Customer Reviews

Unbridled Rage

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Gene O'Shea has done a remarkable job in telling how two ATF agents solved a heralded Chicago murder mystery 40 years after the killings. Chicago was shocked in 1955 when the naked bodies of three young boys were found in a ditch in a forest preserve. An incredible effort on the part of police and investigative authorities for years was unable to solve this horrible crime. It took two outstanding agents, John Rotunno and Jim Grady, through intensive investigation to crack this "cold case." O'Shea has detailed a most interesting summary of just how these agressive agents turned up enough evidence to convict horseman Kenneth Hansen. His book is a fascinating read. This worthy story would make a top-notch movie...

This is a sad brutal story 40 years in the making. O'Shea brings the outfit, Chicago Horse syndicate and the infamous Jayne gang uncomfortably close to the reader--especially parents. The author masterfully weaves the past and present into a well written, easily understood history of the brutal crimes committed against three innocent young boys in 1955. The ATF agents who cracked this cold case deserve the gratitude of every parent. They never gave up. Thanks.

It's a good book. It is truly amazing that this type of case could slide to obscurity. It sheds light on just how elusive solving high profile crimes can be and how they can connect to other crimes. Instead of becoming completely tangled in that web, it keeps its emphasis on the right area, the case of these children. It is good to know that even after forty years, some kind of justice was served while there were still those alive to witness it.

Anyone who is enamored with mobster types and stories should refer to this one as the flipside of the reality on how inherently sick and cruel these individuals really were.

If you grew up in metropolitan Chicago you are aware of the events covered in this story. Your eyes have glazed over countless news stories and telecasts, all of which served to confuse you more than help you. O'Shea has superbly connected the dots of crime stories more complex than the collective Dashielle Hammett. Terrifying that it is non-fiction.

What an excellent first go around for O'Shea! He manages to weave the inticacies of all the characters in a way that is easy to understand and yet very poignant. I really enjoyed reading this book and was glad that justice finally wins out! A must read!

This was a fast read, the author handled this sad story with delicate care, it is a testimony that eventually whether you believe it or not what comes around goes around.

Unbridled Rage is the story of the solving of the 40 year old murder of three young boys in Chicago. Along the way, the author, Gene O'Shea, touches on a number of other murders connected to the notorious Silas Jayne gang in Chicago. The story is fascinating and the writing is just excellent. For example there are courtroom scenes where necessary to advance the story, but these scenes which in the hands or lesser writers can be numbingly boring, are brief and relevant. O'Shea writes as a reporter presenting a clear narrative, rather than as a cheerleader, which unfortunately is an all too common phenonmenon in true crime writing. He remains as non-judgemental as anyone could, given the nauseating nature of the crime, and of the personal make-up, which O'Shea explores in interesting depth, of the murderer. The time frames of this book range from 1955 to the early 21st century. This could have become difficult to follow, but at the start of each chapter, O'Shea lists the dates covered in that particular chapter.
A very strong effort.

This is a fantastic book and great read. It tells the compelling story of how a couple of intrepid ATF agents relentlessly pursued and eventually solved this case. Lots of great real life drama and great villans. It was unfortunate that the perpetrator of these murders was able to get away with it for so long. Thank God that justice was done in the end, because if anyone ever deserved to be taken off the streets it was Ken Hansen, the murderer. I have lent this book out to a number of friends and they have all loved it.

A good look into a time of innocence shattered by a terrible triple murder of little boys with some interesting ties to later crimes.

During my exhaustive research of the Helen Brach murder investigation there is a clear pattern that I see. ATF Rotunno is an expert at deception to support his theories. Before ATF Rotunno leaked the Plemmons lies to the media he was heavily promoted as a great man in a book called Unbridled Rage by Gene O'Shea.(I want to make it clear that all I say about Gene O'Shea and his book are just my and a few others opinions.)



I feel that this was part of Rotunno's plan to win public opinion of what great work he had done of getting people convicted for murders. Then his new fabricated story would carry more weight. In Unbridled Rage a lot of stories about Silas Jayne and his family are told by Rottunno and other law enforcement agents. After all the lies I have pointed out about ATF Rotunno's disregard for the law and lying, do you believe his stories?

Rottuno paints a picture to support his con. Gene O'Shea appears to be his P.R. man. Not once throughout this book does he say anything negative about Rotunno. It appears to me and a few others that O'Shea has a hidden agenda in writing this book!

He really sucks up to Rotunno a lot. I and some others are very, very suspicious of Gene O'Shea becoming Illinois Gaming Commissioner. Did Rotunno or his ATF buddies have something to do with Govenor Blagoavich appointing him to be Illinois Gaming Commissioner?

He was a reporter at the Daily Southtown newspaper in suburban Chicago while working very close to Rotunno then he becomes Illinois Gaming Commissioner. Very, very interesting! I think this should be investigated! What do you think?



In the 1995 Ken Hansen murder trial, Hansen's defense attorney O'Donnell says as Gene O'Shea writes in O'Donnell's opening statement, "The state's case was nothing more than fabrication, woven from lies and stories of paid witnesses who were working hand in hand with federal agents to rebuild the tarnished reputation of the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol and Firearms, O'Donnell said."

"An unholy alliance was created a few years ago, that alliance was between William Wemette, a man who has to please people who pay him money, provide him housing, give him free telephone service, and a unit of government called ATF," O'Donnell said. "The ATF in 1993 was probably the most discredited law enforcement agency on the face of the earth after the Waco disaster and Ruby Ridge. They desperately needed to seek to rehabilitate their image before the public."

William Wemette was and FBI informant from 1971-1989. Then the ATF gets new information from him in the 90's about a murder that happened in the 50's. Very, very suspicious looking! Maybe another ATF setup! What do you think?



O'Shea writes about the 1995 Bailey trial, "Judge Shadur found that Bailey had conspired to murder Helen Brach based on a "preponderance of evidence."

This is just from Joe Plemmons testimony! Bailey was convicted of stealing from rich woman. But to sentence him for conspiring to kill Helen Brach on Joe Plemmons word alone looks real weird to me!



O'Shea writes, "On a moment's notice Rotunno would find himself switching gears from a suburban family man with a wife and three daughters to his undercover persona as a ruthless drug dealer who "moved" truckloads of marijuana. Gang members came to admire Rotunno, nick naming him "Red" because of the government-issued undercover hot rod he drove, a fully loaded red Mustang."

So Rotunno is a trained liar. I bet he is so good at lying that he could look you in the eyes and make you believe his lie. He can probably lie constantly to a lie detector and pass the test!



O'Shea writes, "Rotunno, with all of his years of undercover work, had honed his instincts, and trusted them. His intuition had gotten him out of a jam on more than one occasion; sometimes he just knew he was right about a suspect or theory." "Like many lawmen, Rotunno was very good at reading personalities. He often relied on his internal lie detector when sizing up witnesses and informants. Rotunno was also a guarded individual. He rarely shared his opinions or true emotions, and when he did, it was only around those he trusted. Rotunno's guarded demeanor would pigeonhole him as "bad cop" in an interrogation situation."

So once Rotunno creates a theory he will do whatever it takes to support his theory. In the Helen Brach murder investigation, he has lied and fabricated evidence to support his theory. He thinks he is above the law. He has broken the law over and over. Why should Rotunno be able to break the law and not be fired and prosecuted?

Remember ATF Bob Hauffman saying on Jan 10, 2005 on "60 Minutes" that he could substantiate one of the three ATF woman agent's claims that ATF agents sexually harassed them. He went on to say that all the criminals that he has put away in his career, all of them have more honor than the top official in the ATF! He said I know this is a sad commentary but that is my experience as an ATF agent! How can we blame ATF Rotunno? He is just following their example!
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midnight rider