NO HEROES, NO VILLAINS The Story of a Murder Trial

Hardback. On June 29, 1972, John Skagen, an off-duty police officer, was shot to death in a New York City subway station. A man names James Richardson, arrested and charged with the homicide, stood trial for the murder, and was defended by William M. Kunstler. This is the story of that trial, but it also a great deal more. In this remarkable book, the author, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case, has succeeded in capturing the texture and quality of urban criminal justice, and not only conveys the courtroom drama inherent in an emotional murder trial, but takes the reader step by step through the background, the unseen preparations, the private fears and hopes that are normally shielded from public view. All of these elements come alive as the author takes his narrative from the bloody moment of the crime to the uncertainties of investigation, through the long court delays, and at last to trial, verdict, appeal and beyond. The 'dramatis personae' - victims and defendants, policemen and prosecutors, judges and juries, lawyers and spectators - are equally vivid, and it is the particular skill of the author to make us aware of the complex humanity of each of them as they struggle to make the best of a tragic situation. There are no heroes and no villains in this book; refreshingly, here is an attorney who is willing to dispense with the cant and hypocrisy of the legal profession, to cut through the mystique that envelops lawyering, and to present people as they really are. With Aftermath. 243pp. 8vo. h/back. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. Vg+ in Vg. dw.