I have lived an unusual life. Born into extreme poverty, I have been a cat burglar, convict, college graduate, and Iowa's first prison ombudsman. I was also a pardoned ex-offender and a trained hostage negotiator. My background included working as a private investigator on dozens of murder cases and other major felonies. Besides testifying as an expert on federal prison cases, I have consulted on numerous other murder cases around the country. Also, I am the brother of a murder victim and of a convicted killer. Recently, I consulted on and appeared in two television specials, "John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise" for NBC and another John Wayne Gacy show due to appear on Netflix in April 2022. Now writing in retirement, I am working on a history of prisons in America and an autobiography. I spend my spare time studying the cases of Sherlock Holmes and raising corgis and coleus with my wife Sandra.