From The Innocent Man's cover flap:
If you believe that in America you are innocent until prove guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you.
I have long been a fan of John Grisham. Growing up, I would also make sure that I had his newest book read as soon as possible after its release. And then I would read it again. And again. I am pretty sure that I have read The Firm more than any other book. And A Time to Kill would probably be second. But soon after I began college I somewhat abandoned pop-fiction. I would still read the occasional novel, but it would always be classic. Needless to say, that meant that I stopped reading John Grisham. My interests had led me elsewhere.
But everything always seems to come back around.
John Grisham recently released The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town. This is Grisham's first non-fiction book, and it is a great one.
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The Innocent Man tells the story of
Ron Williamson, a hometown hero turned murder suspect. Williamson had been a high school baseball start and was drafted by the Oakland A's, only to see his baseball career end due to injuries and alcohol. He returned to Ada, Oklahoma and struggled to get by. He turned to alcohol, drugs, and women, quickly spiraling down into alcoholism and lost mental capacities. He had a violent angry streak which, along with his enjoyment of women, led to two different rape accusations which both ended with Williamson being found not guilty.
Dennis Fritz, a teacher at a nearby school, was a acquaintance/friend of Williamson's. They would occasionally drink together, and even took a trip or two together. But they had a falling out, and had not spoken for months.
At the same time, 21 year old Debra Sue Carter was a local female working as a waitress and living the life of an independent young adult with few cares in the world.
These three worlds would collide without them even meeting each other.
In December, 1982 Carter was found dead in her apartment. She has been brutally raped and killed.
What followed was a shocking, disturbing, and infuriating tale of police misconduct/corruption, prosecutors seeking headline winning convictions instead of justice, defense attorney mistakes, false snitches, and junk science which would railroad two innocent men, placing one in prison for life (Fritz) and the other on death row (Williamson).
And unfortunately, as is often the case, the incompetency did not stop there. It continued into the judges who refused to actually look at the case. It continued into the prison system where Williamson suffered from psychological disorders that they refuse to deal with appropriately. And it continued in the prosecutor's office and the police, refusing to admit mistakes even when evidence showed otherwise. DNA evidence would eventually prove them wrong, forcing them to act. Yet they still refused to admit a wrong, refused to apologize, and refused to stop considering them suspects when they had the DNA of a different man.
Ron Williamson was days away from his scheduled execution before a judge saw the possibility of something wrong in the trial.
This is a powerful story of the corrupt nature of the current justice system. Grisham mixes in related Oklahoma cases that lead one to believe that the injustice did not stop at Williamson and Fritz, but is widespread throughout the system.
What may have been the most disturbing piece in the entire story is the response of Ron's sister's church (and Ron's former church). Even after the DNA evidence was found and the two were released, the church refused to welcome Ron into the church. They did not keep him out, but they would not acknowledge him. They refused to believe his innocence, and in turn refused to act like Christ.
Grisham had never been interested in writing fiction before this, yet this may be better than anything he has previously written.
For more info on Williamson and the case, check out these sites:
