After six months, one woman finally had enough of this con-artist and called the US marshals on him… with disastrous consequences for Laura and Christina Ling. As everything began to unravel for Stanko history began to repeat itself as he lashed out at the women he was living with.
By the end of Stanko’s murderous rampage Kristina Ling lay in intensive care, her mother brutally murdered in front of her, and a man who thought of Stanko as a son had been shot to death. The target of a nationwide manhunt, Stanko was finally captured and brought to trial. Despite a defense that claimed he was not mentally competent this cold-blooded killer was finally declared guilty - and sentenced to death.
