About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherShannon

ISBN-100988240912

ISBN-139780988240919

eBay Product ID (ePID)144178150

Product Key Features

Book TitleGuilty Innocent

Number of Pages395 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2012

TopicGeneral, Criminology

IllustratorYes

GenreLaw, Social Science

AuthorShannon Adamcik

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.8 in

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

TitleLeadingThe

SynopsisSixteen-year-old Cassie Jo Stoddard house-sat for her aunt and uncle on September 22, 2006. After school that Friday, Cassie's mother, drove her to the house on Whispering Cliffs. Anna watched as Cassie unlocked the door and stepped inside before backing her white Jeep Cherokee out of the driveway and heading home. It was the last time that Anna Stoddard would see her daughter alive. The next day, Anna tried numerous times to reach Cassie by phone, but never received an answer. Still, she did not drive over to check on her daughter. It was not until Sunday, the 24th of September, when the Contreras family arrived home, that Cassie was discovered, lying on their living room floor, brutally stabbed to death. Later, forensics determined there were thirty knife wounds. News of the murder stunned the residents of southeastern Idaho. Pocatello is not known for violence, and no one could imagine who could do such a horrible thing to a young girl. But no amount of speculation could prepare anyone for what lay ahead. Detectives focused on two of Cassie's friends and fellow classmates who had briefly visited her on the night that she was murdered: Torey Adamcik and Brian Draper. The two boys were immediately arrested, and a shocking videotape was discovered that seemed to depict the two teens not only planning the cold-blooded murder, but celebrating it. Community outrage was strong and immediate. The public demanded justice. But was the video actually what it appeared to be: a cold-blooded documentary that detailed the plotting of Cassie's murder; or something else entirely? Could anyone uncover the truth in time and convince a jury that sometimes things aren't always what they appear to be? Guilty Innocent is narrated by Shannon Adamcik, mother of Torey, one of the accused boys. It takes readers behind the scenes of a trial, manipulated by a prosecutor who cared more about public opinion than truth; as a lone defense attorney stood against his own firm in a heroic effort to save the life of Shannon's son., This is a true story and no one can tell it better than the people who lived it. A crime reporter can look at the details of a case, but they cannot tell you how it feels to live through it. I can and I did. I used the pre-trial and trial transcripts, copies of the police reports, the autopsy and DNA reports, and DVD recordings of all of the evidence in the case. I've done copious research. But more importantly, I take readers step-by-step through what it feels like when your 16-year-old son is accused of first-degree murder; all the odds are stacked against him; and his defense is in the hands of attorneys you can't fully trust to come through for you. Sixteen-year-old Cassie Jo Stoddard agreed to house sit for relatives on the weekend of September 22, 2006. It was something the teenager had done before...but this time something went terribly wrong. When the family returned home at the end of the weekend they found Cassie lying on their living room floor brutally stabbed to death. Detectives focused on two of Cassie's classmates who had briefly visited her on the night that she was murdered: Torey Adamcik and Brian Draper. Initially both boys denied any knowledge of the crime, but after two separate interrogations, Brian Draper told detectives a chilling story of murder straight out of a horror movie. The two boys were immediately arrested, and a shocking videotape was discovered that seemed to depict the two teens not only planning the cold-blooded murder, but celebrating it. Community outrage was strong and immediate. The public demanded justice. But was the video actually what it appeared to be: a cold-blooded documentary that detailed the plotting of Cassie's murder; or something else entirely? Could anyone uncover the truth in time and convince a jury that sometimes things aren't always what they appear to be? The Guilty Innocent is narrated by Shannon Adamcik, mother of Torey, one of the accused boys. It takes readers behind the scenes of a trial where prosecutors cared more about public opinion than truth, defense attorneys, who had never argued a murder case, were in over their heads, and a young boy's life hung in the balance.My experience as a mother, up until my son was arrested, was blessed. My husband and I had three beautiful children. They were healthy, smart, responsible, caring people. They did not fall into the traps of drugs or alcohol. They were good students. They had good friends. I've always been a writer, so the idea of writing this book came naturally to me. I began for the simple reason that I had lived through this horrendous ordeal and I ached for someone to confide in. But reliving the most painful part of my life was extraordinarily difficult. Ultimately the only reason that I was able to persevere was my deep belief that the story was important and needed to be told. ---