The Smoking Gun: Day by Day Through a Shocking Murder Trial with Gerry Spence

Gerry Spence

Sep 2003 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

From America's foremost criminal defense lawyer and author of the bestselling How to Argue and Win Every Time comes this riveting, true account of a trial that adeptly exposes the unrelenting power of the state, which so often crushes those -- guilty or innocent -- who come before the bar of justice. It could happen to you.
When Sandy Jones and her teenage son were accused of murdering a real estate developer on their hardscrabble Oregon farm, the prosecution had an eyewitness to the shooting and a photograph of Sandy holding a smoking rifle. County officials kept Sandy in jail while they awaited the trial, despite ballistic evidence that strongly suggested she hadn't fired the fatal shot. The case erupted into an epic struggle between Sandy -- who was poor, different, and a woman -- and the "good old boys" of Lincoln County, Oregon, who held all the power.
Though the Joneses' guilt seemed eminently clear to the county and the prosecution, Gerry Spence, renowned for his work on the cases of Karen Silkwood and Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, took the case pro bono and the courtroom battle exploded into three years of intensely moving jury trials, recounted here from the record of the case. The Smoking Gun follows Gerry Spence through his passionate arguments with two different judges and two different prosecutorial teams, his exacting jury selection, his expert questioning of the witnesses, and his incredible rapport with the jury as he fights for the rights of Sandy and her son.
With a superb sense of drama and an intimate knowledge of the court system, Spence highlights the pitfalls that every defendant faces, making The Smoking Gun extremely relevant today, when our rights are being eroded and when the average American, even if innocent, is hard-pressed to obtain a fair trial.

Ratings and reviews

I have read his other books & they are. Outstanding he really knows the law

About the author

Gerry Spence is the author of twelve nonfiction books, including the New York Times bestsellers How to Argue and Win Every Time and Give Me Liberty!, and the legal thriller Half Moon and Empty Stars. He has brought his legal insight and expertise to many television and radio shows, including Oprah, 60 Minutes, and Larry King Live. He has never lost a criminal jury trial, and has not lost any trial, criminal or civil, since 1969. Spence is the founder of the nonprofit trial lawyers college and a well-known national television commentator on the justice system. He lives with his wife in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Visit his website at www.gerryspence.com.