When the Husband is the Suspect Review
F. Lee Bailey is one of the best-known trial lawyers in America. His conviction rate in his murder trials was a low 4% compared to the national rate of over 90%. The twenty cases in this book range from the innocent to the guilty. When a wife is killed the husband becomes the first suspect (`Preface'). When the husband is found innocent many people still assume guilt. Most people are murdered by someone they know, women are murdered by husbands, ex-husbands, or boyfriends. Guns are the weapon of choice (p.8). Neither the media or the investigators are ever embarrassed in wrongly suspecting the husband.
Some of these twenty cases are more famous than the others (`Contents'). A missing person (like Jennifer Wilbanks) can create a media frenzy in blaming her boyfriend (John Mason). Its as if the media wants to create interest to attract viewers. [That classic play "The Front Page" can be a tutorial about the media.] This book shows how a messy and infuriating divorce is always better that a murder trial (p.205). Bailey's advice to any man whose wife is murdered is to immediately get the best lawyer so you can avoid an indictment and save a lot of grief, embarrassment, and a trial. Beware of giving a false alibi! If you are acquitted a large segment of the population will think you were guilty but got away with it.
There is no index and no pictures in this concise summary of the cases. Bailey's comments alone make this a very interesting read. His earlier book "The Defense Never Rests" is better reading. The twenty "Suspects" are discussed on 258 pages. There names are: Dr. Sam Sheppard, Dr. Carl Coppolino, Dr. Jeffrey Macdonald, Claus Von Bülow, Dr. Robert Bierenbaum, Steven Sherer, O. J. Simpson, Rabbi Fred Neulander, Mark Winger, Allen Blackthorne, Michael Schiano, James "Jeff" Cahill, Rae Carruth, Kenneth Fitzhugh, Richard Sharpe, Robert Blake, Michael Peterson, Scott Peterson, Mark Hacking, and John Mason.
The OJ Simpson Trial is the best known. Page 93 does not mention the couple that found the body around 11:45pm. A report said the grand jury was dismissed because they would not indict OJ on the evidence (p.97). The limo driver's testimony led to a `not guilty' verdict (p.102). The author points out the other connected murders (p.103). Bailey explains the "low-speed chase" (p.105). The media created a bias of guilt similar to Dr. Sam Sheppard. Bailey says there is a lower quality to reporters today, unlike Dorothy Kilgallen (p.106). [What caused that?] Bailey challenges the reader to consider four points: the `time line' , the demeanor, the interrogation, and the trial testimony (pp.107-110). The jury was shielded from the nonsense in the press. Bailey said the defense chose to hold back significant evidence (p.110).
[Was this trial over-publicized to distract Americans from the job losses from NAFTA?]
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Product Overview
From the bestselling author of The Defense Never Rests, a look at the modern spate of spousal homicides. This book provides an overview of several of the most famous homicidal husband cases of recent years, including:
- Sam Sheppard, who inspired the TV series and movie The Fugitive
- Jeffrey McDonald, who became the subject of the bestseller Fatal Vision
- Mister Perfect, Brad Cunningham, who was convicted of bludgeoning his wife to death
- Michael Peterson, who was the subject of the IFC documentary series The Staircase and a Lifetime movie original starring Treat Williams
- OJ Simpson, whose dream team of lawyers defended the former pro-football player and movie star of the brutal murder of his ex-wife as the entire nation watched
- Claus von Bulow, immortalized in the book and movie Reversal of Fortune
- Robert Blake, former TV star, who was suspected of engineering the death of his conwoman wife
- Scott Peterson, a philandering sociopathic husband who almost escaped arrest for the murder of his wife and unborn child.
- Lambert "Bart" Knol, who claimed he suffered from "substance-induced persistent amnesia" when he was accused of killing his wife of 38 years
These cases and others are presented in an objective manner by a knowledgeable voice that recognizes that suspicion, and sometimes even conviction, are not always synonymous with guilt.
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- Sam Sheppard, who inspired the TV series and movie The Fugitive
- Jeffrey McDonald, who became the subject of the bestseller Fatal Vision
- Mister Perfect, Brad Cunningham, who was convicted of bludgeoning his wife to death
- Michael Peterson, who was the subject of the IFC documentary series The Staircase and a Lifetime movie original starring Treat Williams
- OJ Simpson, whose dream team of lawyers defended the former pro-football player and movie star of the brutal murder of his ex-wife as the entire nation watched
- Claus von Bulow, immortalized in the book and movie Reversal of Fortune
- Robert Blake, former TV star, who was suspected of engineering the death of his conwoman wife
- Scott Peterson, a philandering sociopathic husband who almost escaped arrest for the murder of his wife and unborn child.
- Lambert "Bart" Knol, who claimed he suffered from "substance-induced persistent amnesia" when he was accused of killing his wife of 38 years
These cases and others are presented in an objective manner by a knowledgeable voice that recognizes that suspicion, and sometimes even conviction, are not always synonymous with guilt.
