Dying to Get Married: The Courtship and Murder of Julia Miller Bulloch

Rating:
Summary: A Terrible Travesty of Justice, Eloquently Recounted
Review: Please know that I completely disagree with the previous review. I found that this well researched, insightful recounting of the Miller-Bulloch murder haunted me long after I read it. Even the mere thought of poor Julia Miller Bulloch and the horrendous fate that befell her can still move me to tears.

Having read hundreds of true crime books, rarely have I been more grief stricken for the victim than I was for this poor woman. Harris really brought Julie to life for me, as if I had known her and mourned her along with the family and friends who deeply felt the loss of such a wonderful person who didn't in any way deserve what happened to her. I also found myself wishing I was there to give her poor brother a hug--his own life was so destroyed by the murder of his beloved sister.

A classic "good girl," Julie was a devoted daughter to her aging parents, so much so that she sacrificed many of her dating years attending to them in their illnesses. Once both passed away, she found that the world had somewhat passed her by as well. Trying to make up for lost time, naive Julie placed an innocently worded ad for companionship in a personals column--for someone as inexperienced and conservative as Julie, it must have been such a bold and risky thing for her to summon the nerve to do.

Unfortunately, had the Devil himself answered, she couldn't have found any worse man than Dennis Bulloch. To say that you will learn to LOATHE this man is an understatement. Although handsome, well dressed, and an exec with a Fortune 500 company, Dennis as a person is a complete monster. He verbally and physically abused his first wife, he was unfaithful to any and every woman he was ever involved with, he lied constantly, he helped himself to any worldly goods he could get his hands on, even thought he hadn't done a thing to earn them, and treated his own parents like dirt, denying their existence and humble roots in favor of pretending to be a well-to-do "great catch" for many a debutante.

Dennis ultimately married Julie only for her money, tricking her into giving him access to her accounts and possessions, cruelly abandoning her at critical times, and driving her to the brink of insanity. His greed becomes so intense that he devises the perfect plot. Sneaking back from a business trip, Bulloch suffocates her, sets the scene to appear that the sexual bondage activity Julie apparently engaged in while he was out of town on business went terribly awry, and set her on fire before he makes his getaway. Stealthily slipping back onto the plane and into his hotel, he hopes no one will be the wiser! Not only did he destroy an innocent person in an unspeakably evil way, but he tried to also destroy her reputation after her death, causing her brother and friends even more heartache.

It is terribly disheartening that someone this reprehensible is even real, yet tragically he is. Even more tragically, he crossed paths with someone like Julie when what he really deserved was a date with Aileen Wuornos, the axe murderess! If there were true justice in this world, a mob would have tortured Dennis Bulloch and lynched him to death.

Instead, thanks to the talent of an excellent attorney, Bulloch spent less than 15 years behind bars. I keep wondering if Attorney Arthur Margulis is haunted by the thought that he helped such a despicable criminal nearly get away with one of the worst murders I have ever read about. Portrayed as a very honorable man of good character, Margulis in his heart of hearts must wish a lesser man had defended his client. No "win" in court could have felt good if it was for a client like this one. On the plus side, at least he did not get away entirely.

A truly fascinating read about a case that I, for one, hope we never see the like of again! I am equally hopeful that Dennis Bulloch never has another chance to do this to someone else out there.

Rating:
Summary: A Terrible Travesty of Justice, Eloquently Recounted
Review: Please know that I completely disagree with the previous review. I found that this well researched, insightful recounting of the Miller-Bulloch murder haunted me long after I read it. Even the mere thought of poor Julia Miller Bulloch and the horrendous fate that befell her can still move me to tears.

Having read hundreds of true crime books, rarely have I been more grief stricken for the victim than I was for this poor woman. Harris really brought Julie to life for me, as if I had known her and mourned her along with the family and friends who deeply felt the loss of such a wonderful person who didn't in any way deserve what happened to her. I also found myself wishing I was there to give her poor brother a hug--his own life was so destroyed by the murder of his beloved sister.

A classic "good girl," Julie was a devoted daughter to her aging parents, so much so that she sacrificed many of her dating years attending to them in their illnesses. Once both passed away, she found that the world had somewhat passed her by as well. Trying to make up for lost time, naive Julie placed an innocently worded ad for companionship in a personals column--for someone as inexperienced and conservative as Julie, it must have been such a bold and risky thing for her to summon the nerve to do.

Unfortunately, had the Devil himself answered, she couldn't have found any worse man than Dennis Bulloch. To say that you will learn to LOATHE this man is an understatement. Although handsome, well dressed, and an exec with a Fortune 500 company, Dennis as a person is a complete monster. He verbally and physically abused his first wife, he was unfaithful to any and every woman he was ever involved with, he lied constantly, he helped himself to any worldly goods he could get his hands on, even thought he hadn't done a thing to earn them, and treated his own parents like dirt, denying their existence and humble roots in favor of pretending to be a well-to-do "great catch" for many a debutante.

Dennis ultimately married Julie only for her money, tricking her into giving him access to her accounts and possessions, cruelly abandoning her at critical times, and driving her to the brink of insanity. His greed becomes so intense that he devises the perfect plot. Sneaking back from a business trip, Bulloch suffocates her, sets the scene to appear that the sexual bondage activity Julie apparently engaged in while he was out of town on business went terribly awry, and set her on fire before he makes his getaway. Stealthily slipping back onto the plane and into his hotel, he hopes no one will be the wiser! Not only did he destroy an innocent person in an unspeakably evil way, but he tried to also destroy her reputation after her death, causing her brother and friends even more heartache.

It is terribly disheartening that someone this reprehensible is even real, yet tragically he is. Even more tragically, he crossed paths with someone like Julie when what he really deserved was a date with Aileen Wuornos, the axe murderess! If there were true justice in this world, a mob would have tortured Dennis Bulloch and lynched him to death.

Instead, thanks to the talent of an excellent attorney, Bulloch spent less than 15 years behind bars. I keep wondering if Attorney Arthur Margulis is haunted by the thought that he helped such a despicable criminal nearly get away with one of the worst murders I have ever read about. Portrayed as a very honorable man of good character, Margulis in his heart of hearts must wish a lesser man had defended his client. No "win" in court could have felt good if it was for a client like this one. On the plus side, at least he did not get away entirely.

A truly fascinating read about a case that I, for one, hope we never see the like of again! I am equally hopeful that Dennis Bulloch never has another chance to do this to someone else out there.

Rating:
Summary: Writing is Awful
Review: The subject of this book is fascinating, yet the author makes it tedious, silly, and boring due to an absolutely abhorant writing style. She must never have written a book before, and how she got this published is beyond me. There is no continuity to the story at all; she constantly moves back and forth between characters and timeframes. It takes enormous concentration to even figure out what she is talking about. For added effect she often slips in French words, and arcane references. Don't bother with this one. Too bad Ann Rule didn't take up the case; then there'd be a book to read.

Rating:
Summary: Writing is Awful
Review: The subject of this book is fascinating, yet the author makes it tedious, silly, and boring due to an absolutely abhorant writing style. She must never have written a book before, and how she got this published is beyond me. There is no continuity to the story at all; she constantly moves back and forth between characters and timeframes. It takes enormous concentration to even figure out what she is talking about. For added effect she often slips in French words, and arcane references. Don't bother with this one. Too bad Ann Rule didn't take up the case; then there'd be a book to read.