MOCKERY OF JUSTICE The True Story of the Sheppard Murder Case

Hardback. In the early hours of July 4, 1954, while her 7yr old son lay sleeping in the next room, Marilyn Reese Sheppard, the pregnant wife of Dr. Sam H. Sheppard, was bludgeoned to death in the family's home in Bay Village, a West Side suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Before anything evenly remotely approaching a complete investigation was conducted, an overzealous media called for Dr. Sheppard's arrest. Sensational accusatory headlines splashed across the front pages of the 'Cleveland Press'. Under such unprecedented pressure from the media, police and prosecutors rushed to indict, try, and convict Dr. Sheppard. After Dr. Sheppard served 10yrs in prison, the US Supreme Court overturned his conviction, ruling he was denied a fair trial because of excessive prejudicial press coverage and the judge's inability (or unwillingness) to control the courtroom's "carnival" atmosphere. The Supreme Court's landmark decision established guidelines to prevent adverse publicity from affecting other high-profile cases and has been cited nearly 2000 times by other courts. At a second trial, represented by F. Lee Bailey, Dr. Sheppard was found innocent of his wife's murder. But the question remained: Who killed Marilyn Sheppard? Now, through exhaustive reinvestigation of the case, Sam Reese Sheppard, Dr. Sheppard's son, and Cynthia L. Cooper expose the truth. They follow a fascinating trail of secret contacts, false leads, confessions, tips and 'new' evidence to unravel the mysteries surrounding the case. With the assistance of AMSEC, a private investigative agency, they delved into original files, recovered documents, Sheppard family papers, forensic evidence, and interviewed new witnesses and prime suspects. They found fabricated and suppressed evidence that worked to secure the initial conviction of Dr. Sheppard. And they uncovered convincing evidence pointing to a long-ignored suspect that could have brought this case to a compelling conclusion. Illus., Dramatis Personae, Chronology, Prologue, Notes + Index. 383pp. lge. 8vo. h/back. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. F. in F. dw.