Hearst to Hughes

About this book

Dr. Lunde takes us behind the scenes in some of the most celebrated and controversial criminal and civil trials of the past fifty years. As one of the pioneers in the field now known as forensic psychiatry, he interviewed people like Patty Hearst and the Hillside Strangler and consulted with judges and attorneys in hundreds of cases in his illustrious career. After reviewing extensive evidence and interviewing witnesses, Dr. Lunde often served as a key witness in trials involving people like Howard Hughes, who were the subjects of much speculation but few actual factual investigations. As a well-known Stanford psychiatrist, he was able to uncover the reasons why people committed outrageous and sometimes unspeakable acts which shocked their communities and even the world. This book reveals previously unpublished details of the way in which doctors and other professionals go about trying to understand an event and then see that justice is served. One such event discussed is the mass murder/suicide of almost one thousand Americans in a remote South American jungle clearing called Jonestown. This memoir contains stories which are stranger than fiction but that actually happened. They are told by someone who was in a unique position to learn about them and who now shares the experience with the reader.