The Innocent Man

By John Grisham

I picked up this book because:

1. The library was out of Robert B. Parker novels I hadn't already heard, and
2. I knew John Grisham was a popular author and any book by him was likely to be entertaining

I didn't know anything about the book, but I was expecting a gripping legal thriller. After all, that's what Grisham is known for. However, it turns out this is Grisham's first—and, as of yet, only—non-fiction book. After my unpleasant experience with my latest attempt at an Ann Rice work, I wasn't interested in another true crime book. But I decided to give it a chance. Perhaps Grishman wouldn't delve too deeply in gore that it'd make me queasy. I'm glad I did.

Although this book also concerns the murder of an attractive, young woman, it doesn't dwell too long on it. Instead, Grisham focuses on the legal entanglements the "prime suspect" suffered and the incompetence of police officers and public prosecutors.

Before I read this book, I assumed all legal officers were upright and forthcoming. I believed they did their jobs with a high sense of decency and held to a high moral code. After reading it, I know that the police, just like people in most professions, need to get results and are under constant pressure to solve crimes, especially grisly ones as this book covers. And when they need to produce results, they aren't above bending or sometimes completely obliterating Constitutional rights and guarantees and compelling suspects into incriminating themselves.

The book revolved around several cases involving, Ron Williamson, but centers on the one that landed him on death row. The case also draws in numerous other people, one whom (Dennis Fritz) landed a life sentence merely for knowing Williamson. Despite proof that he was innocent, police doggedly pursued Williamson, despite him being implicated by only one person, the real killer. Police ignored and hid evidence that didn't fit their agenda for implicating Williamson. Furthermore, most of their evidence was based on the testimony of "jailhouse snitches"—fellow prisoners who got lighter sentences and preferential treatment for presenting evidence against Ron. It's amazing that not only were "paid testimonies" allowed in court, but actually convinced a jury of Ron's guilt.

It's obvious Grisham did an amazing amount of research for this book. Not only does he tell the story of Williamson from the time he is blamed for the murder, but he tells his entire life story, starting from when he was born, his childhood, his attempts at becoming a major league baseball player, his mental health and all the events that led up to the murder. He covers the night at the bar leading up to the murder with such detail that it's amazing that the police didn't pick up the real suspect right off the bat based on his initial statement alone! Of course hindsight in 20/20, but didn't his testimony set off any alarms, especially since it contradicted numerous other people's testimonies of the same night? Instead of doing the logical thing—investigate the one witness with a diverging testimony—they instead investigated (and convicted) the person he named, whom none of the other witnesses mentioned seeing!

No, I don't now hold all police officers in contempt. No, I wouldn't want to live in a society without them. And I don't assume all are as corrupt and contemptuous as the ones reviewed in this book. But they aren't all paragons of virtue, either. Some will twist the truth and use people they know to be innocent—or who they believe to be guilty out of sheer incompetence or laziness—simply to make a conviction.

On a related note, Fritz and Williamson were completely willing to talk with the police because they knew they were innocent. They might've benefitted from knowing the information from two videos a relative recently sent me. The first is from a law professor, James Duane, and he discusses why you should never talk to the police. The second is a follow-up and is a former police officer who pretty much says the same thing, but from another perspective. Nothing—nothing—you say to the police will ever be used to exonerate you, only to convict you. Even if you are completely innocent. The police need to produce results, just as you do in your job.  Some will do anything to get those results.

External links

• John Grisham's website (from here you can navigate to his page on The Innocent Man. Sorry, it's not possible to link directly to it).
• The Innocent Man on Wikipedia