A MATTER OF JUDGMENT
The Shocking "Catch-Me Killer" Case
It was a hot August night in a sleepy Florida beach town outside Ft. Lauderdale, twenty-five summers ago, when a frantic caller contacted Hollywood Police, crying: "I just killed three people. Please catch me before I kill again. I'm going to kill more tonight."
Long before sensationalized criminal trials such as O.J. Simpson, this explosive case captivated the nation and shattered confidence in institutions that should protect justice. Could a police officer and former Green Beret who discovered the victim and investigated the scene actually be the killer?
This true story combines murder, scandal, deception, perjured testimony, judicial cover-ups, and tainted evidence. It puts criminal justice itself under scrutiny and commands readers to experience the fears and frustrations of attorney Joseph A. Varon.
The prosecution's chief investigator was ordered to suppress crucial evidence. Officials continued prosecuting a man they allegedly knew to be innocent, manipulating and withholding evidence that could have exonerated him.
The trial was further compromised by a disgraced and emotionally unstable judge who was later forced off the bench by the Governor. The legal system's key players failed the public.
The saga continues with escape, manhunt, hostage fears, and a climactic appeal driven by new evidence. When the state's star witness recants but the accused asks to stop the appeal after a religious conversion, the defense attorney faces the ultimate dilemma: honor his client's wishes or keep fighting for what may be the truth.
Varon calls it "still an unsolved murder mystery." Of hundreds of murder cases tried over decades, this is the one he chose to document and correct for the record.
About the Author
For almost five decades, Joseph A. Varon was one of South Florida's and the nation's preeminent defense attorneys, representing accused murderers and mobsters, including reputed Mafia financier Meyer Lansky. The American Trial Lawyers Association recognized him as one of "America's outstanding criminal trial lawyers."
In an extraordinary career spanning roughly 500 murder trials, he was defeated only a small number of times and famously said he never lost one to the chair. He divided his time between Hollywood, Florida and Southern California, and later worked on another exposé focused on the rise and fall of Meyer Lansky's Gold Coast gambling empire.
A Matter of Judgment
352 Pages - 6 x 9 - ISBN 0-8119-0774-0 - Hardcover - Retail US$ 18.95