Customer Reviews

Deadly Goals

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Deadly Goals" is the story of one Pernell Jefferson, a former Small College (N.A.I.A.) All-American football star. He was convicted of the abduction and murder of his girl friend by a Virginia court. His abuse of the victim, Jeannie, and other females was acerbated by the heavy use of steroids to enhance his football prowess. DG is fast, linear, no-nonsense reading. There is a total absence of mystery here. DG is told in classic flashback style. The reader knows the ending from the outset. We only have to read to learn how the wheels of justice turned. BG even includes a note from Mr. Jefferson, penned from the Virginia State big house. A strong point of DG is that all the very real life characters come across as genuine people, warts and all. A disturbing aspect is that not all police departments prosecute abuse toward women equally aggressively. Jefferson's violent proclivities happened in different locales and the Miami and Chesapeake, VA cops were lethargic in pursuing him or responding to his victims' allegations. Jeannie's' abduction, murder and dumping of her body happened in a smaller Virginia town, which would not tolerate such crimes. This reviewer can picture DG as a classic 1940-50s-film noir, with the purp telling his tale from behind bars. He can see Lizabeth Scott or Veronica Lake as the unfortunate victim and perhaps Pat O'Brien and Brian Dunlevy as the detective and prosecutor who bring Pernell down. DG has definite big screen potential, with or without the noir. Any reader must wonder what Pernell's life might have been like had he NOT walked out of the Cleveland Brown's summer camp. (Some observers felt he would have made the squad as a rookie). There was also the controversial introduction of a taped phone conversation with Jeannie as crucial prosecutional evidence at his trial. Making the team might have kept Jefferson out of trouble; exclusion of the tape might have exonerated him, albeit free to abuse other women. BG is recommended as a good no-nonsense straightforward true crime tale. A star is deducted for the lack of any true suspense.

The main character Pernell Jefferson is portrayed brilliantly in this book by Wilt Browning. He shows the the unfortunate death of a young women who just can't escape the clutches of her ex-boyfriend. Wilt got together with all the witnesses who had anything to do with the trial to get both their story and their view of Pernell. Mr. Browning through his book shows the anger and agression that Pernell was building in his head due to the many years of stacking(consuming) anabolic steroids. In addition, he shows the ordeals that Jeanie had to go through and the eventual death that became of her because Pernell could not control himself.

In reading some of the reviews on here it really amazes me that anyone can justify another's wrong doing, regardless if you were a friend of this mans , murder is murder and there really is no pretty picture so even if you found Pernell to be a great guy so what... he murdered this women in such a horrible way...No sympathy from me ...You do the crime you suffer the consequences of your actions...I dont care if he was on steroids or not ,you shouldnt be taking steriods in the first place..Poor Jeannie thats who you should feel bad for....Good Book

Maybe I have been spoiled, but I wish Ann Rule had done this book. I didn't feel like I really got inside any of the people and there were so many details and descriptions left out. Loose ends lingered and left me wanting to know more.

A true crime story should grab a hold of the reader and put them in the situation with the people involved. I never felt that way with Deadly Goals - more like I was an outsider looking in.
Still, an interesting, quick and very easy read. I read it in a few hours and a fine read for the beach or when traveling.

It took me several years before I read this book. I am sadden to read so much misleading information. Being a college classmate,a friend of Pernell Jefferson along with being present on many of these occassions mentioned by the author. I can tell you that many of the accounts are misleading and grossly exaggerated with a lot of fill in the blank information by the author. This case has some parallels to the OJ Simpson case, however, it is very unclear what really happened and who is truly responsible. What is clear is this race to judgement along with the fact that this young man who had so much potential had very poor representation unlike OJ Simpson. As a result you have an individual who quite possibly will spend the rest of his life in prison for a terrible crime that he is not cleary guilty of other than abuse.

The snowball effect of the Simpson case really took all chances away of this young man getting a fair trial/appeal by a jury of his peers. As much as the author falsified information, the book still has many lope holes and leaves a case unclear.