Synopsis: Travis Alexander was a handsome, hard-working, practicing Mormon who lived in Mesa, Arizona. His good looks and easygoing manner made him popular with everyone, especially the ladies. So when he was found with a bullet wound in the face and his throat slashed, the brutal murder sent shock waves throughout his community. Who could have done something so sinister?
But soon a suspect was singled out—Jodi Arias. A beautiful, aspiring photographer, Jodi had been in a long-distance relationship with Travis the year before. But Travis wasn't interested in a serious commitment; he was seeing several women during that time. When he broke up with her, that didn't stop Jodi from leaving California, moving to just a few miles away from Travis's home, and inserting herself into his daily life. Investigators found one piece of startling evidence in Travis's home that implicated Jodi. But in a bizarre turn of events, Jodi would claim self-defense. Was she a victim—or a devious femme fatale?
Thoughts: A great book about the case, which stuck to the facts which were brought forward in the investigation and the trial. The author's personal thoughts were left to the end, so they did not cloud the rest of the story. Through Arias's own words and actions, we see her for the lying, manipulative, obsessed woman she has always been. This was a marvelous way to refresh my memory on the case while waiting on justice to be served.
My rating: Five stars
Synopsis: This book yields two surprises that have nothing to do with what made its author so notorious, but which have plenty to do with how public bureaucracies fail. First, it includes Furhman's contemporaneous crime scene notes (with observations as meticulous as any TV sleuth's), which make mention of a "visible fingerprint" Furhman saw on the Bundy back gate (and discussed with his partner at the time). Second, it reveals that Lange and Vannatter, the detectives from "downtown" who took over the case from Furhman, didn't check out the print that night or subsequently, and indeed never read Fuhrman's notes at all. That's why you didn't hear about the fingerprint during the criminal trial. (When authorities returned to sample blood from the back gate two weeks later, the print was gone.) In short, the main lesson of this book is an organizational one worth remembering: it doesn't matter if the grunts do a good job, if the big-shots don't follow up.
Thoughts: During the trial, I always felt that Fuhrman got a raw deal in the way he was treated. He was interested in doing proper police work, and it seemed to me that the detectives who took charge of the case were more interested in protecting O.J.'s reputation. The entire "racist" accusation never sat right with me, and after listening to this book, I now understand why. It was a created issue, and the prosecution chose to buy into it rather than protecting their witness.
Synopsis: The shocking tale told in How I Helped O. J. Get Away With Murder is unlike anything you've read before; it isn't Mike Gilbert's "version" of what happened—it's the unvarnished truth: the truth about O. J., the murders, and the infamous trial. Not as Gilbert imagined or would like it to be, but how it actually was. Gilbert doesn't spare anyone, not even himself—he helped deceive the jury and feels deeply responsible for the "Not Guilty" verdict.So why is Gilbert speaking out now? Has he gone from sinner to saint? Is he making a play for sympathy or looking to make a quick buck? No. (Proceeds from this book are going to March of Dimes and other selected charities.) Gilbert has written this book because he regrets what he did for his adored childhood idol. He can no longer find any excuse for how he has shielded O. J. Simpson, and he is determined to tell the full truth, including: —O. J.'s late-night confession to Gilbert—How Gilbert was responsible for O. J.'s hand not fitting the murder glove—Why O. J. murdered Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman (it was more than jealousy)—Why Gilbert defended O. J. for so long—and what finally convinced him he could do so no longer— How O. J. ignored his financial obligations to the Goldman family and milked the tabloids for money—The real reason why an armed O. J. burst in on the memorabilia collectors in Las Vegas (Gilbert had what O. J. was looking for) Told with searing candor, no one comes out of this book with his reputation intact—including Gilbert's own. But he casts a glaring light on how celebrity can corrupt, how power can mislead, and how friendship and loyalty can be perverted. His book is meant to set the record straight, to lay to rest the ghosts of that dreadful night that have haunted him ever since, and to now play what little part he can to forward the process of justice
Thoughts: After listening to this book, I was even more disgusted than after listening to O.J.'s book. In this one, I found out a lot more about the volatility of O.J. and Nicole's relationship, as well as about the events that led up to the murders. I also learned why the gloves didn't fit during the trial (the author suggested that O.J. not take his arthritis medication). There were SO many disturbing revelations in this book, making me even more disgusted with the so-called "dream team" as well as O.J.
