Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Vintage (2012), Kindle Edition, 320 pages
Description
This book is an incisive investigation into the many shortcomings of the justice system brought to light in the story of a grievously mishandled murder case in South Carolina that left an innocent man facing execution. At the age of twenty-three, Edward Lee Elmore, a black man, was arrested after the body of a white widow was found, brutally beaten, in the closet of her home. Elmore was an unlikely killer: semiliterate, mentally retarded with a fifth-grade education, gentle and loving with his family. His connection to the victim was minimal, but barely ninety days after the victim's body was found, he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. The author gives us an exhaustive account of the particulars of racism, prosecutorial misconduct, inept defense lawyers, and injustice in Elmore's case, which, the author makes clear, occur in courts throughout America. He carefully examines each stage of the initial trial, jury selection, the role of the lawyers and judge, the appeal process, and introduces us to the spirited young female lawyer who, for two decades, fought to get Elmore a fair trial. It is a vital contribution to our nation's ongoing, increasingly vehement debate about justice and inequality.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member BellaFoxx
Edward Lee Elmore was arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to die for the murder of Dorothy Ely Edwards an elderly rich white widow. The only connection the police had was a check made out to Elmore and his fingerprint on a windowsill. Since Elmore had done handyman work for Edwards this was
Elmore was a poor young black man of limited education and intelligence, these circumstances combined with his attorneys’ incompetence, alcoholism, racism and belief in his guilt to ensure he did not get a fair trial.
After many years on death row his case caught the attention of the South Carolina Death Penalty Resource Center in general and attorney Diana Holt in particular. She spent more than a decade fighting for his life and freedom.
The book deals mainly with the process involved in trying to get a man off death row and getting a new trail. The pitfalls and difficulties. Because of that there is a lot of discussion of trials and testimony. Mr. Bonner references many other cases that rulings were violated during his trial or were being used to try to get him a new trial and/or off death row. While Mr. Bonner gives biographical information of the key people involved, it is not extensive just enough to help us with understanding the feeling in the community during this event.
Even with the legal talk and recitation of testimony, there is not much repetition in the book. These make the book while not easy to read not as tedious as it could be. Not all the testimony is word for word and there is much that is summarized.
I would recommend this book for true crime fans who like the courtroom side of cases as opposed to biographical data and investigation.
Show More
not surprising, the police and prosecuting attorney decided it was evidence of guilt.Elmore was a poor young black man of limited education and intelligence, these circumstances combined with his attorneys’ incompetence, alcoholism, racism and belief in his guilt to ensure he did not get a fair trial.
After many years on death row his case caught the attention of the South Carolina Death Penalty Resource Center in general and attorney Diana Holt in particular. She spent more than a decade fighting for his life and freedom.
The book deals mainly with the process involved in trying to get a man off death row and getting a new trail. The pitfalls and difficulties. Because of that there is a lot of discussion of trials and testimony. Mr. Bonner references many other cases that rulings were violated during his trial or were being used to try to get him a new trial and/or off death row. While Mr. Bonner gives biographical information of the key people involved, it is not extensive just enough to help us with understanding the feeling in the community during this event.
Even with the legal talk and recitation of testimony, there is not much repetition in the book. These make the book while not easy to read not as tedious as it could be. Not all the testimony is word for word and there is much that is summarized.
I would recommend this book for true crime fans who like the courtroom side of cases as opposed to biographical data and investigation.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Darcia
I read a lot about the injustices of our "justice" system, so I did not expect to be all that surprised by the details in this book. I was, in fact, shocked. The enormity of corruption and prejudice, from the police to the lawyers (both prosecution and so-called defense) and right to the judge, is
While the initial trial was a farce, what really struck me hard were the hurdles and blockades involved in obtaining a new, fair trial. Once a person has been convicted, the system wants to keep its hold. Despite obvious corruption, suppressed evidence, perjury, and more, our justice system was intent on killing a poor, mentally retarded, innocent black man. This is not justice. This is state-sanctioned murder.
The research here is impeccable, and Raymond Bonner lays out the facts in a compelling manner. This book is easy to read, as far as writing style. But the content will - and should - leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the way our legal system works.
Show More
just appalling. While the initial trial was a farce, what really struck me hard were the hurdles and blockades involved in obtaining a new, fair trial. Once a person has been convicted, the system wants to keep its hold. Despite obvious corruption, suppressed evidence, perjury, and more, our justice system was intent on killing a poor, mentally retarded, innocent black man. This is not justice. This is state-sanctioned murder.
The research here is impeccable, and Raymond Bonner lays out the facts in a compelling manner. This book is easy to read, as far as writing style. But the content will - and should - leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the way our legal system works.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bfister
A well-written and thorough investigation of a case in which a man was falsely convicted of murder - three times! - before a committed advocat took on the case. It's so well written that you are anxious by the end to know whether she finally succeeded in getting the man justice. It's also a good
Show More
dissection of how racism influences the criminal justice system. Excellent book. Show Less
LibraryThing member barlow304
A real life who-done-it, an indictment of the capital punishment system, this book covers the strange case of Edward Elmore, a poor, mentally slow black man railroaded onto death row for a crime he did not commit.
The book describes the work of capital punishment appellate lawyers, in particular,
Through the legal ups and downs, through the investigation, the author Raymond Bonner pursues the truth. Did Elmore do it? Why are so many pieces of evidence missing? Was the evidence tampered with?
The book makes a powerful argument that the death penalty is wrong because it is administered by flawed human beings.
The book describes the work of capital punishment appellate lawyers, in particular,
Show More
Diana Holt, as they try to get a new trial for Mr. Elmore in the slaying of an elderly white widow. It quickly becomes apparent that the prosecutor has a weak case, but one he enhances with questionable evidence.Through the legal ups and downs, through the investigation, the author Raymond Bonner pursues the truth. Did Elmore do it? Why are so many pieces of evidence missing? Was the evidence tampered with?
The book makes a powerful argument that the death penalty is wrong because it is administered by flawed human beings.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This is an account of a murder in Greenville, S.C. in January 1982. An elderly widow living alone was murdered and her neighbor quickly pointed the police to a 23-year-old black man who sometimes worked for her, Edward Elmore. He was quickly charged though the evidence against him was thin. He went
Show More
to jail, was quickly tried , poorly defended,, and convicted and sentence to death. The conviction was reversed on appeal but he was tried again, with the same incompetent defense counsel, and again convicted. That conviction was also overturned and he was tried a third time with the same result. The book tells of the efforts to save his life, and in 2012 he was finally freed from prison. The book was published before the he was released and one had to go to Google to find the final result. The book is kind of wandering and one wishes it were more rigorous and more eager to be objective, though it is clear that Elmore should never have been convicted and sentenced to die. Non-lawyers might lose patience with the account but I found it fascinating. And I am glad they did not succeed in killing Elmore, who certainly should not have been convicted on the slim evidence that was presented. Show Less
Awards
American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award (Finalist — 2013)
Similar in this library
Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America (P.S.) by Gilbert King
Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin by Hampton Sides
Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County: A Family, a Virginia Town, a Civil Rights Battle by Kristen Green
The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science by Douglas Starr