Paul Skalnik never met a predicament he couldn’t sweet talk his way out of. He would use his guile to persuade law enforcement of his usefulness in the same way that he charmed helpless victims out of their savings. He was a confidence man from a throwback era, yet his deceptions dated back to at least the 1970s and have had lasting ramifications. 

In 1977, Skalnik moved into Penny Rogers’ life with bravado and swagger aplenty. While flashing a seductive smile and spending money with reckless abandon on her family and friends, his wealth was built on credit. When creditors came calling, Skalnik made himself scarce. The life of a grifter necessitates expeditious exits.

"This fascinating book offers significant insights into the corrupt partnership between informers and the authorities, as well as the inherent imperfections of capital punishment."

The value of a criminal informant lies in the information they can offer the authorities. As long as Skalnik possessed valuable intel, police and prosecutors would be willing to cut a deal with the scammer. There was an assumption of trust that existed in the relationship between him and law enforcement in Texas and Florida, but in reality it was simply blind faith. When Skalnik was busted in Texas in 1978 for larcenous crimes, he offered his services to a former acquaintance who worked in the Harris County D.A.’s office. He provided testimony on a politically sensitive case involving a riot that arose from the lenient sentencing of three cops for the wrongful death of a Mexican American citizen. His damaging statements convicted the “Moody Park 3” of felony riot charges.

Jim Dailey’s life changed when he went to Vietnam, and certainly not for the better. The married father of two from Kansas had been in the Air Force, but the anguish he experienced while serving in the bloody fray had left him sputtering, and only alcohol could provide relief. Dailey’s drinking cost him his position in the Air Force and ultimately his marriage. By 1985, he was still in the grip of his demons and living in Florida with Jack Pearcy, an old drinking buddy. While Dailey had been in some minor trouble with the law in the past, Pearcy was about to bring far more serious problems into Dailey’s life. Her name was Shelly Boggio, and her brutal murder shocked Pinellas County.

Pearcy confessed to his role in Boggio’s death, while Dailey’s involvement was debatable. Pearcy’s testimony was shaky, if not contradictory, and the only other testimony implicating Dailey came from Pearcy’s girlfriend. The police needed something concrete from Dailey, preferably a confession. Fortunately for them, Skalnik was in Pinellas County Jail, and he had the habit of being a lay confessor to many loose-lipped defendants. Once Dailey’s trial started in 1987, Skalnik was ready to be the prosecution’s star witness and send another hapless convict to “Old Sparky.” If the defense team had been more competent, Skalnik’s testimony would have been eviscerated along with his credibility. Unfortunately for Dailey and for justice, that didn’t happen.

CATCH THE DEVIL is as much riveting investigative journalism as it is a true-crime exposé. When the criminal justice system fails, there is legitimate anger. However, when it comes to Paul Skalnik, the rage is directed at the law-and-order aspects of the system, as police were all too willing to believe the stories about the confessions to which Skalnik was privy, and prosecutors were just as desirous to put him on the stand to secure a conviction. The state’s use of informants has been controversial for decades, especially as their testimony is often predicated on a quid pro quo. In many of the cases in which Skalnik testified, jurors were swayed, and innocent men may have suffered.

Pamela Colloff is meticulous in cataloguing a lifetime of crimes and swindles involving a litany of victims and committed by an inveterate liar who kept spinning stories until he took his last breath in March 2020. This fascinating book offers significant insights into the corrupt partnership between informers and the authorities, as well as the inherent imperfections of capital punishment.