Description
Book SynopsisIn a small Missouri town in 1992, the body of 19-year-old Mischelle Lawless was found in her car, stalled on the side of a road. 17-year-old Josh Kezer was convicted of her murder—even though he was several states away at the time, as proven by witnesses—and spent the next 16 years of his life in prison.
How was Josh imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit? Author Stephen R. Snodgrass expertly unveils the web of manipulation and corruption that led to Josh’s conviction, everything that could go wrong in the American criminal justice system did, from snitch witnesses who were coached by law enforcement to lie, to withheld exculpatory evidence, and an unscrupulous prosecutor knowingly using false testimony that had been recanted.
Kezer was convicted and served 16 years in violent Missouri prisons until a part-time deputy who was at the murder scene was elected Sheriff of Scott County and quietly reopened the investigation and has continued his quest to find the real killer.
Snodgrass draws on interviews with Josh himself, the research of Sheriff Rick Walter, the first responder to the scene who later went on to exonerate Josh in a re-trial, and his own legal analysis, to reveal the truth behind the case, the conviction, and the exoneration.
This book is a timely, compassionate work of true crime that calls for better and more equitable justice for all.
Table of ContentsPart I. The Murder
Chapter 1. The First Twenty-Four Hours
Chapter 2. The Initial Investigation
Chapter 3. Digging Deeper
Chapter 4. Getting Desperate to Charge Someone
Chapter 5. The Trail Runs Cold
Part II. The Arrest and Prosecution of Joshua Kezer
Chapter 6. Josh Kezer
Chapter 7. With Friends Like These
Chapter 8. The Defense
Chapter 9. The Trial
Part III. Behind the Walls
Chapter 10. Post-Trial Proceedings
Chapter 11. The Appeal
Chapter 12. Into the Lion's Den
Chapter 13. The Case Against Josh Begins to Fall Apart
Chapter 14. The Beginnings of Josh’s Exoneration
Part IV. Never Too Late
Chapter 15. The Habeas Corpus Investigation
Chapter 16. Habeas Corpus Preliminary Proceedings
Chapter 17. Depositions for the Habeas Hearing
Chapter 18. The Habeas Corpus Hearing
Chapter 19. Freedom
Part V. The Aftermath
Chapter 20. Josh Kezer
Chapter 21. Rick Walter
Chapter 22. The Lawless Family
