Capital Punishment Trials of Mafia Murderers

Based on the author's review of thousands of pages of trial testimony and briefs, this unique book explores the capital punishment trials of two Mafia murderers. Both were convicted based in large part on the testimony of other Mafia murderers who cooperated with the government. In both cases, the juries declined to vote for capital punishment. The book enables readers to understand and evaluate the American system of criminal justice through an examination of how complex federal criminal trials are conducted. The book also explores several important policy issues: How should a capital punishment jury be selected? How should the federal government decide which defendants should face a capital punishment trial and which defendants, facing capital punishment, should be rewarded if they cooperate and testify against other murderers? A unique feature of the book is an appendix containing the primary legal documents—jury questionnaire, indictment, jury instructions and legal and constitutional opinions. This would enable students, whether undergraduate or law school, to use the book as a casebook or as supplemental reading in a variety of courses—criminal law, criminal procedure, federal criminal law, and capital punishment.