In the early 1960s, fresh-faced attorney Charles E. Skoller was assigned to prosecute three murder trials that would change the course of his life and shape his successful career in law. Today, with more than 40 years experience in trial work behind him, Skoller is opening up about his involvement in the case that shook the nation in his true-crime book, Twisted Confessions: The True Story Behind the Kitty Genovese and Barbara Kralik Murder Trials.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Skoller was a dedicated student and excelled in school. He attended New York City’s prestigious Stuyvesant High School and later enrolled in the U.S. Army. After three years of service that included tours of duty in Korea and in the Pentagon, Skoller returned to Brooklyn to continue his college education.

He attended Brooklyn College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1957 and a Bachelor of Law degree in 1959. Young and ambitious, Skoller was dedicated to the pursuit of justice. In the first major step in his legal career, Skoller was appointed assistant District Attorney in the Queens office soon after his graduation.

He was assigned to the Supreme Court Bureau, which was the office’s major trial bureau handling jury and non-jury trials of all major crimes, including murder. Starved for experience, Skoller tried several cases before he was assigned to the case that changed his life forever.

In 1964, the murder of a young woman named Kitty Genovese shocked the entire country as news spread that several of her neighbors had witnessed the attack but did not report it to police. The incident quickly became one of New York City’s most notorious crimes, and Skoller was assigned to prosecute the case. During his in-depth investigation into the Genovese and Kralik murders, Skoller uncovered key evidence that helped him find and convict the actual killer.

The Genovese case launched Skoller’s 40-year career as a successful lawyer. He has litigated countless civil and criminal trials, serving as lead counsel in a broad range of cases as prosecutor, defense attorney and plaintiff’s attorney. He served as litigation chairman and law partner of Hershman, Leicher and Skoller from 1966 to 1970, and later became senior partner and chairman of the litigation department at Seavey, Fingerit, Vogel, Oziel and Skoller from 1983 to 1998.

After his retirement from law, Skoller decided to write a book about his involvement in the Kitty Genovese and Barbara Kralik stories, much to the insistence of his family and friends. His new true-crime book, Twisted Confessions: The True Story Behind the Kitty Genovese and Barbara Kralik Murder Trials (Bridgeway Books, April 2008) shares the untold story behind the murder. Based on court documents, face-to-face interviews and Skoller’s first-hand account, the book unravels his investigation into the Genovese murder, and how it turned into a prosecution nightmare.

A father of five children and grandfather of 13 grandkids, Skoller continues to speak at universities across the country including Fordham University and Florida Atlantic University. He has appeared on the History Channel, “Today Show� and the BBC. He currently lives in Boca Raton, Fla., with his wife Myrna, who owns the internationally known clothing store Designer Resale Corp. located on the upper eastside of Manhattan.