Poison Tree: A True Story of Family Violence and Revenge

This account of the events that led teenager Richard Jahnke and his sister Deborah to murder their father is also an in-depth investigation of the problems of child abuse

Prendergast, who for Rolling Stone covered the trials of teenagers Richard and Deborah Jahnke in Wyoming for the 1982 murder of their father, has produced an objective, affecting account of the case. A borderline psychotic, Jahnke senior subjected his wife and children to abuse both physical and psychological and, for a time, made sexual advances toward his daughter. Their residence became a house of terror, with the mother the most terrified of all, according to Prendergast. The children's feeble and intermittent attempts to acquaint outsiders with their situation were of no avail. Finally, with his sister's semiconnivance, Richard shot his father. The trials of the two, held separately, showed American justice at its worst: a prosecutor more interested in convictions than in finding the truth, and two inept and hidebound judges, one of whom would not admit evidence of child abuse. Deborah's sentence has now been commuted to one year of probation and Richard has been released on parole. A searing, convincing indictment. Literary Guild alternate.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

After suffering years of paternal abuse, 16-year-old Richard Jahnke, aided by his sister, Deborah, shot his father to death at their Cheyenne, Wyoming home. This case received national attention as a segment on 60 Minutes and as a TV movie, Right To Kill? The Jahnke children won the sympathy of many, including the author. They were both convicted of voluntary manslaughter but are now free. Prendergast had the full cooperation of the Jahnkes in writing this thorough account. Essentially, it is a story of a brutal father who drove his son to murder and of the failure of the community to respond to cries for help. This readable book should be a popular choice for most libraries. Literary Guild alternate selection. Gregor A. Preston, Univ. of California Lib., Davis
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.