Customer Reviews

The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case

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The Wrong Man is a gripping and provocative look at the sensational murder trial(s)of Sam Sheppard. While in high school in the 70's, I remember first reading about the case in F. Lee Bailey's book "The Defense Never Rests". Neff's book takes you behind the headlines of this infamous case and moves forward from the day of the crime and through the various incarnations of the case in the state and federal courts. He looks in depth at the participants and suspects in one of the century's greatest "unsolved murders." This case is a clear example of a man and a family destroyed by politicians and the press. These folks refused to let the facts get in the way of a good story. Sheppard's life and reputation were lost because the case was tried in the newspapers and television, instead of the court room. Oddly enough, through three trials in a "search for truth" justice was never served. It is ironic that Neff's objective review of the case as a journalist and a "member of the press" may be the closest the Sheppard family ever gets to finding the truth and obtaining justice. This is not simply a regurgitation of the headlines but a probing anatomy of an infamous crime and what happens when a "good story" over takes the facts, a community, and our system of justice. It also shows why our freedoms guaranteed by the constitution (including the freedom of the press) must be jealously guarded against all who would take them away. I could not put the book down once I started reading it and strongly recommend it to any one who enjoys the true crime genre or reading law related novels. Here, the facts are stranger (and more interesting) than any fiction one could invent.

Given the antiquity of the Sheppard case, the loss of physical evidence and the death of virtually all of its chief figures, it is unlikely that this baffling murder case will ever be solved beyond the shadow of a doubt. But James Neff has come closer than anyone yet in penetrating to the core of this anguished puzzle. Well-researched and well-written, it demolishes many myths and misconceptions about the case and renders virtually every previous book on the case obsolete. Hard-core followers of the Sheppard phenomeon may be no more swayed by Neff's faith in the DNA evidence proffered in the 3rd Sheppard trial last year (the jurors weren't convinced)but he nonetheless makes a compelling argument for the guilt of Richard Eberling, a familiar and repugnant suspect to Sheppard buffs. True, Neff sidesteps the ludicrous implausabilities of Sheppard's "bushy-haired intruder" story but his evidence and arguments will be the starting place for any further controversy on this celebrated case. In a word, don't exhale until you've read this book.

Some people feel that the 'not-guilty' verdict at the 1966 re-trial of Dr. Sam Sheppard following his release from prison, coupled with the fact that he died over 30 years ago, makes any discussion of his case pointless. Many others however, view the Sheppard case as a tragic miscarriage of justice that put the wrong man behind bars for a decade--and feel that nothing less than a total exoneration is called for.

Dr. Samuel Sheppard was living an idyllic early-1950's life. Along with his father and two brothers, the handsome young doctor ran a small private hospital in a quiet suburb of Cleveland. He had a beautiful wife, Marilyn, a young son nicknamed 'Chip,' and large lakefront home with a Lincoln and a Jaguar convertible in the driveway. He had it all.

On the morning of July 4, 1954, life as he knew it came to a crushing end when Marilyn --four months pregnant at the time-- was discovered brutally murdered in her bed. Sam claimed to have been asleep on a couch downstairs when the attack occurred.

After being startled awake, he confronted a "bushy-haired" man who attacked him (fracturing Sam's second cervical vertebra in the process), and ran from the house, disappearing into the night. Sam, however, made a convenient suspect. Certainly, it was more comforting for the public to think that the crime was a case of a domestic argument gone to a horrible extreme than to believe that a murderous lunatic was randomly slaughtering housewives. Then there was the affair: rumored; denied; and ultimately acknowledged.

James Neff's "The Wrong Man" is a fascinating account of this notorious case. While Sheppard made an understandable suspect for the reasons stated above and more, the details of his first trial are absolutely shocking. From the judge presiding over the case who, at the start of the trial declared (to columnist Dorothy Kilgallen), Sheppard "guilty as hell" during a conversation she only acknowledged years later, to the selective cover-up of any evidence that could prove Sam's innocence, this heavily-researched book exposes an outrageous miscarriage of justice.

Neff even interviewed a more plausible suspect. Richard Eberling, a handyman whose window-washing accounts included the Sheppard home, acknowledged that he had cut himself while in the house some days prior to the murder, and though he dripped blood throughout the house, neglected to clean up the trail. He was ultimately convicted and imprisoned on an unrelated murder charge, but Neff reveals that this was the tip of the iceberg.

Eberling's past is seemingly filled with women who have died under mysterious circumstances. If that were not enough to cast some serious doubts upon the original verdict, he confessed the Sheppard murder directly to one individual, and indirectly to the author himself.

All in all, it's spellbinding and thought-provoking look at a man that had it all and lost everything.

James Neff's The Wrong Man not only is a good read but a compelling one. Though the title (subtitled, "The Final Verdict on the Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case")gives one the ending, the drama of the story keeps the reader going as well as any good mystery. Neff's investigative talent and what he uncovers helps build that drama. Neff connects the revelations of the passions built by media/political forces in Cleveland during this 1950s case to the McCarthy era mentality and to the growth of what was then considered the "safe" suburbs.(The book has been relatively ignored by the local Cleveland newspaper despite its massive previous coverage. But don't expect a whitewash of its main character. The content also has relevance to today's media frenzy in some of the highly emotional cases that become media spectacles and a warning that what seems to be might not be at all. Neff's detective work, obviously tenaciously done, has a Holmes-like quality. It's hard to put it aside once into the book.

The Wrong Man is a gripping and provocative look at the sensational murder trial(s)of Sam Sheppard. While in high school in the 70's, I member first reading about the case in F. Lee Bailey's book 'The Defense Never Rests'. Neff's book takes you behind the headlines of this infamous case and moves forward from the day of the crime and through the various incarnations of the case in the state and federal courts. He looks in depth at the participants and suspects in one of the century's greatest 'unsolved murders.' This case is a clear example of a man and a family destroyed by politicians and the press. These folks refused to let the facts get in the way of a good story. Sheppard's life and reputation were lost because the case was tried in the newspapers and television, instead of the court room. Oddly enough, through three trials in a 'search for truth' justice was never served. It is ironic that Neff's objective review of the case as a journalist and a 'member of the press' may be the closest the Sheppard family ever gets to finding the truth and obtaining justice. This is not simply a regurgitation of the headlines but a probing anatomy of an infamous crime and what happens when a 'good story' over takes the facts, a community, and our system of justice. It also shows why our freedoms guaranteed by the constitution (including the freedom of the press) must be jealously guarded against all who would take them away. I could not put the book down once I started reading it and strongly recommend it to any one who enjoys the true crime genre or reading law related novels. Here, the facts are stranger (and more interesting) than any fiction one could invent.

"The Wrong Man" is one of the best books I've read this year. I'm privileged to be acquainted with the author, Jim Neff, but I'd say this about anyone who wrote such an outstanding book. This is a thriller and investigative tour de force at once. Reminiscent of "In Cold Blood," it's taut, lively and tense. I was hooked again and again by intriguing turns in the writing, especially, perhaps, wondering about the strange boy who loved to rearrange furniture, and of course wondering if Dr. Sam really did it. I turned pages quickly. Time -- and worries of war -- flew. I found out so much more about the troubled boy and the wealthy doctor and every other element in the book, not least of all the failings of the criminal justice system and the misuse of the press. I loved Jim's asides about what was new in his investigation, and what contradicted long-held beliefs and questionable claims. The book is fun to read, it's fearless, and I think it will be a best seller.

I tried to write something great about James Neff's The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case, but decided instead to use the words of one of my favorite mystery writers, Les Roberts, who writes a detective series starring Cleveland private eye Milan Jacovich. In his "Bookmarks" column in the January 24 Currents, Les said his favorite non-fiction book of 2001 "was The Wrong Man, James Neff's re-examination of the Sam Sheppard murder case--brilliantly and painstakingly researched, and written with power and compassion to read like a contemporary novel ...I was on the edge of my seat through every page--as if I'd never heard the bare bones of the case before."

Really an outstanding book. I am the same age as Sheppard's son and grew up in Ohio and I remember the murder well. Although too young to follow it and later in my college and professional life did not have the time to follow the subsequent trials, it was very interesting to read about it.

If this crime were committed in the last 35 years, Dr. Sam would never have been initially convicted. With the Miranda Act and subsequent advances in DNA and other investigative methods there's no way that a conviction could have ever been obtained, if the trail venue had been changed and the jury sequestered. There was far too much of a rush to judgement by the corner, police, and prosecutor. Being a political animal his ego was bruised and he was out to protect his professional reputation and he showed his pettiness when Dr. Kirk subsequently refuted many of his determinations. There's far too much reasonable doubt to ever convict Dr. Sam. It's shows how the press and the police can railroad a big profile murder case. Not to mention the botched police investigation.

The corner and Dorothy Kilgallen should have Dr. Sam's conviction on their souls. The judge told Kilgallen in a meeting in his chambers before the trial that Sheppard was guilty as hell and that it was a open and shut case. Kilgallen should have disclosed that conversation and the judge should have been removed.

There was a terrible injustice done to the Dr. Sam and his family. It ruined their entire family. His mother committed suicide roughly ten days after the initial trial, and his father died several weeks later. It ruined the lives of his brothers and only child. Also in subsequent trials the prosecutors and police continued to back the conclusions of the police, corner and prosecutor from the original investigation and trial in 1954.

I don't buy the arguments that Ms. Connelly wrote that Sheppard is guilty, which she posted in a review in 2001. It's amazing how the system sticks up for itself.

By the grace of God this terrible injustice could have happened to your or my families. This is a compelling book and a must read if you remember the case. It's hard to put down once you start reading the book.

"The Wrong Man" examines with depth the tangled web of characters and theories surrounding the endlessly fascinating case of Dr. Sam Sheppard. However, having read widely on this subject, few of the theories presented in The Wrong Man are new. In particular, a great deal of research-based data concerning Richard Eberling was compellingly presented in "Mockery of Justice -- the True Story of the Sheppard Murder Case, by Cynthia L. Cooper and Sam Rees Sheppard, published in 1995 (hardback) and 1998 (paperback). Unfortunately, much of the research done by Ms. Cooper for her book now appears in "The Wrong Man." While I am glad to see that writers continue to delve into this tragic case, there is little new in this book, and I enjoyed reading "Mockery of Justice" a great deal more.

James Neff's The Wrong Man is a thorough account of the Sam Sheppard murder case. Over almost 400 pages, Neff builds the case that Sheppard did not murder his wife. Though the book is long, it will appeal to true crime fans.

The events surrounding the Sheppard case are well known. In 1954 someone murdered Marilyn Sheppard, who was married to "Dr. Sam." Sam was convicted of her murder. An appeals court ordered Sam's release from prison, and Ohio retried him in 1966. Sam Sheppard died in 1970 and his son later sued to clear his father's name.

Neff deserves credit for the research that went into The Wrong Man. He focuses on the three trials and shows a deep knowledge of the case. Neff details what DNA testing reveals about the Sheppard crime scene. The Wrong Man explains what the U.S. was like in 1954 and how 1950s culture influenced the case. In Neff's account, Ohio officials let public pressure blind them to weaknesses in the case against Dr. Sam.

There are a few drawbacks. The reader wishes that Neff provided a more-detailed portrait of Dr. Sam. Also, the book bogs down in the last hundred pages. Readers may find that Neff tells them more than they wanted to know.

The Sheppard case is so controversial that it seems unlikely that the controversy will ever disappear. Neff builds a compelling case that authorities arrested The Wrong Man.