Mockery Of Justice: The True Story of the Sheppard Murder Case (Hardcover)

~ (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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Northeastern; First Edition ~1st Printing edition (September 19, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555532411
• ISBN-13: 978-1555532413
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,057,685 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

This review is from: Mockery of Justice: The True Story of the Sam Sheppard Murder Case (Paperback)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to imagine..., March 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mockery of Justice: The True Story of the Sam Sheppard Murder Case (Paperback)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True American Gothic Mystery Story, February 26, 1998

By A Customer

I have been fascinated all my life by the Sheppard case, and my father before me. It is certainly the foremost American unsolved mystery case of all time, as well as being an incredibly chilling and gripping classic American Gothic story worthy of Mark Twain or Poe. The book "Mockery of Justice" pretty much wraps up the mystery. The book thoroughly proves that Dr. Sheppard was railroaded and framed by the Cleveland police. The most disturbing part of the story is how the police and good citizens of Cleveland had no qualms about putting away an innocent man for this crime, and about destroying all the evidence proving his innocence. Meanwhile the Sheppard family is all but destroyed and the real killer is allowed to go on his merry way....a phenomenally good book.