A Capital Case in America: How Today's Justice System Handles Death Penalty Cases, From Crime Scene to Ultimate Execution of Sentence

Six capital murder indictments. Six defendants charged with horrifying crimes. Which ones, if any, should receive the death penalty? A Capital Case in America examines how Americans handle their most serious murder cases by telling the stories of six actual death penalty crimes and trials. It re-creates the six murders themselves, as well as the investigations, prosecutions, defenses, and aftermaths. A Capital Case in America will be fascinating reading for anyone interested in true crimes, and it also will be valuable to criminal justice professionals and students. It studies such investigative devices as searches, confessions, and lineups, as well as the adversary roles of the lawyers on both sides. The book considers the arguments for and against the death penalty against the background of the six cases. A final series of chapters tells what happened to each of the defendants, with parole eligibility dates for those who received life sentences and execution protocols for those who did not.