In a rare letter to a news outlet, John Norman Collins, one of the state's most notorious murderers, wrote to the Free Press on Tuesday.

John Norman Collins. Michigan Department of Corrections

The killer responded to questions about what law enforcement officials had discussed with him in interviews and two, never-before-published letters that he had written his cousin in Canada that offer new details about what happened to victims in the late 1960s.

In interviews and letters, Collins recants statements that he had made since he was arrested, including that he never met Karen Sue Beineman, the 18-year-old college coed he was convicted of killing.

Collins declined an interview through Michigan corrections officials. Subsequently, the Free Press sent him three letters — one in July, one in August, and the most recent one on Nov. 1 — through JPay, a privately run electronic mail system tied directly to his inmate account.

In addition to the direct correspondence, the Free Press also asked the wife and son of one of Collins' late attorneys, Neil Fink, to reach out to Collins.

The email is distinctively Collins, according to the detectives who are familiar with his letters and have spoken with him, with unusual capitalization, odd spellings, and even a text emoji and an lol, text-speak for laugh out loud.

Hello Frank:

The "ONLY" reason I am responding to your e-mail is out of RESPECT for Neil Fink. A while back I was contacted by Neil Fink's wife, Ms. Kimberley Stout, and she told me of his death to Cancer back in 2016. She also mentioned they had a son by the name of Wade who followed in his fathers, and his mothers, footsteps and became an attorney. Of course his Dear Mother said that he was a VERY GOOD ATTORNEY! >;-p} Then you also mentioned Wade in your e-mail, so I felt somewhat obliged to at least give you a brief response since you have been kind of a "PAIN IN THE ASS" with your persistance. lol

You brought up those "TWO LETTERS" that I sent to my cousin, John Chapman, who in turn, GAVE THEM TO greg.f. I must admit that I didn't think they would become such a "FOCAL POINT" after 50 years, BUTT, knowing greg's ENORMOUS "EGO" for MEDIA ATTENTION I knew that he would want to CAPITALIZE on ANYTHING he could gather up on ME. His "ENORMOUS EGO" rivals the GRAND CANYON, BUTT his 'BIG MOUTH' manages to surpass that. He's been 'USING ME' as a Catalyst to LURE unsuspecting women into his "PRIVATE CHAT ROOM" in hopes of 'SCORING' with them. This comes from WOMEN that have told me about how he likes to take PHOTO'S with all the women so that he can put his arm around them. One woman in particular said that she felt that he was "CREEPY" with his advances & touching. Anyhow, greg ran his ENORMOUS MOUTH to someone that I was friends with and this person told me that greg was BRAGGING about having my cousin in Canada writing me so that THEY could dig-up some dirt on me etc. When I found out about that I was UPSET that my cousin would do something like that to me. So I thought to myself, TWO can play this "GAME!" I knew that WHATEVER I wrote to my cousin would end up in greg's lap. So I wrote those TWO LETTERS to my cousin, which included some "PARTIAL FACTS", BUTT, Heavy on the "FICTION!" My cousin was just a "PAWN" in greg's chess game & greg even wrote and told me how "EASY" it was to manipuate John. I have ALL my cousin's letters & e-mails and what he's told YOU "DO NOT" match what he's said to me. I have "NO" control over what people say about ME and that is WHY I have chosen to REFUSE interviews of any kind. I've been deceived too many times in the past. When you see/hear from greg - AND YOU WILL BECAUSE HIS EGO IS SO ENORMOUS - Please tell him that because of his EGO & BIG MOUTH that he got "PLAYED" by me. lol An Attorney has told me that I have a "Legal Expectation of Privacy" concerning those letters so my cousin & greg should be careful. As for my cousin...he got "DUPED" by greg and STILL doesn't realize it. If I chose to, I could easily bring up some very PAINFUL issues about John C., BUTT, I elect to take the proverbial "High Road" & NOT discuss our DIRTY LAUNDRY with the public. I like to believe that I still have some "INTEGRITY."

As for Sgt. E. Schroeder, I liked him and thought well of him. I heard that he was having some HEALTH ISSUES. If you ever come in contact with him again kindly tell him that I wish him nothing BUTT Good Health the rest of his retired years. I think he is a good man. He kept his "Word" to me and that ALWAYS means something to me. In here, all you have is your "WORD!"

Well Frank, I've spent much more time with you than I had anticipated. You can say whatever you want about me, BUTT, if You have any "INTEGRITY" at all you will leave my Dear Mother out-of-this. She's NOT here to defend herself from all the "LIES" that have already been told about her by Keyes, my cousin etc. People that never even knew her. I will ALWAYS Love her! She was a Kind & Loving person to all that knew her.

Now I hope that you will simply leave me alone. Peace, John

MORE IN THIS SERIES

THE EVIDENCE LOCKER: What police discovered at 7 Michigan murder crime scenes

CHAPTER 1: Never-before-published letters, interviews offer clues in infamous Michigan murders

CHAPTER 2: Murders of Michigan women still unsolved 50 years later — but cops had eye on 1 man

CHAPTER 3: 'Handsome' EMU student was unlikely serial killer suspect. Letters, interviews reveal dark side.

COLLINS' LETTER: John Norman Collins — one of Michigan's most notorious killers — pens letter to the Free Press