Biography
Robert Beattie of Wichita, Kansas, USA is a New York Times bestselling author, attorney, former teacher, and former firefighter. His March 2005 bestseller Nightmare in Wichita: The Hunt for the BTK Strangler was adapted into the October 2005 CBS/Sony made-for-television movie The Hunt for the BTK Killer. Beattie was portrayed in the movie by Maury Chaykin.
Beattie wrote the true crime book Language of Evil (Signet, 2009), won third prize in the 1989 IPPNW (International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War) "Cease Fire" writing contest for his one-act play "Fire Escape," and in 2010 wrote the produced teleplay "Witness to Necessity," a short crime-courtroom drama, broadcast on Wichita's UHF station KCTU-TV43. He's been a paid writer since age 17 when he wrote a "TEEN TALK" column for The Wichita Beacon afternoon newspaper.
Beattie attended Wichita public schools graduating from West High in 1974. He earned university degrees with majors in Natural Sciences and Mathematics (Wichita State University 1986), Human Resource Management (Friends University, 1989), and law (Washburn University School of Law, 1993).
Twice elected Local Secretary (President) of Sunflower Mensa, he wrote "The Best Books of the 20th Century" the feature article for MENSA's national periodical the BULLETIN in their millennium issue. He's had peer-reviewed scholarly, technical, and professional papers published in the Newman Review, The Case for Mars (Science and Technology Series), and the Journal of the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association.
He served as pro bono special counsel to Rev. Sam Muyskens, Executive Director of Inter-Faith Ministries of Wichita, from 1993-2009.
He was a campaign manager and candidate in local and statewide elections in Kansas, and in 2008 was elected by the Kansas State Democratic Party as one of Kansas's six Presidential Electors for the Electoral College, pledged to vote for Barack Obama.
During Beattie's emergency services career he rescued an unconscious man from a burning automobile, pulled a pilot from a crashed aircraft, talked a man out of committing suicide, and received a commendation for resuscitating a drowned child.
Beattie is married to Mary Ann Beattie MD, a now retired pediatrician, has three children, four grandsons, and one great-grandson.
While writing crime materials Beattie interviewed many convicted murderers including Charles Manson by phone for a total of 4.5-hours, exchanged letters with Timothy McVeigh (receiving a package of materials from McVeigh less than a week before McVeigh's execution), and exchanged several messages with Dennis Rader.
