Customer Reviews

Reasonable Doubt

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Steve Vogel's accounting of the horrid Hendricks family murder was laced with controversy when it first came out. At the time, those following the crime believed David Hendricks was guilty, but Vogel's book challenged the thoroughness of the police, questioned their biases and their understanding of religious matters.

The story details the events surrounding the murder of three children and their mother, and whether or not the father was guilty. The father, out of town when the police discovered the bodies, claimed an alibi. The police determined, through statements from models he used for his catalog for his company, that perhaps David Hendricks was not faithful to his wife. No affairs were discovered, but the model statements still showed a poor light on Hendrick's commitment to his wife.

Hendricks was a lay leader in a relatively small, conservative group of evangelical Christians called the "Plymouth Brethren". The police did not realize that this group, though small, shared its basic theology with many Baptist denominations, as well as other better-known Christian groups. Instead, the police surmised that since divorce was discouraged in the Plymouth Brethren, Hendricks felt he needed to kill his family in order to be free of the marriage. Vogel describes the small-town ignorance of the police detectives and prosecutors by using their own trial testimoy. The prosecutor's logical jump was proposterous, but it played heavily into the trial.

The town, in a near OJ Simpson trial like frenzy, fed off the news, and the story became both local scandal and national news.

Confusing the matter was Hendrick's intense demeanor. He was well-read, and well-thought out, and by no means a man to react over-emotionally. His seemingly calm response, which may have been based on his faith or general personality, caused the police to see Hendricks cynically. Though they weren't country bumpkins, they weren't on the intellectual caliber of Hendricks, a star graduate of Northwestern University and inventor of a top-selling piece of medical equipment.

At issue in the trial was if Hendricks had the opportunity to have been at home at the time of the murders. He claimed no, the police claimed yes. The key evidence was the time of death as determined by the digestion of food the children ate. If that could be verified, then the suspect Hendricks was either cleared or very likely the culprit.

I fully recommend "Reasonable Doubt" for readers looking to think in this older, yet continually popular true crime book.

Anthony Trendl

I found this book to be a very well written account of the horrific murder of four very innocent people. The book contains considerable detail of the crime, the investigation, the trial of David Hendricks, the accused. Although most of the evidence is circumstanual and there is certainly a "reasonable doubt" as to the true guilt or innocence of the accused, the book is excellent for those who crave only the true stories of life. I for one am an avid reader of only those stories that are in fact true in nature. I have never cared for fiction. This book is worth the purchase and reading. The only thing I did not care for is that the print is rather small in the paperback edition and was for me difficult to read. Otherwise the book is tops.

The David Hendricks case was a media sensation in the Peoria area. This was the dawn of guerilla news tactics and the area media was only too glad to serve what would sell.

The title pretty much sums up what I believe the author was striving for. Hendricks was tried and convicted in the public's eyes long before his trial started; and Vogel I think is attempting to get the reader to actually consider all the facts of the case, not just the soundbites. Before I read the book I was pretty well convinced Hendricks murdered his family, afterward I wasn't so sure. The guy may have had a wandering eye, but that doesn't make him an axe-murderer.

Towards the end, Vogel presents a couple of the scenarios the prosecution came up with to buttress their case, but they come off as a lot of grand speculation when everything is taken into account.

Gore-hounds looking for a fast, bloody true crime tale will come away disappointed. Vogel doesn't embellish the details in what is a horrifying, heart-breaking end to three children's lives and their mother's.

His presentation is objective, however the style is a little dry. But I'm not sure I would want him to juice things up.

Although the shelves are filled with true crime books, it's not easy to find a good one...and almost impossible to find a great one. "Reasonable Doubt" is truly one of the great ones.

If you're a fan of the Ann Rule School, you won't like this one. Ann Rule, and writers who emulate her, usually follow a certain formula:

First, deify the victim (who is invariably female).

Second, portray her family members are minor gods and goddesses. The victim's family is usually perfect and extremely supportive of the woman who later becomes a victim. The father is strong and solid and protective, as are the brothers. The mother and the sisters also are more than anyone could hope for.

Then attack the accused man. No matter how flimsy the evidence, super magnify every detail of the accused's personality that doesn't fit into the mold of perfect all-American man.

Blah blah blah...you know the formula by now.

Steve Vogel's book isn't like that. From what I can see, he presents an objective look at the case, and allows the reader to decide whether the prosecution has a case or not.

Juries are not made up of smart people...mostly middle-of-the-roaders who watch a lot of television...thus it's easy for prosecutors to present the accused as a "strange guy" who "probably" killed the perfect victim.

Doesn't matter that there's no evidence. He must have done it because he didn't "act right" after the crime. And who else would have done it, anyway?

In this book, the guy is convicted of first-degree murder because the jury believed he killed his wife and three children (with an ax and a butcher knife) because he wanted to have sex with some models he had hired for a brochure. No other evidence of any kind.

So this is a great example of what a true crime book should be. Vogel dispenses with the long, tiring mini-biographies of the victim's family members...and the excruciatingly boring stories of how the accused's parents and grandparents came to America that fill the pages of so many books of this genre. And he leaves out the pages and pages of details of how the prosecutor and the detectives got their jobs. And, thankfully, he doesn't paint the police and prosecutors as flawless heroes in pursuit of pure justice, as the Ann Rule School writers always do.

This book is a breath of fresh air, and Vogel tells the story, and keeps things moving...and he's a lot less repetitive compared to so many true crime books. He knows how to keep it interesting...and I was never bored or tempted to start skimming.

Oh...and this is a long book with small type...unlike so many of the "read-in-one-sitting" gyp jobs from so many other writers. This book will keep you going for more than just a day..lots of pertinent detail.

The more true crime books I read, seeing how so many people are railroaded by the legal system, I think we're all in big trouble.

Hysteria is not just for the masses...it also runs rampant through the jury room. Hope and pray that you are never falsely accused.

Steve Vogel was a radio newsman in mid-America when he covered the Hendricks family murders; a circumstantial case centering on self-made businessman David Hendricks. A fascinating weave of family, fetishes, religion, and gruesome murder. Vogel covered the case from stem to stern and has a flair for teh kind of details which don't fit in most radio spots.

Couldn't put this book down! A definite read for those true crime fans who like to think for themselves.

An update to the book is in order since much has happened since it was first published.

Still worth it to own!

Bravo to the author for not letting anyone sway his opinions in this case. He is truly objective in this book, giving both sides their time to "present their cases"...

Pick it up, you won't be sorry.

I bought this book when it first came out in 1989. I lived in Bloomington-Normal when the murders took place. There was a great debate the whole time before, during and after the trial. I never felt as though they had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Hendricks had committed the murders. It simply didn't make any sense then and it doesn't make sense now. The second trial, which is not covered in this edition, ended with an acquittal which made sense. That jury, almost to a person, agreed that they could not understand how the first jury found him guilty. The prosecution's theory that he killed them to get out of his marriage because divorce was very much frowned upon by his religious group, The Plymouth Brethren, but he could justify murder over divorce simply made no sense. There was no physical evidence only conjecture and police feelings and hunches. The first detective to interview him the night the murders were discovered decided, after talking to Hendricks for about 10 minutes, that he was guilty. The cops then geared there investigation to prove that detective's feeling.
Now, after the second trial and acquittal, the cops should be trying to find the true killer or killers (I think there was more than one killer) but they refuse. But then this is pretty much typical of all police and prosecutors when they have been shown or even proved to be wrong. Some people who have been exonerated by DNA evidence were still considered to be guilty by the cops and prosecutors who arrested and convicted them. The police are not concerned with truth just proving themselves right. Even Supreme Court Justice Scalia has the same attitude. It's disgusting.
Read the book and tell me you don't agree. Remember: it's reasonable doubt that we're talking about here and if you don't have any reasonable doubt after reading this book I must say you are either illiterate or you do not understand the concept of "reasonable doubt".

The book came as described. But it would have been nice to have been provided a tracking number so that I knew when the book would be arriving. The time span given for the book to be delivered was over 3 weeks. That was a crazy span of time for a book to be delivered. Luckily, the book came quite quickly and I was not actually waiting for the entire 3 weeks.

interesting book. started off a little slow but then it picked up towards the middle then it slowed down again and then picked up towards the end. i wouldn't call it a page turner by any means but it was a good true story that was worth the read.

I'm a resident of Bloomington, Illinois and vividly remember these murders. I personally know people involved in the investigation and followed it closely. We've visited the grave site and find it odd that there's not a space reserved for David. Even though I don't think he did it, who else could have? A good one for Unsolved Mysteries!!