Jeffery Deaver
The Sleeping Doll
The first book in the Kathryn Dance series
For the G Man
After changes upon changes, we are more or less the same. After changes we are more or less the same.
– Paul Simon, "The Boxer"
SEPTEMBER 13, 1999
'SON OF MANSON' FOUND GUILTY IN CROYTON FAMILY MURDERS
SALINAS, CALIFORNIA – Daniel Raymond Pell, 35, was convicted today on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of manslaughter by a Monterey County jury after only five hours of deliberations.
"Justice has been done," lead prosecutor James J. Reynolds told reporters after the verdict was announced. "This is an extremely dangerous man, who committed horrendous crimes."
Pell became known as the "Son of Manson" because of the parallels between his life and that of convicted murderer Charles Manson, who in 1969 was responsible for the ritualistic slayings of the actress Sharon Tate and several other individuals in Southern California. Police found many books and articles about Manson in Pell's house following his arrest.
The murder convictions were for the May 7 deaths of William Croyton, his wife and two of their three children in Carmel, Calif., 120 miles south of San Francisco. The manslaughter charge arose from the death of James Newberg, 24, who lived with Pell and accompanied him to the Croyton house the night of the murders. The prosecutor asserted that Newberg initially intended to assist in the murders but was then killed by Pell after he changed his mind.
Croyton, 56, was a wealthy electrical engineer and computer innovator. His Cupertino, Calif., company, in the heart of Silicon Valley, produces state-of-the-art programs that are found in much of the world's most popular personal computer software.