Category Books

Victims of Dead Man Walking »

Authors: Michael L. Varnado, Daniel P. Smith
ISBN-13: 9781589801561, ISBN-10: 1589801563
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company, Incorporated
Date Published: July 2003
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: Michael L. Varnado

Book Synopsis

Collaborating with lawyer and freelance writer Smith, Louisiana detective Varnado draws on his own experience in connection with the crime that formed the basis of the popular book and movie Dead Man Walking. They say that the actual events, and the people directly involved, have been neglected in the controversy over the death penalty. They do not provide an index or bibliography. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

	Acknowledgments	9
	Author's Note	11
	Prologue	13
	Dennis Hemby	17
	Louis Wagner	22
	Faith Hathaway and the Dawn of a New Decade	28
	The Lakefront Disco	32
	Loss of Faith	37
	Joe Vaccaro	41
	The Terror Continues	45
	Debbie and Mark	48
	Fricke's Cave	55
	The Investigation Begins	58
	Faith is Found	61
	Confessions of Murder	67
	The Wheels of Justice Begin to Turn	75
	The District Attorney On Trial	79
	Willie's Trial Begins	82
	A Mother's Grief	87
	My Turn on the Witness Stand	93
	The First Finger of Accusation	97
	The Bug Man	99
	The Pathologist	105
	The Jury Hears Willie's Confession	108
	Both Sides Rest	114
	The Closing Arguments and a Verdict	127
	A Sentence of Death	133
	A Second Guilty Verdict	140
	Evidence for Life, Evidence for Death	142
	A Plea for Mercy	147
	The Legal Machinery Grinds On	152
	The Mysterious Note	154
	Willie's Second Chance	161
	Hemby and Wagner: Willie Cops a Plea	171
	Final Appeals	174
	The Pardon Hearing	176
	Death Row on the Farm	179
	Witness to an Execution	186
	Prejean and Penn	194
	The Death Penalty	204
	Epilogue	215