Guilty Until Proven Innocent [Hardcover]

Donald S. Connery (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 1977

The murder trial that outraged a nation-now with a new afterword.

In 1973, at age 18, Peter Reilly discovered his mother murdered-and was sentenced to jail after a false confession was extracted. No motive, physical evidence, or eyewitnesses linked him to the crime. This is the story of his ordeal with a new afterword on how it has affected the justice system today.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 377 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 25, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399118233
• ISBN-13: 978-0399118234
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,306,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guilty until Proven Innocent, April 21, 2009

By 

R. Russo (New England, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Guilty Until Proven Innocent (Hardcover)

A teen comes home to find his mom murdered.The police convince him after 30 hours without food or sleep that he "blacked out" and did it. But he doesn't remember. He signs a confession.Found guilty. Reads like a novel, but it's all true. The dialogue in this book is from the actural interogation tapes and interviews with the accused or first hand participants. Sounds like something that may happen in a good old boy area. Not true. The scene is rural northwestern Connecticut.
I read "Death in Canaan" and saw that movie years ago. This book, by a renouned reporter and journalist who happens to live in the area really makes it real. It could happen to you, or your teenager.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting case that still happens today, January 29, 2010

By 

picardfan007 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guilty Until Proven Innocent (Mass Market Paperback)

I always wanted to know the specifics of this case. The truth was that there was no physical evidence to link Peter Reily to this crime. Yet the Police still arrested him. The author goes on to state that this case was a textbook one on false confession. When you read the transcript of the questioning and the tactics; you'll see that this is true.

The sad fact is that are many cases like this one that never get attention. This author was one of the founders of DNA testing. This book in paticular was one I could not put down. What I found so compelling was that the police never investigated other leads. There were several others mentioned in this book that were never followed to this day.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars book review, February 17, 2011

By 

. "knitter" (California United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Guilty Until Proven Innocent (Mass Market Paperback)

Very well written. If you like court proceedings, etc. you will like this book. Tedious legalities but author kept it interesting