Double Jeopardy: Obsession, Murder, and Justice Denied - Hardcover

Hill, Bob

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688129102 ISBN 13: 9780688129101

Publisher: William Morrow & Co, 1995

Synopsis

A critical look at the American criminal justice system describes how Mel Ignatow, acquitted for the murder of his fiance+a7e in 1988, was later proven guilty but could not be retried per the Fifth Amendment. 10,000 first printing.

About this title

Reviews

Louisville divorcee Brenda Schaefer disappeared in 1988, last seen with her ex-fiance, Mel Ignatow. A year and a half later, Ignatow's sometime mistress, Mary Ann Shore, revealed that he had tortured, raped and murdered Schaefer, and she led police to where the body was buried. She was certain of Ignatow's guilt, because he had had her photograph the entire five-hour spree of sadism. Ignatow was brought to trial, but a combination of sloppy police work, an excellent defense attorney, the bad impression created by Shore on the stand and the lack of direct forensic evidence resulted in an acquittal. An expert on sexual sadism suspected that the incriminating photos would not have been destroyed, and indeed they were found under a floorboard in Ignatow's former house in 1992, proof that Shore's testimony had been true in every particular. The Fifth Amendment's double jeopardy provision meant that Ignatow could not be tried again, although he was given some prison time for perjury. Hill, a Louisville Courier-Journal columnist, has done an outstanding job of showing how the case developed and what went wrong. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

As grisly, sadistic murders go, Brenda Schaefer's ranks right up there. In 1988, after the 36-year-old Louisville native's car was found abandoned, her manipulative boyfriend, Mel Ignatow, quickly became the prime suspect. After months of dead-end leads, enigmatic Mary Ann Shore, another of Ignatow's lovers, finally admitted that she had witnessed the murder and helped Ignatow bury the body. Although the case seemed airtight, a flighty jury found Ignatow innocent of murder, sodomy, and rape. Sadly, incriminating photographs were eventually found that directly linked Ignatow to the brutal slaying. Louisville journalist Hill reconstructs this convoluted, disturbing case in precise detail. But although he presents the facts admirably, the veteran reporter fails to explore the psychological reasons and motivations for Ignatow and Shore's despicable actions. Sue-Ellen Beauregard

Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow & Co
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0688129102
• ISBN 13: 9780688129101
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 321