Most of the memoir, which is written by Tom Cummins’s sister, is about her family’s struggle to survive the crime and its aftermath. When their parents packed nineteen-year-old Tom, sixteen-year-old Jeanine and fifteen-year-old Kathy into the family van for the trip to Missouri, the teenagers were absolutely delighted. Mas a maior justiça social não é que as famílias das vítimas ocupem um lugar secundário na nossa atenção. It reveals the flaws and biases within the criminal justice system and the devastating consequences they can have on innocent individuals. The river moans and sighs, Swallows my memoiries, And spits back currents of regret, To drown careless swimmers, 'Neath onion's shield, She sheds saltless tears, Howling at the moon.

The power of forgiveness and reconciliation: Despite the immense pain and injustice they endured, the Nicarico family, especially the author, work towards forgiveness and reconciliation. Antonio Richardson’s clemency application cited the many hardships of his tragic childhood as explanation for the violence he perpetrated. The story haunts me still as do the victims of the crime—the two who died (Julie and Robin) and all those who didn't, especially Tom and his family, who live with this event still.Durante 10 anos, a família lidou com a dor da perda e com o pesadelo de um processo judicial cheio de enganos, com os ataques da comunicação social e com o esquecimento das vidas que se perderam.

Tom was treated like a dog; a cop literally whistled for Tom to come over and patted his knee saying “come here boy”, Tom just ignored them and stuck with what he had been saying all along, that he was innocent. Certainly, there is no great attention to detail, no appreciation of the various nuances of the separate cases.

By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The massive steel structure was wild with leaves, and the undergrowth near the base was dense and uninviting. When the real perpetrators were found, convicted of the crimes they committed, and then given the death penalty, the media made the perpetrators out to be the victims. Reginald and Marlin Gray, two of the four perpetrators, are brought into the spotlight after one of them boastfully reveals details of the crime. That night on the bridge, the three cousins encountered four youths around their own ages, Marlin Gray, Antonio Richardson, Reginald Clemons and Daniel Winfrey.

Considering that this book is about the brutal gang rape and murder of the author's two cousins, it is an extremely balanced and thoughtful account, much like Ann Rule's work. So it's a story of a terrible crime and its aftermath, but it's also a tale of what happens when people trust the police too much and, in their desire to help, end up being trapped by detectives' preconceived notions. By 1991 the bridge, though structurally sound, was in a terrible state of disrepair, and it had become a favorite local hangout for teenagers and graffiti artists from both banks. The guys took turns watching over me, while they went on the underside of the bridge, and did who knows what to Julie and Robin. It is well-written especially for a first book and considering the emotions the author must have had to keep in check throughout.Cummins presents a mesmerizing, highly balanced memoir of the events, writing in the third person to give readers "an intimate knowledge of each facet of the story. Not only were her two older cousins murdered, but her older brother was wrongly arrested for the crime and coerced by overzealous police into falsely confessing. There are detailed word portraits of each of the main characters in the story—the book was much more about Robin, Kerry and Tom than it was about the killers, and pictures of the killers were not even included in the photo centerfold. The death of Julie and Robin helped start so many organizations on helping out families who have gone through tragic events like rape and murder of Julie and Robin. When police later begin to question his account of the night’s events, it’s partly because the odds of surviving the fall and the swim were believed to be slim.

The crime itself is horrendous and heartbreaking, but the staggering injustice Tom Cummins suffered at the hands of the Missouri Police Department was almost more challenging to comprehend than the atrocious crime. Louis detectives look very competent, but says a lot about the horror the family goes through not only regarding the loss of the two girls, but the accusation of their cousin.After some investigative work and a pivotal lie detector test, the police finally refocus their attention on the four men, absolving Tom Cummins of the false charges. Without getting into details, I will say that there are some disputes from law enforcement over their general portrayal).