Four years later, Rolling reappeared in the guise of a repentant killer baring his soul to all who sought an explanation for the horrors he had wrought.

"What you are about to read is a true tale ..." began Rolling's ode to himself, a book-like thing he had emitted called The Making of a Serial Killer.  Weaving fact, fabrication, and fantasy it would have been more accurately titled "The Faking of a Serial Killer."

Rolling's claims of veracity were defended by his hand-picked biographer, Sondra London.  Her most comprehensive defense appeared in a June 23, 1999 posting to sk-list on the internet:

"I worked with Danny Rolling for five years, very intensely. There was nothing artificial about what went on there... He was honest with me and treated me as a gentleman, with respect at all times.

"Far from being an encounter between a control-freak serial killer and a brainless groupie, who was being helplessly manipulated to do his evil will, it was a long-term, in-depth case study by an experienced author, conducted despite the most hostile conditions possible, finally placing into the public domain an immense amount of authentic original material that is factually accurate, as well as psychologically unique and resonant.

"...for those who will ... actually read my work, I am confident that you will find it holds up to scrutiny ..."

At the time, I had been unaware that London's claims of Rolling's honesty had already been contradicted in her own writings.   In an annotation to her chronology dated April 14, 1993, London acknowledged that Rolling had repeatedly lied to her:

"[Note: Several months later, SL found out that about this time Danny did start corresponding with at least 3 females who sent him money, while repeatedly swearing to SL that he was only writing to her exclusively. This revelation of his deceit once again put a strain on the relationship.]"

Nevertheless it took only a few turns of the page for me to ascertain for myself the validity of her assertions.   Zeroing in on Rolling's comments about his relationship with Lewis, a subject which I knew well, revealed to me not only that Rolling was lying through his teeth, but also, regarding Lewis, he was doing it with a particular nastiness.   He went out of his way to publicly brand Lewis as a "snitch."

That had certainly never been an issue. Rolling's last comments to Lewis at the point in time he severed their relationship had acknowledged their third-person "confessor" arrangement.  There were no claims then that Lewis had snitched on him or had somehow manipulated him into that arrangement.  In fact Rolling clearly enumerated that the reasons for the breakup were that Lewis had lied about the reason for his separation from Rolling, had spoken to the press without Rolling's permission, and had publicly spoken disparagingly of him and London.

That Rolling would so nefariously and with such intensity attack Lewis' credibility only made sense to me when I considered that Lewis' wayward behavior had been a clear signal to Rolling that Lewis could no longer be controlled and be counted on to cooperate.  Lewis was beginning to tell the press that Rolling's confessions had been insincere.  Rolling's response was to preemptively discredit Lewis before he could do any further damage.

Lewis was vulnerable.  He was disliked by the prisoner population both for befriending Rolling and for agreeing to testify against him.  He was reviled by the state for having embarrassed them by walking out of their Death Row in 1978.  And he and London shared an intense mutual hatred.

Rolling would especially take advantage of that hatred as he continued his vindictive campaign against his one-time friend.  He went to work on London, relentlessly drilling into her mind his mantra "Lewis is a snitch" until his words would eventually become her words.

In June 24, 1993 letter to London Rolling launched a sequence in which vitriolic name-calling gradually became predominant.   For the first time he labeled Lewis a snitch and suggested Lewis was covertly responsible for London's visitation requests being denied:

"Honey, Bobby Lewis has told some BIG TIME LIES about you & me. Baby, I mean he is a BIG TIME snitch, did you know that? Anyway, he has been whispering in the man's ear that you and I had planned an escape... and to smuggle drugs into this place. Can you believe that bullshit? I'm furious at Bobby for spreading those lies! That may also be a factor in why these people here refuse to allow us to visit. It's total bullshit and you and I both know it. We never even discussed such things, much less thought about it. I tell you, good ole Bobby Lewis is a BIG TIME RAT with a 5-foot long tail... Damn! I still can't get over hearing that. After all I tried to do for that son of a bitch. He goes behind my back telling LIES... and the shame of it all is... he didn't have to."

Playing to London's emotions, Rolling on July 4 further enforced his suggestion that Lewis was interfering with their desires to visit:

"Honey, I know you are hurt by Bobby's lies, even more so because you & he were once friends. He hurt me too, because his lies may be the reason they are keeping you from me. The only reason the administration here will give me is security. What? You are no security problem, and there is not a couple on Gods green earth who would behave any more proper than you & I during visits here. I don't understand... unless Bobby has been trying to keep us apart all along.

"Bobby is a wannabe and the only thing he has to show for character is one con after another. I would describe him as a FAT TOAD that smiles and says to the fly, I'm not hungry today. So why don't you visit a while? Come on, lets be friends. To HELL with Bobby! I tried to help him and he stabbed me in the back. I don't want to speak of him. I don't want to lay eyes on his ugly mug again as long as I live."

And July 14 Rolling took the inevitable posture that he was the only prisoner she could trust:

"I think it safe to say you should rid yourself of all correspondence with convicts in the near future. Except me, of course, but that is entirely up to you. Most convicts are extremely immature and throw temper tantrums if they don't get their way. They are a selfish lot... schemers... and out for what they can get. Most convicts are not what they seem. They are little children in men's bodies and that makes them dangerous... and yes... people like Bobby never... never... NEVER... are WRONG. Oh no. If something goes amiss with a plan they have? Automatically, it's someone else's fault. It's someone elses fault they got caught. It's someone elses fault they ended up in prison. It's someone elses fault PERIOD. BLAH. Baby, when you are talking CONVICT, you're talking the bottom of the trashcan where the maggots live. Myself... I am what I appear to be. A man who is imprisoned for the rest of his life. I'm in here for some HEAVY DUTY CRIMES. I make no bones about it. It's there, plain as the nose on my face. I am paying from my wrong against society and I will pay and pay and pay until the life within my heart can give no more. This is the States wish, and so it is. Still... I'm not like my fellow prisoners. I've been told so by several. I AM NOT A CON. I may be down here with the maggots, but I am not one of them. How can a man accused of such terrible crimes make such a statement? Because I am what I appear, Danny Rolling, and I can be no other.

"What I'm trying to tell you, Sondra, is simply this. A convict will bullshit you... use you... then throw you to the dogs for dogmeat. But I won't. Not now, not ever. Because I love Sondra London with all my heart. I am true to you, because you are the flower that blooms in my soul."

Learning that Lewis would be appearing on ABC's Turning Point, Rolling in an August 24 letter gave London instructions:

"You mean to tell me Bobby Lewis will be on Turning Point running his FAT MOUTH again? That SON OF A BITCH! I'm telling you, honey, I never saw a snake slimier than him. Do you know what I heard from a friend of mine? That good old Bobby asked him to set me up, so I'd end up in lock-up. So good old Bobby could come back on the wing. That's the kind of coward he is.

"Sondra, drop A TON OF SHIT on Bobby's head for me, will ya, love? I mean, make him STINK. Don't let him get the upper hand on that show. You show him up for what he is... a low-life, lying, scheming COWARD. Boy, that gets my blood boiling! To think Bobby Lewis is talking shit about my Baby! If I could get my hands on him? I'd give him a tune-up for sure! And after that he wouldn't EVER run right any more!"

Then on October 28 Rolling disavowed the "confessor" arrangement he had had with Lewis:

"Now, I want to clear up several misconceptions about backstabbing Bobby Lewis, who is a bald toad-faced liar. He is not my confessor. He is a traitor who would sell his own dear sweet mother into slavery, just to get publicity and a parole, so he could start running his con games on society again. He is a threat to society and anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't got the sense God gave a skunk. He's trying to play it off like... 'I'm a good boy now, I've learned my lesson.' That's not what he's got in mind at all. He is a CON ARTIST from A to Z and he will be until the day he dies. If they ever do let him out? LOOK OUT! He wants money... drugs... and the night life... and he doesn't give a damn how he gets it! Son of a BITCH!!!! I hate PHONIES! I may have my problems but I'm not a phony. My mind and heart are genuine."

Finally, in a moment of exaggerated histrionics, Rolling made a plea for London's sympathy on November 30:

"I can hear Bobby Lewis bloated voice croaking downstairs. Yeah! On top of everything else, I have to listen to that toad's voice! He's on Q-Wing too, you know. And he's got a TV, radio, and all the comforts of home. Nice... real nice. Even with all my faults... I couldn't be a low-down stinking rat-finking LIAR like Bobby Lewis. I can hear him bellowing about football. I can even hear his blasted TV. Ahhh! Why are they doing this to me?"

Ultimately though there would come a time when Rolling would have to face Lewis on the witness stand.  And Lewis would be a witness who could do him a considerable damage.  As he considered his options, the effect of Lewis' presence on the witness stand was one of the major factors he took into account in making a decision as he indicated to London on January 12, 1994:

"I have channeled this communication through my lawyers for obvious reasons. Sondra... I've been doing some very HARD THINKING, and I need a little guidance here. I have several difficult decisions to make.

"1. Guilty or innocent plea?
2. Will a guilty plea help Sondra & me?
3. Friends & families of victims
4. Would a guilty plea keep Bobby Lewis THE TOAD out of the witness box?

"Now, about Bobby Lewis. A guilty plea might very well keep his fat ugly face out of the witness box. I hope so. Still, it won't keep his mouth shut. He will be sure to call up anyone and everyone who will listen to catch some more limelight".

On February 18 Rolling rekindled his verbal assault in response to Lewis' statements on a local news broadcast:

"Well, well, well... I see Bobby Lewis is still running his mouth. Poor fella. So he says, Danny is a BIG CON? Who's conning who here? Bobby Lewis gives new meaning to the word CON ARTIST. He can't help what he is. He's been a deceiver all his life. If Bobby is so concerned about doing what is right, why is he still popping his mouth off about something that doesn't even concern him? No... Bobby only wants to have two things... he wants to be recognized by the media... and he wants a parole or transfer from FSP. Bobby Lewis doesn't give one iota about the suffering of the surviving friends & families of the victims of the Gainesville Tragedy. Bobby Lewis only cares about Bobby Lewis."

Two days later Rolling presented a long and detailed but nevertheless incoherent argument to demonstrate that Lewis had "changed his tune ...":

"... because his ticket out of prison just got cashed and there is no reason for him to play the role of Top Con Gives Cops a Break."

After another two days, Rolling wrapped up his latest attack on Lewis:

"So Bobby Lewis says I conned him. HA! If someone wrote in large black letters on a big sheet of white paper the word TRUTH and stuck it in Bobby's face asking him to tell them what he saw, he would say LIES. Bobby Lewis is a sad character, but after this hearing is completed, ole Bobby Boy is going to be found out for the LIAR he really is."

Of course that never happened.   Lewis' stay on the stand was brief as Rolling's counsel declined to cross examine him even after the attorney's public promise to expose Lewis as a liar.

That Rolling had moved preemptively and forcefully in his campaign against Lewis underscored the great harm he perceived Lewis could do to him.  But what exactly was it that Rolling feared That Lewis might eventually reveal?