Deconstructing the Boogieman

Synopsis

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In 1984, a vision of his bloodied sister Judi shocked twelve-year-old Cory Reeder awake from his nightmare. The next morning, his life changed forever when that dream became a reality. Judi was found dead in her bathtub, with thirty stab wounds, raped, and sodomized. Detectives called it the most savage crime they'd seen, something only a monster could do. After an intense investigation, capture, and trial, that boogieman had a name: Shane Lynn Wagner.

Conviction does not promise closure. The effects of Judi’s murder continued to ripple through Cory’s life as his mom grew depressed and soon died of cancer. His family unit in shambles, Cory lost himself to heavy metal music, alcohol, and self-mutilation. For twenty years, he wandered an addict's wasteland of failed dreams, relationships, and missed opportunities. Making matters worse, Wagner became eligible for parole. Cory, now in his thirties and fearing the villain who ruined his life may be freed, dedicated himself to writing letters, hopefully assuring Wagner would remain behind bars forever.

Vengeance takes its toll. After twenty-five years of hard drinking, Cory admitted he was an alcoholic. While getting sober, he was forced to reconcile the blackest spot upon his heart. Decades of blame and hate had only made life worse, so Cory turned to the one solution he feared most, forgiveness. Thirty-five years after his sister's death, Cory traveled to meet his sister’s killer face to face. Out of the hottest fires, the strongest steel is forged. Finally confronting his nemesis, Cory delivered an impassioned speech of forgiveness to the parole board. In a split second, Cory unexpectedly found himself released from his own prison of self-delusion.

My memoir is equal parts horror show, true crime, 80s teenage time capsule, ascent into addiction, and recovery. I wish there had been a teacher, mystic, or angel who could’ve brought me to tell the story sooner, but there wasn’t. In our polarized world, I’d like my story to inspire others to find a personal pathway to freedom. Deconstructing my decades of pain, fear, and hate led me to redemption, which in turn gave me the courage to face the boogieman I’d feared most, the one within myself.

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER ONE…