In Blood Highway, author Sheila Johnson shares the story of Hayward Bissell, a sadistic killer who made his way from Ohio to the small town of Mentone, Alabama where he inflicted terror on the town citizens while they were paralyzed by a recent ice storm.
When his short-lived, yet very destructive, rein of terror finally came to an end on the icy streets of Mentone, police and investigators discovered the mutlitated body of his pregnant girlfriend, Patricia Booher, in the front passenger’s seat of his Lincoln.
What ensued was a twisted attempt by Bissell to convience police that he was insane by claiming to be Agent 666 with the Secret Service who had just fulfilled a mission for which he had received orders through a top secret implant in his head.
Was he really crazy and believed that he had a mission to complete? Or did he kill Patricia Booher in a fit of rage and then tried to hide his crime by attempting to kill others who got in his way? Investigators believed it was the latter reason and were ready to present their evidence to a jury in hopes of keeping Bissell behind bars for the rest of his life or, better yet, obtaining a sentence of death.
In the eleventh hour, Georgia authorities would ride in with a white knight plea that was guaranteed to keep Bissell from ever hurting anyone again….whether he was crazy or not.
This is a fast paced true crime book. Blood Highway offers an interesting study in varying state laws as regards to the criminally insane and those who attempt to abuse the insanity defense. It will be an enjoyable read for anyone who likes the true crime genre.
