when they got married. Lisaâs father, John Hedberg, was a native of Washington and an army man.
When Johnâs new assignment stationed him in Fort Riley, Kansas, the family relocated just west of Topeka. Known as âAmericaâs Warfighting Center,â Fort Riley had a reputation for excellent training of the armed forces personnel who passed through the base. Built of native limestone, the postâs history extended back before the United States Civil War. Brevet Major General George A. Custer commanded the fort after the end of the war and up to the time he commenced his campaign on the high plains. The inconclusive foray resulted in Custerâs court martial and one-year suspension from the Army after Custer returned to Fort Riley to see his wife without permission.
During World War II, 125,000 soldiers were trained at these facilities, including heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis and movie stars like Mickey Rooney. It was still a vital training center with strong relations to the community that surrounded it when John and Judy arrived on base with their baby, Lisa. During the assignment at Fort Riley, their second child, Patty, was born on June 3, 1970.
Lisa was a smart little thingâlearning to read by the time she was 4 years old. Reading became a passion for Lisa. She never had time to play with dolls like other little girls. All she wanted to do was read and learn. Her mother said that when her oldest daughter was engrossed in a book, âthe house could burn down and she wouldnât even smell the smoke.â
The young girl was also obsessed with telling tall tales as the gospel truth. After her mother and father separated, she told everyone she met that her father died in Viet Nam.
After the dissolution of her first marriage, Judy was on her own with two young children. Her little familyâs standard of living sunk below the poverty level. It was then Judy met a single father of five, Jack Kleiner. He seemed a godsend. She moved with him and his family to Oklahoma.
On June 6, 1974, the number in the household increased by one with the birth of Lisaâs first half-brother Teddy. The next year, Jerri was born on June 26, 1975.
In October of that year, Judy and Jack Kleiner were married. Their third and final child. Tommy, was born on April 6, 1978.
Though her lies made everyone in the family angry with her at one time or another, Lisa seemed to thrive. She continued her voracious reading and also learned to play the violin and French horn in grade school. In high school, she played the mellophone in the marching band, making first chair with ease. She acted in a class play and was active in the pep club and student council. She seemed to excel without any discernible effort, racking up Aâs and Bâs on her report card.
Beneath the surface of high performance, her mother saw the shadows of trouble to come. At times, Lisa seemed to switch from one personality to another. One moment, she was a sweet, caring child. The next, she was âthe daughter of the devil itself.â At times, she said, she shrugged it all off as the normal strange phases a child went through growing up. At others, she was afraid of what the future held for her child.
People who knew both Lisa and Judy placed the blame squarely on Judyâs doorstep. They said that all her life, Lisa heard her mother telling her that she wasnât good for anything. Judy did not provide Lisaâor any of her childrenâwith any stability, or the security of a motherâs unconditional love, one of Lisaâs friends insisted.
Her treatment of her children was as mercurial as her moods. As adults, all of Judyâs children said that getting along with Mom depended on which way the wind blew. Lisa, a friend said, learned to duck her head when the wind blew the wrong way.
In mid-February of 1983, one of the reasons for Lisaâs inner turmoil became apparent to Judy. She came home and walked
When Johnâs new assignment stationed him in Fort Riley, Kansas, the family relocated just west of Topeka. Known as âAmericaâs Warfighting Center,â Fort Riley had a reputation for excellent training of the armed forces personnel who passed through the base. Built of native limestone, the postâs history extended back before the United States Civil War. Brevet Major General George A. Custer commanded the fort after the end of the war and up to the time he commenced his campaign on the high plains. The inconclusive foray resulted in Custerâs court martial and one-year suspension from the Army after Custer returned to Fort Riley to see his wife without permission.
During World War II, 125,000 soldiers were trained at these facilities, including heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis and movie stars like Mickey Rooney. It was still a vital training center with strong relations to the community that surrounded it when John and Judy arrived on base with their baby, Lisa. During the assignment at Fort Riley, their second child, Patty, was born on June 3, 1970.
Lisa was a smart little thingâlearning to read by the time she was 4 years old. Reading became a passion for Lisa. She never had time to play with dolls like other little girls. All she wanted to do was read and learn. Her mother said that when her oldest daughter was engrossed in a book, âthe house could burn down and she wouldnât even smell the smoke.â
The young girl was also obsessed with telling tall tales as the gospel truth. After her mother and father separated, she told everyone she met that her father died in Viet Nam.
After the dissolution of her first marriage, Judy was on her own with two young children. Her little familyâs standard of living sunk below the poverty level. It was then Judy met a single father of five, Jack Kleiner. He seemed a godsend. She moved with him and his family to Oklahoma.
On June 6, 1974, the number in the household increased by one with the birth of Lisaâs first half-brother Teddy. The next year, Jerri was born on June 26, 1975.
In October of that year, Judy and Jack Kleiner were married. Their third and final child. Tommy, was born on April 6, 1978.
Though her lies made everyone in the family angry with her at one time or another, Lisa seemed to thrive. She continued her voracious reading and also learned to play the violin and French horn in grade school. In high school, she played the mellophone in the marching band, making first chair with ease. She acted in a class play and was active in the pep club and student council. She seemed to excel without any discernible effort, racking up Aâs and Bâs on her report card.
Beneath the surface of high performance, her mother saw the shadows of trouble to come. At times, Lisa seemed to switch from one personality to another. One moment, she was a sweet, caring child. The next, she was âthe daughter of the devil itself.â At times, she said, she shrugged it all off as the normal strange phases a child went through growing up. At others, she was afraid of what the future held for her child.
People who knew both Lisa and Judy placed the blame squarely on Judyâs doorstep. They said that all her life, Lisa heard her mother telling her that she wasnât good for anything. Judy did not provide Lisaâor any of her childrenâwith any stability, or the security of a motherâs unconditional love, one of Lisaâs friends insisted.
Her treatment of her children was as mercurial as her moods. As adults, all of Judyâs children said that getting along with Mom depended on which way the wind blew. Lisa, a friend said, learned to duck her head when the wind blew the wrong way.
In mid-February of 1983, one of the reasons for Lisaâs inner turmoil became apparent to Judy. She came home and walked
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