Lyndon James McLeod, accused of killing five people in a rampage in Denver, is believed to have written fictional books self-published online that named some of his real-life victims and described similar attacks, the Associated Press reports. The writings are part of the investigation into what led McLeod, 47, to carry out the shootings, which took place in less than an hour Monday at several locations. McLeod knew most of the people he shot through business or personal relationships. Four of those shot were attacked at tattoo shops. In addition to those killed, two other people were wounded, including a police officer who shot and killed McLeod after being hit.
In the first novel, written under a pen name of Roman McClay, a character named Lyndon stalks a poker party held by a character named “Michael Swinyard” and gains access to a building near Cheesman Park by posing as a police officer. He then fatally shoots everyone at the party and robs them before fleeing with his dog in a van. In Monday’s attack, Michael Swinyard, 67, was fatally shot at a home near Denver’s Cheesman Park. In his second novel, which also features a character named Lyndon, McClay names Alicia Cardenas as a victim. The book also mentions the tattoo shop she owned, Sol Tribe. Cardenas, a 44-year-old tattoo artist, was among his first victims in Monday’s rampage. She was killed at her tattoo shop, along with Alyssa Gunn, 35.