Bully: Does Anyone Deserve to Die?: A True Story of High School Revenge

In 1993, seven young people from the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, area joined together to kill Bobby Kent, an acquaintance of them all. In the group were Marty Puccio, Bobby's lifelong friend; Lisa Connelly, a sullen and overweight girl obsessed with Marty, her first boyfriend; and Alice (Ali) Slay, a former teenage prostitute and Bobby's chief sexual partner. All seven were white and middle-class, described by one detective as ""mall-rat wannabes,"" and all were indulged by their parents. Bobby was a latent homosexual and a sadist, the latter tendency increased by heavy use of steroids. He regularly beat Marty and Ali and delighted in teasing and abusing the mentally handicapped. The murder plot was hatched by Lisa, and Marty was one of the major participants, two of whom turned state's evidence. The other five were found guilty, with sentences ranging from death (Marty) to life (Lisa) and other long prison terms. Houston Chronicle staffer Schutze (Cauldron of Blood) has captured the mindset of the intellectually and emotionally shallow killers: far from feeling remorse or regret, without exception they admitted to feeling put upon, if not victimized, by the law and its agents. A chilling tale. Photos not seen by PW. (Mar.)