Who wants to write about an accused murderer? I do!

(Post 7)
Pat asked me again why I wrote that first letter.  I felt it was fair to let him know I want to write about him.  I don’t understand why it mattered to me, except that he’d asked me to be honest.
So here’s what I said (and it was all true):

I don’t have one simple answer for that.  I definitely have a strong curiosity about you.  I have since you were arrested.

I’ve always had an interest in crime and criminal acts.  I don’t mean for that to sound ghoulish or morbid.  I just want to figure out what makes a person tick.  The people who do the things most outside of society’s norm are the ones who fascinate me the most.

You have to admit that upon first hearing about the crimes for which you’ve been accused, most people will immediately assume you are a monster.

However, that is such a simplified response.  The man I met four years ago did not appear to be a monster, and these well written and thoughtful letters you’ve sent me have only made me even more aware of your humanity.

When you were arrested, I was immediately creatively drawn to your story. I felt that there was so much to explore about you and your life.  I wanted to write about you or write something inspired by you.  I really wanted to understand you…

Who is this man accused of such heinous acts and how is he the same creative, funny and seemingly kind person who is writing to me about helping a fellow inmate get his GED?

Who was he before and how in the world did he get here?

How do you feel about me or anyone wanting to tell your story?

I was super nervous Pat would just stop writing me all together.  He is facing double-murder charges after all.  Maybe he’s not interested in making friends with someone who wants to “tell all.”I just felt like I had to be upfront.  At least “up-fronty.”

When it comes to this blog, I’m taking a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach.  Pat hasn’t asked me if I’ve written anything yet, and I haven’t volunteered the information.It’s not like he has Internet access anyway.

So far, I haven’t posted anything I wouldn’t want him to read.  I’m not painting him in a bad light. I’m just being honest.OK, the description of the crime doesn’t make him look good, but I’m just saying he’s accused. Anything I wrote could be found with a basic Internet search.

I did say in the first post that I think he’s guilty.

I do.

Guilty of what precisely, though… I don’t know.

During our last visit, Pat even hinted that he is not completely responsible for this crime.
Then who is?
 
Then why confess?
I did not ask those questions.Yet.

6 thoughts on “Who wants to write about an accused murderer? I do!”

  1. I began reading your blog out of genuine curiosity about why you would consider this man your “friend.” I’m sure Sam considered him a friend– as did Julie . You act like he is a rock star . Had you known him prior to his crime , perhaps he would’ve been quite interested to know how much money YOU had in YOUR bank account . Maybe it’s just as well you didn’t get to know him intimately when he was on the outside . Regardless of what kind of person he is now , or what sort of person he was before , he has negated any good thing he ever has done or will do by destroying the lives of two truly innocent and decent people. For that he deserves to be punished– not admired and glorified . I, like you, am fascinated by true crime stories and criminology . On the other hand I would love to see a general agreement in society that once someone has committed such a heinous act they would be identified, sentenced, and then forgotten by the general public . Watching all these murderers be interviewed time after time about what their life is like and what they are going through makes me burn with anger: You gave up any rights you had to sympathy or empathy when you had none for your victims. In a way I feel sorry for you because I feel that you don’t value your friendship highly enough that you would throw it away on someone who doesn’t deserve it. Perhaps befriending people in nursing homes , the elderly, the disabled would be more rewarding to you and society in general . Being a friend has to be very easy for Daniel. Nothing is required for him except that he talk about himself endlessly . I sincerely hope you aren’t sending money to his Commissary fund . Anyway I don’t think I can read this blog anymore because although I find the subject matter interesting I cannot bear to witness the way you can can you really make excuses for him and try to make him something he’s not . Which is an individual who merits our continued attention.

  2. I second the last post. This guy wasn’t really your “friend.” You had the “good luck” of being murderer adjacent, smelled profit in the wind & to hell with how it looks or makes the victims families feel! You could just have easily wrote letters to the parents of the victims & profiled what they are going thru. What is it in YOU that attracted you to reach out to a man that took away someone’s only child? How completely morally bereft! I came here with interest in your correspondence; thinking it would be handled in an adult manner at the very least since it is focused on the murderer & not the victims. But the tone is far too self-satisfied, star-struck & groupie-ish. I was looking for something of the tone of Stephen Michaud’s conversations w/ Bundy; instead I got bad Ann Rule! Best of luck to you!

  3. Jesus. I mean I won’t judge because I haven’t read your entire blog yet but this screams ‘I have a MASSIVE crush on someone who butchered and cut up one of his friends and killed the other one to point the blame toward my BUTCHERED FRIEND’ and it’s totally unpologetic for it. It’s… yeah… alarming to say the least.

    I was kind of hoping for something more impartial that would focus on who the real Daniel Wozniak is and a deeper possible insight into these horrible crimes but this comes across as a blog penned by a rabid fangirl more than a blog penned a true crime enthuiast with a keen interest in crimology and criminal psychology.

    Maybe that’s what you intended it to be, though. Who am I to say.

    1. That’s certainly not the impression I had after reading these first few posts. They’re pretty honest about why they’re writing to a death row inmate surely.

      As regards the killer, he’s not that bad when one compares him to other people in death row. His victims were adults, their deaths were no worse than any murder and a hell of a lot easier than many. The motive is understandable, in the sense that greed is something I can understand whereas Ted Bundy’s (for example) motives are unfathomable to me.

      We are both reading this blog due to our morbid interest in the subject, so how are they any worse than we?

      1. > he’s not that bad when one compares him to other people in death row.

        That’s a crazy claim. Dan Wozniak has a serious personality disorder that makes him a danger to society.

        He killed his friend in pursuit of a madcap, pointless plan to steal his money to finance his wedding.

        He killed a young woman in an equally stupid, clumsy attempt to cover up the first murder.

        Just because he isn’t Ted Bundy makes no difference. Just like Ted Bundy or Gary Ridgway, some part of normal humanity is missing from him.

        He is so dangerous he shouldn’t ever be released.

        That’s the point – not that he is ‘less dangerous’, or ‘more understandable’ than a stereotypical serial killer who has killed 15 vulnerable victims.

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