The Politics of Murder: The Power and Ambition Behind "The Altar Boy Murder Case"

This true crime investigation of a Boston teenager’s murder trial is “a chilling story about corruption, political power and a stacked judicial system" (John Ferak, author of Failure of Justice).   On a hot night in July 1995, Janet Downing was stabbed ninety-eight times in her Somerville home, two miles northwest of Boston. Within hours, fifteen-year-old Eddie O’Brien was identified as the prime suspect. The best friend of one of Janet’s sons, Eddie was a peculiar choice. He had no criminal record or symptoms of mental illness. He had neither motive nor opportunity to commit the crime—while others had both. And yet, powers far beyond Somerville decided that Eddie was guilty. Perhaps it was politics.   At the time, a movement targeting the supposed scourge of young “superpredators” was sweeping the nation. Dubbed the alter boy murder case by Court TV, Eddie’s trial garnered national publicity and changed juvenile law in Massachusetts. But, as attorney Margo Nash demonstrates in this explosive expose, the justice system failed Eddie.   Appointed Eddie’s guardian ad litem, Nash attended every court session and gained access to his files. Examining the investigation, trial transcripts, and forensic evidence, Nash demonstrates that Eddie could not have committed the crime and that other viable suspects were never properly considered. Now readers can decide if politics sent an innocent boy to adult prison for the rest of his life. Read more