Customer Reviews

The Darkest Night: Two Sisters, a Brutal Murder, and the Loss of Innocence in a Small Town

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Many of you may recall a groundbreaking book titled "In Cold Blood" by famed author Truman Capote.
Written in the early 1960s, Mr. Capote claimed to introduce a new and compelling way of writing nonfiction, a technique he dubbed as the "nonfiction novel."
Actually, the term was misleading because it seemed to imply that the writer is embellishing the truth with fabrications from his or her imagination. That wasn't true - every fact reported in the book was accurate.
Instead, a better way to define the "nonfiction novel" is that is a factual account told in a way that uses the novelist's skills for constructing a story and adding vivid details.
The term most definitely fits "The Darkest Night", Ron Franscell's haunting book about the small-town abduction of two sisters in 1973 (Mr. Franscell's neighbors and friends). The abduction culminated in a rape and murder at a bridge that spanned over a 110-foot gorge. Both girls were thrown from the bridge. One survived. The other was traumatized for the rest of her life.
The effect of a crime this horrendous does not begin with the heinous deed, and end with a jury verdict. The sheer immensity is a mental infection that lasts for generations - in unspeakable torment for the victims and their families, in shock for a community, in macabre fascination and disgust for those who learn about the crime through the media.
In a style similar to "In Cold Blood", Mr. Franscell captures, from start to finish (if there is ever a finish), this terrible saga. He went to enormous lengths to provide vivid and unforgettable narrative, from extensive interviews with one of the murderers, to spending a night under the bridge on the 30th anniversary of the crime.
There's one important difference with Mr. Capote's book; in "The Darkest Night's" case, the author knew the victims. That heart-rending relationship to the story is evident throughout the book.
The end will floor you. If it were fiction, no one would believe it could happen.

In 1973 in Casper, Wyoming, the paths of two twenty something lowlifes, Ronald Kennedy and Jerry Jenkins, intersected with that of two half-sisters, eighteen year old Becky Thompson and eleven year old Amy Burridge. None of their lives would ever be the same again. Becky and Amy had just finished up some last minute grocery shopping at a local store, when they realized that they had a flat tire. Kennedy and Jenkins offered to help them and give them a ride home.

Once they were in the car, however, it was clear that Becky and Amy were going to be taken to hell and back again. The upshot is that they were abducted and ultimately driven to the North Platte River where Amy was thrown from a bridge that spanned a gorge into the river over a hundred feet below. Becky was then raped by Kennedy and Jenkins, and then she, too, was thrown from the bridge into that same river and left for dead. The only difference is that she physically survived her ordeal and lived to tell the tale.

The author divided the book into three parts. In the first part, the author takes great pains to describe the town and the people who played a part in the unfolding drama. He also paints a poignant portrait of the two girls who had been abducted and treated so cruelly by fate. He also describes the details of the events that led up to the crime, the crime itself, and its immediate aftermath.

In the second part of the book, the focus is on the prosecution of the case. Again, the author gives much detail on the individuals who were going to be involved in the prosecution of the case, as well as those who were to be responsible for the defense of Kennedy and Jenkins. The author also gives details from the trial itself, in addition to the outcome.

In the third part of the book, the author details what became of Becky Thompson and notes the impact that this singular event had on her life. He also details what happened to Jenkins and Kennedy. The reader also discovers what became of the families of the victims, the families of the defendants, and those who were involved in the trial process. He also includes portions of a memoir written by Kennedy, which the author expertly dissects and analyzes. This is, however, the Achilles heel in the book, as the self-serving drivel served up by Kennedy made this portion of the book drag somewhat.

This case was big news when it happened, and it shook the town of Casper to its core. In fact, the author knew Becky and Amy, as they were his next door neighbors in Casper, Wyoming, where he grew up. He was a junior in high school at the time that the crime occurred, and he recalls the impact that the crime had on not only the community but on his family, as well. This personal connection explains the well-spring of deep sadness that resonates throughout this well-written book and speaks to the reader. Meticulous in his research, it is clear that for this author this book was a labor of love, as the author brings to life with his prose all those whose lives had been touched by this heinous crime.

Amazon Kept Recommending this book to me and I would ignore it because I had never heard of the Author.I found it in the book store the other day,decided to pick it up. I'm so glad I did! This book is so different than the regular True Crime that we usualy see.It goes more into the effect of what a Horrible crime does to the Survivor,Community as well as the Author.It is a very well written,touching story.It has broken my heart and this case will stay with me for a lifetimeI highly recommend it for not only True Crime readers but for everyone.

The author, Ron Francsell, was a boy himself when this brutal murder, rape, and abduction occurred in his picturesque hometown of Caspar, Wyoming in September 1973. I was in diapers then. His memories and research are first rate about Amy and Becky Burridge, two sisters, who go to the Thriftway market to pick up items for their mother.

The author was wise not to change the names of anybody in the book. It's pretty brave of him. Their car has a flat tire that was just fixed and two men agreed to help them. The two men, Jerry Jenkins and Ronald Kennedy, were career criminals. They orchestrated the flat tire in order to abduct and rape the older sister.

After hours of pure torture and torment by their abductors, they drive their victims to the Fremont Canyon Bridge where they send Amy and Becky to their sure deaths but one survives. The sister would survive the harrowing ordeal but barely, traumatized for the rest of her life. Frightened and horrified, a couple rescue her and bring her to the hospital where she recounts the whole ordeal and night of torture.

The whole town of Caspar, Wyoming has never fully recovered and the names of Jerry Jenkings and ROnald Kennedy sends chills down even the toughest of people.

As a former Casper resident and classmate of both Becky Thomson and the author, Ron Franscell, I felt a deep need to fully understand what happened in my hometown all those years ago. Rather than being a gruesome, sensation-seeking retelling of a high-profile murder, this book is a tender, thoughtful examination of events which conspired to erase a community's faith in God, in justice, and in each other. The events of that night forced each of the book's charachters to wrestle with questions both painful and far-reaching. In previous reviews, the major events are outlined so I will not repeat these. Not mentioned, but just as important, are the little stories within the story, particularly the author's own experiences. The author befriend's the reader intimately as he explores that darkest night. I have not lived in Casper for thirty years and yet, Mr. Franscell transported me to a place so alive and so familiar I feel I never left. I whole-heartedly reccommend this book as an intelligent, sensitive, and courageous narrative which, with clarity of understanding and insight, handles a most difficult, painful, and personal subject matter. Cindy Haskins Monro, Tucson, Arizona

"The Darkest Night" by Ron Franscell is by far right up there with the best true crime book ever written. Set in a small town in Wyoming, two small time criminals commit what would be remembered as one of the most unspeakable crimes of Wyoming's history.

On an autumn night in 1973, Casper, Wyoming is shattered by the brutal murder of 11 year old Amy Burridge and the rape and attempted murder of her 18 year old half sister - both being thrown off of a 110 foot bridge. And the story doesn't end there. Ron Franscell's writing is part memoir as he was a young teenager living in Casper at the time of this tragic event, a neighbor and friend of the two victims. With this writing, Ron wanted to come to terms with what happened and why, delving into the criminal investigation and, most importantly, into the mind of a sociopath. The Darkest Night takes the reader to the scene of the crime with eloquently written details and specifics of the case, leaving the reader feeling emotions that run the gamut. - Melanie Craven - truecrimeinsider.com

The Darkest Night is the story of an especially horrific crime committed against two children as told by one of their contemporaries, Ron Franscell. One child, at age 11 was thrown from a bridge into a canyon and died instantly. Her 16-year-old half-sister nearly suffered the same intended fate after having been gang-raped. Miraculously, she survived the ordeal--physically. The effect upon her psyche was another matter altogether.

Franscell eventually moved away and become a successful writer. Ultimately, he decided to go back home again to re-evaluate the scenario from an adult perspective. The Darkest Night reiterates the details of the crime and its ensuing effect upon the members of the community. He covers the background and fate of the perpetrators and the survivor's family. But most poignantly, he portrays the remainder of the survivor's short life in unforgettable terms.

Franscell's telling of this story is most unusual and satisfying. There are other well-written true crime stories on the book market. Few, however, reach into the psyche's of those affected by the crimes at hand. Therefore, I give this book five stars for meticulous research, excellent reporting, and compassionate writing.

I'm a mother of 3 teenage girls as I was reading this book I found myself telling my oldest daughter about it because they were so close in age .This book has ended up being passed around to all the young ladies who enter my home .I don't want to scare my girls but they have to learn there are monsters who are preying on someone out there and they need to take steps in being cautious such as going out in groups never getting in a car with a stranger .

The story Becky Thompson and Amy Burridge is one that continues to haunt the American psyche more than three decades later. The darkness that these poor girls were subjected to goes beyond evil, into the realm of the demonic. I would like to say that these events were unique, but unfortunately they are not, as evidenced by other such true accounts in books like:

Pure Murder (Pinnacle True Crime)

and

Sex Kill: Lust crimes that shocked a generation!

...which are well worth reading. The lesson to be learned here is that vigilance must always be maintained in dealing with strangers or even casual acquaintances - and that trusting too easily can mean the difference between life and death.

It was a chilling time in Casper, especially when you knew the girls. The book brought so many memories back to life again. I could not put the book down, even tho I knew what happened, I was hoping the ending had changed after all this time, naturally it hadn't and the tears just kept falling, just like Becky. WOW what a great book, when's the movie? Great job Mr. Franscell!