Unequal Justice: Wayne Dumond, Bill Clinton, and the Politics of Rape in Arkansas [Hardcover]

Guy Reel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1993

In 1985, handyman Wayne Dumond was accused of raping the daughter of a prominent Arkansas businessman. Not long after Dumond was released on bail, two masked gunmen broke into his home, bound and castrated him, and left him to die. His school-aged sons returned home in time to save Dumond's life, but he was later convicted and imprisoned for life. Jack Hill, a Jonesboro, Arkansas television newsman who had been looking into the shenanigans of the sheriff of St. Francis County, began investigating the Dumond case. He found an appalling trail of evil and corruption so widespread that even then-Governor Bill Clinton was forced to address it. Hill discovered that Dumond's severed testicles were taken by the sheriff, who displayed them like a trophy. After DNA tests proved Dumond was not the rapist, Hill pressed Clinton for clemency. The governor refused, even after his own parole board recommended that Dumond be released. It turned out that Clinton was a cousin of the rape victim and a political ally of the prosecutor who put Dumond away. When Clinton ran for president, he turned the case over to the lieutenant governor, who reduced Dumond's sentence.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Captivating but flawed crime story attempting to link a crooked Arkansas sheriff, a shady prosecutor, and then-Governor Bill Clinton in a criminal conspiracy. Forrest City, Arkansas, home to 14,000, sits hard by the Mississippi and was, in the mid-80's, run under the aegis of county sheriff Coolidge Conlee. According to Memphis Commercial Appeal reporter Reel, Conlee apparently also ran a high-stakes gambling operation; oversaw drug distribution; and was closely allied to district prosecutor Gene Raff, who ``some said'' was appointed as a political favor by Clinton. The trouble began when the daughter of a prominent citizen (and lifelong friend of Raff's) was raped. Her second cousin once removed was Clinton--and on this hinge Reel hangs his indictment of the President. After identifying as her rapist a man who turned out to have an airtight alibi, the victim fingered a handyman named Wayne Dumond. Unable to pick out Dumond at lineup, the victim, ``some said,'' was told by Conlee who to choose. Awaiting trial, Dumond was attacked in his trailer by two men who forced him into fellatio, then hog-tied and castrated him. At his trial, Raff contended that Dumond had castrated himself (``Was that before or after I tied myself up?'' Dumond asked), and the man was sentenced to life plus 20 years. Turned away by Arkansas courts despite apparent irrefutable evidence of his innocence (including DNA matching), Dumond approached the parole board, who recommended to Clinton that the prisoner be released immediately. Clinton refused, and the board, without precedent, ruled that Dumond serve time. Reel quotes a local attorney as saying that Raff destroyed the putative attacker of Clinton's family as a political favor to Clinton. An engrossing story that should appeal to true-crime fans undaunted by its tabloid-style insinuations about the President. The Clinton name, though, may supply enough fuel to shoot this book into a wide readership and 15 minutes of fame. (First printing of 30,000) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 263 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879758414
• ISBN-13: 978-0879758417
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,139,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Another Wingnut Anti-Clinton Conspiracy Theory, January 28, 2007

By 

Neti 0 (SF Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unequal Justice: Wayne Dumond, Bill Clinton, and the Politics of Rape in Arkansas (Hardcover)

Far-right gadfly Guy Reel's fact-challenged propaganda screed recycles and expands the equally frothing serial smear by tabloid-writer and fellow fringe-case Steve Dunleavy. Ranging from distortion to huge dollops of outright falsehood, this book is guaranteed to annoy anyone to the left of Attila the Hun. For the small minority of troglodyte extremists who eagerly lap up each new tortured Clinton conspiracy tome, this book contains nothing not already covered in the plethora of bilious (and probably bibulous) Dumond-worshipping diatribes on Free Republic.

Some interesting facts:
1) Wayne Dumond was not exonerated by DNA evidence - no DNA tests were ever conducted.
2) Contrary to the whitewashing claims of Dunleavy et al, Dumond had a substantial and serious prior criminal record - murder (1972), sexual molestation of a teenager (1973), and ... wait for it ... rape (1976). He dodged the murder charge by ratting out his buddies, and a rape conviction when the victim dropped charges because "she feared for her life" - after which Dumond claimed his earlier confession had been "coerced". He pled guilty to the 1973 molestation charge, for which he received 5 years probation.
3) Two years after his 1999 parole (the result of heavy pressure from governor and current presidential wannabe Mike Huckabee), Dumond raped and murdered Carol Sue Shields, of Parkville, Mo. He was convicted, and recently died in prison.

But because Dumond's first (and luckier) rape victim happened to be a distant relative of Bill Clinton, this serial rapist and murderer became a saintly martyr in the eyes of Reel, Dunleavy and their Freeper groupies. And these are the people (check out some of Guy Reel's anti-Democrat diatribes) who bash liberals for being "soft on crime".

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars And two rapes and murders later, December 6, 2007

By 

Omnivorous Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unequal Justice: Wayne Dumond, Bill Clinton, and the Politics of Rape in Arkansas (Hardcover)

Along with Gov. Huckabee, the author of this book shares responsibility for the murders Dumond committed after being released from prison in Arkansas. It is a perfect example of the toxic nature of partisan politics, and especially the GOP focus on Clinton, that anyone accepted this story hook, line and sinker.

5 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars dumond facts, November 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Unequal Justice: Wayne Dumond, Bill Clinton, and the Politics of Rape in Arkansas (Hardcover)

after reading others reviews i thought i needed to say some things are correct and others not. for example wayne dumond did not live in a trailer he lived in a 3 br red home. how do i know? well, i am married to his son.