TRIPLE JEOPARDY A Story of Law at Its Best - and Worst

Hardback. People used to cite the John Knapp case as an illustration of why we need a death penalty. They don't anymore. On November 16, 1973, near Phoenix, Arizona, a fire swept through John Knapp's home and killed his two tiny daughters in their bedroom. Twelve days later Knapp was charged with deliberately setting the fire, and a year later he was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Five times warrants were issued for his execution and once he came with 48hours of dying in the gas chamber. In this dramatic minute-by-minute case study, the author presents a chilling account of how an indigent, uneducated man became a victim of the legal system. Gradually, however, a handful of dedicated defence lawyers discovered that Knapp's conviction was the product of every form of distortion and mistake to which a trial can be subject - sly lawyering mistaken memory, faulty science, withheld and destroyed evidence, and perhaps, perjury. For almost 2 decades, they fought to reverse the injustice. This book, chronicling their struggle, is a riveting look at America's justice system at its best - and worst. With Epilogue and Source Notes. 440pp. lge. 8vo. h/back. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. F. in Nr. F. dw. A fairly heavy book which may require additional postage.