Dying to Get Married: The Courtship and Murder of Julie Miller Bulloch

Julie Miller was the daughter of a relatively old, remote father and an extremely overprotective mother; her parents died within four years of each other and she took on the job of seeing them through their lengthy final illnesses. Socially stunted and exceedingly passive (enough to be hospitalized for psychiatric ills), she retained adolescent dreams of a white knight who would carry her off. Dennis Bullock, a handsome, once-divorced and manipulative young man, a business consultant, married her for her money and her passivity; he was a devotee of sadomasochistic sex, especially bondage, which gave him total control. St. Louis, Mo., television reporter Harris, who covered the case, argues that Dennis killed his wife in 1986 and tried to burn her body. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and, after two trials for arson and tampering with evidence, was found guilty of both those charges as well. His sentences amounted to 19 years but he has been released on bond pending appeal for a new trial. In this fine true-crime tale, Harris points up the tragedy of Julie's life and makes telling comments about the defects of the jury system. Photos not seen by PW. (Oct.)