''Dead by Sunset'' is a 1995
true crime
True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events.
The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 per ...
nonfiction
Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...
book by author
Ann Rule
Ann Rae Rule (''née'' Stackhouse; October 22, 1931 – July 26, 2015) was an American author of true crime books and articles.
She is best known for ''The Stranger Beside Me'' (1980), about the serial killer Ted Bundy, with whom Rule worked an ...
. It is based on the 1986
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
case of the murder of
Cheryl Keeton
Cheryl Keeton (October 27, 1949 – September 21, 1986) was a Portland, Oregon lawyer who was found dead inside her Toyota van on the Sunset Highway (Oregon) by a passing motorist. Her husband, with whom she was embroiled in a divorce, was fou ...
, who was found beaten to death inside her van on the
Sunset Highway and the later conviction of her estranged husband, Brad Cunningham. The book made
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list in 1996.
Later in 1995,
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
aired a mini-series titled ''Dead by Sunset''. It was based on the book and starred
Annette O'Toole
Annette O'Toole (born Annette Toole; April 1, 1952) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Lisa Bridges in the television series '' Nash Bridges'', Beverly Marsh in the 1990 television mini-series adaptation of Stephen King's epic hor ...
as Keeton and
Ken Olin
Kenneth Edward Olin (born July 30, 1954) is an American actor, television director, and producer. He is known for his role as Michael Steadman in the ABC drama series ''Thirtysomething'' (1987–1991), for which he received a Golden Globe Award ...
as Cunningham.
Following his conviction of first degree murder in the death of Cheryl Keeton, Brad Cunningham was incarcerated at the
Oregon State Penitentiary
Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP), sometimes called Oregon State Prison, is a supermax, maximum security prison in the Northwestern United States, northwest United States in Salem, Oregon, Salem, Oregon. Originally opened in Portland, Oregon, Portl ...
on January 9, 1995, where he is serving a life sentence. Cunningham has since written an
ebook
An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
entitled ''Ann Rule Deconstructed''. In it, the convicted murderer claims Rule exaggerated the facts surrounding the investigation and his subsequent trial for Keeton's murder in ''Dead by Sunset''.
See also
*
Domestic violence
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...
References
External links
''Dead by Sunset'' book sitePublisher's book page
1995 novels
Non-fiction books about murders in the United States
Fiction set in 1986
Novels set in Oregon
Anthony Award-winning works
Little, Brown and Company books
Books by Ann Rule
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