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Don't care what evidence Warner allowed after the fact. NO lawyer or politician asks a question they do not already have an answer for. I think whatever Oxley gave them was tampered with afterward.
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May God Have Mercy: A True Story of Crime and Punishment
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In some states by law, in others by tradition, judges imposing a sentence of death complete the grim ritual with the words "May God have mercy on your soul."
In 1982, in Grundy, Virginia, a young miner named Roger Coleman was sentenced to death for the murder of his sister-in-law. Ten years later, the sentence was carried out, despite the extraordinary efforts of Kitty Behan, a brilliant and dedicated young lawyer who devoted two years of her life to gathering evidence of Coleman's innocence, evidence so compelling that media around the world came to question the verdict. The courts, ruling on technicalities, refused to hear the new evidence and witnesses. Finally, the governor of Virginia ordered a lie-detector test to be administered on the morning of Coleman's scheduled execution, and in a chair that to Coleman surely looked like nothing so much as an electric chair.
In John Tucker's telling, this story is an emotional and unforgettable roller-coaster ride from the awful night of the crime to the equally awful night of the execution. Perhaps it was not Roger Coleman whose soul was in need of God's mercy, but the judges, prosecutors, and politicians who procured his death.
In 1982, in Grundy, Virginia, a young miner named Roger Coleman was sentenced to death for the murder of his sister-in-law. Ten years later, the sentence was carried out, despite the extraordinary efforts of Kitty Behan, a brilliant and dedicated young lawyer who devoted two years of her life to gathering evidence of Coleman's innocence, evidence so compelling that media around the world came to question the verdict. The courts, ruling on technicalities, refused to hear the new evidence and witnesses. Finally, the governor of Virginia ordered a lie-detector test to be administered on the morning of Coleman's scheduled execution, and in a chair that to Coleman surely looked like nothing so much as an electric chair.
In John Tucker's telling, this story is an emotional and unforgettable roller-coaster ride from the awful night of the crime to the equally awful night of the execution. Perhaps it was not Roger Coleman whose soul was in need of God's mercy, but the judges, prosecutors, and politicians who procured his death.
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Genres
true crimenonfictioncrimelaw
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1,1980
This edition
- Format
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368 pages, Paperback
- Published
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August 10, 1998 by Random House Publishing Group
- ISBN
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9780385332941
- ASIN
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0385332947
- Language
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English
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Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 19 votes)
5 stars
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19 reviews All reviews
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I read this book for my Law class, and I am so glad that I did. Such a fascinating book. I love even more that it's non-fictional. It brings light to the legal system and aspects of it that needn't be overlooked. I was so intrigued throughout the story, and actually bawled at the end. I recommend not looking up anything about the case until after you've finished the book. It's gut wrenching, heartbreaking and emotional. 5 stars.
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A haunting tale of how the American criminal justice system can go oh so wrong.
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This was quite a ride. I thought it was about a different case when I sent for it, and I was surprised and pleased to realize there was a whole book about the hideous murder of Wanda McCoy. Even though I knew exactly how it would all come out (the truth was revealed only long after the book ended), I was still drawn into the story and could easily see how this case tore apart everyone involved on both sides of the case, to say nothing of the general public. Well-written, compassionate and very unbiased despite the fact that most of the story was told from the defense perspective. Don't miss this one.
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One of the best books I have ever read! I have read it twice and getting ready to read it again. This was a required reading in one of my undergrad criminology classes. An amazing story of the injustice of our legal system!
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I read this in law school. It was eye-opening.
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I still give this book five stars in spite of developments in the case since the book was written, although I would emphasize that readers must seek out this new information once they've read the book so that they will have a complete picture of the case. (Google should provide all the needed answers.) If this book was fascinating read before, it is still fascinating now, although for other reasons. Lots to think about and discuss here. We have to question what we are willing to believe and why, and never lose sight of the victim in cases like this.
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In a word: creepy. I know, why would I expect otherwise? This non-fiction book follows the conviction of Roger Keith Coleman for the murder and rape of his sister-in-law. He is given the death penalty and the book explores efforts by various people, from lawyers to people working to free innocent inmates, to commute his sentence to life or prove his innocence entirely. The author (who was once a defense attorney) takes the view that Coleman could be innocent, but at the very least that if he had had better lawyers at his original trial that they may have been able to convince the jury of reasonable doubt. The crime was committed in 1981, so the DNA testing that was available at the time was not nearly as sophisticated as it is now. The book was published in 1992 and there have been new developments in the case since the book was published. I would recommend reading most or all of the book before looking up the more recent developments, so that you can explore the evidence and progression of the story as it unfolded.
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