Book Reviews : Devil Child by Vickie L. Dawkins and Nina Downey Higgins St. Matin's; 278 pages: $4.95. (1989

• Author: Mary M. Lindgren
• DOI: 10.1177/104398628900500407
• Published date: 01 December 1989
• Date: 01 December 1989
• Subject Matter: Articles

256

Devil

Child

by

Vickie

L.

Dawkins

and

Nina

Downey

Higgins

St.

Matin’s;

278

pages:

$4.95.

(1989)

Devil

Child

is

an

account

of

~l~lahon~a’s

youngest

resident

on

Death

Row.

Dawkins

and

Higgins’

portrayal

of a

young

murderer,

Sean

Sellers’

life

of

devotion to

Satan

is

exemplary

despite

a

tendency

to

embellish

the

facts

to

the

point

of

sensationalism.

The

authors

thorough

command

of

the

sub~ect matter is

evident throughout

the

bool~via the inelusion

of professional

analysis

and detailed

reporting

of Sellers ’ mental

outlook

before,

during,

and

after

the

murders

is

an

added

strength

of

the

book.

The

child

of

two

cross-country

truck

drivers,

Sean

was

never

in

one

city

for

more

than

two

years.

He

had

difficulty

being

accepted

by

new

peers,

and

it

grew

worse

as

he

became

older.

Unlike

most

sixteen

year

olds

entangled

in

an

adolescent

web

of

school,

relationships,

and

cars,

Sean

was

unique

in

that

his

young

life

revolved

around

an

intimate

relationship

with

the

world

of

the

&dquo;antichrist.&dquo;

The

authors

describe

how

Sean’s

introduction to

Satan

alleviated

his

inhibitions

around

other

youngsters,

and

how

as

his

bond

with

Satanic

worship

grew

so

did

his

fervency

to

recruit

members

into

his

growing

number

of

followers.

Nightly

blood

rituals

became

a

source

of

power,

and

stirred

Sean

to

seek

out

increasingly

intricate

acts.

Sean

reached

a

point

in

his

dedication

to

Satanic

worship

when

mere

words

and

rituals

were

not

enough,

and

decided

to

sacrifice

a

person

in

the

name

of

Satan.

As

Sean

himself

said,

&dquo;During oneofthe rituals, we decided

to kill

someone,

I

wasn’t

even

Sean

anymore.

I

was

Ezurate

(Satan).&dquo;

Sean’s

first

victim

was

Robert

Bower,

a

convenience-store

clerk,

who,

according

to

Sean,&dquo;...was

the perfectl~nd

of person

that

you

would

sacrifice

according

to

the

Satanic

bible.&dquo;

According to

the

authors,

the

murder

of

Bower

served

to

further

feed

the

passion

to

please

Satan

and

led

him to

seek

out

his

next

sacrifice.

Apparently,

without

emotion,

he

decided

to

kill

his

parents.

Soon

after

their

murder

Sean

was

arrested.

The

authors’

chronology

of

Sean’s

apprehension

and

conviction

serve

as

the

climax

of

the

book

and

is

an

excellent

glimpse

of

the

criminal

justice

system

at

work.

Accurate

detail

is

given

to

the

investigation

process,

and

is

supplemented

with

Sean’s

public

and

private

statements

throughout

the

trial

and

subsequent

sentencing

phase.

Despite

the

fictitious

embellishments

that

adorn

the

pages

of

~~vil

Child,

the

authors’

portrayal

of

Sean

Seller’s

heinous

crimes

provides

a

frightening

warning

of

how

evil

a

human

being

can

be.

Mary M. Lindgren

Research Assistant, Criminal Justice

San Diego State Univenity