Upside Down

A forensic neuropsychologist examines what drove a mild-mannered Rochester college professor to murder his wife.

"Dr. Fisher takes the reader on a journey into the abyss of the human psyche and ultimately sheds light on a beast that is potentially within each of us." —Dr. Robert J. McCaffrey, editor in chief, Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology

Timothy Wells and Christine Sevilla's love was inspiring. Married for almost twenty years, the husband and wife passionately adored each other. Friends, family, and acquaintances all wished to have a relationship as solid as that of Tim and Christine. There was no sign that their marriage was anything less than ideal—until the day Wells brutally murdered his wife.

This deep, disturbing exploration of the psyche of Timothy Wells is not a whodunit but a "whydunit." Written with Wells's cooperation, this riveting account thoroughly presents the circumstances leading up to Sevilla's murder. It features interviews and letters from the Wells and Sevilla families as well as testimony from friends, neighbors, and ex-spouses. Trapped inside his own mind, Wells's emotional insecurities left him with no escape from his severe depression and swiftly multiplying anxieties. In chilling detail, this true narrative traces the path of a man doomed by his own inner demons.

"In Upside Down, Dr. Jerid Fisher gives us a first-hand look inside the work of a forensic neuropsychologist as he probes the mind and behavior of a notorious killer. Searching for insights and understanding, he shares his own gripping, immersive, and fascinating analysis of the madness behind the murder." —Dr. Daniel A. Martell, forensic psychologist, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA