Mockery of Justice: The True Story of the Sam Sheppard Murder Case (Paperback)

by Cynthia L. Cooper (Author), Sam Reese Sheppard (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In 1996, Sam Reese Sheppard spoke on All Things Considered: "My mother and dad were very flamboyant people.... They were out of step ... in the Bible Belt of Ohio at that time, but, very quickly, and it happens today, a high-profile case spins out of control, and hatred and hysteria rise in the community. When a pregnant woman dies in an ugly way in our community, people are stricken with fear ... the blame on my dad got pinpointed by the newspapers." Dr. Sheppard was convicted of the 1954 murder of his wife. In 1966 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that he'd been denied a fair trial. He was re-tried, found innocent, then died a few years later. Mockery of Justice goes into all the details: Dr. Sheppard's own account of that night, the role of a powerful coroner, the media frenzy, the mysteries surrounding the case records, and the recent investigation of a likely suspect for the murder. The analysis of forensic riddles posed by the complex crime scene makes for especially intriguing reading. The book includes map, timeline, footnotes, and index.

From Library Journal
Just as the O.J. Simpson case is the trial of the 1990s, the Sam Sheppard case was the trial of the 1950s and 1960s. Because of pretrial publicity and the police department's sloppy investigation, Dr. Sheppard was convicted of murdering his wife, Marilyn. The police and the media never considered any other suspects in this case. Sheppard proclaimed his innocence and appealed his conviction. F. Lee Bailey, unknown at the time, took over the case when Sheppard's lawyer died and successfully argued for a new trial because of the pretrial publicity and the "rush to judgment" on the case. The Supreme Court decision set the standard for future trials and procedures. Cooper, a lawyer, and Sam Reese Sheppard, the doctor's only child and a death penalty opponent, present their case that Sam Sheppard was innocent and suggest others who were never investigated as possible suspects. Officially, the case on Marilyn Sheppard remains unsolved. The Cuyahoga County prosecutor is currently reviewing the facts in the case to determine whether it should be reopened. Expect demand because of the subject and increased demand should the case be reinvestigated. Strongly recommended for all libraries.?Michael Sawyer, Clinton P.L., Ia.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451407636
• ISBN-13: 978-0451407634
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #955,862 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A MYSTERY NEVER SOLVED, January 15, 2000

By A Customer

While this book doesn't prove who really did kill Marilyn Sheppard, it does provide us with enough evidence to believe, beyond a reasonable doubt that, that Dr. Sam Sheppard was truly innocent. Unlike, Fatal Justice, which attempts to "prove" the innocence of Jeffrey MacDonald, Mockery of Justice does provide us with "hard" evidence indicating that someone else was involved--not Sam Sheppard. Whatever your beliefs regarding the case, the book is well-researched, informative and thought-provoking.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to imagine..., March 20, 1998

By A Customer

It is hard to imagine why the City of Cleveland and the media there still refuse to acknowledge the horrible error made in 1954 when Dr. Sam was convicted. As this fine book shows, there was much evidence to show that Dr. Sam killed no one--and no convincing evidence that he ever killed anyone, much less his wife. It is truly a tragedy. Not only was a woman murdered and her murderer never caught, Dr. Sam's life was ruined; his mother committed suicide; his father's demise was hastened--and on and on, down to the present day with the pain suffered by the son. If there was ever a good argument against the death penalty, this book is it--and I have long supported the death penalty in certain cases. This book should become a classic among fans of true crime stories.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Good Story, Poor Writing, June 26, 2002

By A Customer

I thought the writing in "The Wrong Man" was dull. Then I read this book...some of the worst writing I've seen in recent years. Cynthia Cooper manages to take a compelling story and make it a struggle to read with her awkward, turgid style.

Skip this book. There are much better books on this case available.