Malice Aforethought: A Century of Murder in Jacksonville

At the October program meeting, author and professor Tim Gilmore presents stories of some of Jacksonville’s most sensational murders and murderers.

From an 1890s murder trial of a well known young woman to a 1970s city jail break of a man later dubbed the “Casanova Killer,” Gilmore covers these fascinating cases and more, including the 1930s “Citrus King” trial and the 1964 Johnnie Mae Chappell murder. He’ll also discuss convicted murderer Ottis Toole, the subject of his recently released book, Stalking Ottis Toole, who Gilmore says is “either one of the worst serial killers in history or a dimwitted arsonist.”

Among Gilmore’s published works is a 2012 book that offers Jacksonville’s psycho-geographical stories, This Kind of City: Ghost Stories and Psychological Landscapes. He received his Ph.D. in English from the University of Florida and teaches at Florida State College at Jacksonville.