Robert Spangler was born in Iowa in 1933. He married his first wife, Nancy, in 1955. The couple had two children, David and Susan. In 1978, Nancy, David, and Susan were found shot to death in their home. The deaths were assumed to be a murder suicide. Spangler married again, this time to his mistress, Sharon. They were divorced inside of ten years. Spangler married again in 1990, this time to Donna. They began having marital problems almost immediately, not a shock considering how he treated his other two wives. Despite their serious issues, Donna agreed to go on a hike with him...alone...in the woods. Lo and behold she suffers a fatal fall. The investigation into Donna's death opened the doors to investigate the previous deaths of his first wife and children. This was a wild case, and it was featured on Dateline. If you are interested in the Dateline reading list, this book is on it. It is amazing what people thing they will get away with scott free.